Matthew's Account of the Beginning of the End

Day 229: Matthew 26

A lot is going on in Matthew 26. This chapter marks a major shift from an emphasis on Jesus's teachings to the events leading up to the end of his life. By the end of this chapter, Jesus has been betrayed by Judas, arrested, sentenced to death, and denied by Peter. Matthew spends much more time in his book about Jesus's life and teachings; the end of his life only takes up three chapters. Other gospel authors take longer.

This chapter makes me sad. Poor Judas made a bad decision to betray Jesus, and Jesus condemns him for it. Peter betrays Jesus. The Council sentences Jesus to death. Things do not appear to be going the way of the Kingdom. And this is how this chapter ends, so, for today, I'll leave it here today.

Matthew: A Writer Who Gets It

Day 215: Matthew 9

I figured that now would be a good time to to talk about the author of the first gospel of the New Testament: Matthew. Matthew is called by Jesus in this chapter, and the call of Matthew is such an amazing, inspiring story. Jesus was walking along and sees Matthew sitting at a tax collector's booth. He tells Matthew to follow him and be his disciple. Matthew immediately got up and followed him. In the next paragraph, we learn that Matthew invites Jesus, Jesus' disciples, tax collectors and sinners to his home for dinner.

Let's unpack this story a little more.

1. First, Matthew immediately gets up when he's called. He follows Jesus and becomes a disciple.

2. Second, Matthew invites over followers of Jesus to sit down for a meal with his friends--other tax collectors--and so-called "sinners." Matthew gets it. He gets what Jesus is all about, and he plows in headfirst. He doesn't wait around to be told what to do; rather, he starts implementing the teachings of Jesus immediately.

3. And, finally, we can see that God uses Matthew's talents. Before being called, Matthew is a tax collector. Tax collectors were not well-liked at the time and were often thought of as being crooked and unfair. Matthew must sacrifice a lot to follow Jesus, more than some of the other disciples, I would argue. Peter, James, and John--they were fisherman. They didn't give this up when they became disciples. Luke was a doctor, and most likely he didn't have to quit this job either. But Matthew, he was a tax collector, and following Jesus meant that he couldn't collect taxes anymore. But God didn't let the talents and skills Matthew learned and practiced as a tax collector go to waste. No, God calls Matthew to write down and record all that he witnesses in the life of Jesus. Matthew's attention to detail is used for the glory of God.

How amazing is it that we have a disciple such as Matthew be the one to pass on what he has witnessed to all the generations after him.

Written Words

Day 170: Jeremiah 33-36

As a teacher of writing, chapter 36 really interests me. Here, you find the instructions given to Jeremiah to write down all the words of the Lord. Jeremiah dictated the words of the Lord to Baruch, and Baruch wrote them down on a scroll. After they were all written down, Baruch then read the scroll aloud to all the people outside the Temple.

We take for granted having access to the words of the Lord. Bibles are prevalent. We probably have several located around our homes. We can even read it for free on the Internet. Our access is abundant, and we take it for granted.

But those people in the Old Testament didn't have such access, and so when things were written down they were highly valued. People came from all over to hear the words read. Oh, how much they valued scribes and people who could read. So, as we read our Bible, let's remember just how valuable it is and treasure the words of the Lord within.

The Love Dare: Write It Down!

Day 146: Song of Solomon 5-8

Typically when I'm in my care, I listen to Christian radio. It's encouraging, uplifting, and I can have it on when the kids are in the car with me. Ever since I have been commuting to Waco in the morning, I have had on K-LOVE (a radio station broadcasted in numerous markets nationwide). The morning DJs, Lisa and Eric, are currently participating in and advocating a 40-Day "Love Dare." This dare is based on the popular book, The Love Dare, from which the popular movie Fireproof was based. Now I have not seen the movie, nor have I read the book or completed the 40-Day Love Dare. However, what I have gathered by listening to them talk about this dare on their radio station is about the importance of loving, honoring, respecting, and encouraging your spouse.

After finishing Song of Solomon today, a book filled with words of love between people and about one's loved one, I noticed how descriptive these people are of their loved ones. They list numerous positive characteristics about their "beloved," and they focus on all the wonderful characteristics held by their loved one. I don't know how often we write down the things that we love about our spouse, but I do know there was an exercise like this in The Love Dare. I think that writing down the things we love about our spouse can do several important things, and at the top of the list is that this activity can remind us of the positive things. So often the one or two things that bug us about our loved one seem to come up again and again and again, but when we write down the positive attributes, our focus changes. We become more in tuned with our spouse. We are happier. We forgive more. We give our spouse the benefit of the doubt. Our perspective is altered. We see our spouse differently. Perhaps the book and the activity of The Love Dare is so popular because we come to see our spouse in ways that God sees him or her.

I have always been an advocate of writing-to-learn, the theory that says writing is generative. You learn what you think by writing it down. And I think it's important to write down all the wonderful things about our loved ones--spouse, children, boyfriend/girlfriend, sister, brother, mother, father, friend. By reflecting on what we love about them, we come to see them as God sees them, as we should see them, and we love them more. During this month of love, I hope you will consider writing down in secret the things you love about those most precious to you.

More on the Nature of God from the Psalms

Day 126: Psalm 111-114

There is so much to praise the Lord about. He is so good. I'm amazed by how these writers of psalms never run out of enough things to praise the Lord about. Sometimes I am at a loss for words, but these writers--wow--they think of new metaphors, names, descriptions, and ideas about which to praise the Lord. I have learned so much through their understandings of God and how they express their gratefulness to Him.

Although much of the psalms is about praising the Lord, there's still quite a lot of text dedicated to repeating the story of Israelite history--the story of what God has done in the lives of His people.
Praising God and thanking him for what he's done is a repetitive format appearing in the psalms. And I think this format is especially powerful in communicating more about the nature of God.

Making Resolutions

Day 124: Psalm 101-104

Psalm 101 resonates with me because it is filled with promises that the writer makes to the Lord. Promises that he makes to himself. Resolutions, so to speak. The speaker tells the Lord (these are excerpts):

I will sing of your love and justice, Lord.
I will praise you with songs.
I will lead a life of integrity in my own home.
I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.
I will reject perverse ideas and stay away from every evil.
I will not tolerate people who slander their neighbors.
I will not endure conceit and pride.
I will search for faithful people to be my companions.

And in Psalm 103:
With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
 Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me.

These psalmist writers make promises--commitments--to the Lord and to themselves. They promise the Lord how they will behave, how they will live, and what specificially they will do to live a life in accordance with God's will and His laws. They make written vows to themselves and to God. I think it's important for us, as Christians, to commit to live a life in accordance with God's will, too. Speaking these things--or writing them down--can help us remember how we are called to live. Right now we are in the season of New Year's Resolutions, and while I don't typically make them (they're too hard to maintain for long), I do think it's important to write down goals and guidelines for how we want to live our life. When we do, we are essentially making a vow to ourselves and to God. They can kind of function as a "rule of life" on our behavior, attitudes, and mindset. We even know when we break them because we know what they are. I encourage you to set some goals for yourself on how you want to live your life. I know that I'm going to do so.