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New Testament For Everyone #2
Matthew for Everyone Part Two Chapters 16-28
An entirely new and approachable translation of the New Testament and study guides by a world-renowned scholar, Tom Wright. The series provide invaluable background detail and a wealth of information to help the reader understand each passage in a richer way. The implication of the text for the life of the modern reader is also explored. The translation of the Bible text is underpinned by deep scholarship, but has an immediacy and freshness that makes it easy to read, and set it apart from other modern-language translations. The guides assume no detailed knowledge of the New Testament, and are therefore suitable for beginners as well as more experienced students of the Bible. Each volume stands alone, though the series will build into an unrivaled guide to the entire New Testament, book by book.
227 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2002
160 people are currently reading
206 people want to read
About the author
Tom Wright
119 books235 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
He also publishes under N.T. Wright.
He also publishes under N.T. Wright.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
January 17, 2025
An excellent guide to Matthew’s Gospel. I’ve been reading this for my morning devotionals. It’s a good combination of being short and simple but also profound and challenging.
June 10, 2022
Super useful and well-written, as always!
July 20, 2025
This commentary series certainly is for 'everyone'. Wright takes a paragraph of scripture (his own translation) then relays a story or parable from his own experience and an explaination to give the reader a simple understanding of the text. Its not a deep exegetical exploration, but thats not why Im reading it, Im reading to understand Wrights unique theology, and in particular to read along side him through the text to see if Im onboard with it. I read this book alongside the M'cheyne bible reading plan and it was very manageable.
Those familiar with Wright's books, will know that his theology starts to deviate with tradition with the phrase 'Kingdom of God'. He asserts that this is not simply 'heaven' (where we go when we die) but Gods dominion on Earth (and heaven). I quote:
"First things first. Matthew normally has Jesus speak of the ‘kingdom of heaven’; the other gospels normally use the phrase ‘kingdom of God’. Saying ‘heaven’ instead of ‘God’ was a regular Jewish way of avoiding the word ‘God’ out of reverence and respect. We must clear out of our minds any thought that ‘kingdom of heaven’ means a place, namely ‘heaven’, seen as the place where God’s people go after their death. That, after all, would make no sense here. How could this sort of kingdom be said to be ‘approaching’ or ‘arriving’?"
and regarding Matt 19:16
"He wasn’t simply asking about how to go to heaven after he died. As we’ve seen often enough, the phrase ‘kingdom of heaven’ doesn’t mean that. It means God’s sovereign, saving rule coming to transform everything, coming to bring the whole creation into a new state of being, a new life, in which evil, decay and death itself will be done away. Many, perhaps most, Jews of Jesus’ day believed that Israel’s God would do this, and would do it very soon. The question they were asking, in several different ways, was: who would benefit from it when it happened? Who would ‘inherit the age to come’? Who would gain ‘the life of the new age’, or, as in many translations, ‘eternal life’?"
I next noticed he deviated from traditional theology with his interpretation of eschatology , particularly in Matthew 24 and then the parables which follow. Wright masterfully steps us through Matthew 24, showing and convincing (me at least), that the events have all happened, its not just an end of time prophecy (though it certainly foreshadows that also. He does this by showing that 'coming on the clouds of heaven' isn't coming to earth, its coming to heaven, and it happened at Jesus' ascention.
"But what will this ‘coming’ itself actually be? What will Jesus’ ‘royal appearing’ consist of? Matthew takes us back, in line with so much in Jesus’ teaching, to the prophet Daniel again, and this time to the crucial passage in 7.13 (verse 30 in our present passage). They will see, he says, ‘the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven’. Now in Daniel this certainly refers, not to a downward movement of this strange human figure, but to an upward movement. The son of man ‘comes’ from the point of view of the heavenly world, that is, he comes to heaven. His ‘coming’ in this sense, in other words, is not his ‘return’ to earth after a sojourn in heaven. It is his ascension, his vindication, the thing which demonstrates that his suffering has not been in vain."
And his unique interpretation of the 'eschatological' parables:
Parable of the bridesmaids:
"Jesus has referred to himself as the bridegroom (9.15). In a previous parable Jesus spoke of the kingdom as being like a king making a marriage feast for his son (22.2). Mention of a bridegroom hints again at Jesus’ messiahship, which was of course a central issue in the previous chapters, ever since Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.
This highlights the fact that the parable isn’t just about the very end of time, the great and terrible day for which the world and the church still wait. Throughout his ministry, Jesus was coming as Messiah to his people, Israel. They were the ones invited to the wedding feast. They, in this story, are divided between the wise, who know Jesus and make sure they keep alert for his ‘coming,’ and the foolish, to whom at the end Jesus will say ‘I don’t know you’ (verse 12, echoing 7.23). Just as the Sermon on the Mount summarizes, not Jesus’ teaching to the subsequent church, but Jesus’ challenge to the Israel of his own day, so these parables, towards the close of the final great discourse in Matthew’s gospel, should probably be read in the same way, at least in their most basic meaning."
