Matthew began his record of the first cycle of miracles with the comment, “great crowds followed him.” Crowds followed him if you recall because they had heard his message and seen his miracles. Matthew also begins his record of the second cycle of miracles with a comment about following Jesus, […] Read more
Matthew 8:1-17 – The Father’s Will, Part 1
In 1897 Charles Sheldon published the book In His Steps, in which he introduced a phrase that would become quite popular in the 20th and 21st centuries. The abbreviation of this phrase would adorn innumerable items such as t-shirts, bumper stickers, and rubber bracelets. Mr. Sheldon’s phrase, What Would Jesus […] Read more
Matthew 7:28 – A Little Sentence with a Big Meaning
A short sentence, only two verses, follows the Sermon on the Mount. Matthew writes, Matthew 7:28 And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29 for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. Matthew 7:28-29 This sentence serves as a […] Read more
Matthew 7:13-27 – Travelers on the Road to the Kingdom
I can look out my living room window and see the broad and basic contours of the southern edge of a small forest. But the beauty of this view cannot be seen while walking through the same woods where I can observe the individual trees, the undergrowth, the dead and […] Read more
Matthew 7:1-12 – Failure and Forgiveness in the Kingdom
Jesus, after unveiling the full extent of our sin (Matt. 5:17-48), tells us we need to perfect, as our Heavenly Father is perfect (Matt 5:48), and explains how to love our Heavenly Father (Matt. 6:1-34), introduces judgment. In so doing, Jesus addresses how to live in a world full of […] Read more
Matthew 6:1-34 – The Righteous Practices of the Kingdom
You therefore must be perfect, as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48 We read these words and probably think Jesus is talking about perfection with regard to sin — our thoughts and actions — but I’m not so certain that’s what Jesus really meant. Everything preceding this is a […] Read more
Matthew 5:2-5:48 – The Citizens and Laws of the Kingdom
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 […] Read more
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; […] Read more
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 […] Read more
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 […] Read more