MATTHEW

WESLEY BIBLE STUDIES

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Copyright © 2014 by Wesleyan Publishing House
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ISBN: 978-0-89827-862-0
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 CONTENTS

Introduction 5
1. The Birth of Jesus
Matthew 1:18–25 8
2. Finding God on the Bottom Shelf
Matthew 5:1–12 17
3. Avoiding Spiritual Pride
Matthew 6:1–18 28
4. First Things First
Matthew 6:19–34 37
5. Evidence of True Faith
Matthew 7:13–27 46
6. The Cost of Discipleship
Matthew 10:32–42 54
7. The Sabbath Gift
Matthew 11:28—12:14 63
8. Eyes to See the Truth
Matthew 13:1–23 71
9. Justice Delayed
Matthew 13:24–30, 36–43 80
10. Parables of the Kingdom
Matthew 13:31–35, 44–50 89
11. Giving and Receiving Forgiveness
Matthew 18:21–35 98
12. Keeping Watch for the Second Coming
Matthew 24:36–51 107
13. Relational Holiness
Matthew 25:31–46 115
Words from Wesley Works Cited 123
 INTRODUCTION
Lessons from the Master

Three-and-a-half years is not a long time. It is barely enough

time to embark on a world-changing venture, let alone complete
one. Yet in just that short length of time, Jesus Christ defined a
way of life through His words and actions that radically altered
the course of human history.
There are many ways to approach the study of Christ. Some
approaches would focus on His self-understanding, rightly
emphasizing His identity as the Son of God, the second person of
the Trinity. Others would examine the deeds of Jesus, emphasizing
the divine power displayed through His miracles and justifiably
celebrating His resurrection from the dead. Either approach would
yield an accurate picture of Christ and lead students to truth.
Our approach will be slightly different, however. In this study,
we will focus on the words of Jesus, examining some of His most
powerful teachings as recorded by Matthew, the tax collector
turned apostle. Here are some of the takeaways you will discover
in these powerful lessons.

Jesus’ masterwork of theology, the passage of Scripture we

GOD’S BLESSING COMES IN UNLIKELY WAYS

know as the Sermon on the Mount, provides the context for four
studies in this book. In the Beatitudes, those beautiful yet disturbing
pronouncements of blessing, Jesus teaches us that God’s best for
us is not always what we would consider best for ourselves. The
 Matthew

more we try to impress others, the less we impress God. The more
we seek for ourselves, the less we are likely to gain. God’s view
of the world and our view are, well, different. Jesus teaches us
that our best hope for a happy life, both now and later, is to trust
God with childlike faith. That doesn’t come naturally to most of
us. These readings will challenge you to make your life more like
Christ in everyday ways.

FOLLOWING JESUS CALLS FOR

The cost of discipleship is a favorite subject for Jesus. Real-

TOTAL COMMITMENT

izing that many of the eager crowds who followed Him during
the early days of His ministry were more interested in show than
in grow, Jesus intentionally upped the ante for His followers. To
be a disciple of Christ calls for an open mind, total commitment,
and complete obedience.
While we say that our world is ever changing, the human pen-
chant for easy solutions and nominal commitment seems constant.
In this study, you will be challenged to examine the strength of
your faith and the depth of your commitment to Jesus Christ.

The gospel is powerful and effective. It will have an effect upon

AS CHANGED PEOPLE, WE CHANGE THE WORLD

your life, and you, in turn, will have a revolutionary effect upon
the world. Over and over, Jesus made these points in His teaching.
Yes, you really can enjoy God’s blessing. Yes, it is possible to fully
and freely forgive those who have wronged you. Better yet, this
new society we have formed—this kingdom of heaven—will
grow from just a few comrades in faith to become a great force in
the world. When you forgive, when you love others, when you
perform acts of kindness in the name of Jesus Christ, you are quite
literally changing the world. You will be motivated to allow God’s
grace to work in your life and to offer that grace to others.

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 Introduction

In this study, we have the pleasure of studying both the first

arrival of Jesus, as a child in Bethlehem, and His second advent,
as the Judge of all the earth. Let these words from Christ move
you the way they moved His first hearers—to experience God’s
blessing in surprising ways.

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 6

THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP

Matthew 10:32–42

To follow Jesus requires our total commitment.

