Matthew by Ryan Lowery (2021)

The gospel of Matthew starts with a genealogy of Jesus, serving to affirm that Jesus is the promised Messiah. Matthew takes the reader through Jesus' adoptive father Joseph's line, demonstrating how his lineage fulfilled key predictions about the Messiah, including that he would be in the kingly line. Beyond that, it demonstrates that Jesus came from a line of broken, "normal" people--a fully human experience. It shows us that God moves toward us as we are, and doesn't expect us to clean up our act first.

In this passage we see 3 people or groups who said "yes" to God, despite the risks. Mary agreed to bear the Messiah, Joseph maintained his relationship with Mary, and the magi defied Herod--all moves that came with great risks, but also great rewards, as they take their place in God's plan to redeem people through Jesus the Messiah. We also face the opportunity in our life to say yes to God, also facing risks but opening the door to rewards from God, the giver of good gifts.

People in Israel at the time of Jesus' birth awaited a messiah, and knew that this messiah would be preceded by an "Elijah" figure, announcing his arrival. John the Baptist served in this role, calling on people to acknowledge their sin and repent--to agree with God that they fall short of His standard. We are called to the same acknowledgement, which opens the door to us receiving what Jesus, the Messiah came to give--forgiveness from sins, based on his death on the cross.

Matthew 4 tells the story of Jesus' successful struggle against temptation in the wilderness, as he was confronted by Satan who sought to entice him. Satan used 3 approaches that are the same approaches he uses with us: the "lust of the eyes," the "lust of the flesh," and the "boastful pride of life." Jesus demonstrates how we can successfully counter the deception of temptation by knowing the truth, being on our guard, and fighting against it, in part, by examining our thinking.

The people that Jesus called to be his disciples were not the most educated, moral, or highly esteemed people, but instead were people willing to listen to what Jesus had to say, weigh it as evidence for his lordship, and respond in trusting obedience. Jesus makes the same call to all of us, first, to have us consider his existence and offer of forgiveness, then, having responded to that offer, calling us to trust him, take small steps of obedience, and serve him.

God wants you to have an exceptional life. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus discusses the key to having an abundant life--a "blessed" life. This starts with an awareness of our brokenness and spiritual poverty, and developing a godly awareness and compassion for the pain of others.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the path to a "blessed"--abundant--life. He says we should seek to be "pure of heart," with God at the center of our devotion, and we should seek to be peacemakers. While this may not be an easy path, it will bring us fulfillment in this life, and allow us to be used by God to change the world.

In part 3 of this look at the Beatitudes, Jesus addresses the nature of God's Law, which had been incorrectly expanded by the rabbis of the time to create an inappropriate focus on keeping the "letter of the law." Jesus instead called on people to follow the deeper spirit of the law, which is far more difficult--in fact, we should understand it to be impossible. Instead we need Jesus' offer of forgiveness to open the door to God fulfilling the letter of the law, and empowering us to better honor the spirit of the Law.

In this passage Jesus addresses people who have substituted heartfelt devotion to God with religious "theater." He calls on people to not act out of a desire to impress God or others, but to act out of a true appreciation of all God has done for them. One of the clearest ways this expresses itself is how we give financially--do we do it for recognition and influence or to gratefully share as God instructs? He also applies this to prayer.

It's easy to put things like material possessions above God, thinking that they will make you happy. But Jesus says putting God first, investing His priorities, will allow Him to take care of our needs and will fulfill us more than any other goal we might have. This approach promotes a healthy basis for self-worth and also resolves the problem of anxiety.

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus tells people not to judge, or else they will be judged. Since the word "judge" has different meanings, we need to understand he's referring to a condemning judgement that should be left to God. In the rest of the passage, Jesus addresses the importance of putting our efforts toward that which is effective and toward those who are responsive, and that our motivation should always be love.

In Matthew 8 and 9 we see Jesus perform miracles, healing people. They are important in that they verify his claim to people at the time that he was God--and stand as evidence for us to know that Jesus is God and is the path to a relationship with God. Jesus' miracle working also shows God's love for those who are suffering.

Jesus, in the parable of the soils, teaches in such a way that those who do not want to hear truth will be able to dismiss Him and walk away but those who hunger to know the truth will dig deeper and discover the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that will change their lives. The "seed" is the word of the kingdom, Jesus' message of reconciliation available to all who choose to receive it. The "soils" are the different responses to the message. What kind of soil you are is completely under your control. If you are not the good soil, you can change that by investigating further with an open mind.

The religious of Jesus' time were expecting a Messiah who would end the rule of Rome over them and inaugurate the kingdom of God on earth. Jesus through parables, shows them that they misunderstood Old Testament prophesy. The kingdom of God was not going to begin with a bang but would start small and grow slowly over time. Yes, there will be a great Day of the Lord but only after as many as will turn to God and join the kingdom. God is patiently waiting for more to join His rebellion against the kingdom of this world ruled by Satan.

