Reasoning Through the Bible

Why did Jesus ride into Jerusalem on a donkey instead of a horse, and what caused Him to overturn the tables in the temple?

Matthew 21 continues the triumphal entry as Jesus fulfills prophecy and receives the praise of the crowds as the Son of David. Glenn and Steve examine why the donkey communicated peaceful kingship, why palm branches carried expectations of national victory, and why the crowd’s Messianic enthusiasm did not mean they fully understood the mission Jesus had come to accomplish.

Then Jesus enters the temple and finds worship entangled with commerce and gr...

The triumphal entry is much bigger than a crowd waving branches while Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a donkey.

Matthew 21 brings together several major movements that stretch across the Bible. Jesus enters Jerusalem during Passover as the crowds identify Him as the Son of David and welcome Him as their King. At the same time, the Passover setting points toward Jesus as the Lamb of God who is about to give His life.

Glenn and Steve also trace another remarkable biblical pattern involving the glory of God, the temple, and the Mount of Olives. The...

What does greatness look like in the kingdom of God?

In Matthew 20, the mother of James and John approaches Jesus with a bold request: give her sons the places of highest honor beside Him in His kingdom. The request creates jealousy among the other disciples, but Jesus uses the conflict to teach one of His clearest lessons about leadership. The rulers of the world exercise authority over others, but among His followers, greatness is found in becoming a servant.

Glenn and Steve discuss what it meant to sit at the right and left of a...

Why would Jesus tell a story in which workers who served all day received the same pay as workers who served for only one hour?

Matthew 20 continues Jesus’ teaching that “the last shall be first, and the first last.” In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, a landowner hires workers throughout the day but pays each group the same amount. The early workers immediately complain that the arrangement is unfair.

Glenn and Steve examine why nobody in the parable was actually cheated, what the vineyard teaches about Christian service and reward, and why compar...

What was the rich young ruler missing?

Matthew 19 introduces a successful young man who approaches Jesus asking what good thing he must do to obtain eternal life. His question reflects a common assumption: if we can just do enough good things, perhaps we can earn our way to God.

Jesus exposes the flaw in that thinking. The young man believes he has kept the commandments, but Jesus points directly to the area controlling his heart—his wealth. When told to sell his possessions, give to the poor, and follow Jesus, he walks away grieving.

...

What did Jesus really teach about marriage and divorce?

In Matthew 19, the Pharisees approach Jesus with another trap: “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?” Instead of beginning with their arguments over the Mosaic Law, Jesus takes them back to creation. God made humanity male and female, established marriage, and intended husband and wife to become one flesh.

Glenn and Steve work through why Moses permitted divorce because of hardness of heart, what Jesus means by His exception for sexual immorality, the difficult subject of remarriage, and why...

How many times are Christians expected to forgive someone who keeps hurting them?

Matthew 18 continues Jesus’ teaching about church discipline and then turns directly to forgiveness. Glenn and Steve first examine the often-quoted statements about binding and loosing, agreeing together in prayer, and “where two or three are gathered.” The surrounding context shows that Jesus is speaking about the authority of believers gathered in His name as they deal with serious sin within a local church.

Peter then asks how often he must forgive a brother who sins against him. Seven times? Jesus responds, “seventy times se...

How should Christians respond when another believer is caught in serious sin and refuses to change?

Matthew 18 gives some of Jesus’ most practical teaching about life within the church. He begins with a strong warning about stumbling blocks and the seriousness of causing someone else to fall into sin. He then describes God as the faithful Shepherd who goes after one wandering sheep rather than simply abandoning it.

That same concern for restoration carries into Jesus’ teaching on church discipline. Glenn and Steve walk through the process Jesus gives: go privately first, involve two or thre...

How much faith does it take to move a mountain?

In Matthew 17, Jesus comes down from the Mount of Transfiguration and encounters a desperate father whose son has been suffering terribly. The disciples had previously been given authority to cast out demons, yet this time they cannot help him. Jesus uses their failure to teach about “faith like a mustard seed.”

Glenn and Steve examine what that phrase actually means, why moving a mountain should be understood as figurative language, and why Christian faith should never become faith in our own ability to produce a mira...

What did Jesus mean when He said that some standing with Him would not taste death until they saw the Son of Man coming in His kingdom?

Matthew 17 immediately follows that statement with the Transfiguration. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, where His hidden glory is suddenly unveiled. His face shines like the sun, His garments become white as light, Moses and Elijah appear, and the Father speaks from the cloud: “This is My beloved Son… listen to Him.”

Glenn and Steve discuss why the end of Matthew 16 flows naturally into the Tr...