Life is incredibly busy, and most people are forced to juggle

many responsibilities. In the age in which we live, there are no
clear lines between homemaker and accountant, dad and soccer
coach, or church member and CEO. We all must manage many
priorities each week, and all of them are important. Is it possible
to have ten number-one priorities?
According to Jesus, the answer is no. Only one thing will
have an ultimate claim on our attention, energy, and passion. We
may choose family, career, success, health, or Christ as our first
priority, but we cannot choose to honor them all equally.
This study will challenge you to examine your priorities and
put Jesus Christ first in your life.

The context of this passage is Jesus calling and sending His

COMMENTARY

disciples. Before looking at this context, we need to review. First,

in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus presented a theology of Christian
faith and living. Rather than living as a sinful or selfish person, a
Christian should live according to God’s value system.
Second, Jesus performed a series of miracles. Many people
received a “touch of the Master’s hand” (Matt. 8:1—9:34). As a
result of this ministry, three things became apparent: (1) There were
many needy people; (2) Jesus had an important ministry to these
people; and (3) more workers were needed.
 The Cost of Discipleship

The urgency of preaching the gospel of the kingdom and the

magnitude of the needy people are the pressures under which
Jesus selected and prepared His disciples for their work
(9:35—10:42). He requested the disciples to pray for laborers.
He then appointed the Twelve. He taught them how their needs
would be supplied and how to minister, and warned them about
the conflicts they would encounter.
In this passage, He talked to them about the depth of disciple-
ship they would need. Not just the Twelve, but all who want to
be His disciples need to check their attitudes, value systems, and
priorities to see if we are effective servants of Jesus.
Jesus is calling His disciples to a commitment of devotion, a
reevaluation of priorities, and a reconsideration of the cost of
discipleship. It is true that a disciple cannot earn merit toward
salvation. We are saved by grace, through faith (Eph. 2:8–9). It
is also true that it is not always popular or easy to be a witness.
Sometimes a disciple is the only one in his or her group who pro-
fesses faith in Jesus. At times not only individuals but whole
groups of Christians have been persecuted. God’s people have
paid huge prices for their faith.
This study calls for a confession of Christ, a supreme love for
Christ that is worthy of Him, and a proper understanding of
God’s rewards.

In verses 32–33, Jesus offers His disciples two opposite con-

Confessing Christ (Matt. 10:32–33)

ditional relationships. In simple terms, He is saying, “If you

confess Me, then I will confess you. But if you deny Me, then
I will deny you.” The structure of the two opposite conditions
does not permit one to choose one condition and expect the
opposite response. If a person wants Jesus to confess him or her
to God the Father, then he or she must fulfill the prerequisite con-
dition to receive that reward. In today’s churches many people

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 Matthew 10:32–42

have excused their failure of confessing Christ by saying that

Jesus understands. He does. He understands denying Him reveals
a broken relationship.
The Greek word for confess means to say the same thing. If
a man named John is asked, “Is your name John?” the correct
answer is “Yes, my name is John.” Confession doesn’t find ways
to circumvent or evade the truth. When it comes to confession,
Christ gives us two categories: confess or deny. The answer is
either a confession or a denial of Him.
Sometimes it is difficult to confess Christ. In the verses pre-
ceding this passage, Jesus warned of opposition and persecution.
Ever since the first generation of Christians, when Saul was lead-
ing the persecution, some have confessed Christ as martyrs. The
word martyr is a transliteration of the phrase to witness. Christians
have often witnessed for their faith in Christ in difficult situations,
even as martyrs.

WORDS FROM WESLEY

Thy confessor in deed and word,

Matthew 10:32–33

Before the sons of men,

In all the tempers of my Lord
I would Thy cause maintain:
And if my Lord I thus confess,
Thou wilt Thy servant own,
Present before Thy Father’s face,
And place me on Thy throne.
Ah, wretched souls, who urged by shame
Desert your Master’s cause,
Before the world deny His name,
And stumble at His cross!
Disown’d before the heavenly host,
Ye shall receive your hire,
Out from His glorious presence thrust
Into eternal fire. (PW, vol. 10, 329)

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 The Cost of Discipleship

If people fail to confess Christ, they have not only denied Him,
but they have also denied their faith relationship with Him.
Whether or not Jesus confesses us to His Father is intrinsically
linked to our confession or lack thereof. This may seem hard, but
a government expects its citizens to confess their homeland. A
wife expects her husband to confess that he is married and intends
to remain true to her. Christ expects Christians to do as much.
While Jesus stood trial before the high priest, Peter was
accused of being one of His followers. Rather than confessing
his allegiance, Peter denied even knowing Jesus. Later, Peter
repented and Jesus restored him. Even though it can be difficult,
Jesus calls His followers to confess Him.

