The always thoughtful John G. Butler writes, "The Gospel of Matthew is a vital connector of the Old Testament to the New Testament. In fact, no book in the New Testament makes a better book to start the New Testament and connect it to the Old Testament than Matthew." The Old Testament saw Christ in the future; the New Testament sees Christ in fulfillment and the fulfillment of Christ starts in Chapter 1 of Matthew (Matthew 1:22). This volume does a masterful job of bringing life to this gospel, blending in-depth exegesis with spot-on alliteration, and making reading it an enlightening and thoroughly enjoyable experience.
John G. Butler, originally from Iowa, has been a Baptist minister for over fifty years and a pastor for over thirty-five years with pastorates in Clinton, Iowa; Williamsburg, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois. Having attended Tennessee Temple University and graduated from Cedarville University, he also authored the 25-volume Bible Biography Series, a 10-volume Study of the Savior series about Jesus Christ, and the 4-volume Butler's Daily Bible Reading set, a unique daily devotional focusing on expository Bible study.
“The emphasis throughout this parable is on the value of the kingdom of heaven” (Page 227)
“Angels were associated with Christ’s birth, His temptation, His praying in Gethsemane, as well as His resurrection. The angel’s interest was in Christ, an interest many souls on this earth do not have.” (Page 479)
“That Christ was born in this most perilous of times is another illustration of God delighting to do His great works when the opposition is the greatest. This shows the great power of God. And it is an encouragement to God’s people that the darkest of days and direst of circumstances are no problem for God to work mightily on our behalf.” (Page 20)
“She was the ‘mother of James and Joses [Joseph]’ (Matthew 27:56). Being called ‘the other Mary’ emphasized that she was not as prominent as Mary Magdalene. Many in the Lord’s work are in ‘the other’ category. It requires humility to walk in that category; but to serve Christ well, many have to walk in much humility.” (Page 478)
“It is important to note that the word ‘blessed,’ which is the hallmark of the beatitudes, means happiness. In its use in the Sermon on the Mount, it is not ‘happy’ in the sense of happenstance or luck or chance; but ‘happy’ in the sense of the highest form of happiness, joy, and blessing that one can have. It is happiness as a result of the inward spiritual condition of man, not the outward material or physical condition.” (Page 68)
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