Free printable Bible study guide
Matthew Bible study guide
Read Matthew as a whole before working through the sessions. Let its own structure set the agenda.
Short path · 30 to 45 minutes
Matthew at a glance
Matthew demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah, the king of Israel, who fulfills the Old Testament promises yet turns the expectation of his contemporaries on its head. [1]
- Context
- Author: Matthew (also known as Levi), one of the twelve apostles of Jesus. Date: Likely sometime between AD 65 and 80. Setting: Written at a time in which early Christians were struggling to make sense of the relationship of their new beliefs to the Jewish faith. [1]
- How to read it
- Read this Gospel as a coherent witness to Jesus. Notice scene order, repeated questions, fulfillment, conflict, and the movement toward the cross and resurrection.
Group study · 6 sessions
Work through Matthew in order
Read each passage aloud before discussion. The questions begin with observation, then move toward interpretation and faithful response.
Session 1 · 172 verses
Matthew 1-6
People and terms: Jesus, Herod, Joseph, Bethlehem, Galilee, Uzziah
- Before anyone explains it, walk through what actually happens here. Who does what, in what order?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Uzziah turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- The word kingdom is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- Where does this cut against something you already believe or already do?
Session 2 · 173 verses
Matthew 7-11
People and terms: Jesus, John, Pharisees, Scribes, Sodom, Matthew
- Tell the story back in your own words. What is easy to skip over?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Matthew was standing. What changes?
- Define kingdom from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would actually be different this week if you took this seriously?
Session 3 · 183 verses
Matthew 12-15
People and terms: Jesus, Sabbath, John, Pharisees, David, Herodias
- What happens in this section that you would struggle to explain to someone who has never read it?
- Which single verse carries the weight of this section?
- What is left unsaid that you expected to be said?
- What does the writer tell us about Herodias, and what is deliberately left out?
- Where else have you heard kingdom used, and is it being used that way here?
- Whose perspective are we given, and whose are we denied?
- Who do you know who needs to hear this, and what stops you saying it?
Session 4 · 198 verses
Matthew 16-21
People and terms: Jesus, Peter, Elijah, Jerusalem, John, Jonah
- Read it once more, slowly. What do you notice the second time that you missed the first?
- Where does the tone shift, and what causes it?
- What question does this section answer that you had not thought to ask?
- What would this section sound like if Jonah were telling it?
- The word kingdom is doing real work here. What did you assume it meant, and does the passage agree?
- What would you have written differently if you wanted to make a point?
- What is the hardest thing in this passage to accept, and why that one?
Session 5 · 181 verses
Matthew 22-25
People and terms: Jesus, Scribes, Pharisees, David, Moses, Noah
- If this were the only part of the book you had, what would you conclude about Jesus?
- What does the writer repeat? Repetition is usually the point, not a habit.
- What surprised you, or what did you have to read twice?
- Noah turns up in this section. What does the passage actually show, as opposed to what you already assumed?
- Define woe from this passage alone, without reaching for what you already know.
- What did the writer choose to include here, and why that detail?
- If this is true, what have you been getting wrong?
Session 6 · 161 verses
Matthew 26-28
People and terms: Jesus, Peter, Pilate, Elders, Barabbas, Galilee
- Where does the pace change here, and what is the writer slowing down for?
- Who is being addressed here, and what do they already know that we do not?
- What is assumed rather than argued? Those assumptions are often the real claim.
- Read this section from where Pilate was standing. What changes?
- Where else have you heard governor used, and is it being used that way here?
- This is a story, not a lesson with a moral attached. What is it showing rather than telling?
- What would you want to be reminded of from this section in six months?
Deep study
Keep the book in context
Major themes
- To demonstrate that Jesus is the Messiah and to help Christians understand how to live in relation to Judaism
- The book's literary movement and central claims
- Faithful response within the people of God
- Hope, judgment, grace, and obedience in their proper context
Interpretive care
- Read each episode in the Gospel's unfolding portrait of Jesus.
- Do not turn miracles or encounters into techniques readers are promised they can reproduce.
For fuller background, use the companion Matthew commentary and the Bible dictionary as you work through each session.
Sources and reuse
This guide follows a historical-grammatical approach. It aims to read each passage in its literary and canonical context, and it names interpretive cautions where a text is commonly mishandled.
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers. Book background, purpose, setting, and structural orientation. CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Protos study guide editorial
Protos. Reading structure, discussion questions, and application prompts. CC BY-SA 4.0.
Edition 2026.1. This guide is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. You may copy, print, adapt, and share it with attribution under the same license.
Common questions
What is Matthew mainly about?
Matthew demonstrates that Jesus of Nazareth is the long-awaited Messiah, the king of Israel, who fulfills the Old Testament promises yet turns the expectation of his contemporaries on its head.
How should I read Matthew?
Read this Gospel as a coherent witness to Jesus. Notice scene order, repeated questions, fulfillment, conflict, and the movement toward the cross and resurrection.
Is this Matthew study guide free?
Yes. Read it online or print the PDF. No account, email, or purchase is required.
How long does this Matthew study take?
The group path has 6 sequential sessions. The short path can be used in one 30 to 45 minute meeting.
Can a church use this guide?
Yes. You may print, share, and adapt it with attribution under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
