Reasoning Through the Bible

Who has the authority to forgive sins?

In Matthew 9, friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus expecting physical healing. Instead, Jesus first tells him, “Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.” The scribes immediately accuse Him of blasphemy because they understand that only God can forgive sins.

Jesus then heals the man physically to demonstrate that He possesses the authority He claims.

The session also follows Jesus as He calls Matthew from the tax collector’s booth. Matthew leaves a lucrative and socially despised career to follow Christ, then immediately invites fellow tax collectors and sinners to meet Jesus.

When the Pharisees object, Jesus responds that the sick need a physician and quotes Hosea: “I desire compassion, and not sacrifice.”

Glenn and Steve discuss forgiveness, sign miracles, faith and healing, the calling of Matthew, legalism, mercy, and why Jesus came for sinners.

Matthew 9:1–13 | The Book of Matthew - Session 14

  Questions discussed in this session include:

• How does Jesus respond to the faith of a friend? 
• Can our faith cause healing? 
• If Jesus would have healed the body but not the soul, would it have helped?
• When God calls to us, what can happen if we wait? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Matthew 8 continues to reveal who Jesus is through a series of attesting miracles.

Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law with a touch, casts out demons with a word, and then challenges those who say they want to follow Him by explaining that discipleship carries a real cost. Following Christ is not a path to worldly fame, comfort, or wealth.

Then Jesus and His disciples enter a boat and encounter a violent storm on the Sea of Galilee. While experienced fishermen fear for their lives, Jesus sleeps. When they wake Him, He rebukes the wind and sea and everything becomes perfectly calm. The disciples ask the question that hangs over the entire chapter: “What kind of man is this?”

The session closes in the region of the Gadarenes, where even demons recognize Jesus as the Son of God and must ask His permission before acting.

Matthew 8:14–34 | The Book of Matthew — Session 13

Questions discussed in this session include:  

• Are Christians guaranteed to have health and wealth? 
• Should we wait until we have our life in order before following God?
• How rich was Jesus? 
• What does it mean for us to follow Jesus? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Matthew 8 begins a new section in which Jesus’ miracles demonstrate His authority and reveal who He truly is.

The first person who approaches Him is a leper—someone who had been isolated from society, separated from worship, and forced to live apart from family. The man bows before Jesus and says, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus responds with compassion: “I am willing.” Then He does something remarkable—He touches him.

Next, a Roman centurion comes seeking healing for his servant. Unlike the leper, this man has worldly power and authority, yet he approaches Jesus with humility and recognizes that Jesus possesses a far greater authority: “Just say the word, and my servant will be healed.”

Glenn and Steve examine how these miracles point to Jesus as Messiah and Lord, how leprosy provides a vivid picture of sin and cleansing, why the centurion’s faith amazed Jesus, and what Jesus meant when He spoke of Gentiles coming from east and west to sit with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom.

Matthew 8:1–13 | The Book of Matthew — Session 12

  Questions discussed during this session include:

• What is leprosy and what does it represent in the Bible?
• What authority does Jesus have?
• Are there similarities between the lowest and highest levels of society? 
• Who are the sons of the kingdom and what does Jesus say about them?

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Jesus closes the Sermon on the Mount with a series of serious warnings and powerful illustrations.

In Matthew 7:13-29, He contrasts the broad road that leads to destruction with the narrow gate that leads to life. The narrow way is not one spiritual option among many--it points to the one way to the Father through Jesus Christ.

Glenn and Steve then examine Jesus’ warning about false prophets who appear in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. How can believers recognize false teachers? Jesus says to look at their fruit, especially their teaching, and compare it carefully with Scripture.

The session also tackles the difficult words, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,” and explains why outward religious activity, miracles, or Christian language are not substitutes for a genuine relationship with Christ.

Finally, Jesus closes with the wise man who built his house on the rock and the foolish man who built on sand. Storms come to both--but only one foundation stands.

Matthew 7:13–29 | The Book of Matthew — Session 11

 Questions discussed in this session include:

• Are there many spiritual paths that are all valid?
• Are there people in churches who are not true believers? 
• How do we tell if a person is a true Christian or a wolf in sheep’s clothing?
• What makes a true Christian? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

What did Jesus really mean when He said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged”?

In this session, Glenn and Steve finish Matthew 6 and move into Matthew 7. Jesus first addresses worry and anxiety, reminding His followers that the Father already knows what they need. Instead of allowing food, clothing, work, possessions, and tomorrow’s problems to dominate life, believers are called to seek first God’s kingdom and righteousness.

The discussion then turns to one of the most quoted verses in Scripture: “Do not judge.” Jesus is not prohibiting all discernment. He warns against hypocritically condemning others while ignoring our own sins. Christians must examine themselves first and then evaluate truth and error with humility and care.

The session also considers what Jesus meant by “pearls before swine,” how “ask, seek, and knock” should be understood in light of God’s will, why unanswered prayer does not mean God is unloving, and how the Golden Rule summarizes a major principle of biblical relationships.

