Study | Worship | Prayer

  • Why Did Jesus Say Not to Cast Pearls Before Swine?

    Main Answer

    Jesus said not to cast pearls before swine because valuable truth should be shared with discernment. Some people respond to holy things with contempt and may turn aggressively upon the person offering them.

    The saying follows Jesus’ warning against hypocritical judgment. His disciples must examine themselves carefully and also recognise when continued speaking will produce only mockery or hostility.

    Within Matthew’s larger teaching about wisdom and discipleship, the verse calls believers to combine mercy with sound judgment.

    The balance

    Jesus forbids hypocritical condemnation and still requires discernment. Love does not require endless argument with a person committed to contempt.

    What Do the Dogs, Pigs and Pearls Represent?

    Dogs and pigs were commonly viewed as unclean animals. Pearls represented something precious. Jesus places the images together to show the danger of offering what is sacred to someone who treats it as worthless.

    The language is sharp because the warning is serious. A person may trample the gift and then attack the giver.

    How Can a Christian Apply This Without Becoming Harsh?

    The verse should never become a licence for casually labelling people. Jesus has just spoken against judging with a hypocritical spirit.

    Discernment develops through observing response. When someone repeatedly mocks, distorts or attacks, stepping back can be wise. Prayer and respectful conduct can continue even when direct discussion ends.

    The Extra Study below considers the verse within the Sermon on the Mount, the difference between judgment and discernment and how to recognise when a conversation should pause.

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  • Why Did Jesus Tell the Healed Leper to Show Himself to the Priest?

    Main Answer

    Jesus told the healed leper to show himself to the priest because the law required a priest to examine someone whose skin disease had cleared. The priest could confirm cleansing and allow the person to return fully to community life.

    Jesus also told the man to offer the gift commanded by Moses. This respected the law and created a public testimony that genuine healing had taken place.

    The scene gains fuller meaning within Matthew’s account of Jesus’ authority and compassion. Jesus restores the man physically and opens the way for his social and religious restoration.

    Why the priest mattered

    The priest did not perform the healing. He confirmed that the man was clean and could re-enter ordinary community life.

    What Did the Law Require?

    Leviticus 13 and 14 gave priests responsibility for examining serious skin conditions. A person declared unclean lived with major restrictions until cleansing was confirmed.

    After healing, the person brought the required offerings and completed the process of restoration. Jesus directs the man into that recognised pathway.

    Why Did Jesus Say It Would Be a Testimony?

    See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.

    Matthew 8:4, KJV

    The examination would provide evidence that the condition had gone. The priests would encounter the result of Jesus’ healing power through the process they already administered.

    The command also prevented excitement from replacing obedience. The man’s first duty was to complete the step that restored him to public life.

    The Extra Study below explores biblical cleansing laws, the social cost of leprosy and the way Jesus’ touch reveals both authority and compassion.

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  • Why Did Joseph Plan to Divorce Mary Quietly?

    Joseph planned to divorce Mary quietly because he learned that she was pregnant before they had begun married life together. Matthew says Joseph was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace. He therefore chose the most merciful course he believed was open to him.

    At that point Joseph did not yet know that Mary had conceived through the Holy Spirit. His decision came from the information available to him and from his desire to act faithfully without humiliating her. An angel then explained what had happened and told him to take Mary as his wife.

    Joseph’s response becomes clearer when it is viewed within Matthew’s wider presentation of Jesus and His birth. The opening chapters show God fulfilling His promise while drawing ordinary people into costly obedience.

    Key point

    Joseph combined righteousness with mercy. He took the law seriously while protecting Mary from needless public shame.

    What Did Divorce Mean Before the Wedding?

    Mary and Joseph were betrothed. Jewish betrothal created a binding commitment that was stronger than a modern engagement. The couple had not yet begun living together, yet ending the arrangement required a formal divorce.

    Matthew 1:19 therefore uses the language of divorce even though the wedding had not been completed. Joseph believed the relationship could not continue, so he prepared to end it privately rather than make Mary a public example.

    Why Does Matthew Call Joseph Righteous?

    Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.

    Matthew 1:19, KJV

    Joseph’s righteousness appears in the care he brings to a painful decision. He refuses to ignore what he thinks has happened, and he also refuses to use the situation to punish Mary.

    Matthew presents him as a man who listens when God corrects his understanding. Once the angel speaks, Joseph changes course and receives Mary into his home.

    The Extra Study below looks more closely at Jewish betrothal, Joseph’s righteousness and the way his obedience supports Matthew’s opening message about Jesus.

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  • Why Does Matthew Say Jesus Would Be Called a Nazarene?

    Matthew says Jesus would be called a Nazarene because Joseph settled his family in Nazareth after returning from Egypt. Jesus grew up there, so people later knew Him as Jesus of Nazareth.

    Matthew 2:23 says this fulfilled what had been spoken by “the prophets,” yet the Old Testament contains no single verse saying, “He shall be called a Nazarene.” Matthew appears to be drawing together a wider prophetic theme about the Messiah’s humble standing and rejection.

    The wording may also contain a connection with Isaiah’s prophecy of a “Branch” coming from Jesse. Several explanations are possible, and Matthew’s use of the plural “prophets” suggests that he had a shared prophetic pattern in view.

