Knowing Jesus as King (The Bible Recap Knowing Jesus Series): A 10-Session Study on the Gospel of Matthew

In true Tara-Leigh fashion, this study is easy to follow while also challenging you to dig deeper into what the Word is saying. It’s more than simply reading the Bible and answering some questions. It’s a test to gauge your spiritual walk, to ask the hard questions, and to be challenged with each turn of the page about what the Holy Spirit is revealing. Whether you are a new believer or well-versed in theological teachings, this study has something to offer everyone.

Clare Thompson Sims, D-Group member

This study delivers what D-Group has been doing for years. Instead of feeding the readers answers, it empowers them to do the work of arriving at answers through the careful study and close reading of God’s Word, allowing them to take ownership of their continued growth and faith in King Jesus. What a thrilling start of a memorable new series!

Zuzana Johansen, D-Group member

This study helps the reader connect the Old Testament with the New by giving the perspective of the Jewish culture and customs during Jesus’s day. This lens provides clarity as to why Jesus ministered and spoke as He did while interacting with both Jews and Gentiles. It also clearly communicates the relevance and life-changing power of Jesus’s teachings for Christians today. It’s a road map, pulling from the pages of the Old Testament and connecting it to the Gospels, pointing to our victory in Christ on the cross.

Jeremy Hall, D-Group member

"Knowing Jesus as King combines a deep dive into the book of Matthew with the structure of D-Group. Having been in D-Group from the very start—fifteen years ago—I can confidently say the structure creates the consistency it demands and bears much fruit for any believer. Buckle up and have faith that God will reveal Himself to you as the promised and present King over the next ten weeks."

Meghann Glenn, D-Group charter member

Also by Tara-Leigh Cobble

The Bible Recap:

A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible

The Bible Recap Study Guide:

Daily Questions to Deepen Your Understanding of the Entire Bible

The Bible Recap Journal:

Your Daily Companion to the Entire Bible

The Bible Recap Discussion Guide:

Weekly Questions for Group Conversation on the Entire Bible

The Bible Recap Kids’ Devotional:

365 Reflections and Activities for Children and Families

The God Shot:

100 Snapshots of God’s Character in Scripture

Israel:

Beauty, Light, and Luxury

© 2024 by Tara-Leigh Cobble

Published by Bethany House Publishers

Minneapolis, Minnesota

BethanyHouse.com

Bethany House Publishers is a division of

Baker Publishing Group, Grand Rapids, Michigan

Ebook edition created 2024

Ebook corrections 08.26.2024

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.

ISBN 9780764243561 (paper)

ISBN 9781493446872 (ebook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Control Number: 2023050022

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2016

Scripture quotations identified kjv are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture quotations identified niv are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.®

The D-Group Theology & Curriculum Team is Laura Buchelt, Emily Pickell, Meg Mitchell, Evaline Asmah, and Tara-Leigh Cobble.

The general editor is represented by Alive Literary Agency, www.AliveLiterary.com.

Interior design by Nadine Rewa.

Cover design by Dan Pitts

Author image from © Meshali Mitchell

Baker Publishing Group publications use paper produced from sustainable forestry practices and postconsumer waste whenever possible.

This book is dedicated to the original members of D-Group, who signed up to pursue God and study His Word together, long before any of us knew what great joy He had in store: Meghann Glenn, Holly Shanahan, Meredith Tatum, Kate Gaffney, Heather Siders, Cory Cooper, Elizabeth Sullivan, Kara Villines, Laura Bouknight, Caroline McClure.

CONTENTS

Cover

Half Title Page

Title Page

Copyright Page

Dedication

Introduction

How to Use This Study

WEEK 1 Matthew 1–4: Origin of the King

WEEK 2 Matthew 5–7: Message of the King

WEEK 3 Matthew 8–10: Authority of the King

WEEK 4 Matthew 11–13: Instructions of the King

WEEK 5 Matthew 14–16: Purpose of the King

WEEK 6 Matthew 17–19: Perspective of the King

WEEK 7 Matthew 20–22: Tensions of the King

WEEK 8 Matthew 23–25: Discourse of the King

WEEK 9 Matthew 26: Betrayal of the King

WEEK 10 Matthew 27–28: Passion of the King

For Group Leaders

Acknowledgments

About the Editor

Back Cover

INTRODUCTION

The Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) offer us a fourfold telling of Jesus’s story. Some may wonder why this is necessary, but the fascinating truth is that each gospel speaks to a specific audience and emphasizes a unique aspect of who Jesus is. Additionally, the areas where they overlap verify the authenticity of the full narrative.

Matthew writes about King Jesus—His authority, His royalty, and His throne that will last forever. Mark writes about Jesus as the Suffering Servant, the One whose suffering would eternally serve all who call on His name. Luke, drawing on Jesus’s humanity, emphasizes Jesus as Savior of mankind, which seems fitting since Luke was a doctor. And John, the self-proclaimed favorite of our Lord, repeatedly highlights that Jesus is God. These four narratives help us see Jesus from various angles, capturing different facets of His glory—King, Servant, Savior/Man, God. These characteristics may seem opposed to each other, but they actually present us with a fuller understanding of who He is. All four accounts are not only necessary but beautiful!

