Expository Thoughts on Matthew (J. C. Ryle) – paperback edition

Expository Thoughts on Matthew

Many commentaries have been written on the gospels, but none make more compelling reading for family worship than Ryle’s. This is his single volume on the Gospel of Matthew. Ryle is without peer when it comes to readability and practical insights into the text. For more than a century, Ryle’s expository thoughts on all four gospels have been useful around the world with an undiminished popularity and usefulness. His plain and pointed words are a huge stimulus to reading the Bible itself. Any reader can learn how to better glean from his own Bible reading, by merely learning to imitate Ryle’s observant eye to pick up clues in the text.

“From what I have seen, this is so far the best side-by-side reading companion you can have for the gospels.” — Pastor Steve Martin, Heritage Church, Fayetteville, GA

About the Author

In 1841, Ryle was ordained as a minister in the Church of England. In his first position in a rural parish he developed the plain and direct style of communication that would mark his future ministry. He served at several churches for the next forty years, during which time he wrote hundreds of evangelistic tracts. He was a wildly popular writer. His tracts sold more than 12 million copies in his lifetime, and were eventually translated into about a dozen European and Asian languages.

While his ministry flourished, Ryle’s home life was challenging. In 1844, he married his first wife, who died in 1847. He married again in 1849. The couple was happy, but his wife’s health was poor, so the pastor seldom travelled and practically raised his children alone. When his second wife died in 1860, he became a single father with five children between 2 and 14 years old.

Despite these hardships, Ryle became a leader among the evangelical clergy in his day. In 1880, he was appointed the first bishop of the newly formed diocese of Liverpool. Because the diocese was new, it had no system of leadership, no formal administration. During his tenure as Bishop of Liverpool, Ryle raised enough funds to build 90 new houses of worship, ordained over 500 deacons, 500 ministers, and at least 45 salaried lay Scripture readers and 31 Bible women. He founded the Lay Helpers Association, an organization that oversaw Sunday schools, Bible classes, mission services, and cared for sick.

Other Expository Thoughts Volumes and further writings:

J. C. Ryle also wrote:

• Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Mark
• (2 volumes) Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Luke
• (3 volumes) Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of John
• Practical Religion
• Holiness
• Old Paths
• Christian Leaders of the 18th Century
• Warnings to the Churches
• Thoughts for Young Men
• The Duties of Parents

Expository Thoughts on Matthew