Matthew 6:25–7:12 | The Book of Matthew — Session 10

 Questions discussed in this session include:

• Does God know about our needs?
• Can we trust God to supply our needs?
• Should we judge other people’s actions and teachings?
• Will we always get what we pray for if we pray in faith? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

How did Jesus actually teach His followers to pray?

In Matthew 6:9–24, Jesus gives what is commonly called the Lord’s Prayer—but perhaps more accurately understood as the model prayer. Rather than giving us a formula to repeat mechanically, Jesus provides a pattern that begins with honoring God, longing for His kingdom, submitting to His will, and then bringing our daily needs before Him.

Glenn and Steve examine what “daily bread” means, why believers should pray for God’s kingdom to come, how forgiveness affects our relationships with others, and why those closest to us can sometimes be the hardest people to forgive.

The session also explores biblical fasting, heavenly rewards, storing treasure in heaven rather than on earth, and Jesus’ warning that no one can serve two masters.

Where we invest our time, attention, and resources reveals what we truly value—and ultimately who or what we serve.

Matthew 6:9–24 | The Book of Matthew — Session 9

Questions discussed during this session include:  

• How are we to pray?
• Should we memorize and repeat the Lord’s Prayer? 
• Can physical fasting be of spiritual benefit? 
• How can we lay up treasure? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

Can doing something good for the wrong reason turn it into something spiritually harmful?

In Matthew 6, Jesus continues the Sermon on the Mount by addressing the motives behind giving, good works, and prayer. He warns His listeners not to practice righteousness in order to be noticed by others. The issue is not whether Christians should do good works, but whether those works are being done for God or for human applause.

Glenn and Steve also examine the relationship between salvation and good works, why public recognition can become dangerous in Christian ministry, what Jesus means by giving in secret, and why taking Scripture literally does not mean ignoring figures of speech.

The discussion then turns to prayer. Jesus warns against praying to impress others and against meaningless repetition. But if God already knows what we need before we ask Him, why pray at all?

Matthew 6:1–8 | Reasoning Through the Bible

Questions discussed in this session include:

• How do we evaluate Christian ministers?
• How should Christian ministries handle giving?
• How should private and public prayers be different? 
• If God knows what we need, why should we pray? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

What does Jesus mean when He tells His followers to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world? And why does He later say, “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect”?

In this session, Glenn and Steve continue through the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:13–48. They examine how believers should influence the world around them, why good works should point people toward God rather than ourselves, and what Jesus meant when He said He came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it.

The discussion then turns to some of the most challenging teachings in Matthew: anger and murder, lust and adultery, reconciliation, divorce, keeping our word, turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, and loving our enemies. Throughout the passage, Jesus moves beyond outward rule keeping and exposes the condition of the heart.

The chapter ends with an impossible human standard: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The Sermon on the Mount ultimately shows why righteousness cannot be earned through human effort and why sinners must depend upon God’s mercy and righteousness.

Matthew 5:13–48 | The Book of Matthew — Session 7

  Questions discussed in this session include: 

•  What is the best light for a dark world? 
• What does it mean to be salt and light? 
• Is the Mosaic Law in place today? 
• How serious does God view sin and righteousness? 
• What does Jesus teach about divorce? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

The Sermon on the Mount is one of the best-known teachings of Jesus, but what is it actually teaching? Is it a set of commands Christians are expected to perfectly live today, a description of life in Christ’s future kingdom, or something that contains elements of both?

In this session, Glenn and Steve begin Matthew 5 with the Beatitudes and examine the larger purpose of the Sermon on the Mount. Jesus has already been presented as Israel’s King, and now He begins explaining the righteousness and character associated with His kingdom.

The discussion examines what it means to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to show mercy, to be pure in heart, to make peace, and to endure persecution for Christ. Along the way, we consider why Jesus raises God’s standard far beyond outward obedience and why no one can reach that standard through human effort alone.

Matthew 5:1–12 | The Book of Matthew — Session 6

Questions discussed in this session include:

• Is the sermon on the mount for today? 
• Are we able to follow Jesus’ commandments here? 
• What is the main purpose of the sermon on the mount? 
• What is the difference between the letter of the law and God’s level of righteousness? 

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve

How did Jesus respond when Satan tempted Him in the wilderness? Matthew chapter 4 shows that Jesus was truly tempted, yet He remained without sin and answered each temptation with the Word of God.

In this session, Glenn and Steve examine the three temptations of Christ, how they connect with the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes, and the pride of life, and why Jesus’ response gives believers a practical model for resisting temptation. The discussion also considers fasting, why Satan quoted Scripture, and why knowing the Bible matters when temptation comes. 

The session then moves into the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. He announces, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” calls His first disciples to follow Him immediately, and begins healing throughout Galilee. These miracles function as signs that confirm who He is and validate His message.

Matthew 4:1–25 | The Book of Matthew — Session 5

 Questions discussed in this session include:

• What is the purpose of fasting? 
• What should we do when we are tempted?
• Why would Jesus change His message halfway through Matthew? 
• What does it mean to say “the kingdom is at hand?”
• When Jesus asks people to follow Him, how do they respond?

Support the show

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May God Bless you!! - Glenn and Steve