Expository Thoughts on the Gospel of Matthew (Annotated)

Finally read the Gospel of Matthew with confidence. If Scripture has ever felt confusing or out of reach, this warm, plain-language classic walks you through all 28 chapters of Matthew, passage by passage, and shows you how every part speaks straight to your own faith and daily life.

Written by J.C. Ryle, the first Anglican Bishop of Liverpool, whose plain-language tracts sold in the millions during his lifetime, this commentary flows from decades of parish ministry and a lifelong gift for making Scripture clear to ordinary readers.

WHAT MAKES THIS EDITION UNIQUE
This is a newly prepared, annotated, and modernized edition of Ryle’s 1856 classic. It is different from every other edition in print:

• Gently modernized Scripture quotations. The King James passages Ryle quotes have been carefully updated: modern pronouns, modern verb forms, and today’s familiar spellings of the genealogy names, with no copyrighted translation substituted.
• Ryle’s own voice, untouched. His prose has been updated only where a word would genuinely mislead a modern reader. His sentences, rhythm, and theological vocabulary stand exactly as he wrote them, and every editorial change was individually logged and verified against the 1856 original.
• A new Foreword explaining exactly what was changed, what was deliberately left alone, and why.
• A new, fully documented biography of J.C. Ryle, from Eton cricket captain to bankrupt heir to the first Bishop of Liverpool, drawn from cited historical sources.
• Designed for real reading: each short section stands alone, suited to daily devotions, family reading aloud (the use Ryle originally designed it for), or working through Matthew start to finish.

Each section explains what the passage means, draws out its practical lessons, and presses them home to the reader’s conscience in Ryle’s famously direct style. You will always know where you are and what’s coming next.

In this book you will:

• Understand every chapter of Matthew without technical language or seminary training
• See Christ at the center of the whole Gospel, from the manger to the cross to his promised return
• Learn the difference between hearing the Bible and truly following it
• Find comfort when your faith feels weak because “He that only touches the hem of Christ’s garment shall never perish” [verify the hem-of-garment quotation against the manuscript before including]
• Read aloud with your family, the way Ryle’s first readers did in 1856

Ryle keeps the great truths plain: Christ died in the place of sinners, salvation is received by faith, and his return is real and personal. Every page moves from understanding to application, so you finish each reading knowing what Matthew teaches and what it asks of you.

Whether you’re a brand-new believer, a reader who wants trustworthy classic devotional material, or a serious student of evangelical writing, this commentary will serve you for years. Perfect for readers of Matthew Henry, Warren Wiersbe, and David Platt. A companion study workbook with discussion questions for groups and families is available separately.

Get your copy now and start reading the first Gospel with clarity and confidence.