After the very important drumrolls of Matthew’s first four chapters, we finally arrive at Jesus’s first recorded teaching of the Kingdom of Heaven, and it’s quite a doozy. There is more depth and breadth and width and height to the wisdom found within this passage than I can uncover. But thankfully, I’m not trying to… Continue reading Matthew 5:2-5:48 – The Citizens and Laws of the Kingdom
Month: April 2022
Matthew 5:1 & 7:28-29 – Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom
We have read about the king’s heritage, the king’s herald, the coming kingdom, and the king’s baptism and temptations, but it isn’t until Matthew 5 that we encounter the king teaching the kingdom. It may seem as though there is a preposition missing in that last sentence but there isn’t; the king — Jesus —… Continue reading Matthew 5:1 & 7:28-29 – Preaching and Teaching the Kingdom
Matthew 4:12-25 – Some Kingdom Basics
One of my favorite elements of the earth’s landscapes is the mountain. If I could, I’d have a house far enough away from mountains so I could see them clearly, but close enough so I could climb them daily. While I enjoy looking at mountain peaks, I don’t often study the valley between them. That… Continue reading Matthew 4:12-25 – Some Kingdom Basics
Matthew 4:1-11 – The King of the Kingdom
Matthew 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. Matthew 4:1 These first words of Matthew 4 might suggest this section more appropriately fits with the petition “lead us not into temptation” than the petition “Your kingdom come.” Yet, while this passage is about temptation,… Continue reading Matthew 4:1-11 – The King of the Kingdom