Parable of the talents:
"The normal way of taking it is to suggest that Jesus is preparing the disciples for quite a long period during which he will not be present, and will have left them tasks to be getting on with. On his return they will be judged according to how they have performed. That, of course, can easily collapse into the ‘examination-system’ understanding of Christianity once more. It doesn’t have to, but it easily could.
But the real problem with it is that it is a story about a master and slaves, in which the master goes away leaving the slaves tasks to perform and then comes back at last, would certainly be understood, in the Judaism of Jesus’ day, as a story about God and Israel. This is certainly how Luke intends us to understand the very similar story in his gospel (19.11–27). And if, as I’ve suggested all along, both the Sermon on the Mount and this final great discourse in Matthew’s gospel are to be seen first and foremost as Jesus’ challenge to his own day and the days immediately following, perhaps we should take this parable in the same way."
Sheep and goats:
"But when is Jesus seated on his throne, with all his angels in attendance? We have already glimpsed this scene, in 16.27. And I have suggested that the vindication of the son of man spoken of in 24.30 refers, not to his future second coming, but (as Jesus there insists) to the events which were to take place within a generation. According to the rest of the New Testament, not least St Paul, Jesus is already ruling the world as its rightful lord (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15.25–28). Should we not say, then, that this scene of judgment, though in this picture it is spoken of as a one-off, future and final event, may actually refer to what is happening throughout human history, from the time of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the present? Could it be that the final judgment, in some sense, comes forward to meet us?"
Those familiar with Wright's books, will know that his theology starts to deviate with tradition with the phrase 'Kingdom of God'. He asserts that this is not simply 'heaven' (where we go when we die) but Gods dominion on Earth (and heaven). I quote:
"First things first. Matthew normally has Jesus speak of the ‘kingdom of heaven’; the other gospels normally use the phrase ‘kingdom of God’. Saying ‘heaven’ instead of ‘God’ was a regular Jewish way of avoiding the word ‘God’ out of reverence and respect. We must clear out of our minds any thought that ‘kingdom of heaven’ means a place, namely ‘heaven’, seen as the place where God’s people go after their death. That, after all, would make no sense here. How could this sort of kingdom be said to be ‘approaching’ or ‘arriving’?"
and regarding Matt 19:16
"He wasn’t simply asking about how to go to heaven after he died. As we’ve seen often enough, the phrase ‘kingdom of heaven’ doesn’t mean that. It means God’s sovereign, saving rule coming to transform everything, coming to bring the whole creation into a new state of being, a new life, in which evil, decay and death itself will be done away. Many, perhaps most, Jews of Jesus’ day believed that Israel’s God would do this, and would do it very soon. The question they were asking, in several different ways, was: who would benefit from it when it happened? Who would ‘inherit the age to come’? Who would gain ‘the life of the new age’, or, as in many translations, ‘eternal life’?"
I next noticed he deviated from traditional theology with his interpretation of eschatology , particularly in Matthew 24 and then the parables which follow. Wright masterfully steps us through Matthew 24, showing and convincing (me at least), that the events have all happened, its not just an end of time prophecy (though it certainly foreshadows that also. He does this by showing that 'coming on the clouds of heaven' isn't coming to earth, its coming to heaven, and it happened at Jesus' ascention.
"But what will this ‘coming’ itself actually be? What will Jesus’ ‘royal appearing’ consist of? Matthew takes us back, in line with so much in Jesus’ teaching, to the prophet Daniel again, and this time to the crucial passage in 7.13 (verse 30 in our present passage). They will see, he says, ‘the son of man coming on the clouds of heaven’. Now in Daniel this certainly refers, not to a downward movement of this strange human figure, but to an upward movement. The son of man ‘comes’ from the point of view of the heavenly world, that is, he comes to heaven. His ‘coming’ in this sense, in other words, is not his ‘return’ to earth after a sojourn in heaven. It is his ascension, his vindication, the thing which demonstrates that his suffering has not been in vain."
And his unique interpretation of the 'eschatological' parables:
Parable of the bridesmaids:
"Jesus has referred to himself as the bridegroom (9.15). In a previous parable Jesus spoke of the kingdom as being like a king making a marriage feast for his son (22.2). Mention of a bridegroom hints again at Jesus’ messiahship, which was of course a central issue in the previous chapters, ever since Jesus arrived in Jerusalem.
