Tag Archives: Bible study

Jesus in the Wilderness

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Don Merritt

Matthew 4:1-11 After His baptism by John, Jesus heads out to the Wilderness (desert) to be tempted by Satan. In this narrative, we see once again Matthew’s fondness for connecting his story about Jesus with the history of Israel, in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Jesus Appears on the Scene

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Don Merritt

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Preparing the Way of the Lord

Posted on August 7, 2024 by Don Merritt

Matthew 3:1-12 Matthew skips over nearly 30 years between 2:23 and 3:1 and in so doing he has emphasized for us his priority on the identity and role of Jesus over that of providing mere biographical information. This is further … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

A Sudden Trip to Egypt

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Don Merritt

Matthew 2:13-23 When we left off, the Magi, because of a message from God in a dream, left the house where the infant Messiah was staying in Bethlehem and returned home without going back to tell Herod where the child … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Matthew’s Interesting Use of Isaiah 7:14

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Don Merritt

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14 As a Christian reading this verse as translated in the NIV, and then seeing Matthew’s reference to it in … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Matthew 1:6-17

Posted on August 1, 2024 by Don Merritt

Matthew continues his genealogy as he moves from the first group of 14 names to the next. The first group culminates in King David, that glorious figure who is “a man after God’s own heart”, with whom God made a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Matthew 1:1-6

Posted on July 31, 2024 by Don Merritt

This is the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah the son of David, the son of Abraham: (1:1) Matthew begins with this verse full of content and contextual implications. It would seem that Matthew is intent on linking the story of Jesus to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ: Introduction

Posted on July 30, 2024 by Don Merritt

I’ll confess to you right here and now that when I sit down to read the Bible, I skip the genealogies, but when I sit down to study the Bible, I look for genealogies. For many who casually read the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

A Brief introduction to the Gospel of Matthew

Posted on July 29, 2024 by Don Merritt

It has been a long time since I blogged through a book of the Bible here on this site. If you are new here, you may not realize that this was the main activity of this blog for a number … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Weekly Bible Study Notes: August 28, 2023

Posted on August 28, 2023 by Don Merritt

The Letter to Sardis The ancient city of Sardis was built at the top of a very steep hill. Its defensive position was thought to be impregnable, for there was only one small access point which was easily defended, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment