Matthew
2:1–12
The wise men brought gifts for Jesus. Crafty read all about gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They were some of the most valuable gifts at the time when Jesus was born. Frankincense and myrrh are the resin or gum obtained from rare trees. They were used in making perfume, medicine, and oil. The oil was used to anoint people.
Draw what you think the gifts that the wise men brought looked like. Then think about if Jesus was born today. What valuable gifts might people give him? Draw what you think these gifts might look like.
2:13–15
Greeny learned this. When Joseph fled with his family from Bethlehem to Egypt, it was part of God’s plan. They may have lived among the Jewish people who still lived there. Later they would return to Nazareth. In doing that, the words of Hosea, the Old Testament prophet, were fulfilled. Hosea had said the Lord would call his son, Jesus, out of Egypt.
Look at a map that has Canaan or Judah and Egypt. Find Bethlehem, which is in Judah, and Goshen, which is in Egypt. It’s a long distance between Bethlehem and Goshen! Imagine walking or riding on a donkey all that way!
3:13–17
Hearty read about how John the Baptist baptized people who wanted to live for the Lord. One day, Jesus asked John to baptize him. How did John feel about this? Why didn’t he want to baptize Jesus?
But when Jesus insisted, John baptized him. Afterward, God’s Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, and God said,
“This is my Son, and I love him. I am very pleased with him.”
Share how you think you would have felt if you had been there.
5:1–12 (Beatitudes Part 1)
These verses are known as the eight beatitudes or blessings. Here Jesus explains how we can be blessed. That means really, really happy. And some people think the first blessing is the most important of them all. It says, “Blessed are those who are spiritually needy.” These are people who know that they need God in their lives.
5:1–12 (Beatitudes Part 2)
Crafty feels blessed when he experiences God’s goodness. His goodness makes Crafty really, really happy. Who does God bless? Which blessing in Matthew 5:1–15 is your favorite?
Ask someone to help you find out what the blessing means. Then draw a picture of the blessing. Put it on the wall so that you will remember to live like that.
9:9
Matthew stole a large amount of the tax money that he collected for the Roman government. He was a thief and a liar. And yet, Jesus asked him to be a disciple. Matthew knew he couldn’t go on living as he had before he met Jesus. As a follower of Jesus, he would have to live a new life. And he chose to do it!
10:1–4
There were 12 disciples, just as there were 12 tribes in Israel. The 12 disciples were the beginning of God’s new people, the church. When Jesus was here on earth, he trained his disciples. Just before he returned to heaven, he gave them new jobs. They had to make disciples of all the nations. Read Matthew 28:19–20.
10:26–31
Inny knows that it’s difficult to stand for what’s right. And it’s hard if you are smaller and younger than the others. Jesus said that we don’t need to be afraid of people. He loves us and takes care of us. Pull out a hair from your head and let it fall to the floor. What does Jesus say in verse 30 about your hair? You are important to him! Don’t be afraid to stand for what’s right.
11:29
In Bible times, animals such as oxen, donkeys, and camels had to carry heavy loads. A donkey sometimes carried a load much bigger than itself. Jesus saw that there were people carrying religious duties around like heavy loads! These made them very tired. If you follow Jesus, you will also follow his commands. In serving him, you will find purpose for your life. Then you will find the peace and rest Jesus promised.
12:33–37
Talky knows that our words often show what we are like on the inside. They show what we think and feel. Do you want to be good and beautiful on the inside?
Talk about this with someone you trust. Tell the person that you want to be good and beautiful on the inside. Pray together and ask the Lord to help you think good thoughts.
13:53–55
Jesus wasn’t his parents’ only child. He was the oldest of maybe seven children. He grew up in Nazareth where his father, Joseph, was a carpenter. Carpenters worked with wood, iron, and stone. They had to be very strong men. We think Joseph died before Jesus was 30 years old. This means that Joseph died before Jesus started his ministry.
14:13–21
Jesus looked at the crowd of tired, hungry people. His heart was filled with pity and he felt sorry for them. Do you know that Jesus feels sorry for people?
Hearty would like to know if you’ve ever felt sorry for someone. What did you do about it? Think about how you can help someone today! Look at Hearty’s color chart on page 19 and choose a color for feeling sorry for someone.
16:24
The Roman rulers were very cruel. One of the ways that they punished people was by hanging them on a cross. The person being crucified had to carry the cross beam. They carried it from the place where they were sentenced to the place where they were crucified.
