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    Issues and Commentaries on Tuesday's Bible Study 

Matthew

1:1-17 Jesus' genealogy from Josef's branch is with 4 women's names included, all once sinners, and gentiles. The one in Luke 3 is from Maria's.
2:1-2 Eastern scholars were gentiles. They observed the star sign to find the One, though it was against God's will.
2:23 The prophetic words were not found in the rest of Scriptures. Is this a hint that there would still be scritptures not found yet?
3:7-10 Jesus called Pharisees "Brood of snakes". Not merely Devil was compared with snakes. "It's your life that must change, not your skin!" We may not change what belongs to our flesh and disire, yet we can choose to live a new life with redemption.
3:15 Even Jesus had His time and necessare preparations!
3:17 "Son" is not the same words as "sons". Begotten sons are not adopted, while they are all sons.
4:6 The Devil quoted Scriptures (Psalm 91) too, which means he knows the truth and facts in Bible. Most importantly, he admitted Bible too.
4:16 Jesus was also compared to "the sun". There might not be an only symbol to be the One.
4:23-25 Jesus must acquire varieties of expertise, be granted talents to do all this from God. Expertise is one of the most equipment for missions!
5:3,5,8,9 The message has the best explanations!
5:11-12 "What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable." People are afraid to be touched directly in the heart...
7:13-20 Surefire success? Easygoing formulas? For people today, there is only ONE WAY TO SUCCEED.
10:9-10 You don't need too much equipment to begin you missons, nor need to travel far.
10:21 When people realize it is the living God you are presenting and not some idol that makes them feel good, they are going to turn on you, even people in your own family. There is a great irony here: proclaiming so much love, experiencing so much hate! But don't quit. Don't cave in. This reminds me of how I did to "persuade" Dad to believe in God. Just do your part well; let them know the living God is in you; live out a Christian model.
11:19 Opinion polls don't count for much, do they? The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
11:27 No one knows (except) the Son the way the Father does, nor (except) the Father the way the Son does.
12:3 1Samuel 21:6
12:4 Leviticus 24:8
12:18 Isaiah 42:1-4
12:31,32 What is blasphemy?
12:41 Jonah 3
12:42 2 Chronicles 9:6
12:49 Obedience is thicker than blood.
13:3 "What do you make of this?" means  "What do you think about this parable?"
13:11-14 You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it.
13:27 The farmhands came to the farmer and said, 'Master, that was clean seed you planted, wasn't it? Where did these thistles come from?'
13:32 eagles = flying birds = (excellent) gentiles, (eagles = Americans?)
from out side the God's kingdom
13:35 Psalm 78; Asaph, 2 Chronicles 29:30
13:52 He said, "Then you see how every student well-trained in God's kingdom is like the owner of a general store who can put his hands on anything you need, old or new, exactly when you need it."
14:1 The Herods, father and son, were regional rulers of Jews during Jesus time.
15:33  His disciples said, "But where in this deserted place are you going to dig up enough food for a meal?"
18:17 "...you'll have to start over from scratch, confront him with the need for repentatnce, and offer again God's frogiving love."
18:18-20 "What you say (the Good News) to one another is eternal."
19:8 "...as a concession to your hard heartedness, but it is not part of God's original plan." Even God Himself made concissions! And that's exactly why we're still staying put now...
19:11-12 Jesus opinion about marriage. "Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life."
19:30 Because the scale differs.
20:1-16 Wage is the eternal life, granted all whoever would be the first come or the last. Seniority is not the point.
21:4-5 Zechariah 9:9
21:13 Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11
21:16 Psalms 8:2
21:42 Psalms 118:22; Isaiah 28:16
22:11 "properly dressed" means what is mentioned in Philippians 3:7-9
22:30 According to the Message, people would lead lives with God, just as with the Angels. It didn't mention whether Angels marry or not. (Mk 12:25) (Ge 6:2)
22:37 Jesus said, "Love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and intelligence..." Pay attention to "intelligence". We should devote all what we can do and be good at doing to God's work to honor Him. Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18
22:44 Psalms110:1
22:45 Is Misaiah, the Saviour, David's offspring? (Abraham's? Genesis 12:3.) How did they know? 2 Samuel 7:12 + 7:16 + Psalms 110:1 + John 4:26 = Jesus is the Messiah, King of Jews, David's offspring!
23:2 "on Moses" means on his teaching position
23:13-36 Seven Woes (Why have to be 7?): 1. antichrist, :13 2. distract others, :15 3. mispreaching, :17 4. misordered spiritual priorities, up side down, :23 5. hypocrisy, 25 6. false witness, :30 7. killing the decent people, :35
24:6 "...This is routine history;", which mean it is doomed to happen.
24:27-28 "The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you!"..."You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds."
25:1-3 Who are the ten virgins? Candidates (Wesley) for the Kingdom, employed for tasks in this world. Ten is a number of consummation in Jewish culture. Five-five means the co-existance of various intellectual levels of humans is the condition. What is the lamp? Hearts, possible to accept Jesus as redemption or to accept anything else as what they value in their lives. What is oil? The love and the faith, the only way and the readiness to keep the zeal for Lord's way shining. (In this their wisdom was displayed. They not only "let their light shine," but at the same time kept the grace renewed that was essential to the continuance of their light, according to Johnson's commentary) Besides, the ten were in a ring; the foolish five "could have noticed" the other wise five with extra oil.
25:4 The wise took oil in their vessels --- Love in their hearts. And they daily sought a fresh supply of spiritual strength, till their faith was made perfect. (Wesley)
25:5 "fell asleep" means "being lazy to find the Truth and the Way, busy taking care of earthly trifles or something else"
25:9 There will be no borrowed righteousness on the day of the Lord's coming, for no one will have any to spare. The Roman Catholic confidence in saints, and the trust of some Protestants in pious parents, are alike unavailing: each soul must see to its own lamp. (McGarvey and Pendleton) We have to earn it ourselves, not to borrow it. Besides, righteousness is nowhere to be borrowed --- only through Jesus.
25:12 Those whose faith once existed but later withered (abandoning Jesus' words and redemption) cannot be granted the Kingdom.
25:18 "...carefully buried his master's money." "Carfully" means in a way of cowardly fear, old-womanishness, dare not to display and utilize what Father has granted. "Buried" means "not to use".
25:30 Never ever try to live an assumptiously safe life. Make the most out of your talents to honor your Master.
25:40 "...I'm telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me."
26:28 Probably the MOST PRECIOUS, MOST HONORED, MOST PREVILEGED, VITALEST, AS WELL AS ULTIMATUM INFINITE Scripture in the whole Bible comes from here:

  "This is my blood,
  God's new covenant poured out for many people
   for the forgiveness of sins."

26:54 Did Jeusus do this to meet the Scriptures or did the Scriptures have a undeniable force to keep Jesus in groove? : ) He is God's Son, the All Mighty, and the One that made all these Scriptures.
26:64 2 Samuel 7:16, Psalms 110:1, the Messiah, David's offspring
27:9-10 It is actually from Zechariah 11:12-13. Matthew probably referred Jeremiah to those all (prophets) behind him because Jeremiah is the prophet of New Testament.
27:26 Isaiah 53:5
28:17 Jesus came from his resurrection, and still some were not sure about "worship", risking themselves totally. They witnessed Jesus in their bare eyes; they were not able to keep their faith regarless. (Tomas, John 20:24)
Oh, humans, how weak you are! And God still loves you so!