The story of the feeding of the 5,000 demonstrates five principles of being used by God in other people's lives. Principle 1, opportunities to serve rarely happen on our timetable. Principle 2, Jesus will ask us to do things beyond our capabilities. Principle 3, Jesus can do a lot even when we only have a little to offer. Principle 4, Jesus loves to do His work through people. And finally, Principle 5, when we do serve Christ, He makes sure our needs get satisfied as well. God could easily do all the work Himself, but He graciously invites us to participate in the great things he is doing in the world. We get to be a part of miracles as we present to God what little we have and He multiplies it supernaturally.

The cost of discipleship is not merely giving up those pre-Christian behaviors that were bad for you. Part of the cost of discipleship is incurring personal cost for the benefit of others. Picking up your cross and following Jesus means sacrificing in order to accomplish God's work, willingly suffering for others. Jesus gave us an example and challenges us to follow Him.

When Jesus took a few of His disciples up the mountain and was transfigured, He was partially fulfilling His own prophesy that at least one of His disciples would not die before seeing Jesus come into His kingdom. All the disciples were expecting a Messiah who would overthrow the brutal rule of Rome over Israel and reign forever. The presence of Moses and Elijah and Jesus' marvelous transformation confirmed God's promise but not in the way the disciples were expecting.

When Jesus told the parable of the unforgiving slave who was forgiven an insurmountable debt by the king but would not forgive a fellow slave a minor debt, He was using a creative story to give us God's perspective on us. When Peter asked Jesus how many times should we forgive others, Jesus used this story to ask Peter how many time would he like God to forgive him? Forgiveness is the willingness to absorb the consequences of wrong without retaliation. This is best demonstrated by what Jesus did on the cross for us.

God intends for marriage to be the most intimate lifelong relationship we ever have. It can be the most rewarding or most painful human relationship you ever have. When the Pharisees of Jesus' day tried to trap Him with a question about when it is permissible to divorce, He avoided the trap by quoting Scripture that indicted them for their lax view of marriage and divorce. He affirmed that God hates divorce but because of the hardness of our hearts, He permits divorce in the case of adultery. God's hard line on divorce actually shows how much He cares for women and children who in that time had few options for survival if a husband chose to divorce his wife.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem riding on a donkey, the crowds joyously shouted, "Hosanna!" A few days later the same crowd would cry out, "Crucify him!" The crowds expected him to free them from Rome's tyranny but He came to free them from the tyranny of sin. Jesus is the Messiah and the fulfillment of God's promises. He deserves our worship and He loves us, but He will not change who He is to meet our demands. He loves us too much to give us what we demand but instead He is willing to give us what we desperately need.

When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' authority to claim to be the Messiah, Jesus replied to them in a parable of the tenants. He told the story of the unrighteous stewards of the vineyard owned by the landowner. The tenants killed every representative the landowner sent to collect his rent, even his son. In this parable the landowner is God and we are the tenants. Instead of killing the tenants as the Pharisees recommended, God desires to adopt us as His children.

In the final week of Jesus' life, we see him rebuke religious leaders of the day through his actions and his teachings. In this passage Jesus teaches that good leaders teach the Bible, live what they teach, live modestly, and give God the glory. Instead of pointing people toward trying to keep a set of rules, good leaders help people depend on God to change from the inside out.

In Matthew 24 Jesus describes the "end times." which includes Jesus' return to earth. He makes it clear that no one knows when this will happen, but there are signs that it is approaching. This could be soon or many years from now, but with the track record of Biblical prophesy coming true, we are wise to be ready for Christ's return, receiving his offer of forgiveness through his death on the cross.

God has blessed all of us with various "riches"--talents, money, time, and other resources. God has given us the role of steward--asking us to wisely use these gifts for His purposes, instead of just using them for our own purposes. In order to be wise stewards, we have to see God as a good and worthy lord of our life, who will recognize our sacrifices as we seek to be good stewards.

In the Garden of Gethsemane, we see Jesus' true nature, as he relates to God with the prospect of the cross ahead. Jesus asks God if there is any other way, but as God's perfect servant, humbles himself before God's will to offer payment for people's sins through his death on the cross. If we humble ourselves before God's will, even when it causes us to suffer, we will see God bring about growth and maturity in our lives.

The cross of Christ is where God demonstrated His love for a rebellious and sinful people by sacrificing His son, Jesus, on the cross to pay for our sin debt. The cross allowed a way for a hopelessly sinful people to be reconciled to a perfect God. How absurd is it for Christians to be antisemitic and blame the Jews for Jesus' death! God's act of love at the cross should impact the way we view others.

Near the end of Jesus' time on earth, we see 2 disciples--Peter and Judas--experience major failure denying Jesus and betraying him. While their failure was similar, each responded differently. Judas responded with regret, leading to him trying to fix his mistake and ultimately the guilt leading him to suicide. Instead, Peter repented, agreeing that he was wrong, and looking to Jesus to restore him and strengthen him to live in victory. We should also be careful to respond to failure in repentance and allow God to restore us, rather than just feeling regret and defeat.

The resurrection of Jesus after His crucifixion is essential to Biblical faith. If Jesus did not rise from the dead, then His sacrifice was not acceptable to God and we are still dead in our sins. This extraordinary claim deserves an extraordinary examination. There is powerful historical evidence for this claim. If you doubt these claims, have you truly examined the historical evidence?