What did Jesus mean when He said, “Upon this rock I will build My church”?

Matthew 16:18–27 contains several of the most debated statements in the Gospel. Jesus speaks about the rock, the church, the gates of Hades, the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and binding and loosing. Glenn and Steve work carefully through the context, the Greek wordplay between Peter and rock, the role Peter later plays in Acts, and the broader biblical picture of Christ as the foundation and cornerstone.

The passage also marks a major shift in Matthew. After Peter identifies Jesus as the...

Who is Jesus?

Matthew 16 brings us to one of the most important questions in the Gospel. The Pharisees and Sadducees demand another sign even though they have already seen abundant evidence of Jesus’ authority. Jesus points them instead to the sign of Jonah—His coming death and resurrection.

Glenn and Steve then examine Jesus’ warning about the “leaven” of the Pharisees and Sadducees. Their false teaching came from opposite directions: one side added burdensome rules to Scripture while the other rejected important biblical truths. Jesus warns His disciples not to accept either error simply because it comes f...

Why does Jesus initially seem to turn away a desperate Gentile woman asking Him to heal her daughter?

In Matthew 15, Jesus travels toward the region of Tyre and Sidon, where a Canaanite woman repeatedly asks Him for mercy. She calls Him Lord and Son of David, bows before Him, and continues asking even when Jesus initially does not answer. Her remarkable response about receiving even the crumbs from the Master’s table leads Jesus to commend her great faith and heal her daughter immediately.

Glenn and Steve discuss what this encounter reveals about Israel, the Ge...

What matters more to God—clean hands or a clean heart?

In Matthew 15, Pharisees and scribes travel from Jerusalem to confront Jesus because His disciples do not follow the ceremonial handwashing traditions of the elders. But Jesus exposes a far greater problem: their traditions have become so important that they are actually undermining the Word of God.

Glenn and Steve examine Jesus’ warning about religious traditions, the command to care for aging parents, hypocrisy that honors God with the lips while the heart remains far away, and why outward religious activity can never substitute for genu...

What can Jesus do with five loaves and two fish? And why would He deliberately send His disciples into a storm?

Matthew 14:13–36 contains two remarkable demonstrations of Jesus’ authority. First, He feeds thousands from a small amount of food, showing that resources that seem insignificant in our hands can become more than sufficient when placed in His.

Then Jesus sends the disciples across the Sea of Galilee. They obey Him—and sail directly into a storm.

Glenn and Steve discuss why being in God’s will does not mean every circumstance will be easy, wh...

John the Baptist faithfully prepared the way for Jesus, but Matthew 14 records an ending we might not expect for someone Jesus called a great prophet.

Herod imprisoned John because John openly confronted his relationship with Herodias. Later, a reckless promise made at Herod’s birthday celebration resulted in John being beheaded.

Glenn and Steve examine the contrast between John and Herod. Herod had wealth, political authority, luxury, and the ability to silence his critic, yet his conscience would not leave him alone. John had lost his freedom and eventually his life, but he knew he ha...

What was Jesus revealing through the mustard seed, the leaven, the hidden treasure, and the pearl of great value?

Matthew 13 continues the kingdom parables as Jesus challenges His listeners to rethink their expectations about the messianic kingdom. Glenn and Steve examine why the mustard seed grows into a large plant where birds can nest, why leaven represents something that quietly spreads, and why the treasure and pearl are worth everything required to obtain them.

They also discuss why these parables should not be interpreted as though people purchase their own salvation. Salvation is a free...

Why does God allow good and evil to continue side by side?

In Matthew 13, Jesus tells the parable of the wheat and the weeds and later the parable of the dragnet. Both teach that the world contains those who belong to Christ and those who do not, and that the final separation does not happen immediately.

Glenn and Steve work through Jesus’ own explanation of the wheat and weeds, discuss the reality of false believers and false teachers, and consider why Christians must be careful about trying to determine another person’s salvation.

The...

Why do some people hear the Word of God and grow, while others seem interested for a time and then walk away?

Matthew 13 begins Jesus’ great series of kingdom parables with the parable of the sower. A farmer scatters the same seed across four kinds of soil, but each produces a very different result.

Glenn and Steve examine what Jesus says about the hard path, shallow rocky soil, thorns, and good soil. They discuss persecution, the need for discipleship and deep biblical roots, the deceitfulness of wealth, the distractions of everyday life, and why new be...

Are the kingdom of heaven and the kingdom of God the same thing?

Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” repeatedly, while the other Gospels more commonly speak of the “kingdom of God.” Is that simply a difference in audience and terminology, or does Scripture point to a real distinction between the two?

In this topical discussion connected to the Matthew study, Glenn and Steve work through key passages involving the kingdom promised to Israel, the millennial reign of Christ, the church, salvation, the present and future aspects of the kingdom, and the significance of Jesus be...

Is simply cleaning up your life enough?

Matthew 12 closes with Jesus describing an unclean spirit that leaves a person, only to return later and find the “house” swept, orderly, and empty. The warning is clear: removing something evil without being filled by God does not produce lasting spiritual change.

Glenn and Steve discuss why true transformation requires more than behavior modification, how the Holy Spirit changes the believer from the inside, and why the generation rejecting Jesus was in danger of ending up worse than before.

The passage then shifts to Jesus’ mother and br...

Have you ever worried that you may have committed the unpardonable sin?

Matthew 12:31–42 contains one of Jesus’ most debated warnings: “Blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.” But what did He mean, and can someone today accidentally place himself beyond God’s forgiveness?

Glenn and Steve examine the immediate context of Jesus’ words, where the Pharisees had just attributed the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan. They discuss why this is not simply about saying one terrible sentence and why anyone who genuinely comes to Christ seeking forgiveness can still be forgiven.

The study...

Matthew 12 reaches a major turning point as the religious leaders move from questioning Jesus to openly rejecting Him.

After the Pharisees begin plotting His death, Jesus withdraws and continues healing those who follow Him. Matthew connects His gentle ministry to Isaiah’s prophecy of the Servant who would bring justice and become the hope of the Gentiles.

Then Jesus heals a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. The crowd begins asking the crucial question: “Could this be the Son of David?” The Pharisees cannot deny the miracle, so they claim Jesus is casting out demons...

Did Jesus and His disciples break the Sabbath?

In Matthew 12:1–14, the Pharisees accuse Jesus’ disciples of doing unlawful work because they plucked grain while walking through a field on the Sabbath. But the Mosaic Law actually permitted what they were doing.

Glenn and Steve examine how religious leaders had added layers of tradition around God’s commands and turned the Sabbath—a gift intended for rest—into a burden. Jesus answers their accusation by pointing to David eating the consecrated bread, the priests working in the temple on the Sabbath, and the greater importance of mercy, com...

Why do some people refuse to believe even when the evidence is right in front of them?

In Matthew 11:16–30, Jesus compares His generation to children who are impossible to satisfy. John the Baptist lived an austere life and was accused of having a demon. Jesus ate with sinners and was called a glutton and a drunkard. No matter what God did, the critics found a reason to reject it.

Jesus then pronounces judgment on Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum—cities that had witnessed His miracles and still refused to repent. Glenn and Steve discuss judgment, human resp...

Did John the Baptist begin to doubt Jesus while sitting in prison?

Matthew 11 opens with John sending his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” Rather than simply saying yes, Jesus points them to the evidence: the blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor hear the gospel.

Glenn and Steve consider whether John himself was struggling with doubt or whether he may have been intentionally sending his remaining followers to Jesus. They also discuss why John...

What should followers of Jesus expect from the world?

In Matthew 10:24–42, Jesus tells His disciples that they should not expect better treatment than He received. If the world maligned Him, some will malign His followers too. Yet Jesus repeatedly says, “Do not fear.”

Glenn and Steve discuss why false accusations will ultimately be exposed, why believers should fear God rather than men, and how Jesus’ teaching about sparrows and numbered hairs gives comfort during persecution and discouragement.

The discussion also examines Jesus’ difficult statement that He did not come to bring peace, but a sword; w...

Why did Jesus tell the Twelve to go only to Israel when He later commanded them to make disciples of all nations?

Matthew 10 contains instructions that apply to more than one setting. Jesus sends the Twelve on an immediate mission to the lost sheep of Israel with the message, “The kingdom of heaven is at hand.” He tells them to travel lightly, depend on God’s provision, and move on when a city rejects their message.

But later in the same chapter, Jesus speaks about persecution, appearing before governors and kings, testimony to Gentiles, and enduri...

Matthew 10 introduces the Twelve as Jesus prepares to send them throughout Israel. They were not an impressive religious elite. Among them were fishermen, a tax collector associated with Roman rule, a Zealot connected with opposition to Rome, and several men about whom Scripture tells us very little.

Glenn and Steve discuss the difference between a disciple and an apostle, why being well-known does not make someone more important in the work of the church, and why Jesus gave these apostles special miraculous authority.

The session also examines the message Jesus sent them to preach—“The king...

