Matthewlinity

030: Does Jesus want people to be poor in spirit?

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Sun, 12 Apr 2026 12:46:00 +1000

Public lecture given at SIL Australia, March 11, 2026

Find the lecture slides here

029: being "poor in spirit" is not a command

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Tue, 26 Aug 2025 19:08:00 +1000

A closer look at Matt 5:3 "blessed are the poor in spirit because theirs is the kingdom of the heavens"

stay tuned for more on this verse next time . . .

028: Blessed are the poor in spirit (Matt 5:3 first look)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Sun, 6 Jul 2025 15:59:00 +1000

Matthew 5:3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit because the kingdom of the heavens is of them."

The first thing Jesus teaches in the book of Matthew is that the poor in spirit are blessed.

Over the next few episodes I'll present an exegetical interpretation of the first eight "beatitudes" or "makarisms" according to Matthew.

Whilst there are plenty of biblical interpretations and theological interpretations around, it would be good to present an exegetical interpretation (based on the Matthean text).

027: podcast update

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 6 Feb 2025 14:30:00 +1100

Just a 5-minute update on some minor changes to the podcast, namely replacing

Critical Study of Matthew and Masculinity

with

Matthean Exegesis

026: The Authority to Teach (Matt 4:23–5:2, 7:28–29)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Sat, 7 Sep 2024 14:01:00 +1000

Matt 4:23-5:2 and 7:28-29

The Frame for the Sermon on the Mount

What is "not like the scribes"?

025: The First Four to Follow (Matt 4:18–22)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 12:00:00 +1000

The first four to join Jesus on a mission to ... do what, exactly?
To "catch people"?

Is it a manly thing?

Peter, Andrew, James (Jacob), and John accept the invitation to become people catchers.

Why?

Matt 4:18–22

The Poetics of Matthew 1 Errata

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Tue, 9 Jul 2024 14:58:00 +1000

I'm compiling a list of typos, minor errors, and revisions for the book The Poetics of Matthew 1. So far the only significant change to note is that the word "adultery" on page 56 should be "porneia" (the remaining revisions are less significant):

page x "according" should change to "according to" in fourth paragraph

page xii remove round brackets from fifth paragraph: "(and why...)"

page xiv "verse 18a)" change to "v. 18a)" in fourth paragraph

page xvi "interchangeable" change to "interchangeably" in first paragraph

page 1 "question" change to "questions" in third paragraph

page 19 "Temple" change to "temple" in second paragraph

page 27 "1:3–16" change to "1:2–16" in table heading

page 39 use small caps for "lord" namely "LORD" in first paragraph

page 44 add line break before "In all", between third and fourth paragraphs

page 56 change "adultery" to "porneia" beginning of third paragraph

page 68 delete redundant "(and making wrong plans)" in second paragraph

page 68 revise footnote wording from:

"Yamasaki explains the importance of creating empathy with a character. See Yamasaki, Perspective Criticism.
to:
Yamasaki, Perspective Criticism, explains the importance of creating empathy with a character.

page 70 delete "(Matt 1:19)" from bottom of table

page 70 change "How is it that:" to "Namely:" in fourth paragraph

page 93 make "n" in "name" italic in fifth-to-last line

page 102 change "were critical" to "were essential" in third-to-last line

page 109 change "waiting on a man" to "waiting for a certain man" in first line

page 111 "there are three" change to "the three" in third paragraph

page 124 insert "of us" into "those reading" so should be "those of us reading" end of fifth paragraph

page 129 change "nor" to "or" in paragraph four

page 129 change "In Matthew 13" to "In Matthew 23" paragraph four

page 131 un-capitalize the E in Eunuchs thus "eunuchs" end of second paragraph

024: Jesus Begins (Matt 4:12–17)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Wed, 29 May 2024 12:35:00 +1000

Matt 4:12–17

And so it begins.

Jesus begins his ministry in the North. Why?

023: Three trials (Matt 4:1–11)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Fri, 24 May 2024 16:32:00 +1000

Matt 4:1–11
Jesus refuses to take the easy way out

022: God is pleased with . . ? (Matt 3:16–17)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Mon, 22 Apr 2024 16:41:00 +1000

After Jesus is baptized, God is pleased

. . . with what exactly?

(Matt 3:16–17)

021: John is Expecting Something Different (Matt 3:13–15)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 14:34:00 +1000

Matt 3:13–15

John wants Jesus to take over the ministry and does not want to baptize Jesus.

Jesus has different plans.

020: John Warns of Judgement (Matt 3:7–12)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Sun, 4 Feb 2024 10:00:00 +1100

John the Baptist warns of coming wrath/judgement

Does this fit Matthew's portrayal of Jesus?

