Gospel of Matthew
I spend a lot of my time reading great books by incredible authors. All too often I allow these books to overshadow thee book. I confess I do not read my Bible nearly as much as I would like. I often see the parrallel between my ability to read the bible daily and the roller coaster my life is on. The less I read the more ups and downs I experience. The more I read the more balanced my life is.
So instead of reviewing a popular book this week, I wanted to post some reflections from The Gospel of Matthew. I spent the last week reading through Matthew and the other gospels (Mark, Luke and John) in the New Living Translation. No big hoopla, but here are some thoughts, insights and things that stood out to me:
- I know from Bible college that Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and that it shows the connection of Jesus to the prophecies of the Old Testament. Re-reading Matthew reminded me of just how many different prophecies this one man fulfilled!
- There is a lot more action in Matthew than I remember. Jesus is constantly healing someone or doing something. Yet throughout the whole book he makes time to rest and get away. I need to learn to balance more.
- Matthew 11:19 caught me by surprise: “And I, the Son of Man, feast and drink, and you say ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard and a friend of the worst sinners!’ . . .” I don’t ever remember that verse being taught at Bible college.
- Jesus does not mention a lot of things we talk about in the church: abortion, homosexuality, politics, tithing
- Jesus mentions heaven and hell often. Reminding me that there is an ever present reality that is a place of eternal life and a place of eternal suffering – I don’t want loved ones and anyone for that matter to go to a place of eternal suffering.
- Jesus used simple stories with relevant examples to communicate to those whom he encountered.
Have you read Matthew lately? Does anything stand out to you?
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