Since Christians have experienced God’s love, they desire to

Commitment Worthy of Christ (Matt. 10:34–39)

share it with others. Since God’s love has infused a genuine love
in the Christian’s own heart, he or she desires to give and receive
agape love. The desire for peace is strong in Christians.
In the Jewish mind, the word peace often meant more than an
end of fighting. If a person said “Peace” to another person, it also
included a desire for all of God’s blessing to be given to that person.
Jesus said He did not come to bring peace (v. 34). If the
Prince of Peace did not come to bring peace, why did He come?
He came to die, to atone for our sins. Jesus did not come so we
could feel good with everyone, but to be our Savior.
Jesus came to bring the sword (v. 34). This sword was not a
military weapon symbolizing power and splendor, but a long
knife used for killing small animals and slicing meat, as a knife
used in butchering. Even though Christians desire peace and love,
this vivid picture predicts rejection, hostility, and persecution.
The strongest emotional bonds are those between parents and
children. Yet Jesus said He came to turn a man against his
father, a daughter against her mother (v. 35). He was saying

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 Matthew 10:32–42

that these strong ties may be painfully tested in regard to the

kingdom of God when some family members accept Christ and
others reject Him. In spite of our love, we may still feel the pain
of the sword of conflict in our hearts.
Are we willing to place our love for Christ above human
relationships?

WORDS FROM WESLEY

For Think not that I am come—That is, think not that universal
Matthew 10:34

peace will be the immediate consequence of my coming. Just the

contrary. Both public and private divisions will follow, wheresoever
my Gospel comes with power. Yet this is not the design, though it
be the event of his coming, through the opposition of devils and
men. (ENNT)

Jesus is calling on His disciples to love Him more than (v. 37)
they love their parents and children. He wants a love that sur-
passes the strongest love we possess. Anything less than first
place puts Christ beneath the level of acceptable love. An inferior
love for Jesus is not worthy of Him.
If we love anyone more than we love Jesus, then that person
should be the object of our worship. Worship springs from the
idea of “worthship,” of being worthy of adoration. Worship is an
act we render to the one we admire most. To love someone more
than we love Jesus and then attempt to worship Jesus is incon-
gruent and a conflict of ideas.
Are we willing to love Christ more than we love our own
relationships and interests?
A disciple’s love for Christ is to surpass everything, even life
itself. Anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is
not worthy of me (v. 38) calls the disciples to the superlative

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 The Cost of Discipleship

degree of love. Not only is our love to be the highest, but since
Jesus spoke in the present tense, it is to be continually practiced.
Daily, all of our Christian life, we are to take up our cross.
“Taking up our cross” is asking us, “For what are we willing
to die?” Are we willing to lose our lives for Christ? Ironically,
whoever loses his life for Christ will find it (v. 39). Those who
seek to find their life apart from a faith commitment to Jesus
Christ miss important elements of life.

In the preceding verses, Jesus addressed His disciples. But in

Christ’s Commissions (Matt. 10:40–42)

this section, He addresses those who will meet the disciples.

Jesus is offering a series of rewards to those who accept His dis-
ciples and work to support them. These promises could be under-
stood as blessings for those who help send missionaries and
support their pastors by helping them in their ministry.
A reward is offered to those who receive His disciples. Not
only that, but he who receives you receives me, and he who
receives me receives the one who sent me (v. 40). Those who
receive the gospel receive a relationship with God the Father.
The first reward is saving faith. The second reward Jesus
expresses is the prophet’s and righteous man’s reward (v. 41).
Jesus said anyone who received a prophet or a righteous person
would receive the same type of reward. So, what are those
rewards?
Let’s first look at the righteous person’s reward. Do righteous
people get paid for keeping the Ten Commandments, attending
worship services, and doing noble things at home and in society?
Of course not. The righteous person’s reward is his or her per-
sonal relationship with God and the personal assurance that they
have been true to their Lord and to themselves.
What is the reward of the prophet? The Bible answers this
question in several different ways.

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 Matthew 10:32–42

The prophet’s remuneration is seldom mentioned in the Bible.

