Questions on Matthew 15 to 28
1. How many people did Jesus miraculously feed near Bethsaida (Matthew 14:13 - 21) and near the Sea of Galilee (15:32 - 38)? Answer
2. What was the only sign Jesus offered religious leaders in regard to him being the Messiah (Matthew 16:1)? Answer
3. Where did the Transfiguration take place (Matthew 17:1 - 8)? Answer
4. What was the tribute money Jesus miraculously paid for through a coin found in a fish's mouth (Matthew 17:24 - 27)? Answer
5. How many times are we to forgive someone in a day (Matthew 18:21 - 22)? Answer
6. What "works" are needed in order to be saved (Matthew 19:16)? Answer
7. What is the main point of Jesus' teaching about how a person can be "great." (Matthew 20:25 - 27)? Answer
8. What is so masterful about Jesus' response to the question of what was his authority to do various things (e.g. enter triumphantly into Jerusalem, cleanse the temple, etc.)? Answer
9. Why is it ironic that the Sadducees would ask Jesus about marriage in the resurrection of the dead (Matthew 22:23 - 32)? Answer
10. What did Jesus teach about religious titles (Matthew 23:7 - 10)? Answer
11. Did Jesus reveal exactly when his Second Coming would take place (Matthew 24:3)? Answer
12. What will humans be doing before Christ's return (Matthew 24:37 - 39)? Answer
13. How rare was the ointment used to anoint Jesus' head in Bethany (Matthew 26:7)? Answer
14. What's special about the 30 pieces of silver paid to have Judas betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14 - 16)? Answer
15. What didn't Jesus drink gall mixed with vinegar (wine) (Matthew 27:34)? Answer
16. How many times did Jesus appear alive after his resurrection (Matthew 28:7, 10)? Answer
Answers on Matthew
1. Near Bethsaida the Bible says Jesus fed 5,000 men (Matthew 14:21) and 4,000 men near Galilee (15:38). However, in both cases, it states he also fed women and children. The actual number of folks he fed, in both cases, could easily be two, three or more times bigger than what was stated!
2. Jesus only offered the sign of Jonah, three full nights dead in the heart of the earth (grave) before he would be resurrected.
[Was Jesus Dead for Three Full Days?]
3. Jesus' Transfiguration took place near Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13) on a mountain, which might have been Mount Hermon.
[Map of Where Transfiguration Took Place]
4. Tribute money was collected yearly to be used for maintaining Jerusalem's temple and its services. It was collected from every male Israelite that was at least 20 years old. The tribute was based on the collection of money delineated in Exodus 30:12 - 14.
5. We are to forgive someone as many times as needed. Since God offers us unlimited forgiveness, we should do the same for others.
6. Simply believing in Jesus is not enough for salvation! We must obey God and his laws, which builds righteous character in us. Jesus stated to a rich young ruler, "but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17). Then, because the ruler was covetous of earthly riches, required him to give up his idol of wealth and follow him!
7. In the past (and even today), the establishment of various forms of hierarchy was commonly used to rule over people and make them do the will of the "great ones." An early proponent of this system was Nimrod who, after the flood, was a "great one" who disobeyed God by building the tower of Babel (Genesis 11).
Those who wish to be "great" in God's sight cannot do so through vanity and ruling over people in a hierarchy. The greatest must be humble and be willing to serve all others (as opposed to being served).
8. Jesus, throughout his ministry, was pestered by various Jewish religious leaders to give a sign or explain by what authority he said or did something (see John 2:18). His answer to religious leaders (Matthew 21:24 - 27) regarding his authority was brilliant, as he used their own political and duplicitous behavior against them.
The unwillingness of the religious leaders to give Jesus a straight answer regarding John the Baptist's authority proved they didn't deserve to have their question on Jesus' authority answered!
9. The Sadducees believed and taught that there was no resurrection (Matthew 22:23).
[Best Bible Verses About Marriage]
10. Jesus taught that religious titles such as Rabbi, Father, Master and so on should all be strictly and solely applied to Jesus and God the Father. NO MAN has been given the right to use such titles of religious authority for themselves (see Matthew 23:8).
The use of the titles "father," "Holy Father" or even "Pope" commonly used in religious groups is clearly blasphemous and void of any Biblical support!
[Religious Titles and the Bible]
11. Jesus did not reveal when he would return to earth.
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only (Matthew 24:36, KJV).
Jesus' words, not surprisingly, have not stopped some religious folks from claiming they know exactly when he will come back to earth. One religious preacher even claimed that although the day or hour of his coming is not known, it wasn't stated we couldn't figure out the month or year of his return!
12. Jesus stated, in Matthew 24:37 - 39, that before his return people would be acting like they did just before the flood. See our article on the violence in the pre-flood world to learn how self-centered the world will become.
13. The ointment used to anoint Jesus (Matthew 26:6 - 13) was likely from the east and quite expensive. It likely cost the equivalent of one year's worth of wages for a common laborer.
14. The 30 pieces of silver given for Christ was a fulfillment of prophecy (Zechariah 11:12). It also represented the price paid by the owner of an animal who gored another person's slave to death. The animal owner paid the servant's master 30 pieces of silver (the common price of a slave) and also had to put down the animal (Exodus 21:32).
15. The gall with wine (vinegar) mixture was offered to Jesus just before he was to be crucified. The concoction was commonly given to prisoners, before their execution, based on the belief that it would ease their suffering.
Gall, however, is a poison. Its bitter taste likely tipped Jesus off that it was more poison than painkiller. The Lord did not want to die from poisoning or have his senses numbed while being crucified.
[Why Did Jesus Refuse Gall with Wine?]
16. Jesus appeared to various groups of people nine times before he ascended to heaven. The meeting in Galilee Jesus planned to carry out with his disciples (Matthew 28:16 - 17) was the sixth, not the first, appearance he made after his resurrection. His first appearance was to Mary Magdalene (Mark 16:9).
[Jesus' Post-Resurrection Ministry!]