    The Extra Study below looks more closely at Matthew’s unusual wording, the possible connection with Isaiah’s Branch, and what the name Nazarene reveals about the way Jesus entered public life.

    Extra Study

    The Setting of Matthew 2:23

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  • Why Did Jesus Speak in Parables in Matthew 13?

    Jesus spoke in parables in Matthew 13 to reveal the truths of God’s kingdom to people who were willing to listen. These stories used familiar things such as seeds, fields and fishing nets to explain spiritual realities.

    The parables also exposed the response of each listener. Some people received Jesus’ teaching with faith. Others heard the same words while remaining resistant to Him. Jesus explained that this fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy about people who would hear without truly understanding.

    Matthew 13 therefore presents parables as both revelation and judgment. They opened the kingdom to receptive hearts while confirming the spiritual blindness of those who had already rejected Jesus’ message.

    The Extra Study below looks more closely at why Jesus changed His teaching method, what each major parable reveals about the kingdom, and how Christians can become faithful hearers of His word.

    Extra Study

    The Setting of Matthew 13

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  • What Did Jesus Mean by “Let the Dead Bury Their Dead”?

    Jesus said, “Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead” after a disciple asked for permission to bury his father first (Matthew 8:21–22, KJV). Jesus was teaching that following him carries immediate priority. The man’s request involved a respected family duty, yet it could also delay discipleship for an unknown length of time.

    The first use of “dead” refers to people who are spiritually unresponsive to God. The second refers to those who have physically died. Jesus was telling the man to leave ordinary affairs in the hands of others and begin the work God was calling him to do.

    Luke records the same saying and adds, “but go thou and preach the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:60, KJV). This shows the purpose behind Jesus’ command. The man had been called into active discipleship, and Jesus expected him to respond without postponement.

    The Extra Study below looks more closely at the man’s request, the meaning of Jesus’ severe words and what this passage teaches about the cost of following Christ.

    Extra Study

    The Setting of Jesus’ Words

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  • What Does the Bible Say About Forgiving Someone Who Is Not Sorry?

    What the Bible Says

    The Bible calls Christians to release personal hatred and the desire for revenge, even when the person who caused the harm has shown no regret. Jesus told His followers to forgive while praying, and Paul taught believers to leave judgement in God’s hands.

    Scripture also connects repentance with restored forgiveness between people. In Luke 17:3, Jesus said, “If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him.” Wrongdoing can therefore be named honestly, while reconciliation depends upon repentance and a willingness to change.

    A Christian can forgive by surrendering resentment to God and refusing to seek revenge. Trust may need to be rebuilt over time. Firm boundaries can remain in place when someone continues to cause harm.

    The Extra Study below examines how Jesus connects forgiveness with repentance, and how believers can release vengeance while maintaining wise boundaries.

    Extra Study

    Jesus Commands His Followers to Forgive

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  • Who Was Nicodemus and Why Did He Visit Jesus at Night?

    Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a teacher and a Jewish leader. John 3:1 calls him “a ruler of the Jews,” which shows that he held an important religious position. He came to Jesus because he believed the signs Jesus performed showed that God was with Him.

    John does not state why Nicodemus visited at night. He may have wanted privacy for a serious conversation, or he may have feared how other religious leaders would react. His later actions show that the meeting had a lasting effect on him.

    The Extra Study below looks at why Jesus told Nicodemus that he must be born again, how Nicodemus changed across John’s Gospel and what his story teaches about growing faith.

    Extra Study

    Nicodemus as a Pharisee and Teacher

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  • Why does Matthew begin with the genealogy of Jesus?

    Matthew begins with the genealogy of Jesus because he wants readers to see who Jesus is before they hear what Jesus says and does. The first verse calls him “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). That opening points to God’s promises to Abraham and David, and presents Jesus as the promised Messiah.

    The genealogy also shows that the coming of Jesus was part of God’s long work through Israel’s history. Matthew begins with Abraham because Abraham was the father of the covenant people. He highlights David because the Messiah was expected to come from David’s royal line. For a closer passage study, see this Matthew 1:1-5 Bible study PDF.

    Matthew 1:1-5 also begins to show the grace of God through the people named in Jesus’ family line. Tamar, Rahab and Ruth each carry a story that reminds us God works through real human lives, including lives marked by pain, risk and mercy.

    The Extra Study below goes deeper into Matthew 1:1-5, the meaning of Jesus’ genealogy, why Abraham and David matter, and what this opening passage teaches about faith today.

    Extra Study

    Matthew begins with identity

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  • Why Was the Ground Cursed Instead of Adam?

    God cursed the ground because Adam’s life was bound to the ground. In Genesis, the Hebrew word for man is adam, and the word for ground is adamah. Adam was formed from the ground, placed in a garden, and given work connected to the soil.

    So when God says, “Cursed is the ground because of you” in Genesis 3:17, Adam is still being judged. The curse reaches him through the place he came from, the place he works, and the place his body will return to.

    Adam’s sin changes his relationship with creation. The ground still gives food, but now it does so through pain, sweat, and resistance. The curse on the ground shows that human rebellion damages ordinary life at the deepest level.

    The Extra Study below looks more closely at Adam, the ground, the curse, and what this passage teaches about sin, work, death, and God’s plan to restore creation.

    Extra Study

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