Getting back to the Gospel of Matthew. (Chapters 1 – 5, recap)

Greetings. 

We have been to the Last Supper and the Garden; we have seen Jesus betrayed, arrested, beaten, denied by his own, and nailed to the Cross.  We watched from afar as Joseph and Nicodemus put his body in the Tomb and when Mary M. arrived to find it was empty.  Wow!  It is Spring time in the Northern Hemisphere, but I pray that no matter which hemisphere you call home, you have a sense of expectancy in what God can do in your life, if you but invite him.  “Come, do a new thing in me!”

But in our Morning Briefings, we had been following Jesus in Matthew’s account of his life and ministry, so look back with me now.  Matthew chapter One began with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, traced to Joseph, (Jesus’ earthly father).  Now kicking off a book with a genealogy does not seem to be the greatest intro to entice a reader to jump right in, what with its begets and begots!  I can remember skipping over the first part of Matthew for many years when I started my New Testament readings.  But in that ancestry that Matthew captured, we discovered Jesus’ bloodline included not just the patriarchs Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, but kings David and Solomon, and of all people—women.  Lowly women, who had no place or position in the first century, no matter the empire in which they resided.  The women in this genealogy were not of stellar reputation either!  (Tamar and Rahab)  It concluded with God’s orderly manner of things in Matthew 1.17.¹

The redeemed tax collector turned gospel writer, Matthew, captured angelic visitations that guided Joseph and Mary to fulfill God’s will and purposes.  And a Savior was born to the virgin in Bethlehem, fulfilling prophecies from old.  [*Matthew includes many prophecies from the Old Testament to convince his Jewish audience and readers that Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of those prophecies, scriptures they had heard and studied for centuries.] 

Threatened by the queries of the wealthy and wise travelers from the east, Herod ordered the slaughter of baby boys under the ago of two, certain that would eliminate any kind of threat from some would-be king.  But Joseph heeded the warning he had in a dream, and took Mary and little Jesus under the cloak of darkness to Egypt where they were safe.  But Jesus’ boyhood would not be lived out there, but rather in Nazareth.² 

Preparing the way for Jesus’ earthly ministry was one wild and woolly preacher who drew crowds to the Judean desert to hear him.  John the Baptist ‘called them out’ and many people repented of their sins and were baptized.  John told of one who would come after who would be far greater than him.³  Indeed one came from Galilee out to the desert also to be baptized of John—the Messiah.⁴

Though I do not understand the Father’s ways, it was immediately after his baptism that Jesus was led into the wilderness where he fasted for 40 days, while undergoing a barrage of sneering temptations from Satan.  Jesus turned back each temptation with Scripture. 

->NOTE TO SELF: I need to have Scripture at the ready to be strong

         in the face of temptations, attacks of depression or anxiety,

         and even just for difficult times.

Has there ever been One with such a way that he could call a man—stranger—by name and that man would drop his tools in the middle of a work day and follow him?  Jesus called Simon (Peter-his Greek name), Andrew, James and John, and they literally dropped their fishing nets to go with Jesus—to follow him, learn from him, be loved by him, and learn to love him, each other, and others in return. 

They stood near Jesus and listened to his charismatic, wise teaching; they stood abreast of him and watched and he miraculously healed the sick and demonized.

No, there has never been another like Jesus.

Christine 

^{1 – How is God’s order shown in this verse?}

^{2 – Why Nazareth?  Matthew 2.21-23}

^{3 – Matthew 3.11 – What did John say Jesus would do?}

^{4 – Who was present and affirmed Jesus’ baptism?  Matthew 3.16-17}