This highlights the fact that the parable isn’t just about the very end of time, the great and terrible day for which the world and the church still wait. Throughout his ministry, Jesus was coming as Messiah to his people, Israel. They were the ones invited to the wedding feast. They, in this story, are divided between the wise, who know Jesus and make sure they keep alert for his ‘coming,’ and the foolish, to whom at the end Jesus will say ‘I don’t know you’ (verse 12, echoing 7.23). Just as the Sermon on the Mount summarizes, not Jesus’ teaching to the subsequent church, but Jesus’ challenge to the Israel of his own day, so these parables, towards the close of the final great discourse in Matthew’s gospel, should probably be read in the same way, at least in their most basic meaning."
Parable of the talents:
"The normal way of taking it is to suggest that Jesus is preparing the disciples for quite a long period during which he will not be present, and will have left them tasks to be getting on with. On his return they will be judged according to how they have performed. That, of course, can easily collapse into the ‘examination-system’ understanding of Christianity once more. It doesn’t have to, but it easily could.
But the real problem with it is that it is a story about a master and slaves, in which the master goes away leaving the slaves tasks to perform and then comes back at last, would certainly be understood, in the Judaism of Jesus’ day, as a story about God and Israel. This is certainly how Luke intends us to understand the very similar story in his gospel (19.11–27). And if, as I’ve suggested all along, both the Sermon on the Mount and this final great discourse in Matthew’s gospel are to be seen first and foremost as Jesus’ challenge to his own day and the days immediately following, perhaps we should take this parable in the same way."
Sheep and goats:
"But when is Jesus seated on his throne, with all his angels in attendance? We have already glimpsed this scene, in 16.27. And I have suggested that the vindication of the son of man spoken of in 24.30 refers, not to his future second coming, but (as Jesus there insists) to the events which were to take place within a generation. According to the rest of the New Testament, not least St Paul, Jesus is already ruling the world as its rightful lord (e.g. 1 Corinthians 15.25–28). Should we not say, then, that this scene of judgment, though in this picture it is spoken of as a one-off, future and final event, may actually refer to what is happening throughout human history, from the time of Jesus’ resurrection and ascension to the present? Could it be that the final judgment, in some sense, comes forward to meet us?"
February 19, 2014
A continuation of
Matthew for Everyone: Part One, Chapters 1-15, Mr. Wright picks up right where he left off in this multivolume series of general commentaries with a general population in mind. Like part one, there is little to excite the hardcore Bible student, but this is definitely worth the effort for the beginner student who is in need of a little context on what certain passages mean. Some of Wright's best moments in this volume in particular is when we reach Jesus' last supper, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. Wright has always been a an advocate for placing Jesus and his early disciples within in the story of the Jews of the first century AD, whose history (story) began with Abraham and Moses and has reached its climax in Christ. Wright has a knack for convey how world-changing this moment in history is. In short, this is best for new students, but maybe not for advanced students.
Matthew for Everyone: Part One, Chapters 1-15, Mr. Wright picks up right where he left off in this multivolume series of general commentaries with a general population in mind. Like part one, there is little to excite the hardcore Bible student, but this is definitely worth the effort for the beginner student who is in need of a little context on what certain passages mean. Some of Wright's best moments in this volume in particular is when we reach Jesus' last supper, trial, crucifixion, and resurrection. Wright has always been a an advocate for placing Jesus and his early disciples within in the story of the Jews of the first century AD, whose history (story) began with Abraham and Moses and has reached its climax in Christ. Wright has a knack for convey how world-changing this moment in history is. In short, this is best for new students, but maybe not for advanced students.
January 19, 2021
I've just finished leading a Thursday night Bible study group for which I used N. T. Wright's Matthew for Everyone as my primary guide in preparing sessions on Matthew's gospel. In all we had 9 sessions together, which is a brisk pace through Matthew, to say the least. Wright's two-volume commentary on the gospel was absolutely fantastic. I learned a great deal about the book, including many connections to the cultural context and references to the Old Testament, and I loved being able to bring those new insights to the Bible study group. Discussion was easy, which is always a concern of any small-group leader.
I highly recommend Wright's For Everyone series to anyone who wants to learn more about the New Testament. It's written at a "general audience" level--no prior theological or Biblical studies training required--but is not at all insulting to a reader who has some familiarity with those disciplines. It's by no means comprehensive, but what it does include is excellent.
I highly recommend Wright's For Everyone series to anyone who wants to learn more about the New Testament. It's written at a "general audience" level--no prior theological or Biblical studies training required--but is not at all insulting to a reader who has some familiarity with those disciplines. It's by no means comprehensive, but what it does include is excellent.
April 8, 2024
I began reading Wright's "For Everyone" series last year, during Lectionary Year A.
The author, a respected theologian, breaks down every chapter of the gospels and other books in the New Testament. This approach is just what I need, as I come to a more serious study of scripture later in the life.
Top line, Write he stresses that "the story of Jesus's birth in Matthew's gospel is seen through the eyes of Joseph; in Luke's gospel, we see it through Mary's."
"No attempt is made to bring them into line. The central fact is the same; but instead of Luke's picture of an excited Galilean girl, learning that she is to give birth to God's Messiah, Matthew shows us the more sober Joseph, discovering that his fiancée is pregnant."
"[The Messiah] will rescue his people, not from slavery in Egypt, but from the slavery of sin, the 'exile' they be suffered not just in Babylon but in their own hearts. By contrast, the name Emmanuel, mentioned in Isaiah 7:14 and 8.8, was not given to anyone else, perhaps because it would say more about a child than anyone would normally dare! It means 'God with us' Matthew's whole gospel is framed by this theme: at the very end, Jesus promises that he will be with people to the close of the age (28.20)."
"If 'kingdom of heaven' means the same as kingdom of God, then we have a much clearer idea of what Jesus had in mind. Anyone who was warning people about something that was about to happen must have known that the people he was talking to would understand. And any first-century Jew, hearing someone talking about God's kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, would know. This meant revolution."
"Jesus grew up in the shadow of kingdom-movements. The Romans had conquered his homeland about sixty years befor he was born. They were the last in a long line of pas to do so. They had installed Herod the Great, a sons after him, as puppet monarchs to do their d them. Most Jews resented both parts of this and longed for a chance to revolt."
"Are we working to extend God’s kingdom in the world? Or are we standing in its way?"
"The Beatitudes consist of success, wealth, long life, victory in battle. Jesus is offering wonderful news for the humble, the poor, the mourners, the peacemakers."
"The word for wonderful news is often translated 'blessed,' and part of the point is that this is God's wonderful news. God is acting in and through Jesus to turn the world upside down, to turn Israel upside down, to pour out lavish 'blessings"'on all who now turn to him and accept the new thing that he is doing. (This list is sometimes called the Beatitudes, because the Latin word 'beatus' means 'blessed?') But the point is not to offer a list of what sort of people God normally blesses. The point is to announce God's new covenant."
"In Deuteronomy, the people came through the wilderness and arrived at the border of the promised land, and God gave them a solemn covenant. He listed the blessings and the curses that would come upon them if they were obedient or disobedient (chapter 28). Now Matthew has shown us Jesus, coming out of Egypt (2.15), through the water and the wilderness (chapters 3 and 4), and into the land of promise (4.12-25)."
"Jesus wasn't intending to abandon the law and the prophets. Israel's whole story, commands, promises and all, was going to come true in him. But, now that he was here, a way was opening up for Israel — and, through that, all the world — to make God's covenant a reality in their own selves, changing behaviour not just by teaching but by a change of heart and mind itself.
This was truly revolutionary, and at the same time deeply in line with the ancient stories and promises of the Bible."
"Has it ever struck you what a basically happy person Jesus was?"
"Oh yes, we know that, according to the prophecies, he was a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief? We know that the darkness and sadness of all the world descended on him as he went to the cross. The scene in Gethsemane, where he is wrestling with his father's will, and in agony wondering if he's come the right way, is one of the most harrowing stories ever told. We know that he wept at the tomb of Lazarus, and that he was sad when people refused to trust God and see the wonderful things he was doing."
"But these are the exceptions, the dark patches painted on to the bright background. As we read a passage like this, we should see that it flows straight out of Jesus' own experience of life. He had watched the birds wheeling around, high up on the currents of air in the Galilean hills, simply enjoying being alive. He had figured out that they never seemed to do the sort of work that humans did, and yet they mostly stayed alive and well. He had watched a thousand different kinds of flowers growing in the fertile Galilee soil — the word translated lily here includes several different plants, such as the autumn crocus, the anemone and the gladiolus—and had held his breath at their fragile beauty."
"One of the main things Matthew wants to tell us is that Jesus is like Moses — only more so."
"For a devout Jew in Jesus‘s day, and in our own, one of the most solemn secret parts of the morning routine would be to say the basic Jewish prayer: 'The Lord our God, is the only lord; then you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart...' It is a beautiful and haunting prayer, which has become woven into the very lifeblood of Jewish people for the thousands of years. Saying this prayer is recorded by official Jewish teaching as the most important thing to do each day."
"Which command is repeated most often in the Bible?… It’s the command we find in verses, 26, 28 and 31: don’t be afraid."
"The story of the Servant: Isaiah's story, the most famous story of the most famous prophet. The story of the Servant begins in the passage Matthew quotes here; it's taken from Isaiah 42. The 'Servant of YHWH' is a strange figure in Isaiah: one who will bring YHWH's blessing and justice to the world—the task which, earlier in Isaiah, was assigned to the Messiah, the coming king. But how is the Servant to accomplish his task? Not, it seems, by bullying and harrying Israel and the nations, by threatening and fighting. Rather, with a quiet and gentle work of healing, bearing the love and grace of God to the dark parts of Israel and the world."
"Matthew looks back over the ministry of Jesus, knowing where it would lead. He sees Jesus as the Servant, not only when he dies a cruel death, wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, but also in the style of what he was already doing in Galilee. He was going about bringing God's restoration wherever it was needed, not by making a fuss, but by gently leading people into God's healing love."
The author, a respected theologian, breaks down every chapter of the gospels and other books in the New Testament. This approach is just what I need, as I come to a more serious study of scripture later in the life.
Top line, Write he stresses that "the story of Jesus's birth in Matthew's gospel is seen through the eyes of Joseph; in Luke's gospel, we see it through Mary's."
"No attempt is made to bring them into line. The central fact is the same; but instead of Luke's picture of an excited Galilean girl, learning that she is to give birth to God's Messiah, Matthew shows us the more sober Joseph, discovering that his fiancée is pregnant."
"[The Messiah] will rescue his people, not from slavery in Egypt, but from the slavery of sin, the 'exile' they be suffered not just in Babylon but in their own hearts. By contrast, the name Emmanuel, mentioned in Isaiah 7:14 and 8.8, was not given to anyone else, perhaps because it would say more about a child than anyone would normally dare! It means 'God with us' Matthew's whole gospel is framed by this theme: at the very end, Jesus promises that he will be with people to the close of the age (28.20)."
"If 'kingdom of heaven' means the same as kingdom of God, then we have a much clearer idea of what Jesus had in mind. Anyone who was warning people about something that was about to happen must have known that the people he was talking to would understand. And any first-century Jew, hearing someone talking about God's kingdom, or the kingdom of heaven, would know. This meant revolution."
"Jesus grew up in the shadow of kingdom-movements. The Romans had conquered his homeland about sixty years befor he was born. They were the last in a long line of pas to do so. They had installed Herod the Great, a sons after him, as puppet monarchs to do their d them. Most Jews resented both parts of this and longed for a chance to revolt."
"Are we working to extend God’s kingdom in the world? Or are we standing in its way?"
"The Beatitudes consist of success, wealth, long life, victory in battle. Jesus is offering wonderful news for the humble, the poor, the mourners, the peacemakers."
"The word for wonderful news is often translated 'blessed,' and part of the point is that this is God's wonderful news. God is acting in and through Jesus to turn the world upside down, to turn Israel upside down, to pour out lavish 'blessings"'on all who now turn to him and accept the new thing that he is doing. (This list is sometimes called the Beatitudes, because the Latin word 'beatus' means 'blessed?') But the point is not to offer a list of what sort of people God normally blesses. The point is to announce God's new covenant."
"In Deuteronomy, the people came through the wilderness and arrived at the border of the promised land, and God gave them a solemn covenant. He listed the blessings and the curses that would come upon them if they were obedient or disobedient (chapter 28). Now Matthew has shown us Jesus, coming out of Egypt (2.15), through the water and the wilderness (chapters 3 and 4), and into the land of promise (4.12-25)."
"Jesus wasn't intending to abandon the law and the prophets. Israel's whole story, commands, promises and all, was going to come true in him. But, now that he was here, a way was opening up for Israel — and, through that, all the world — to make God's covenant a reality in their own selves, changing behaviour not just by teaching but by a change of heart and mind itself.
This was truly revolutionary, and at the same time deeply in line with the ancient stories and promises of the Bible."
"Has it ever struck you what a basically happy person Jesus was?"
"Oh yes, we know that, according to the prophecies, he was a man of sorrow, and acquainted with grief? We know that the darkness and sadness of all the world descended on him as he went to the cross. The scene in Gethsemane, where he is wrestling with his father's will, and in agony wondering if he's come the right way, is one of the most harrowing stories ever told. We know that he wept at the tomb of Lazarus, and that he was sad when people refused to trust God and see the wonderful things he was doing."
"But these are the exceptions, the dark patches painted on to the bright background. As we read a passage like this, we should see that it flows straight out of Jesus' own experience of life. He had watched the birds wheeling around, high up on the currents of air in the Galilean hills, simply enjoying being alive. He had figured out that they never seemed to do the sort of work that humans did, and yet they mostly stayed alive and well. He had watched a thousand different kinds of flowers growing in the fertile Galilee soil — the word translated lily here includes several different plants, such as the autumn crocus, the anemone and the gladiolus—and had held his breath at their fragile beauty."
"One of the main things Matthew wants to tell us is that Jesus is like Moses — only more so."
"For a devout Jew in Jesus‘s day, and in our own, one of the most solemn secret parts of the morning routine would be to say the basic Jewish prayer: 'The Lord our God, is the only lord; then you shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart...' It is a beautiful and haunting prayer, which has become woven into the very lifeblood of Jewish people for the thousands of years. Saying this prayer is recorded by official Jewish teaching as the most important thing to do each day."
"Which command is repeated most often in the Bible?… It’s the command we find in verses, 26, 28 and 31: don’t be afraid."
