[Esaias]

Originally Posted by coksiw

Brother Esaias,
How do you do the reading of Matthew?
Do you read key verses?
Do you read whole passages and skip some?
Or do you end up reading the whole book of Matthew?

Do you read it all yourself or you alternate with the student?
Do you explain as you go or you introduce a topic first and then read key verses from the passage?

The way I teach is primarily chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Depending on the chapter, either the whole chapter will be read or it will be read in sections. It doesn't really matter to me who reads it. Depends on the setting. One on one, or even in a small group, the reading can alternate between all participants.

For beginners, I might give a brief introduction to who the author is and what occasioned the writing of the text, but the main thing is to get the student into the text itself.

Once the chapter or portion of the chapter is read, I simply ask "Let's find any commands, things that we are told we ought to do (or ought not to do)." The students take turns identifying them and explaining the commands. Everyone discusses, asks questions, etc. My job is to facilitate the discussion primarily. If a clear mistake is made in a student's exegesis, I correct it (gently) by offering additional information, usually by saying "How about this..." and then providing whatever understanding I have. I am always willing to take them through the Bible to show them the process I use to corroborate the exegesis or interpretation of a text. This is rarely an issue however because Bible commands are pretty straightforward, usually.

After commands have been found, I will try to summarize (with helpful input from the participants) and move on to Promises, Warnings, and Examples. The same process is used: students find what is being looked for in the chapter, and discuss. Once that has been done I try to direct discussion to "How do we put this to use in our lives, right now?" I always try to give my own personal experiences as examples ("Once I was experiencing XYZ, but I discovered this promise we read about and saw how it worked out when I claimed it and held on to it persistently" etc). This is definitely the time for student questions ("Well, how do we obey ABC in today's world?" etc).

There are times, though, when direct instruction is needed, for example in dealing with a passage that doesn't necessarily have commands, examples, or promises, but instead is giving "didactic teaching", such as a passage making statements about God's nature, or Christ's identity. I explain, often using other texts to provide background information as needed. Questions arise (often by me even) and discussion ensues. I found people retain information best when they are involved in discovering the information themselves through answering their own, other students', or my questions.

It's hard to outline a specific step by step process. A lot depends on the teacher, the student(s), the group dynamic, and especially the promptings of the Spirit. I definitely review the text before the actual study, to anticipate difficulties, questions, etc.

Regarding the geneology in Matthew, it's good to read through and then ask "Now', why was this important? Why does this matter?" which will get into the question of Jesus being an actual historical person known to the people of His day. Thus, Matthew was written as an historically valid document in its day. Which points out that EVERY DETAIL OF SCRIPTURE HAS A SIGNIFICANCE.

As for topics, those are determined by the text itself. I rarely do "topical studies" that skip all over the Bible. At least in the beginning, it is important for people to get a feel for the Bible as a continuous story rather than an encyclopedic collection of proof texts.

In Matthew, the main point is to A) become familiar with the facts contained in the account, and B) discover how it applies practically to the student's daily life.

My goal ultimately is to get people familiar with the Bible and help them develop a process to eventually teach others. A teacher needs to have extensive knowledge of his subject, but needs to in a sense "work himself out of a job". That way people aren't always dependent on the teacher, but can become teachers themselves if they put in the effort.