Gospel of Matthew, chapters 12-13

 Background: 

In these chapters we get into the thick of what it means to live by Torah, a central theme for Matthew. As we experience in our own reading of scripture, there’s the question of how to understand the instructions– literally, or liberally? And does context matter? Jesus bumps up against the Pharisees, who question his interpretation. As we saw in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus has different, though not more lax, interpretations of how to live faithfully. 


The first section focuses specifically on what it means to keep the Sabbath, the third commandment, found in Exodus 34:21. There’s a long tradition of what this means, and a list of specific kinds of work which are prohibited on the Sabbath (you can learn more about it here). Jesus is challenged on whether his habits, like plucking grain for food and healing a person, are “work” and thus breaking this commandment. The importance of this commandment, for them and for us, is that there be time set aside that is different from other time–time to rest and be refreshed, which may mean doing something (it doesn’t have to mean doing nothing) but not the same thing you do the rest of the week. It’s one of the Ten Commandments given to the community rather soon after leaving Egypt, where they were enslaved and never had rest. This commandment reminds us that God’s rhythms and expectations are different from those of the powers that so often shape our life together. 

In the second chapter this week, Jesus teaches, and teaches, using many parables. Parables are simple stories that demonstrate a complex concept, but that doesn’t mean they are easy to unpack. In Godly Play, a Montessori-based Bible teaching method, we say that parables are a treasure but are sometimes very hard to open. As you read these parables, don’t just glance over them– go back and re-read them, and see how many layers, and how complex, they can actually be. What are you learning about God from the parables? Also note that Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God”, which we find in Mark. This may be a response to the prohibition of not speaking the name of the divine (YHWH), based on the second commandment. Matthew is taking Torah very seriously! 


Key Themes: 

  • Following Torah is the way to dwell in the kingdom of heaven. 

  • There’s also a resurrection motif, using “the sign of Jonah”, who was in the belly of the fish for 3 days, parallel to Jesus’s experience in the tomb for 3 days. Sometimes Jonah was used as a symbol for resurrection in the early church. 1


Questions: 

  • How aware are you of living according to biblical commandments or instructions from Jesus? What are your traditions around keeping the Sabbath? 

  • What do you think the kingdom of heaven is like? Is it only future, or do you see it already in this life? 


  1. The Jewish Annotated New Testament, 24, note for v. 40. 

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