Matthew 5 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Matthew) Free Bible Online

Matthew 5

1 - Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.

2 - He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,

3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit,for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.Isaiah 57:15; 66:2

4 - Blessed are those who mourn,for they shall be comforted.Isaiah 61:2; 66:10,13

5 - Blessed are the gentle,for they shall inherit the earth.Psalm 37:11

6 - Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,for they shall be filled.

7 - Blessed are the merciful,for they shall obtain mercy.

8 - Blessed are the pure in heart,for they shall see God.

9 - Blessed are the peacemakers,for they shall be called children of God.

10 - Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake,for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.

11 - "Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.

12 - Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13 - "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

14 - You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.

15 - Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.

16 - Even so, let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

17 - "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.

18 - For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letteror one tiny pen strokeshall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.

19 - Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

20 - For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

21 - "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;'Exodus 20:13and 'Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'

22 - But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his brother without a causewill be in danger of the judgment; and whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!'will be in danger of the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.

23 - "If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,

24 - leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 - Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.

26 - Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny.

27 - "You have heard that it was said,'You shall not commit adultery;'Exodus 20:14

28 - but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.

29 - If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

30 - If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.

31 - "It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'Deuteronomy 24:1

32 - but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.

33 - "Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'Numbers 30:2; Deuteronomy 23:21; Ecclesiastes 5:4

34 - but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;

35 - nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.

36 - Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.

37 - But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.

38 - "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'Exodus 21:24; Leviticus 24:20; Deuteronomy 19:21

39 - But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.

40 - If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.

41 - Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 - Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.

43 - "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighborLeviticus 19:18and hate your enemy.'

44 - But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,

45 - that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.

46 - For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?

47 - If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectorsdo the same?

If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectorsdo the same?

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48 - Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

The Book of Matthew

Matthew 2:2 - Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 18:3 - And Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. Matthew with Angel by Rembrandt

The Word Gospel. The first book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the first of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of the Book of Matthew

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the long awaited Messiah King of he Jews as foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets. He came to reveal how to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Purpose. It is very obvious that the Gospel of Matthew was written for the purpose of revealing that the man Jesus of Nazareth was actually the King of the Jews, the long awaited Messiah, the sovereign Lord Jehovah who came from heaven to this world revealing to mankind the "kingdom of heaven". The King of the Jews, the Messiah Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was spoken about Him in the ancient Jewish Scriptures, in the Old Testament. The prophecies that spoke of the "Kingdom" that the Messiah would bring would be a spiritual Kingdom that would never be destroyed.

Audience. When reading the book of Matthew it becomes clear that the writer was speaking to a Jewish audience. One of the obvious reasons is that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned over 30 times and never the Kingdom of God. This is because the Jews do not speak the name of God and this could be the very reason that Matthew used this phrase. There are many times while reading the book that an event happens and a prophecy is cited. The event is mentioned as the direct fulfillment of a promise made to the Jews by one of their Jewish prophets, and the fulfillment of the prophecy was happening before their very eyes. It is clear that the audience of people are the Jews, they were awaiting their King, and Matthew records that the King had come and they rejected their King.

Authorship. Early Christian writings and traditions have attributed the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew to the apostle Matthew. Many scholars question whether or not Matthew was the true author of the first Gospel, but there is no way at this current time to be absolutely positive based on historical evidence. Most agree that Matthew was the author. The Bible reveals that Matthew, or Levi, as he was sometimes called, collected taxes for the Romans. One day Jesus passed by and called Matthew to come and follow him, and Matthew did so. The Bible also records that Matthew held a banquet at his house with several of his tax collector friends and Jesus being invited to the banquet was the guest of honor (Mark 2:14-15). The Bible also provides a list of the 12 apostles and Matthew was named among them.

Date. There is no way to determine with absolute certainty the date that the book of Matthew was written. Most scholars agree that the book of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this is because Jesus spoke of many events as though they had not happened yet. A large number of scholars do not believe in the miracle of prophecy and therefore insist that the Gospel of Matthew was written after the fall of Jerusalem because of the accuracy of the predicted events.

Language. There are many references among the books in the history of the early church that state that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written by Matthew in the biblical Hebrew language, and he was writing to an audience of  Jews throughout the world who had become followers of Jesus. Unfortunately there is no evidence whatsoever of a Hebrew or Aramaic manuscript, so many scholars have agreed that the Gospel of Matthew is not actually a translation from Hebrew into Greek, but was actually written in Greek. The whole subject of the Gospel of Matthew being written in Hebrew must remain speculation rather than fact.

Outline of the Book of Matthew

The King Comes and His Kingdom is Rejected - Matthew 1-12
The Rejection of the King's Teaching and Ministry - Matthew 13-25
The King's Trial and Crucifixion - Matthew 26-27
The King's Victory and Resurrection - Matthew 28
The King's Commissioning of His Apostles - Matthew 28

Matthew - Interesting Notes

Matthew mentions four women in his genealogy which is not typical for Jewish genealogical records: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba who were all associated with some sort of immorality. Tamar (incest), Rahab (harlotry), Ruth (a descendant of Moab who committed incest) and Bathsheba (adultery). Christ's greatness was in Himself not his genealogy.

There are many intimations for the word "King" in Matthew if one takes the time to look. For example in chapter one there is a royal genealogy mentioning king David at the start. Chapter two reveals the kingly gifts of the Magi. Chapter three calls John the Baptist a "herald" which is a cultural term that represents a herald for a king. Etc. 

There are similarities with the number four. The four colors in the veil of the Temple were purple, scarlet, white, and blue. The four faces of the cherubim are the lion, ox, man, eagle. The four Gospel accounts are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 

Quick Reference Maps - Matthew

Israel in New Testament Times

The Kingdom of Herod the Great

The Divisions of Herod's Kingdom

The Flight into Egypt

The Baptism of Jesus

The Beginning of Christ's Ministry

Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee

Jesus Ministers in Galilee

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Jesus Journeys from Nazareth to Jerusalem

The Final Journey of Jesus to Jerusalem

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Matthew Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire