New Testament Texts

Matthew 18 begins a more concentrated focus on Jesus’ teaching of the disciples, hinted at already in His discourse on kingdom mysteries (Matt 13:16–17). This chapter presents the fourth of the five major teaching blocks of Jesus. Some of Jesus’ most important teachings surface in this chapter, ...

Matthew 17 opens with the account of Peter, James, and John witnessing the transfiguration, an event six days after and closely connected to Jesus’ saying that concludes the previous chapter. Jesus had promised that some standing there would “by no means [ ou mē ] taste death until they see the ...

From the geographical note given in Matthew 15:39, we learn that Jesus has returned to Jewish territory on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee (with His disciples, cf. Mark 8:10). Almost immediately, He is met by a delegation of Pharisees and Sadducees demanding a sign from Him (Matt 16:1–4)...

In Matthew 15 Jesus begins traveling over a geographically wide area stretching from the shores of Gennesaret (cf. Matt 14:34) to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Matt 15:21) and back, and then crisscrossing the Sea of Galilee by boat (Matt 15:29, 39). These travels enable Jesus to minister to peopl...

The subject with which Matthew 14 begins, the rejection and death of John the Baptist, is actually introduced in chapter 13 with the rejection of Jesus at Nazareth (Matt 13:53–58). The ministry of Jesus is summarized, this time by those from Nazareth, again as teaching and healing (“wisdom and mi...

Matthew 13 constitutes Jesus’ third major teaching block in this Gospel and lies at the center of the Gospel’s five discourses (the others are Matthew 5–7, 10, 18, and 24–25). Jesus shares the “mysteries of the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 13:11) to the multitudes who gather by the sea near Capernau...

Sigve K. Tonstad, a prolific Adventist scholar of Norwegian origin, has published a number of books and scholarly articles in different areas. His published dissertation has positioned him well to write a commentary on the book of Revelation. Tonstad’s major interest lies in theological interpre...

Matthew 12, through miraculous healings and several scenes of conflict, brings to the forefront the issue of Jesus’ identity as the messianic “son of David.” The first two conflict scenes, arising from Pharisaic scruples, reveal what constitutes true and lawful Sabbath observance (Matt 12:1–14). ...

We have arrived in the age of “fake news.” Fake news is a kind of journalism, propaganda, and maybe even approach to life that consists of deliberate misinformation. Fake messages are written and posted with the intent of creating one’s own “truth,” to conceal one’s motives and actions, and, on a...

Matthew 11 opens with one of the set phrases used to conclude each of the five major blocks of teaching (cf. Matt 7:28; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Jesus has just finished instructing the twelve disciples and sending them out to preach. Now attention shifts to Jesus’ missionary activity, which is summari...