When you follow Jesus, you also carry a cross. This means you completely give your life to serving him. Living for Jesus isn’t always easy, but it’s worth it. One day we will be with him in heaven.
20:3
The men didn’t stand around in the market because they were lazy. Workers stood in the market with their tools. They waited for someone to hire them for the day. Sometimes work was scarce and they would still be standing there later in the day. When this happened, they would be prepared to do anything just to earn some money.
20:1–16
Only Matthew writes about the parable of the vineyard. This story teaches us about God’s mercy and goodness. We learn that he is merciful to everyone who comes to him.
20:20–28
Jesus said this to his followers. They mustn’t be like those who always want to be the most important. They shouldn’t want to have the best seats or grab the best stuff.
Jesus’ followers must be like servants and slaves. Inny wonders what a servant and a slave is like. Think about the work that a servant does. You are like a servant when you help other people. Think about how you can serve your family at home. Now make a plan to do it.
21:28–31a
Talky would like to know what your answers are to these questions:
- Have you ever promised to do something and then forgotten to do it?
Tell your group what happened. - Have you ever refused to do something but then decided to do it anyway?
Tell what happened.
Then talk about which of the brothers disappointed his father and which one made him happy.
21:25
Jesus lived in Galilee when he first began teaching people and doing miracles. But after three years, he went to Jerusalem. The religious leaders in Jerusalem hated him and they were soon making plans to kill him.
25
In this chapter, Jesus tells his disciples more about when he will return to earth one day. No one knows when this will be. So as Jesus’ follower, you must always be ready and waiting for him to come back. While you are waiting, you must use the gifts that he has given you to help other people. Followers of Jesus live for other people. They do not live for themselves.
26:57–27:2
After Jesus had been arrested, he was taken to be tried by the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the Jewish council. They accused and tried Jesus. It should have been conducted like a proper court case. But Jesus wasn’t tried fairly. The members of the council paid money to people. Then they asked people to say things that weren’t true about Jesus. They told lies so that Jesus would be condemned.
26:69–75
Poor Peter! Shortly before, he had promised that he would never leave Jesus. But he became frightened and told people that he didn’t know Jesus. Then to make matters worse, he did it a second time. Then for a third time, Peter was asked if he knew Jesus. And again, Peter swore that he didn’t know Jesus. Peter did it because he thought he would be arrested.
27:3–10
Only Matthew tells us what happened to Judas after he betrayed Jesus. Remember that Judas had been paid 30 silver coins. This equaled 30 days’ wages.
Here is what you would do if you wanted to buy something back after selling it. You placed the amount paid in the temple. If the buyer took the money, the seller could take back his possession. Judas tried to return the money he was paid by the Sanhedrin to betray Jesus. But they wouldn’t take it back.
27:11–14
When Jesus was questioned, the people could see that he had done nothing wrong. Pilate’s wife was told in a dream that Jesus was innocent. And Pilate also declared twice that Jesus wasn’t guilty of any crime.
27:32–44
Matthew says that Jesus was crucified exactly as it was prophesied in the Old Testament. Read Isaiah 53:3–6. He also says that people made fun of Jesus. They did it by saying, “Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” When the devil tempted Jesus in the desert, he also used the words, “If you are the Son of God…”
27:45–56
After Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, he died. Matthew tells us that Jesus died willingly on the cross. God the Father could have saved him, but Jesus chose to give his life for us. When he died, the earth shook, graves broke open, and dead people came alive again. Jesus’ death was a frightening event. Even the earth was affected by it.
27:57–66
Jesus was buried by his followers in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. He was a rich man and a secret follower of Jesus. The fact that Jesus was buried shows us that he had really died. Matthew tells us that soldiers guarded his tomb to prevent his followers from stealing his body.
28:1–20
Thinky read twice in these verses about people who were afraid. Read the verses. Who were they? You will find the answers in verses 4 and 8. Twice we read the words, “Don’t be afraid.” Are you sometimes afraid? When? What do you do when you are afraid?
Read Jesus’ words in verses 18, 19, and 20. Why don’t you need to be afraid?
28:16–18
Matthew’s gospel ends happily. Jesus has risen! Jesus explains to his disciples that his resurrection shows that he is stronger than death. Then he sends his disciples all over the world to tell this good news to everybody.