Elijah was fed by the ravens, indicating that he was not paid during
that terrible time of famine. Jeremiah, instead of being paid for
his work, watched his book destroyed and then was placed in
prison. From a financial and personal perspective, he would have
been in better condition if he had not ministered. Some prophets,
like Ezekiel, suffered the calamity of being taken prisoner of war
along with others. They felt that their ministry was to a congre-
gation of “dry bones.” Their hearts were so broken that instead
of singing praise to God, they hung up their harps and wept
(Ps. 137).
The prophet’s reward was greater than his pay. How much
money is the book of Jeremiah worth? How much is the book of
Isaiah worth? How valuable was the ministry of Elijah and
Elisha? The value of a prophet is more than his or her pay. God’s
payday is not just on Friday. The greatest reward a prophet
receives is the knowledge that he or she has fulfilled the calling
of God, which money cannot buy.
In His third reward, Jesus is promising a blessing, even a pay-
ment, for giving aid to His servants. He is offering to bless one
of the most common courtesies, giving a cup of cold water. Since
Jesus takes note of such small act, shouldn’t every Christian take
the cup of cold water test (Matt. 10:42)? Just ask yourself, “Am
I aiding or hindering the ministry of my church?”
God blesses those who pass the test. Among the common factors
in healthy growing churches are a love for their pastor and the
church ministries, and members’ joyful help in ministry. Likewise,
declining churches exhibit members’ disharmony with their pastor
and an unwillingness of members to participate in church ministry.
Jesus knew that not everyone would love Him supremely.
Many would deny any relationship with Him. But Jesus called
His disciples to help Him with His ministry. He challenged them
to be committed to Him. He asked them to love Him more than

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 The Cost of Discipleship

they loved anyone else. Jesus was not only going to bless them,
but also those who helped His disciples. And He asks the same
of us today.

WORDS FROM WESLEY

How small the gift it matters not

Matthew 10:42

Given for the sake of Christ the Lord,

It cannot be by Christ forgot,
Or lose its infinite reward.
A cup of water shall procure
(Bestow’d for Jesus’ sake alone)
Rivers of life, and raptures pure,
Which flow perennial from His throne. (PW, vol. 10, 244)

For those who receive the gospel, there is saving faith. Those
who receive the ministry and support it will receive the same
type of reward as the one doing it. Yes, even a cup of cold water
in His name will be remembered.

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 Matthew 10:32–42

When serving Christ is our priority, our faithfulness to Him

DISCUSSION

will impact every decision we make.

1. What single word do you think best describes this teaching
by Jesus?
2. What do you think the word despise means in this context?
3. In what ways did Jesus’ life bring peace to earth? What
divisions has it caused?
4. Why would Christ come between father and son or mother
and daughter?
5. In practical terms, what do you think it means to forget self
and become lost in God?
6. Jesus’ message here lets followers know they are in for
challenging times. In what ways do we present that message to
new believers today?
7. React to this statement: “There is no such thing as cozy
Christianity.”
8. Based on this passage, what is the relationship between faith
and action? How does this compare with other Bible passages
you may know?
9. Jesus mentions a reward for those who receive Him. What
do you think that reward is?
10. In what ways can we support one another in following
Christ?

Father, we acknowledge our allegiance to Jesus Christ, Your

PRAYER

Son. Help us take up our crosses and follow Him every day. Amen.

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 OTHER BOOKS IN THE
WESLEY BIBLE STUDIES SERIES

Genesis (available February 2015)

Exodus (available April 2015)
Leviticus through Deuteronomy (available June 2015)
Joshua through Ruth (available June 2015)
1 Samuel through 2 Chronicles (available February 2015)
Ezra through Esther (available April 2015)
Job through Song of Songs (available February 2015)
Isaiah (available April 2015)
Jeremiah through Daniel (available February 2015)
Hosea through Malachi (available June 2015)
Matthew
Mark
Luke (available September 2014)
John (available April 2014)
Acts (available September 2014)
Romans (available June 2014)
1–2 Corinthians (available September 2014)
Galatians through Colossians and Philemon (available June 2014)
1–2 Thessalonians (available September 2014)
1 Timothy through Titus (available April 2014)
Hebrews (available April 2014)
James
1–2 Peter and Jude (available April 2014)
1–3 John (available June 2014)
Revelation (available June 2014)
 Now Available in the
Wesley Bible Studies Series

Each book in the Wesley Bible Studies series provides a thoughtful

and powerful survey of key Scriptures in one or more biblical books.
They combine accessible commentary from contemporary teachers,
with relevantly highlighted direct quotes from the complete writings and
life experiences of John Wesley, along with the poetry and hymns of his
brother Charles. For each study, creative and engaging questions foster
deeper fellowship and growth.

Mark James
978-0-89827-838-5 978-0-89827-840-8
978-0-89827-839-2 (e-book) 978-0-89827-841-5 (e-book)

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