MATTHEW
Matthew 1:1-17. The Genealogy of Jesus Christ (new)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles commented on the most important aspect of the genealogy of Jesus: “We can wait, as we must, to learn later whether, for instance, Matthew’s or Luke’s account of Jesus’ Davidic descent is correct (See Matthew 1; Luke 3). Meanwhile, the Father has, on several occasions, given us Jesus’ crucial genealogy: ‘This is My Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!’ (See Matthew 3:17; 17:5; 3 Nephi 11:7; Joseph Smith History 1:17)” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1984, 11; or Ensign, Nov.1984, 11).
Matthew 1:1 Why Did Matthew Specifically Try to Connect Jesus to David and Abraham? (new)
Matthew began his genealogy by emphasizing that Jesus was the son of David and the son of Abraham. King David was one of Israel’s greatest kings. Abraham the great prophet patriarch was one through whom the Lord restored his covenant. In these two men could be seen a representation of Israel’s earthly and spiritual throne. Matthew may have emphasized Jesus’ relationship to these two men as a witness to his readers that Jesus was the promised Messiah who would one day rule both as the political and spiritual leader of all (see Isaiah 2:3; Micah 4:2). (taken from CES 1997 draft version of NT Teacher Resource Manual)
Matthew 1:17. Why did Matthew Divide the Genealogy into Groups of 14? (new)
Matthew went out of his way to emphasize that there were three sets of fourteen generations. Some have suggested that was because the number fourteen is associated with King David. Jews of Jesus’ day understood that the promised Messiah would be born into the lineage of David (see Isaiah 9:6-7; Matthew 12:23; 20:30; 21:9; 22:41-424). In Hebrew the letters of the alphabet are given numeric values and used as numbers as well as letters. The Hebrew letters in the name David carry the numeric value of 14. Since the promised Messiah was to be born into the lineage of David, Matthew may have divided the genealogy that way to emphasize the connection Jesus had with David. (taken from CES 1997 draft version of NT Teacher Resource Manual)
Matthew 1:19. Joseph was a Just Man (new)
Elder Gerald N. Lund of the Seventy enumerated some of the exemplary qualities of Joseph: “What characteristics would heavenly parents desire of the man who would raise their child in mortality? Joseph becomes a roll model for manhood and an example of what a young man should seek to be like. . . . Matthew tells us that he was of the lineage of King David, that he was a just and considerate man, that in a dream an angel told him who Jesus would be, that he was obedient, and that he gave Jesus his name, which means savior (Matt.1).
“We know that he took Mary to Bethlehem, where Jesus was born (Luke 2:4-6). Less than two years later, Joseph took his family into Egypt to escape Herod, after being warned in a dream. In Egypt, a dream again told him when to return, and another dream told him to go to Galilee (Matt. 2:13-15, 19-22). Four dreams from God! Joseph must have been an exceptionally visionary and spiritually sensitive man. Joseph’s worthiness to receive revelation from his Heavenly Father saved his family. Today a father’s obedience and worthiness can result in guidance and revelation from God to deliver his family from a morally terminal world” (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation, 51-52).
Matthew 1:21. “Thou Shalt Call His Name JESUS: for He Shall Save His People” (new)
Children are often given a specific name because of its meaning. So it was with Jesus Christ. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained: “Mary and Joseph did not need to be taught the deep significance of the name Jesus. The Hebrew root from which it was derived, Jehoshua, means ‘Jehovah is salvation.’ So the mission of Jehovah, soon to be named Jesus, was salvation, and His supreme destiny was to become the Savior of the world” (“Christ the Savior Is Born,” New Era, Dec 2006, 3).
Elder Gary J. Coleman of the Quorum of the Seventy additionally explained the Savior’s mission to save God’s children: “The great plan of God provided a Savior for us. All accountable persons sin and must pass through the experience of death at the end of our mortality. Therefore, God sent Jesus Christ to fulfill the plan by helping us overcome sin and death. Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer. Through His atoning sacrifice for each of us, He helps us overcome sin through repentance and baptism. Through His resurrection, He makes it possible for everyone to overcome death and the grave” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2000, 35; or Ensign, May 2000, 29).
Matthew 2:1-12. When Was the Visit of the Wise Men? (new)
While the exact time of the visit of the wise men to the Christ child is unknown, these verses indicate that it may have been several months or as much as two years after His birth. Herod apparently felt that the Christ child could have been as old as two years (see Matthew 2, 7, 16). Matthew 2:11 states that the wise men found Jesus in a “house” not a manger, and that he was a “young child” not a baby (compare Luke 2:16). (taken from CES 1997 draft version of NT Teacher Resource Manual)
Matthew 2:2. The New Star in the East (new)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles used the new star over Bethlehem as an example of the Lord’s omniscience. “The new star [of Bethlehem] would have had to be placed in its precise orbit long, long before it shown so precisely! By reflecting such careful divine design, it underscored what the Lord has said: ‘All things must come to pass in their time’ (D&C 64:32). His planning and precision pertain not only to astrophysical orbits but to human orbits as well” (The Neal A. Maxwell Quote Book, 235).
Matthew 2:2. Symbols Accompanying the Savior’s Birth (new)
“All things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me” (Moses 6:63). Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained some of the symbolism that accompanied the birth of Jesus Christ: “Why Bethlehem? Is there symbolic significance in the meaning of the name Bethlehem, which in Hebrew means ‘house of bread’? The Great Provider declared Himself to be the ‘bread of life.’ (See John 6:48.) How appropriate it was that He, the ‘bread of life,’ was to come from the ‘house of bread.’
“But why among the animals? He, whom John declared to be the ‘Lamb of God’ (John 1:29), was born during the season of Passover amongst the animals, as were other lambs being prepared for Paschal sacrifice.
“At the birth of Him who is called the ‘good shepherd’ (John 10:14), shepherds were the first to receive the announcement of His holy birth (see Luke 2:8-16).
“At the birth of Him who once identified Himself as the ‘bright and morning star’ (Rev. 22:16), a new star appeared in the heavens (see Matt. 2:2; 3 Ne. 1:21). Shining brightly over Bethlehem, that star had been placed in orbit far in advance of the foretold event in order that its light could coincide in time and place with His blessed birth.
“At the arrival of Him who is called ‘the light of the world’ (John 8:12), darkness was banished as a sign of His holy birth (see 3 Ne. 1:15, 19). He was born the Son of God and the son of a virgin mother, as foretold by Isaiah (see Isa. 7:14)” (Ensign, Dec. 1989, 14).
Matthew 2:12, 13, 19, 22. Dreams as a Form of Revelation (new)
“Sometimes we define the communication of God’s will as revelation. Sometimes we refer to such communication as inspiration. Revelation, however, is a much broader term. While inspiration can properly be considered as revelation, revelation can also include visions, dreams, the spoken word, or other spiritual manifestations” (Elder L. Tom Perry, in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 90; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 85).
Matthew 2:16-18. Herod’s Decree (new)
“Given the high infant mortality rate of the day in question, and considering the population of Bethlehem to be about one thousand, scholars estimate that the number of male children murdered on this occasion probably did not exceed twenty (see Edersheim, Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah, 214; Bruce R. McConkie, Mortal Messiah, 363).
Matthew 2:19. The Death of Herod (new)
“It must have been very shortly after the murder of the innocents that Herod died. Only five days before his death he had made a frantic attempt at suicide, and had ordered the execution of his eldest son Antipater. His death-bed . . . was accompanied by circumstances of peculiar horror; and it has been asserted that he died of a loathsome disease . . . On his bed of intolerable anguish . . . swollen with disease and scorched by thirst . . . the wretched old man, whom men had called the Great, lay in savage frenzy awaiting his last hour. As he knew that none would shed one tear for him, he determined that they should shed many for themselves, and issued an order that, under pain of death, the principal families of the kingdom and the chiefs of the tribes should come to Jericho. They came, and then, shutting them in the hippodrome, he secretly commanded his sister Salome that at the moment of his death they should all be massacred. And so, choking as it were with blood, devising massacres in its very delirium, the soul of Herod passed forth into the night” (Farrar, Life of Christ, 54-55) (quoted in Jesus the Christ, 107-108).
Matthew 2:23 . He Shall Be Called a Nazarene (new)
In addition to the prophecy in Micah 5:2, Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught that the book of Mormon provides additional witness that Jesus Christ would come out of Nazareth: “’And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene’ (Matthew 2:23). In fact, it was foretold that his mother would be a Nazarene: ‘And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the great city of Jerusalem, and also other cities. And I beheld the city of Nazareth; and in the city of Nazareth I beheld a virgin, and (1 Nephi 11:13) she was exceedingly fair and white’” (A Wonderful Flood of Light, 27).
Matthew 2:23. Additional Verses in the JST About Jesus’ Youth (new)
From JST Matthew 3:24-26 we learn that the Lord practiced patience as He prepared and waited for the time of His ministry (see also D&C 93:12-14). We also learn that He “served under his father.” Although the word “father” in this passage could refer to Joseph, the context suggests an explanation for why He didn’t speak as others did, and why He didn’t need to be taught by others. Which in turn helps us better understand why the learned men at the temple were so impressed with a twelve year old boy who knew so much (see Luke 2:42-52).
Matthew 3:4; Mark 1:6. Locusts (new)
“With many of the Bedouin on the frontiers locusts are still an article of food, though none but the poorest eat them. They are considered a very inferior sort of food. They are salted and dried, and eaten with butter or with wild honey. The fact that John ate this kind of food illustrates the extreme poverty of the forerunner of Christ, and shows the destitution he suffered by living in the wilderness far away from the haunts of men” (James M. Freeman, Manners and Customs of the Bible, 333).
Matthew 3:6. Confession of Sins (new)
Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained the role of confession in repentance: “True repentance also includes confession: ‘Now therefore make confession unto the Lord God of your fathers.’ (Ezra 10:11) One with a broken heart will not hold back. As confession lets the sickening sin empty out, then the Spirit which withdrew returns to renew . . . . All sins are to be confessed to the Lord, some to a Church official, some to others, and some to all of these. A few may require public confession. Confessing aids forsaking” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1991, 41; or Ensign, Nov. 1991, 31).
Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16. The baptism of fire (new)
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught, “The baptism of water, without the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost attending it, is of no use; they are necessarily and inseparably connected” (History of the Church, 6:316).
Matthew 3:15. Why Jesus Needed to Be Baptized (new)
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Seventy explained why Jesus Christ needed to be baptized even though He was sinless: “Notwithstanding He was sinless, Jesus Christ Himself was baptized and received the Holy Ghost to witness unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments (2 Nephi 31:7; see Also Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22; John 1:29-34) and to show us the strait-ness of the path, and the narrowness of the gate, by which [we] should enter, he having set the example before [us]. And He said, He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye have seen me do” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2000, 10; or Ensign, Nov. 2000, 11).
Matthew 3:13-15. Baptism (new)
“Baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior. In a similar way, it represents the end of our old life of sin and a commitment to live a new life as a disciple of Christ. The Savior taught that baptism is a rebirth. When we are baptized we begin the process of being born again and become spiritual sons and daughters of Christ (see Mosiah 5:7—8; Romans 8:14—17).
“We must be baptized to become members of the restored Church, The Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints, and to eventually enter the kingdom of heaven. This ordinance is a law of God and must be performed by His authority. . . .