The text of Matthew doesn’t identify its author, but the early church fathers seemed to agree that Matthew, the disciple of Jesus, wrote this book. Matthew, who also went by the name Levi, was a Jew who likely lived and worked near Capernaum along the Sea of Galilee. Until Jesus called him to be a disciple (Matthew 9:9–13), he was a tax collector. It’s hard for us to grasp how audacious it was for Jesus to choose a tax collector as one of His disciples. This was scandalous! Matthew, a Jewish man, worked for the Roman army—the oppressive enemy of his people. He collected taxes for Rome’s brutal empire, funding the very army that would threaten, torture, and kill other Jews. As if that weren’t enough, first-century tax collectors were notorious for being corrupt, taking above and beyond the required Roman tax to line their own pockets.

Matthew’s transformation from his identity as a Jewish tax collector for Rome to a disciple of Jesus was a dramatic one, establishing him as the perfect person to record an eyewitness account of the life of Christ. And because he had to be meticulous with money, there’s no doubt that he was meticulous with the details of his gospel.

Matthew seems to have written primarily to help Greek-speaking Jews see that Jesus was the King they’d been looking for. We get a few hints that his audience was Jewish: He quoted the Old Testament sixty-two times—more than any other gospel writer—he didn’t explain the Jewish cultural norms like John and Mark did, he regularly used the phrase kingdom of heaven (a reverential Jewish expression), and he began his account with the genealogy of Jesus, something a non-Jew would have cared little about.

If you were a first-century Jewish person who believed God would eventually send a new King, would Matthew’s account of Jesus’s life cause you to see the truth that Jesus was and is that King? Let’s find out together!

How to Use This Study

While Bible study is vital to the Chrisitan walk, a well-rounded spiritual life comes from engaging with other spiritual disciplines as well. This study is designed not only to equip you with greater knowledge and theological depth, but to help you engage in other formative practices that will create a fuller, more fulfilling relationship with Jesus. We want to see you thrive in every area of your life with God!

Content and Questions

In each of the ten weeks of this study, the teaching and questions are divided into six days, but feel free to do it all at once if that’s more manageable for your schedule. If you choose to complete each week’s study in one sitting, keep in mind that there are still aspects you will want to be mindful of each day: the daily Bible reading, Scripture memorization, and the weekly challenge. These are best attended to throughout the week.

Daily Bible Reading

The daily Bible reading corresponds to our study. It will take an average of three minutes per day to simply read (not study) the text. If you’re an auditory learner, you may prefer to listen to an audio version of these Bible chapters.

Even if you decide to go through the week’s content and questions in one sitting, we still encourage you to make the daily Bible reading a part of your regular daily rhythm. Establishing a habit of reading the Word every day will help fortify your faith and create greater connections with God.

If you decide to break the study up into the six allotted days each week, your daily Bible reading will align with your study. Days 1–5 will follow our study of Matthew, Day 6 features a psalm that corresponds to our reading, and Day 7 serves as a catch-up day in case you fall behind.

Scripture Memorization

Memorizing Scripture isn’t busy work! It’s an important part of hiding God’s Word in our hearts (Psalm 119:11). Our passage—Matthew 6:25–34—is a powerful truth about valuing eternal things above all else. We encourage you to practice it cumulatively—that is, add to what you’re practicing each week instead of replacing it. We quote the English Standard Version (and some of our resources are in that translation as well), but feel free to memorize it in whatever translation you prefer. We suggest working on each week’s verse(s) throughout the week, not just at the last minute. We’ve provided some free tools to help you with this, including a weekly verse song: MyDGroup.org/Resources/Matthew.

Weekly Challenge

This is our practical response to what we’ve learned each week. We want to be doers of the word, and not hearers only (James 1:22). You’ll find a variety of challenges, and we encourage you to lean into them all—especially the ones you find most challenging! This will help strengthen your spiritual muscles and encourage you in your faith. As with the memory verse, you’ll want to begin this practice earlier in the week, especially because some weekly challenges include things to do each day of the week (e.g., prayers, journaling, etc.).

Resources

This is a Scripture-heavy study, and you’ll find yourself looking up passages often. If you’re new to studying Scripture, this will be a great way to dig in and sharpen your skills! You will feel more equipped and less intimidated as you move through each chapter. Some questions may ask you to refer to a Bible dictionary, commentary, or Greek or Hebrew lexicon, but you don’t need to purchase those tools. There are lots of free options available online. We’ve linked to some of our favorite tools—plus additional resources like podcasts, articles, and apps—at MyDGroup.org/Resources/Matthew.

Week 1

Matthew 1–4: Origin of the King

  Scripture to Memorize  

Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?

Matthew 6:25

Note: If you haven’t yet read How to Use This Study on page 13, please do that before continuing. It will provide you with a proper framework and helpful tools.

Daily Bible Reading

Day 1: Matthew 1

Day 2: Matthew 2

Day 3: Matthew 3

Day 4: Matthew 4:1–11

Day 5: Matthew 4:12–25

Day 6: Psalm 2

Day 7: Catch-Up Day

Corresponds to Days 275–278 of The Bible Recap.

WEEKLY CHALLENGE

See page 39

for more information.

Day 1

Matthew 1

Read Matthew 1

The New Testament isn’t where we first see the concept of a King who would redeem and reign over all nations. The need for a King to rule goes all the way back to Genesis 3—when the first humans, made in the image of God, willingly gave away their kingship and dominion to the enemy, who was disguised as a manipulative serpent.

From that moment on, humanity felt its need for a King to reverse