"The story of the Servant: Isaiah's story, the most famous story of the most famous prophet. The story of the Servant begins in the passage Matthew quotes here; it's taken from Isaiah 42. The 'Servant of YHWH' is a strange figure in Isaiah: one who will bring YHWH's blessing and justice to the world—the task which, earlier in Isaiah, was assigned to the Messiah, the coming king. But how is the Servant to accomplish his task? Not, it seems, by bullying and harrying Israel and the nations, by threatening and fighting. Rather, with a quiet and gentle work of healing, bearing the love and grace of God to the dark parts of Israel and the world."
"Matthew looks back over the ministry of Jesus, knowing where it would lead. He sees Jesus as the Servant, not only when he dies a cruel death, wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, but also in the style of what he was already doing in Galilee. He was going about bringing God's restoration wherever it was needed, not by making a fuss, but by gently leading people into God's healing love."
October 24, 2020
This one did finish what the first half started. It kept building as it went along with the narrative momentum of the text. Also made me realize how abrupt the ending of Matthew is.
Overall, what these two books taught me is how central the Temple is to understanding how Matthew portrays Jesus. Without Wright to help me understand how central this is, I would never get it. Jesus was essentially attacking what a travesty Temple worship had become and warning the Jews of his generation to recognize him as God rather than rely on a system gone wrong. And of course his warning is directly related to imminent destruction which happened in 70 AD.
You realize from Wright how hard it would have been to accept this if you were a devout Jew at the time because the Temple was everything good and right and sacred. It was the one thing you didn't question. But Jesus was calling them to recognize how human sin had corrupted what it supposed to be. This all leaves me thinking about what my wrongful preconceptions are in my own day that leave me missing what God is doing. Just as Tom would want, I am sure.
Overall, what these two books taught me is how central the Temple is to understanding how Matthew portrays Jesus. Without Wright to help me understand how central this is, I would never get it. Jesus was essentially attacking what a travesty Temple worship had become and warning the Jews of his generation to recognize him as God rather than rely on a system gone wrong. And of course his warning is directly related to imminent destruction which happened in 70 AD.
You realize from Wright how hard it would have been to accept this if you were a devout Jew at the time because the Temple was everything good and right and sacred. It was the one thing you didn't question. But Jesus was calling them to recognize how human sin had corrupted what it supposed to be. This all leaves me thinking about what my wrongful preconceptions are in my own day that leave me missing what God is doing. Just as Tom would want, I am sure.
June 28, 2021
NT Wright intended this series more as a way to chat about the Scripture with people who hadn't really studied it before than as a true commentary. This is very good for folks who are looking for mini-sermons as they read through Matthew but less interesting if you have already studied the texts. Still the author is an original thinker and his work is worth reading for new thoughts that you might not have had even if you have studied Scripture more deeply. Just don't expect the depth you will find in more advanced works.
March 2, 2020
Amazing Teacher
This book has been a wonderful complement to my daily devotions and journaling. This book breathes theological understanding into the nature of God’s Kingdom and how Jesus would demonstrate this kingdom, it’s ethics and values, in word and deed. This is true of disciples then and now. In an age where the gospel is diluted by whims, fads and ideologies, this book is a gift of God to the present day church.
This book has been a wonderful complement to my daily devotions and journaling. This book breathes theological understanding into the nature of God’s Kingdom and how Jesus would demonstrate this kingdom, it’s ethics and values, in word and deed. This is true of disciples then and now. In an age where the gospel is diluted by whims, fads and ideologies, this book is a gift of God to the present day church.
January 10, 2023
Highly Recommended
The book brings the Gospel life and gives new perspectives to all what Jesus said and lived. It also explains the building blocks of the life of Jesus. One way to read is to read everyday a chapter to be a part of the daily quite time as every chapter has implication in life and encourages to make new steps with the Lord.
The book brings the Gospel life and gives new perspectives to all what Jesus said and lived. It also explains the building blocks of the life of Jesus. One way to read is to read everyday a chapter to be a part of the daily quite time as every chapter has implication in life and encourages to make new steps with the Lord.
June 4, 2024
An enjoyable stroll through a rich story.
It’s challenging to review this in few words. Many commentators write about the nuances of the statements and facts. This book sort of does also, but from a higher level perspective. It’ skillfully keeps the whole view of the book of Matthew in the background while working with the pieces at the same time. It’s an encouraging read.
It’s challenging to review this in few words. Many commentators write about the nuances of the statements and facts. This book sort of does also, but from a higher level perspective. It’ skillfully keeps the whole view of the book of Matthew in the background while working with the pieces at the same time. It’s an encouraging read.
October 8, 2018
One of the most insightful, inspiring and thought provoking books I’ve read.
After a lifetime of reading books about the bible, this book, and book 1, has challenged and changed the way I have understood my faith.
