Matthew

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Matthew
The Book of Matthew begins with the genealogy from Abraham to Jesus Christ, including 42 generations in total. Matthew records the birth of Jesus and the miraculous events surrounding his virgin birth, the massacre of the innocents, the flight into Egypt, and eventual journey to Nazareth. Years later, when Jesus had grown to be a young man, he came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John the Baptist. John baptizes Jesus, and the Holy Spirit descends upon him. Jesus prays and meditates in the wilderness for forty days, and is tempted by Satan. When Jesus heard that John was put in prison, he began to preach, called the first disciples (Peter, Andrew, James, and John), and healed many. These actions made him known greatly throughout Syria. I thought that these first four chapters were amazing because even though the devil tried to interfere throughout the birth and early life of Jesus, God set up the perfect plan for things to run smoothly. The only questions I have so far are: “What purpose do the ‘Wise Men’ serve?” and “Why was John the Baptist put in prison?” Overall, this was a great introduction to the Gospels and helped me picture a wonderful setting. Jesus’ early ministry by word and deed in Galilee meets with much success, and leads to the Sermon on the Mount, the first of the discourses. The sermon presents the ethics of the kingdom of God, and includes the Beatitudes as its introduction. His moral teachings followed soon after (Salt and Light; The Fulfillment of the Law; Murder; Adultery; Divorce; Oaths; An Eye for an Eye; Love for Enemies; Giving to the Need; Prayer; Fasting; Treasures in Heaven; Do Not Worry; Judging Others; Ask, Seek, Knock; The Narrow and Wide Gates; A Tree and Its Fruit; and The Wise and Foolish Builders) It concludes with a reminder that the response to the kingdom will have eternal consequences, and the crowd's amazed response was due to the fact that he taught with authority unlike their teachers of the law. When Jesus came down from the mountain, he performed four miracles, (The Man With Leprosy, The Faith of the Centurion, Jesus Calms the Storm, and The Healing of Two Demon-possessed Men) healed many, and taught the cost of following him. After reading this section (especially about Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount), I was utterly blown away by Jesus’ vast knowledge and his ready-made life situation examples to help make the crowd understand better. I enjoyed reading the Beatitudes, Prayer, and Do Not Worry the most. It amazes me how Jesus preached all of this and makes me wonder if he prepared it beforehand. His miracles and other side stories also kept me up for a bit. There was one miracle that greatly confused me. It’s about the healing of Two Demon-possessed men. To put it simply, I really have no idea what was going on and got extremely lost when the herd of pigs was brought up.

The story continues with Jesus healing a paralytic in his hometown. This is also where the teachers of the Law first start to argue and scoff at Jesus. Jesus replies by announcing himself as the Son of Man and his authority on earth to forgive sins. Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector, to become his next disciple. He goes over to his house and eats with many other sinners and tax collectors. Appalled, the Pharisees attempt to ask Jesus’ disciples what their teacher was doing but were interrupted by Jesus saying, “…For I have not come to call the righteous but the sinners.” After this event, the Lord goes on to heal a dead girl and a sick woman, the blind, and the mute. After witnessing crowds of many towns and villages, he had compassion on them and told his disciples indirectly how they were to become the “workers” of the meek and helpless. Jesus commissions the Twelve Disciples, giving them the authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness, and sends them to preach to the Jews, perform miracles, and prophesy the imminent coming of the Kingdom, commanding them to travel lightly, without staff or sandals, and to be prepared for persecution. John the Baptist heard of the doings of Christ, and, still stuck in prison, sent his disciples to confirm if Jesus was really the Messiah. Jesus reconfirms this with a parable and continues to prophesy with a nearby crowd, denouncing the cities that wouldn’t repent and praising the weary. The Pharisees begin to plot to kill Jesus after his lesson on the Lord of the Sabbath and opposition to Jesus comes to a head with accusations that his deeds are done through the power of Satan after healing a demon-possessed man; Jesus in turn accuses his opponents of blaspheming the Holy Spirit. Question: “If John the Baptist already witnessed the Spirit proclaiming Jesus the Son of God when he had baptized him, why did he doubt and ask again?” On the same day, Jesus went out by the lake and got in a boat because such large crowds gathered around him. He began telling them many things through parables while they stood on the shore. During the Parable of the Sower, his disciples came to him and asked why he spoke to the people through parables. Jesus answered indirectly that when he had the rapt attention of his audience and the people were humble and anxious to hear, he spoke plainly. But, when his audience contained people who were prideful and resistant to his instruction, he used parables that pierced the hearts of those who were open but were lost on the proud. Jesus continued speaking (The Parable of the Weeds, The Parables of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast, The Parable of the Weeds Explained, The Parables of the Hidden treasure and the Pearl, and The Parable of the Net) and then returned to his hometown, replying to the doubts of others of his power and refusing to do any miracles there because of their lack of faith. Jesus continues to perform miracles of feeding the five thousand and the four thousand, walking on water, and healing the Canaanite woman’s daughter after hearing the death of John the Baptist. Jesus debates with the Pharisees and Sadducees and predicts his upcoming death to his disciples.