019: Validating an Outlier's Perspective (Matt 3:1–6)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 11 Jan 2024 18:43:00 +1100

Episode 19 (Matt 3:1–6)

Noting two points:

1. Validating the Outlier Perspective of John the Cleanser (I say "outsider" but "outlier" is probably a more accurate term;

2. Cataloging John's Various Credentials.

018: John's Mission (National repentance, Matt 3:1–6)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Mon, 18 Dec 2023 19:22:00 +1100

Part 1 of Matthew chapter 3 John the Baptist calls for national repentance Response is massive

017: Masculinity Studies?

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 7 Dec 2023 21:30:00 +1100

Why poetics of Matthew research is not quite masculinity studies.

Should I remove the term "masculinity" from the name of the podcast?

This question is once more on my mind since I have recently received my first book review by Sébastien Doane.

016: Matthew 2 part 5. Nazareth in Galilee as Refuge

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Tue, 5 Sep 2023 16:15:00 +1000

Matthew 2:19–23.

Jesus grows up in a small town (Nazareth) in Galilee, at a safe distance from Jerusalem. Why?

015: For Her Children. Matthew 2 part 4

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 3 Aug 2023 15:03:00 +1000

Matthew 2:16–18

Herod kills the children. "Rachel" weeps for her children.

014: Out of Egypt I Called My Son. Matthew 2 part 3

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 27 Jul 2023 18:52:00 +1000

In the middle of the night, Joseph hides the child and the child's mother in Egypt.

Verses 13–15 of Matthew chapter 2.

013: The Magi's Success. Matthew 2 part 2

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Fri, 9 Jun 2023 17:00:00 +1000

Matthew 2:7–12

The Magi do not follow all of Herod's instructions

Why are they warned in a dream?

012: "and all Jerusalem with him" Matthew 2 part 1

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Wed, 24 May 2023 15:35:00 +1000

The first six verses of Matthew 2.

Why does it say "and all Jerusalem with him" was troubled?

011: Concluding Matthew 1

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Wed, 19 Oct 2022 16:40:00 +1100

In this episode I offer some conclusions for Matthew chapter 1 as I begin to prepare to move on to study other chapters.

In the last 9 minutes I read from the Epilogue of my forthcoming book looking at how Matthew 28 corresponds to Matthew 1.

010: Flipping Patriarchal Agendas. The human pattern of five

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Fri, 11 Feb 2022 18:11:00 +1100

Finally in this episode I get to answer the question: Why does the genealogy in Matthew chapter one refer to five stories of how particular heirs were produced in a particular way by particular patriarchs from particular mothers ...? So why five? Why five stories? Is there some pattern?

Last time in episode nine I compared the first story with the final the fifth story so this time in episode 10 I'm concentrating on the middle three stories and how do they fit the overall pattern; particularly the middle of the middle story: the story of how Boaz produced Obed from Ruth.

If you're interested in supporting the podcast you can find Matthewlinity on Patreon.

009: The parallel story to how Joseph became the father of Jesus

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Wed, 5 Jan 2022 19:30:00 +1100

PG Contains mild adult themes and sexual references.

This episode is about the parallel story to how Joseph almost does not become known as the father of Jesus because he thought it would not be right for him to claim to be the father of Mary's child nor pursue marital relations with Mary.

There's actually a parallel story that for some reason we haven't previously studied even though it's such a close story parallel, much closer than the apocryphal story of Noah's birth, or the apocryphal story of Moses's conception. So it's time to study this story parallel, and to help answer the question of why Matt 1:18-25 is so focused on Joseph. What Joseph is doing what Joseph is not doing. What Joseph is told to do and what he ends up doing or not doing. Why is it so focused on Joseph.

Verse three of Matthew chapter one has already dropped a hint as to what the parallel story is. So I'll begin reading aloud the relevant portions of Matthew chapter one, in this case, the first three verses and then verses 18 to 25.

008: Connecting both units in Matthew chapter 1 (5 mothers)

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Tue, 9 Nov 2021 21:09:00 +1100

This episode is about what connects the first unit and the second unit in what we usually call Matthew chapter one, as if they might be intended to function together as a single, whole as a single unit? It's very easy to treat them separately as two distinct literary units. But how are they meant to be connected together as a single unit?

And what about Mary? Why does Mary appears in both units? Somehow Marry seems to be connected back to the earlier references to four previous mothers in the genealogy. But what is the connection?

This episode won't be about unpacking the pattern just looking at, what kind of connection it is that we find in Matthew chapter one between the two units?

What I took away from episodes 7a and 7b

matthewlinity@gmail.com (Dr Timothy Lewis) — Thu, 30 Sep 2021 18:22:00 +1000

What I took away from studying the structural patterns in episodes 7a&b...