BIBLE BOOK GUIDE
Matthew
28 chapters
Jesus is the promised King from David's line who brings the kingdom of heaven, dies and rises to save His people, and commissions His disciples to make disciples of all nations.
Matthew
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Why this book was written
Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish audience to demonstrate that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah who fulfills Old Testament prophecy, to teach the ethic of kingdom living, and to commission the church for global disciple-making.
Structure
- 1–4The King's Birth and Preparation
- 5–7The Kingdom Manifesto: Sermon on the Mount
- 8–10The King's Power and Mission
- 11–13The Mystery and Response to the Kingdom
- 14–20The King's Path to the Cross
- 21–28The King's Trial, Cross, and Resurrection
Major themes
The Kingdom of Heaven
The kingdom has arrived in Jesus but awaits full consummation; disciples are to seek and live out its values now.
Messianic Identity
Jesus is the Son of David whose words, authority, and suffering fulfill Old Testament messianic prophecy.
Faith and Discipleship
Genuine faith expresses itself in obedience, self-denial, and a missional witness to the world.
Righteousness and Mercy
Kingdom righteousness exceeds Pharisaic legalism and is marked by mercy, sincerity, and inward transformation.
Judgment and Eschatology
Jesus foretells judgment on unbelief and the end times, calling listeners to watchfulness and readiness.
The Great Commission
The risen Christ commissions the church to baptize, teach, and make disciples of every nation.
How it points to Christ
Matthew portrays Jesus as the fulfillment of every Old Testament hope: greater than Solomon, greater than the temple, the new Moses, the suffering Servant, and the risen King. His teaching reveals the Father's heart, His miracles demonstrate the kingdom's power, His death pays the ransom for many, and His resurrection launches the global mission of His church.
Key verses
- 1:1Opens by anchoring Jesus in covenant history as the fulfillment of messianic promises.
- 5:17–18Jesus clarifies His relationship to the Old Testament as its fulfillment.
- 11:28–30A gospel invitation promising rest and a yoke of grace.
- 16:16Peter's confession identifying Jesus as the Messiah and Son of God.
- 20:28Defines Jesus' mission as a ransom for many, central to the cross.
- 26:26–28Institution of the Lord's Supper pointing to the new covenant in His blood.
- 28:18–20The Great Commission with the promise of Christ's presence closes the book.
Films & series on Matthew
Each has a guide: scripture sources, where it departs from the Bible, discussion questions, and where to watch

The Chosen
Series · 2019
The life of Christ through the eyes of those who encountered him.

Jesus of Nazareth
Series · 1977
Dramatizes the Birth, Life, Ministry, Crucifixion, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, largely according to the Holy Bible's New Testament Gospels.

The Passion of the Christ
Film · 2004
A graphic portrayal of the last twelve hours of Jesus of Nazareth's life.

Son of God
Film · 2014
In the Holy Land, the Roman occupation has produced a cauldron of oppression, anxiety and excessive taxes levied upon the Jewish people. Fearing the wrath of Roman governor Pontius Pilate , Jewish high priest Caiaphas tries to keep control of his people. That control is threatened when Jesus arrives in Jerusalem, performing miracles and spreading messages of love and hope. Those who fear that Jesus will inspire a revolution decide that he must die.

The Gospel of Matthew
Film · 2014
The Gospel of Matthew was the most popular Gospel in the early Christian centuries. Written for a Christian community as it begins to separate from the Jewish world, Matthew's Gospel goes to great lengths to show that, as the Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies referring to God's Saviour. Narrated in the NIV version by leading British actor Stephen Tompkinson and in the KJV by David Threlfall - featuring specially constructed sets and the authentic countryside of Morocco - it immerses the viewer in the world of first-century Palestine.

The King of Kings
Film · 2025
Charles Dickens tells his young son Walter the greatest story ever told, and what begins as a bedtime tale becomes a life-changing journey. Through vivid imagination, the boy walks alongside Jesus, witnessing His miracles, facing His trials, and understanding His ultimate sacrifice.
Reflections on Matthew
People in this book
Questions for reflection
- ·Which command of the Sermon on the Mount challenges you most right now, and how can you let kingdom values displace worldly ones?
- ·How are you living out the call to be salt and light in your daily work and relationships?
- ·In light of Jesus' warning that not everyone who says 'Lord, Lord' enters the kingdom, how do you examine the authenticity of your relationship with Him?
- ·How does the truth that Jesus gave His life as a ransom reshape your view of sacrifice, service, and forgiveness?
- ·To whom or where is the Great Commission sending you, and what is one step you can take today?
Want to read Matthew start to finish? Open the reader for parallel Chinese/English text and ask anything as you go.
Start reading MatthewMatthew
Chapter 21
1And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and came unto Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,
2saying unto them, Go into the village that is over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me.
3And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
4Now this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through the prophet, saying,
5Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
6And the disciples went, and did even as Jesus appointed them,
7and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon.
8And the most part of the multitude spread their garments in the way; and others cut branches from the trees, and spread them in the way.
9And the multitudes that went before him, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.
10And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, Who is this?
11And the multitudes said, This is the prophet, Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee.
12And Jesus entered into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the money-changers, and the seats of them that sold the doves;
13and he saith unto them, It is written, My house shall be called a house of prayer: but ye make it a den of robbers.
14And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them.
15But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the son of David; they were moved with indignation,
16and said unto him, Hearest thou what these are saying? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea: did ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou has perfected praise?
17And he left them, and went forth out of the city to Bethany, and lodged there.
18Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he hungered.
19And seeing a fig tree by the way side, he came to it, and found nothing thereon, but leaves only; and he saith unto it, Let there be no fruit from thee henceforward for ever. And immediately the fig tree withered away.
20And when the disciples saw it, they marvelled, saying, How did the fig tree immediately wither away?
21And Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do what is done to the fig tree, but even if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou taken up and cast into the sea, it shall be done.
22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
23And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?
24And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one question, which if ye tell me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things.
25The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven or from men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why then did ye not believe him?
26But if we shall say, From men; we fear the multitude; for all hold John as a prophet.
27And they answered Jesus, and said, We know not. He also said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.
28But what think ye? A man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to-day in the vineyard.
29And he answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented himself, and went.
30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
31Which of the two did the will of his father? They say, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, that the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you.
32For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not; but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye saw it, did not even repent yourselves afterward, that ye might believe him.
33Hear another parable: There was a man that was a householder, who planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country.
34And when the season of the fruits drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, to receive his fruits.
35And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
36Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them in like manner.
37But afterward he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.
38But the husbandmen, when they saw the son, said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and take his inheritance.
39And they took him, and cast him forth out of the vineyard, and killed him.
40When therefore the lord of the vineyard shall come, what will he do unto those husbandmen?
41They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those miserable men, and will let out the vineyard unto other husbandmen, who shall render him the fruits in their seasons.
42Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, The same was made the head of the corner; This was from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes?
43Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.
44And he that falleth on this stone shall be broken to pieces: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will scatter him as dust.
45And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them.
46And when they sought to lay hold on him, they feared the multitudes, because they took him for a prophet.