In the next accounts, Jesus and three of his apostles (Peter, James, and John) go to a mountain. On the mountain, Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light and the prophets Moses and Elijah appear next to him and he speaks with them. The Transfiguration is a critical moment, in my opinion, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God; the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth. As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus asks his apostles to remain silent of what had happened until after his resurrection from the dead. The disciples asked him why the teachers of the law said that Elijah must come first. Jesus responded that Elijah had come but they didn’t recognize him and punished him. He was referring to John the Baptist and how his own fate would be the same. The rest of the narrative and discourse consists of Jesus’ miracles (The Healing of a Boy With a Demon and Two Blind Men Receive Sight), his teachings (The Greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, A Brother Who Sins Against You, and Divorce), parables (Lost Sheep, The Unmerciful Servant, and The Workers in the Vineyard), and events (The Temple Tax, The Little Children and Jesus, The Rich Young Man, Second Prediction of Death, and A Mother’s Request). Jesus travels to Jerusalem, and the opposition intensifies. He is tested by Pharisees and immediately begins to move towards the city. When Jesus and his disciples approached Jerusalem, Jesus sent two disciples to bring him a donkey. They did so and Jesus rode on the donkey upon entering the city. A large crowd gathered, spread their cloaks and branches on the road, and praised him crying, “Hosanna!” He enters the temple area and is soon in conflict with the Temple and other religious leaders. When Jesus’ authority is questioned, he replies through parables (The Two Sons, The Tenants, and The Wedding Banquet) and lessons (Paying taxes to Caesar, Marriage at the Resurrection, The Greatest Commandment, Whose Son is the Christ?, and the Seven Woes). The disciples ask about the future, and in his final discourse Jesus speaks of the coming end. “There will be false Messiahs, earthquakes, and persecutions, the sun, moon, and stars will fail, but ‘this generation’ will not pass away before all the prophecies are fulfilled.” The disciples must steel themselves for ministry to all the nations.

The events of Jesus' last week occupy a third of the content of all four gospels. Jesus holds a last supper after Judas Iscariot agrees to betray him. During the Passover, he renounces to his apostles of his death and how one of them would betray him, which he reveals to be Judas. He also predicts Peter’s denial. Jesus and his disciples go to Gethsemane where he prays to be spared the coming agony, and is betrayed. He is tried by the Jewish leaders (the Sanhedrin) and before Pontius Pilate, and Pilate washes his hands of his blood. Jesus is crucified as king of the Jews, mocked by all. On his death there is an earthquake, and saints rise from their tombs. The two Marys discover the empty tomb, guarded by an angel, and Jesus himself tells them to tell the disciples to meet him in Galilee. After the resurrection, the remaining disciples return to Galilee where he comes to them and tells them that he has been given "all authority in heaven and on Earth." He gives the Great Commission: "Therefore go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you." Question: “During the last supper, Jesus says that Judas would betray him in front of the other disciples. How come they didn’t do anything about it? Why was their reaction not recorded?” I immensely relished being able to read and write about this book. It was a blessing experience that racks my brain to really think about the passages. The ability to ask questions as well gets me excited as I don’t understand quite a few things. Although I don’t particularly have my jaw gaping in awe all the time, when I do, it feels way better than finishing any Eragon or Percy Jackson book!

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