About a third of the way through the gospel attributed to Matthew, we are introduced to the twelve apostles and Jesus’ first charges to them as those called to be laborers for God’s harvest. Chapters 11 and 12 sound a lot like a recapitulation of the earlier Sermon on the Mount a few chapters ago. […]
Tag: Gospel of Matthew
On the Author and Audience Relationship
We truly don’t know a lot about the gospel writers. Scholars have debated who wrote what. In the case of the gospel book attributed to Matthew (which I am focusing on during this current series of writing), we don’t really know if the tax collector mentioned in the text (Matthew 9:9-13) was the author. Perhaps […]
On Retribution
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been rereading and reflecting on chapters eight and nine of the gospel attributed to Matthew. These are an action-packed couple of chapters and I could probably spend an entire year writing about these verses. I’m sure others have. However, I must move on soon if I am to get […]
On Practicing What We Preach
A key teaching in the Sermon on the Mount—and from the life lessons of Jesus in general—is learning to love our enemies. Saying this is simple, doing it is much harder. While Jesus’ inaugural sermon talks about praying for our enemies, the subsequent two chapters in the gospel attributed to Matthew demonstrate that action is […]
On Our Scarcity Mindset
After a bit of an Easter break from writing, it is time to resume my reflections here… In the gospel attributed to Matthew, on the heels of the Sermon on the Mount Jesus wastes no time resuming his work, going about healing people indiscriminately. With this immediate placement following perhaps the most monumental sermon of […]
On Compassionate Love
Compassionate love is the ultimate Christian core value, at the center of all the core values we have considered during Lent. It is found in all the acts of Jesus. The gospel attributed to Matthew emphasizes this by immediately surrounding the Sermon on the Mount with stories highlighting Jesus’ compassionate love.
On Our Persecution
“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets […]
On Our Mercifulness
“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7) At face value, this beatitude seems so simple and obvious: to those who are merciful, mercy shall be given. It is a “reap what you sow” statement, a karma-style mantra, and a “what goes around comes around” mindset. Yet, for being such an easy […]
On Our Hunger
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.” (Matthew 5:6) The fourth beatitude listed in the gospel of Matthew mixes together hunger and righteousness. To better understand this beatitude as written here, it can be helpful to look at a few other gospel texts, lest we fall into the […]
On Our Meekness
“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matthew 5:5) As the listing of the beatitudes progresses, we see a shift from a focus on typically unchosen realities (poverty, mourning), to core values that are more self-imposed and that shape our overall character—meekness, righteousness, mercifulness, virtuousness, and peace making. Meekness, the third mentioned […]
Relevant Reformation 