Bible Class – Matthew Study #3 (Mt 5-7) – Notes and Discussion questions
Matthew Study #3: The precepts of the King
Main passage of study: Mt 5:1 – 7:29
Related passages:
Session 1: Lev 19:2; Ps 1:1; Mt 18:8-9; 19:8-9; Lu 6:22; Jn 6:35; 12:36; Ac 5:41; Ro 10:4; Eph 2:10; 5:8; Col 4:6; He 12:14; Jas 1:14-15; 5:12; 1Pe 1:25
Session 2: Dt 19:19; Pro 4:23; 24:29; Isa 5:20; 64:8; Mt 9:15; 14;23; 23:5; Mk 11:25; Lu 6:35; 18:11; 23:34; Ro 12:17, 20; 13:10; 1Co 13:7; Eph 5:1; 1Ti 6:10; He 13:5; 1Pe 2:23
Session 3: Ps 55:22; Pro 27:1; Mt 12:33; 24:11; Lu 3:9; 4:32; 6:46; 11:13; 13:25-26; Jn 10:9; 16:23-24; Ro 2:1; 1Co 3:14; Ga 5:22-23; 6:1; Php 4:6; Jas 2:13; 4:11; 1Pe 5:7; 1Jn 4:1
Outline & Notes
Outline:
Session #1 – The character of citizens of the Kingdom– Mt 5:1-37
- Paradoxical happiness – Mt 5:1-12
- Preparation and posture – Mt 5:1-2
- Poverty and pliability – Mt 5:3-5
- Pursuit and practice of righteousness – Mt 5:6-8,9
- Peace amidst persecution – Mt 5:10-11,12
- Public witness – Mt 5:13-16
- Savouring saltiness – Mt 5:13
- Shining as lights – Mt 5:14-15
- Showing good works – Mt 5:16
- Perfect righteousness – Mt 5:17-20
- Purposed fulfillment – Mt 5:17,18
- Proper estimation – Mt 5:19
- Possessed righteousness – Mt 5:20
- Personal holiness – Mt 5:21-37
- Passions restrained – Mt 5:21,22,23,24,25-26
- Purity retained – Mt 5:27-28,29,30
- Promises revered – Mt 5:31,32
- Plainness required – Mt 5:33-34,35-37
Session #2 – The conduct of citizens of the Kingdom –
Mt 5:38-6:24
- Restrained responses– Mt 5:38-42
- Refusing retaliation – Mt 5:38-39
- Relinquishing rights – Mt 5:40-42
- Radical regard – Mt 5:43-48
- Redefining love – Mt 5:43-44
- Reflecting the Father – Mt 5:45-46,47-48
- Reverent righteousness – Mt 6:1-18
- Giving in secret – Mt 6:1,2,3-4
- Godward prayer – Mt 6:5-15
- Genuine fasting – Mt 6:16-17,18
- Rightful riches – Mt 6:19-24
- Heavenly hoarding – Mt 6:19,20-21
- Healthy vision – Mt 6:22-23
- The highest master – Mt 6:24
Session #3 – The confidence of citizens of the Kingdom –
Mt 6:25 – 7:29
- Fearless faith – Mt 6:25-34
- Forsaking worry – Mt 6:25,26-27,28-29,30-31
- Focusing on the Father – Mt 6:32-33,34
- Fair and faithful judgment – Mt 7:1-6
- Faults faced personally – Mt 7:1-2,3-4,5
- Fitness judged prudently – Mt 7:6
- Fruitful fellowship – Mt 7:7-11
- Fervent petition – Mt 7:7-8
- Fatherly provision – Mt 7:9-10,11
- Faithful following – Mt 7:12-27
- A foundational principle – Mt 7:12
- Few on the narrow way – Mt 7:13-14
- Fruit that reveals – Mt 7:15-16,17-19,20
- False professions – Mt 7:21,22-23
- Firm or foolish foundations – Mt 7:24,25-26,27
- Final focus – Mt 7:28-29
- Fitting astonishment – Mt 7:28
- Foremost authority – Mt 7:29
Following the revealing of the King’s identity and mission in “The Pathway of the King” (Matthew 3–4), where His authority is affirmed and His call to discipleship begins, chapters 5–7 present “The Precepts of the King.” Here, Jesus sets forth the standards of His kingdom—not merely outward conduct, but inward transformation. He describes the character of those who belong to Him, the righteousness that exceeds mere external religion, and the life of trust, devotion, and obedience that flows from a true relationship with the Father. These chapters move from who the King is and whom He calls, to how His people are to live under His rule, culminating in a call to hear and do His words.
Textual notes
● “He opened his mouth” (Mt 5:2) – This expression reflects a Hebrew idiom (see Job 3:1) that signals formal, weighty teaching, not just casual speech. Matthew presents Jesus to his Jewish readers as a new Moses delivering authoritative instruction.
