I was given a free copy of "Word: an 11 Session Study of Matthew", from the author, Sarah Howley via LibraryThing. I was very impressed by the study. Sarah asks the student thought questions. She asks in depth questions about the chapter and asks the student to read verses from the Old Testament and asks how they relate to the lesson of Matthew. This study will make sure you understand what the passage is talking about and has many very good discussion topics if you are doing this study in a group. This is not a multiple-choice lesson book. It has great discussion questions. This is a fantastic lesson book. ( )

Word: An 11 Session Study of Matthew is a bible study that could be done either by an individual or a small group. Each session is a study of 3 chapters, with the exception of Session 3 on one chapter, Matthew 5. There is an Introduction, Questions, a section on Old Testament Links, and an Application.The sessions are small enough to not be overwhelming, but still meaty enough with good content that requires some reading and meditation, so it's definitely not a simple devotional that you just read and move on from. The Introduction begins with questions that could be considered ice breakers in a small group setting or for individuals, something to get your mind turning in the direction the author wants to go. After reading the passage, the section on Questions again seem geared toward small group discussion but obviously could be used individually as well. My favorite section of each session is the Old Testament Links. The author lists Old Testament Scriptures that relate to the passage in Matthew and then provides thoughtful commentary on the connections between the Scriptures. Finally, the Application attempts to apply the lessons from the Matthew passage to your life. I strongly recommend following all the author's prompts to read the Old Testament Scriptures that correspond to the Matthew passage being studied - otherwise, you're defeating the purpose of the study, in my opinion. Compared to a lot of Bible Studies on the market today, this one is more solid and less fluff, which is good.

Also, I have to add... I'm thankful that this Bible Study, written by a woman, is not covered in flowers or with a stock photo of a woman in a field with her hands raised. That's really annoying. ( )

Good instructions to the reader for productive group study. Some of the questions in most sessions encourage speculation about what is not written more than understanding of what is written. As is often the case, the speculation is then used as a foundation for further questions. The book of Matthew makes many references to the Bible's Old Testament. The study's emphasis on checking out many of these references is refreshing. The author's knowledge of historical rabbinicism is not in line with most sources, but the questions raised are still thought provoking. Overall, I find the book to be a useful resource for a person or group, new to studying the Bible, to beneficially study the gospel of Matthew. Recommend for that purpose. ( )

This short, 65 page Study Guide is part of the four (4) book “The Son reveals the Father” series (One for each Gospel) whose stated goal is to "uncover the nature of God through the nature of Jesus” revealed to us in the Gospel and prefigured in the “Old Testament.” It begins with some general guidelines for group and individual that make it clear that each session is designed to help you begin your study and is not scripted or overly biased to a particular conclusion. Each session starts with an Introduction that tries to weave in a contemporary context before reading the specified chapters for that session. Afterward there are a series of questions to help kick off the discussion/meditation before looking at links from the Old Testament and finishing with a quick section to encourage thinking about [discussing] how to apply the lesson in today’s world. There is very little exegesis, interpretation or exploration of original context (that is left to your discussion) which allows each session chapter to be very concise and short. Most of the discussion prompts are fairly basic and/or simple which may lead to a more shallow discussion that doesn’t reveal much that is new or interesting if you have studied the text previously; however, it remains a good place to start for many. I was given this free advance reader copy (ARC) ebook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. #StudyOfMatthew #TheSonRevealsTheFather #LibraryThing ( )