Tag Archives: Matthew

Faith in Matthew’s Gospel

Posted on December 10, 2019 by Neil

  Faith, believing, and unbelief are frequently used terms in Matthew, all originating with the Greek pistis. When modern people use terms like faith or belief they typically are referring to some type of cognitive assent-I believe certain things to … Continue reading →

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The Imperfect Church and the Kingdom of Heaven

Posted on August 29, 2019 by Neil

One of the tensions in any type of interpretation of scripture that embraces a communal perspective is the distance between the church or whatever type of community of faith the individual is a part of and the vision of community … Continue reading →

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A Request

Posted on August 28, 2019 by Neil

Seven years and 600 posts later, I’ve learned a lot from this process of writing and discovery and at this point I feel compelled to share some of these insights from the last several years with a broader audience. I … Continue reading →

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Matthew 6: 16-18 Exploring Fasting and Righteousness

Posted on July 31, 2019 by Neil

Matthew 6: 16-18 16 “And whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. 17 But … Continue reading →

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Matthew 5: 13-20 A Visible Vocation Connected to Scripture

Posted on June 28, 2019 by Neil

Matthew 5: 13-20 Parallel Mark 9:49-50 and 4:21, Luke 14: 35-35, 8: 16, 11:33 and 16: 16-17 Highlighted words will have comment on translation below  13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if salt has lost its taste, … Continue reading →

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Introduction to the Sermon on the Mount

Posted on June 26, 2019 by Neil

The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is probably the best know piece that is unique to Matthew’s gospel (as it is assembled, although much of the material in the Sermon is found throughout Luke’s gospel) and there are scholars … Continue reading →

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Matthew 3: 1-12 The Herald of the Kingdom of Heaven

Posted on May 2, 2019 by Neil

Matthew 3: 1-12 Parallel Mark 1: 2-8, Luke 3: 1-17 1 In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, 2 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is the one of … Continue reading →

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Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew

Posted on March 7, 2019 by Neil

The Gospel of Matthew is a book that has generated countless books and studies and continues to be one of the most read and preached upon books in the bible. Writing about this gospel is, to use the words of … Continue reading →

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Transitioning into the Gospel of Matthew

Posted on February 26, 2019 by Neil

  The one constant in my writing over the past seven years has been the practice of reflecting on this strange and wonderful book of scriptures that have been handed on to both the Jewish and Christian faiths. Over this … Continue reading →

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Review of Reading Backwards by Richard B. Hays

Posted on March 25, 2015 by Neil

READING BACKWARDS: FIGURAL CHRISTOLOGY AND THE FOURFOLD GOSPEL WITNESS, by Richard B. Hays. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2014. 155pp $34.95 Richard B. Hays began his work of examining how the earliest followers of Jesus were interpreters of scriptures in … Continue reading →

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