If you’ve been following along with our 4 Gospels in 3 Months Summer Bible Reading Challenge, then you’ve just finished the book of Matthew, and you’re ready to dive into Mark tomorrow. If you’ve fallen behind, today is a scheduled catch-up day, so take some time this evening to get caught up, and make a fresh start in the morning with our second gospel account.
Reflect back on what you learned in your reading of the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew’s dominant theme was to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the whole Biblical story. He is the Messiah. Emmanuel, or God with us.
Matthew begins his gospel account with the genealogy of Jesus. He takes us back to the early days of the Biblical account, and he sets out to show Jesus as the one who is greater than Moses. So it is no surprise that Matthew ends his gospel account with Jesus on a mountain, echoing Moses’ time on the mountain. While there, Jesus tells his disciples, ““All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Jesus presents His kingdom as an upside down kingdom, and He is the suffering servant. Reflect on how Isaiah 53 is alluded to in Matthew’s gospel using this reflection material and questions from The Bible Project: http://www.bibleproject.com/.../reflec.../suffering-servant/