Matthew
Open Your Bible
Matthew 3:1-3, Matthew 4:12-25, Ezekiel 18:21-32, Joel 2:12-13, Romans 2:1-11
BY She Reads Truth
This Is the New Testament is part of a twelve-week thematic overview of the entire Bible. As we read, we’ll gain a broader understanding of the redemptive story of Scripture. Each day we’ll read a thematic selection from a different book of the Bible, along with supplemental passages that show how the theme of that day’s main reading is found throughout Scripture. We’ll also read a brief summary of each book and a reflection on how the book fits into the larger story of Scripture.
What Is Matthew? The Gospel of Matthew is a testimony of Jesus’s life and ministry told from the eyewitness perspective of Matthew, a Jewish tax collector who became a disciple of Jesus. This Gospel affirms Jesus as the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and the reigning King who inaugurated the kingdom of God on earth. It also describes Jesus coming to call His people to turn away from their sin and toward Him.
How Matthew Fits Into the Story: Our introduction to the New Testament, Matthew’s Gospel contains the greatest number of direct connections to the Old Testament while also looking forward to the Messiah’s future return. Matthew writes of Jesus as the climax of salvation history—the fulfillment of every prophecy and promise made to Israel, the incarnate presence and wisdom of God Himself, and the reigning sustainer of the Church.
Reflection Questions:
1. How is Jesus’s call to repent an invitation to follow Him?
2. How does today’s reading shape your understanding of the story of redemption?
Take time to reflect on your responses and share what you are learning with others in the community in the comments.
170 thoughts on "Matthew"
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The verses that stood out to me the most is Joel 2:12 “Return to me with ALL you heart with fasting and weeping and mourning.” And in verse 13, “Return to the Lord your God for he is gracious and compassionate slow to anger and abounding in love and he relents from sending calamity.” God loves me so much and he has so much compassion for me and wants me not to give him a part of my heart BUT He wants my whole heart.
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This study is the first time I’ve cracked open my Bible to receive from it in three years. For the first time, I’m somehow more accepting of God’s mercy than cowering in fear of how He would wreck certain walls I had built up as a result of deep emotional pain. Reading Joel, where God “relents over disaster,” I’m sat here like, “Me! The disaster is me.” And I think God sees the hurt and the pain I’ve been through. I trust that He’s not ragging on me for waiting three years to come to Him, and I suspect that He’s been paving the way back to Him all this time. What a sweet comfort to know that it is never too late to turn back. The cycle of wicked-turned righteous-turned wicked again is nebulous and undefined for a reason, and God will forgive and demonstrate mercy and forgiveness over and over again. Not that we abuse it, and not that there are no dire consequences for having turned away after being under righteousness. But the Lord is abounding is mercy and slow to anger time and time again. Blessed be the Name of the Lord!
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Vera amen! And don’t we know heaven is rejoicing over you sister! God is so good! Be blessed ❤️
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Thank you for sharing this! I, also, have veered away unintentionally. This is my first devotional in years and I feel exactly what you wrote.
We’re here together, and I’m grateful to have a group of women who do not judge how long we’ve been gone but celebrate us returning. ❤️
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Jesus says REPENT. Then He says FOLLOW. Our savior is so kind and good to lead. His yoke is easy, we (I) make it so hard.
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1.In repenting, and turning from darkness and our broken ways, we are becoming more like Jesus. As God incarnate he is the full embodiment of glory, honor, and goodness; so when we seek to pursue those things, we are also in turn seeking Him!
2. As with each reading that we’ve done, today’s continues to affirm that Jesus has been there since the beginning. The affirmation of prophecy and the proof of miracle and healing that comes with Jesus is so reassuring. To know that there is redemption through repentance and grace for our “rebellious acts,” through the person of Jesus, gives each of us hope of our eternal future and reminds us of God’s abounding grace and just nature.
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❤️
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What stood out to me: God does not have favorites, he loves us all equally. He calls us to “turn to him with all our hearts”, to repent and turn away from all our rebellious acts so that we can get ourselves a new heart and new spirit
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“24But when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and does injustice and does the same abominations that the wicked person does, shall he live? None of the righteous deeds that he has done shall be remembered; for the treachery of which he is guilty and the sin he has committed, for them he shall die.”
This is the verse that stood out to me.
That your good works will be forgotten if you turn away. It makes me think of celebrities that aren’t able to come back from wrong doing.
And is another reminder that God knows the consequences of our sin, far more than we do. He sees all the way down the line. And that following His commands aren’t punishments, but freedom from the pain bad choices cause.
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Repentance is an act of admitting our own sin and understanding our brokenness and need for a savior. Living in our own sin without the redeeming grace of our savior will lead to spiritual death. Jesus offers us life when we understand our sinfulness and can hand it over to Him. Only through Him can we lead righteous lives. There is nobody among us who is righteous on their own, we need Him. It is by handing our sinful natures over to God that we follow Him. By accepting the life that he offers us. He wants us to seek Him, to know Him, to love Him…so that we may become more like Him and have spiritual life. So what does it look like? Because we will not just live righteous lives because of one decision to follow Him. It takes surrending to Him each and every day and every moment. It is messy. It involves mess ups. But the beauty is that He is full of grace and is the strength in our weakness. Come to God daily and follow Him.
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You are exactly right. It’s not enough to just repent. We have to turn from our sinful ways. If we do not follow Jesus on a daily, no hourly, basis we will fall back into our sin. It is important that we not only repent but try to live our lives more like Jesus.
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❤️
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