● “You are the salt of the earth”(Mt 5:13) – Salt was a valued commodity in the ancient world for the preservation of food and the slowing of decay because of its unique properties. As with light, (Mt 5:14), the Lord is using this metaphor to teach the distinctive value of godly testimony.
● “I did not come to destroy but to fulfill”(Mt 5:17) – The word ‘fulfill’ is a key word in Matthew (18X), often used in connection with Messianic prophecy. It means to bring to full meaning or intended culmination.
● “You have heard.. But I say” – This formula is used repeatedly by the Lord Jesus in the latter half of chapter 5. He is not correcting scripture but rather correcting its misinterpretation.
● “..your right eye..pluck it out”(Mt 5:29) “..your right hand..cut it off” (Mt 5:30) – The Lord is using hyperbole here (a common Jewish teaching method) to stress the seriousness of sin.
● “let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’, ‘No’” (Mt 5:37) – The Jewish culture had developed elaborate oaths to mask dishonesty. The Lord teaches transparent truthfulness.
● “..to be seen”, “hypocrites”(Mt 6:1,2) – The Lord denounces religious performance and pretense by using pictures from public drama. The Greek verb theamai gives us ‘theatre’ in English and hupokrites is literally a stage-player – i.e. a pretender.
● “vain repetitions”(Mt 6:7) – Pagan prayers often used mechanical repetition to manipulate gods.
● “Our Father”(Mt 6:9) – This would sound strikingly intimate to the Jewish ear as Jewish prayers rarely addressed God in this way. A theme in the sermon on the mount is an emphasis on relationship over ritual.
● “when you fast” (Mt 6:16-17) – Fasting is not commanded here but it does appear to be assumed as a worthwhile practice.
● “You cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mt 6:24) – ‘serve’ here is to serve as a slave and ‘mammon’ is a transliteration of the Greek word which actually comes from Aramaic meaning simply ‘money’ or ‘riches’ seen here as a rival master to God.
● “do not worry”(Mt 6:25) – ‘worry’ here comes from a word meaning ‘to be divided’ or ‘drawn in different directions’ – so picturing a distracted mind.
● “seek first the kingdom of God”(Mt 6:33) – as a continuous priority – keep on seeking – not one and done.
● “Do not judge”(Mt 7:1) – (Gk. krino – Eng. critic, criticize) The verb properly means to distinguish or decide (i.e. between right and wrong). As evidenced by the extreme illustration that follows, the Lord is teaching against hypercritical judgment or fault-finding.
● “dogs..swine”(Mt 7:6) – To Jews, these were unclean animals emphasizing the Lord’s point that not everything is to be shared indiscriminately – so to use wise discernment.
● “fruit(s)”(Mt 7:16-18,19-20) – refers to the observable character of a life over time, not isolated acts.
Discussion questions
1. Looking at ‘the beatitudes’ in ch. (Mt 5:3-12), what common thread would you say ties these descriptions together?
2. How do ‘the beatitudes’ challenge prevailing (or even our own) ideas of happiness?
3. What can we learn from what the Lord Jesus said about fulfilling the law (Mt 5:16-17)? How does this shape our understanding of the Old Testament?
4. How do you tend to measure righteousness, more by outward behaviour or by inward motives?
5. Why do you think the Lord Jesus connects reconciliation with worship in( Mt 5:23-24) ?
6. How can we cultivate greater purity at the level of thoughts and desires, and not just actions?
7. Is the Lord Jesus teaching ‘doormat passivity’ in (Mt 5:38-42) – that we should essentially let people take advantage of us? How do the examples He gives help us understand His true message?
8. To love our enemies (Mt 5:44) might be one of the most difficult commandments to keep in all of the Bible, especially in extreme situations. How might we practically love our enemies today?
9. What repeated contrast is evident in the first half of Matthew 6?
10. What can we learn from the model prayer that the Lord teaches in (Mt 6:9-13) in terms of focus, content and purpose?
11. Why do you think the Lord Jesus ties forgiveness so closely to prayer in (Mt 6:14-15)?
12. What indicators should we look for in our lives to determine where our “treasure” is?
13. Anxiety is often described as living in a future that hasn’t happened yet. How do we distinguish between legitimately planning for the future and anxiously worrying about the future that borders on a lack of faith?
14. What does ‘seeking first’ the kingdom of God (Mt 6:33) look like as we are occupied with the everyday legitimate responsibilities of life? How does prioritizing the things of God practically lead to “all these things” – legitimate needs – to be added to our lives?
15. There may be specific areas where we are more susceptible to be hyper-critical of others. How could ‘removing the plank’ from our own eye practically result in us being a real help to others?
16. What practical habits can help us remain consistent and confident in prayer for ongoing needs, while keeping our prayers sincere and engaged rather than repetitive?
17. We tend to be naturally drawn to things like eloquent speech, personality, outward appearance and talent but why is fruit a more reliable indicator of one who genuinely seeks the welfare of the sheep?
18. In the Lord’s parable about the two builders in (Mt 7:24-27), the rain, floods and winds came against both houses. What could these represent and what lessons can we learn from this detail?