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Teaching of Jesus

  1. Lesson One
    Kingdom of God (Matthew 5–7, Luke 6–7)
    15 Activities
  2. Lesson Two
    Discipleship (Matthew 10, 16, Mark 10)
    16 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  3. Lesson Three
    Prophetic Critique (Jeremiah 7, Matthew 11, 23, Mark 14–16)
    14 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  4. Lesson Four
    Introduction to Parables (Luke 14–16, 18–19)
    21 Activities
    |
    2 Assessments
  5. Lesson Five
    Themes of Parables (Matthew 13, 18, 20–22, 24)
    17 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  6. Course Wrap-Up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

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Grab your Workbook Journal!

[Record your answers in the workbook provided at the beginning of this course.]

  1. In Matthew 23, Jesus levels a critique against religious leadership that is still relevant to Church leadership today. While appearing toward the end of the book, this critique is not a late development of Jesus’ teaching. In fact, each aspect of this speech can be found in another passage featured earlier in the book of Matthew. Carefully read Matthew 23 and complete the chart provided below with corresponding verse references from this chapter of prophetic critique.

Source: Dale C. Allison, Jr., ed., Matthew: A shorter commentary, 2004, p. 404.

CritiquesMatthew 23Matthew 1–22
Woes upon contemporaries11:21; 18:7
Condemnation of Pharisaic hypocrisy15:7; 22:18
Failure of scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom5:20
The Pharisees as blind guides15:14
Refutation of Pharisaic halakhah15:1-11; 16:5-12
To swear by one thing is to swear by another5:33–37
The Pharisees neglect the more important and heed the less important12:1-8; 15:1-20
The Pharisees are deficient in mercy9:10-13; 12:1-8
Condemnation of discrepancy between outward appearance and impure inward state6:1-18
The Pharisees are a “brood of vipers” destined for hell3:7
The scribes are murderers16:21; 20:18
The Completed Chart

Critiques

Matthew 23

Matthew 1–22

Woes upon contemporaries

vv 13, 15, etc.

11:21; 18:7

Condemnation of Pharisaic hypocrisy

vv 13, 15, 25-28, etc.

15:7; 22:18

Failure of scribes and Pharisees to enter the kingdom

v 13

5:20

The Pharisees as blind guides

vv 16, 24

15:14

Refutation of Pharisaic halakhah

vv 16-22

15:1-11; 16:5-12

To swear by one thing is to swear by another

vv 16-22

5:33–37

The Pharisees neglect the more important and heed the less important

vv 23-24

12:1-8; 15:1-20

The Pharisees are deficient in mercy

v 23

9:10-13; 12:1-8

Condemnation of discrepancy between outward appearance and impure inward state

vv 27-28

6:1-18

The Pharisees are a “brood of vipers” destined for hell

v 33

3:7

The scribes are murderers

vv 31-33

16:21; 20:18

Source: Dale C. Allison, Jr., ed., Matthew: A shorter commentary, 2004, p. 404.

Assessments