After a lifetime of reading books about the bible, this book, and book 1, has challenged and changed the way I have understood my faith.
May 24, 2020
Like with all of NT Wrights work it is very fresh and unique in approach. He brings challenges to the reader in each section and tries to move beyond just the context to a relevant application today. It reads easy and is enjoyable.
September 5, 2018
OK for devotional reading for a lighter study, but lacking in deep content.
May 31, 2020
Read the commentary on Matthew 28:11-15. Worth getting the book for that alone!
May 7, 2023
Uma explicação simples mas profunda de cada parte do evangelho de Mateus. Nos mostra que nada ali foi escrito por acaso e tudo tem um significado.
January 26, 2024
Excellent book
Easy to read. Superb commentary. Makes you think. I learned a lot. Saw thing differently than I had before. Highly recommend
Easy to read. Superb commentary. Makes you think. I learned a lot. Saw thing differently than I had before. Highly recommend
February 2, 2024
Such a great and accessible commentary with good historical insights.
April 11, 2024
If you're looking for inspired insight into the Gospel of Matthew, look no further.
N.T. Wright is a giant in Biblical scholarhip.
Loved every passage!
N.T. Wright is a giant in Biblical scholarhip.
Loved every passage!
June 20, 2024
Wright’s “_______ for Everyone” series of studies are so good. They’re incredibly accessible while being packed full of deep truth.
July 26, 2025
excellent resource that is so informative and easy to read.
April 12, 2017
This is a complete review of both parts, not just the second.
Matthew's gospel is generally reputed to be the most Jewish of the four. It is the longest, it has (possibly) the most quotations from and allusions to the Old Testament scriptures. It is arranged thematically, with particular discrete parts containing different types of material. In particular, Jesus' teachings are arranged in five 'sermons', the most famous being the first, the Sermon on the Mount, consciously echoing the five books of Moses and the law given from Mount Horeb.
All this exposition, and far more and more insightful, can be found within these pages, as Wright (no relation), a prestigious New Testament scholar engages in his own extended sermon from the library. I have (I confess) read a few already and found them of variable quality. This however, is one of the best. His choice of analogies is judicious, his analysis - literary, historical and theological - penetrating. Sometimes, as usual, his own very high-brow personality comes to the fore, but most of the time the depth of his experience and empathy is clear. I did on occasion feel that he was shying away from some issues (without getting too specific; I'm not sure I can be off-hand) but perhaps that was because they are only the issues I struggle to deal with.
Anyway, it is a pleasure to be able to recommend for literally everyone to benefit from (well, nearly everyone) and this I am able to do.
Matthew's gospel is generally reputed to be the most Jewish of the four. It is the longest, it has (possibly) the most quotations from and allusions to the Old Testament scriptures. It is arranged thematically, with particular discrete parts containing different types of material. In particular, Jesus' teachings are arranged in five 'sermons', the most famous being the first, the Sermon on the Mount, consciously echoing the five books of Moses and the law given from Mount Horeb.
All this exposition, and far more and more insightful, can be found within these pages, as Wright (no relation), a prestigious New Testament scholar engages in his own extended sermon from the library. I have (I confess) read a few already and found them of variable quality. This however, is one of the best. His choice of analogies is judicious, his analysis - literary, historical and theological - penetrating. Sometimes, as usual, his own very high-brow personality comes to the fore, but most of the time the depth of his experience and empathy is clear. I did on occasion feel that he was shying away from some issues (without getting too specific; I'm not sure I can be off-hand) but perhaps that was because they are only the issues I struggle to deal with.
Anyway, it is a pleasure to be able to recommend for literally everyone to benefit from (well, nearly everyone) and this I am able to do.
December 10, 2012
Book Review: Matthew for Everyone Part Two
Author: N. T. Wright
London, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002
Number of pages: 210
Wright as penned one of the most engaging and interesting series of commentaries I’ve ever read. And I’ve read a few. Up till now, my favorite series was J. Vernon McGee’s which is still worth having in your library. But I don’t think it touches Wright’s Everyone series. Sorry McGee fans.
Wright is not only a New Testament scholar, but he is also a historian. He does a superb job of placing the reader in the proper historical and cultural context in order to get the full impact of Matthew’s narrative.
The power of the Gospel is fully on display as Matthew’s story climaxes with religious and political powers. The Gospel of Jesus is not passive; it takes on power brokers in the Temple and the Halls of so-called Roman Justice. It exposes the collusion of religion and government and defeats the ultimate weapon they have in their arsenals: death. Jesus takes onto himself all the evil they can deal out and the consequences for sin we all deserve. It is definitely action packed story telling. It’s a story where you are cast as a central figure.
http://mondokblog.blogspot.com/2008/1...
