PLEASE READ THIS FIRST: Matthew 1
What do you sense the Lord saying to you in this passage?
For me, the Jesus Stories (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) are the heart of the bible.
The better we know Jesus, the better we will understand the God and the bible.
I am glad to have you join me as I focus on one chapter every week.
I believe that the Lord speaks through the bible as we read it.
Sometimes it is clear and obvious, other times it is confusing or complicated.
It can be helpful to keep a journal, to make notes on what I’m reading.
I note verses that jump out at me, or I write down questions and wonderings.
The best way to hear from the Lord is to be an active listener.
When you go to a mall, there’s usually a large map with the words YOU ARE HERE.
I’m using the Bible Project videos (below) as a map, to see how each chapter fits.
Read the chapter, watch the videos, and write down what stands out for you.
Use the ‘Comment’ section as a journal, share your thoughts or questions.
For the rest of the week I will look at those questions and thoughts.
This first chapter does not seem to be that inspiring – just a list of names.
But there’s some interesting and inspiring gems buried in that list.
PRAYER
Lord Jesus, this is your story. But it is my story too. Help me to see how you fit into my life story, and how I fit into your life story!
Some questions about this chapter that arise for me:
* How do we know it was Matthew who wrote this?
* Who was Matthew writing this for, and what was his reason?
* Why does he reduce Jesus’s family tree to 3 lists of 14 names?
* Why is Matthew’s list of names different from Luke’s (Luke 3)?
* What value is there in reading this list of names?
* Why does he focus on Joseph (1:18-25), and not on Mary (like Luke)?
* Why does he include 5 women in Jesus’s genealogy (1:3,5,6,16)?
Some personal thoughts from this chapter are:
* Imagine what it was like for Mary, becoming pregnant like this.
* Imagine what it was like for Joseph, and the shock of Mary being pregnant like this.
* All the women included by Matthew in some way have something ‘objectional’ about them – Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba and Mary.