The Call of the King: Knysna N.T. Series: The Words of Jesus in Matthew

To whom did Jesus minister in the six teaching "blocks" in Matthew's book? Matthew 5:1 names "crowds", but Jesus left them to address his disciples about the nature and responsibilities of people in his Kingdom. Chapter 10 opens with "He called his twelve disciples", and prepared them for extraordinary experiences. Some hearers would welcome them, while others would be very hostile. Chapter 13 paints a very public picture with an unusual pulpit! The diet was parables for the general populace.
In chapter 18 our Lord confronts the disciples with the aid of "a little child" to correct their skewed perspectives. In 23 he addresses the crowds about the sins of the religious leaders - "teachers of the law and Pharisees" - with searing directness in the seven "woes". Chapters 24 and 25 cover Jesus' predictions about the near, middling, and far future with devastating facts that would, in the end, affect all of humanity. Every section ends with a series of questions and answers.

So, he spoke to everybody, with measured and appropriate words. Do we?