Author: N. T. Wright
London, Westminster John Knox Press, 2002
Number of pages: 210
Wright as penned one of the most engaging and interesting series of commentaries I’ve ever read. And I’ve read a few. Up till now, my favorite series was J. Vernon McGee’s which is still worth having in your library. But I don’t think it touches Wright’s Everyone series. Sorry McGee fans.
Wright is not only a New Testament scholar, but he is also a historian. He does a superb job of placing the reader in the proper historical and cultural context in order to get the full impact of Matthew’s narrative.
The power of the Gospel is fully on display as Matthew’s story climaxes with religious and political powers. The Gospel of Jesus is not passive; it takes on power brokers in the Temple and the Halls of so-called Roman Justice. It exposes the collusion of religion and government and defeats the ultimate weapon they have in their arsenals: death. Jesus takes onto himself all the evil they can deal out and the consequences for sin we all deserve. It is definitely action packed story telling. It’s a story where you are cast as a central figure.
http://mondokblog.blogspot.com/2008/1...
November 2, 2017
A well-written commentary on Matthew 16-28, seeking to explain the meaning of Matthew's gospel to twenty-first century Westerners.
Wright begins each section with some example or illustration and then tries to make sense of what the Gospel is saying in its original context and its application for the modern day.
Wright's translations (and idiom, in general) are wonderfully British and on the whole quite compelling. Most of his comments are fantastic and beneficial; he does well at his strength-- presenting the events in their context in a realistic way. Most of his application points are relevant and quite pointed.
The only disappointment was his handling of Matthew 19 and divorce-- and it has less to do with his explanation of Matthew 19 itself, and more with an additional exception he carves out based on 1 Corinthians 7.
Other than that, it is quite useful and recommended for study.
Wright begins each section with some example or illustration and then tries to make sense of what the Gospel is saying in its original context and its application for the modern day.
Wright's translations (and idiom, in general) are wonderfully British and on the whole quite compelling. Most of his comments are fantastic and beneficial; he does well at his strength-- presenting the events in their context in a realistic way. Most of his application points are relevant and quite pointed.
The only disappointment was his handling of Matthew 19 and divorce-- and it has less to do with his explanation of Matthew 19 itself, and more with an additional exception he carves out based on 1 Corinthians 7.
Other than that, it is quite useful and recommended for study.
July 11, 2024
Matthew for Everyone: Part Two, picks up as you would expect from Matthew for Everyone: Part One and continues to work through the book of Matthew in small chunks. As with the first book and any book of the New Testament for Everyone series Wright presents the section that he's speaking about and then gives a short lesson, almost devotional in tone, about that passage.
Personally I've used this series as both commentary and personal daily devotional and found them helpful for both. While maybe not super scholarly in focus, Wright can do a great job of finding ways to make sections seem very practical to today and how we are able to live out the faith that Jesus has called us to.
Of course as with any book of this nature, there are ones that aren't quite as good as others, but overall I felt like Wright's book is an enjoyable resource for looking at the New Testament. I know I'll be getting the next one in order to use for a daily reading and meditation on the scriptures.
Personally I've used this series as both commentary and personal daily devotional and found them helpful for both. While maybe not super scholarly in focus, Wright can do a great job of finding ways to make sections seem very practical to today and how we are able to live out the faith that Jesus has called us to.
Of course as with any book of this nature, there are ones that aren't quite as good as others, but overall I felt like Wright's book is an enjoyable resource for looking at the New Testament. I know I'll be getting the next one in order to use for a daily reading and meditation on the scriptures.
November 28, 2013
Another excellent offering from Wright in his "For Everyone" series of devotional commentaries. Wright almost always approaches the text from an angle that I didn't expect. My only complaint of this series, and this book, is that it wasn't around when I first began formulating my Biblical views.
If you are looking for a Biblical devotional for next year I highly recommend these books. Each entry is short enough to read as a devotion but thick enough to keep you pondering and praying for much longer.
If you are looking for a Biblical devotional for next year I highly recommend these books. Each entry is short enough to read as a devotion but thick enough to keep you pondering and praying for much longer.
February 27, 2011
I just finished this second part of Matthew for Everyone. I am still processing it. I think the death of Jesus is a serious subject which perhaps is talked about too hastily and glibly. I may be in shock, a little bit, having to interact with this part of the Christian story at a time that is not Easter time. It is a good story, and I really appreciated the significance, insights, and context that Wright provides in his telling.
August 13, 2013
Reading Wright's "...For Everyone" series is a fantastic way to read through the Gospels with new eyes: picking up on things you haven't seen before, pointing out old worn out scriptures and presenting them under a new light.
This series, while scholarly, is still widely accessible.
This series, while scholarly, is still widely accessible.
October 10, 2011
Great book!
August 12, 2018
excellent Bible study resource---small chunks of Scripture and reader-friendly commentary that is understandable but thought-provoling
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