Why did Jesus say new wine cannot be put into old wineskins?

In Matthew 9:14–38, Jesus continues challenging religious assumptions while demonstrating His authority through a remarkable series of miracles.

The discussion begins with fasting. Jesus explains that fasting is useful for prayer and spiritual discipline, but it does not make anyone righteous. He then uses the illustrations of an unshrunk patch and new wine in old wineskins to show that He did not come simply to repair an old system of religious works.

The session then turns to several powerful miracles. A woman su...

Who has the authority to forgive sins?

In Matthew 9, friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus expecting physical healing. Instead, Jesus first tells him, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” The scribes immediately accuse Him of blasphemy because they understand that only God can forgive sins.

Jesus then heals the man physically to demonstrate that He possesses the authority He claims.

The session also follows Jesus as He calls Matthew from the tax collector’s booth. Matthew leaves a lucrative and socially despised career to follow Christ, then immediately invites fellow tax collec...

Matthew 8 continues to reveal who Jesus is through a series of attesting miracles.

Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law with a touch, casts out demons with a word, and then challenges those who say they want to follow Him by explaining that discipleship carries a real cost. Following Christ is not a path to worldly fame, comfort, or wealth.

Then Jesus and His disciples enter a boat and encounter a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. While experienced fishermen fear for their lives, Jesus sleeps. When they wake Him, He rebukes the wind and sea an...

Matthew 8 begins a new section in which Jesus’ miracles demonstrate His authority and reveal who He truly is.

The first person who approaches Him is a leper—someone who had been isolated from society, separated from worship, and forced to live apart from family. The man bows before Jesus and says, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus responds with compassion: “I am willing.” Then He does something remarkable—He touches him.

Next, a Roman centurion comes seeking healing for his servant. Unlike the leper, this man has worldly power and authority, yet...

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with a series of serious warnings and powerful illustrations.

In Matthew 7:13-29, He contrasts the broad road that leads to destruction with the narrow gate that leads to life. The narrow way is not one spiritual option among many--it points to the one way to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Glenn and Steve then examine Jesus’ warning about false prophets who appear in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. How can believers recognize false teachers? Jesus says to look at their fruit, especially their teaching, and comp...

What did Jesus really mean when He said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged”?

In this session, Glenn and Steve finish Matthew 6 and move into Matthew 7. Jesus first addresses worry and anxiety, reminding His followers that the Father already knows what they need. Instead of allowing food, clothing, work, possessions, and tomorrow’s problems to dominate life, believers are called to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

The discussion then turns to one of the most quoted verses in Scripture: “Do not judge.” Jesus is not prohibiting all discernment. He warns agains...

How did Jesus actually teach His followers to pray?

In Matthew 6:9–24, Jesus gives what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer—but perhaps more accurately understood as the model prayer. Rather than giving us a formula to repeat mechanically, Jesus provides a pattern that begins with honoring God, longing for His kingdom, submitting to His will, and then bringing our daily needs before Him.

Glenn and Steve examine what “daily bread” means, why believers should pray for God’s kingdom to come, how forgiveness affects our relationships with others, and why those closest to us can sometime...

Can doing something good for the wrong reason turn it into something spiritually harmful?

In Matthew 6, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by addressing the motives behind giving, good works, and prayer. He warns His listeners not to practice righteousness in order to be noticed by others. The issue is not whether Christians should do good works, but whether those works are being done for God or for human applause.

Glenn and Steve also examine the relationship between salvation and good works, why public recognition can become dangerous in Christian ministry, what Jesus means...

What does Jesus mean when He tells His followers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? And why does He later say, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”?

In this session, Glenn and Steve continue through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13–48. They examine how believers should influence the world around them, why good works should point people toward God rather than ourselves, and what Jesus meant when He said He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

The discussion then turns to some o...

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the best-known teachings of Jesus, but what is it actually teaching? Is it a set of commands Christians are expected to perfectly live today, a description of life in Christ’s future kingdom, or something that contains elements of both?

In this session, Glenn and Steve begin Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes and examine the larger purpose of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has already been presented as Israel’s King, and now He begins explaining the righteousness and character associated with His kingdom.

The discussion examines what...

How did Jesus respond when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness? Matthew chapter 4 shows that Jesus was truly tempted, yet He remained without sin and answered each temptation with the Word of God.

In this session, Glenn and Steve examine the three temptations of Christ, how they connect with the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, and why Jesus’ response gives believers a practical model for resisting temptation. The discussion also considers fasting, why Satan quoted Scripture, and why knowing the Bible matters when temptation comes. 

The ses...