Matthewlinity

Public lecture given at SIL Australia, March 11, 2026 Find the lecture slides here  

A closer look at Matt 5:3 "blessed are the poor in spirit because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens"  stay tuned for more on this verse next time . . . 

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit because the kingdom of the heavens is of them."  The first thing Jesus teaches in the book of Matthew is that the poor in spirit are blessed. Over the next few episodes I'll present an exegetical interpretation of the first eight "beatitudes" or "makarisms" according to Matthew.  Whilst there are plenty of biblical interpretations and theologic...

 Just a 5-minute update on some minor changes to the podcast, namely replacing  Critical Study of Matthew and Masculinity  with  Matthean Exegesis

Matt 4:23-5:2 and 7:28-29  The Frame for the Sermon on the Mount  What is "not like the scribes"?

The first four to join Jesus on a mission to ... do what, exactly? To "catch people"? Is it a manly thing? Peter, Andrew, James (Jacob), and John accept the invitation to become people catchers.  Why?  Matt 4:18–22

Matt 4:12–17 And so it begins. Jesus begins his ministry in the North. Why?

Matt 4:1 – 11 Jesus refuses to take the easy way out

After Jesus is baptized, God is pleased  . . . with what exactly? (Matt 3:16 –17)

Matt 3:13 –15 John wants Jesus to take over the ministry and does not want to baptize Jesus. Jesus has different plans.

John the Baptist warns of coming wrath/judgement Does this fit Matthew's portrayal of Jesus?

Episode 19 (Matt 3:1–6)  Noting two points: 1. Validating the Outlier Perspective of John the Cleanser (I say "outsider" but "outlier" is probably a more accurate term; 2. Cataloging John's Various Credentials.  

Part 1 of Matthew chapter 3 John the Baptist calls for national repentance Response is massive

Why poetics of Matthew research is not quite masculinity studies. Should I remove the term "masculinity" from the name of the podcast? This question is once more on my mind since I have recently received my first book review by Sébastien Doane.

Matthew 2:19 – 23.  Jesus grows up in a small town (Nazareth) in Galilee, at a safe distance from Jerusalem. Why?

Matthew 2:16 – 18 Herod kills the children. "Rachel" weeps for her children.

In the middle of the night, Joseph hides the child and the child's mother in Egypt. Verses 13–15 of Matthew chapter 2.

Matthew 2:7 – 12 The Magi do not follow all of Herod's instructions Why are they warned in a dream?

The first six verses of Matthew 2. Why does it say "and all Jerusalem with him" was troubled?

In this episode I offer some conclusions for Matthew chapter 1 as I begin to prepare to move on to study other chapters. In the last 9 minutes I read from the Epilogue of my forthcoming book looking at how Matthew 28 corresponds to Matthew 1.

Finally in this episode I get to answer the question: Why does the genealogy in Matthew chapter one refer to five stories of how particular heirs were produced in a particular way by particular patriarchs from particular mothers ...? So why five? Why five stories? Is there some pattern?  Last time in episode nine I compared the first story with the final the fifth story so this time in episod...

PG Contains mild adult themes and sexual references. This episode is about the parallel story to how Joseph almost does not become known as the father of Jesus because he thought it would not be right for him to claim to be the father of Mary's child nor pursue marital relations with Mary. There's actually a parallel story that for some reason we haven't previously studied even though it's such a...

This episode is about what connects the first unit and the second unit in what we usually call Matthew chapter one, as if they might be intended to function together as a single, whole as a single unit? It's very easy to treat them separately as two distinct literary units. But how are they meant to be connected together as a single unit?   And what about Mary? Why does Mary appears in both u...