A portion of scripture and a discipleship prompt
by Rev. Herschel E. Moore
Note: Here is my own daily study of the gospel of Matthew. You are invited to join me. I began on the first Sunday in Advent, 2004, but you may start whenever you wish. It will likely extend far beyond Christmas and New Year's Day - probably throughout the coming year. Wouldn't that be something? All scriptures are from the NRSV unless otherwise noted.
God bless you.
HEM
DAY SEVEN
Matthew 4:1-11
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was famished. The tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.’ But he answered, ‘It is written, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’ Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down; for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.”’ Jesus said to him, ‘Again it is written, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”’ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor; and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away with you, Satan! for it is written, “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.”’ Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.
Prompt
Does it seem that Jesus would be in a weakened state and particularly vulnerable to temptation after forty lonely days of fasting? Shouldn't he have been getting plenty of food and rest and encouragement from friends in preparation for the most difficult challenge he had yet faced?
Apparently, Jesus was strengthened rather than weakened by devoting all his attention to God, rather than to his appetites.
For obvious reasons, solitude and fasting are not commonly practiced in mainline churches, but maybe it is time they were. After all, if our Lord needed such spiritual discipline, is it likely that we will be able to recognize and withstand temptation without it?
DAY SIX
Matthew 3
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.’ This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said, ‘The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’ Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then the people of Jerusalem and all Judea were going out to him, and all the region along the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, ‘You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit worthy of repentance. Do not presume to say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our ancestor”; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ‘I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’
Prompt
Why was the Father so pleased with the Son at this particular point? He had not done anything yet! Shouldn't the Father have waited to see how Jesus handled temptation? Shouldn't He have evaluated the Son's choice of disciples? Shouldn't He have let him do a little preaching, teaching, and healing before going out on a limb and dramatically announcing how pleased He was with His beloved Son?
What if the Father had said, "This is my beloved Son - let's see how he does"?
Maybe I am making too much of this point, but I have a feeling this scene shows us something very important about God's love and how He relates not only to Jesus, but to all His children. What do you think?
In prayer, listen for a deeper understanding of God's love for you.
DAY FIVE
Matthew 2:16-23
When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the wise men. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: ‘A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be consoled, because they are no more.’
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee. There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, ‘He will be called a Nazorean.’
Prompt
Is it just me, or does Matthew seem like he knows nothing about the fact that Joseph and Mary came from Nazareth to start with? Ah, well, I guess nobody said every gospel writer had access to the same details. The point is that Jesus was born into an extremely dangerous world not much different than the world millions are born into today. And it is not just common thugs and criminals who make life so miserable for so many, it is more often people in respected positions of power who are motivated by greed and fear - like Herod.
Pray for suffering children. And, because Jesus taught us to pray for our enemies, pray for the evil leaders of the world.
DAY FOUR
Matthew 2:13-15
Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.’ Then Joseph got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt, and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, ‘Out of Egypt I have called my son.’
Prompt
The life of Jesus re-enacts crucial points in the history of Israel and the patriarchs. In this portion of scripture, Matthew quotes Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt, I have called my son." Hosea is clearly referring to the Israelites, but Matthew applies it to Jesus. In this way, Matthew allows us to see that Jesus is the embodiment of the whole people of God, and that his destiny, both of suffering and of triumph, is our own.
Pray the prayer our Lord taught us (Matthew 6:9-15) and think about how closely that prayer aligns our lives as disciples with the life of Jesus, himself.
DAY THREE
Matthew 2:1-12
In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, ‘Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.’ When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, ‘In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: “And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.”’ Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, ‘Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’
When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Prompt
Matthew's readers no doubt thought of the East as a good place to be from. Their ancestors had come from the East after one of the darkest period's of their history - fifty years of exile in Babylon. In even more ancient times, Abraham had come from the East to father this monotheistic people later known as Hebrews, Israelites, and, finally, Jews. Why would Matthew point out that among the first to honor Christ were some people from a foreign land and a foreign religion unfamiliar with the Bible? It is definitely another one of those things that would have gotten the attention of Matthew's Jewish readership.
What led you to Christ? Did you come as an insider or an outsider? Can you rejoice with those who come to Christ from a different country or religious experience? Pray, thanking God for the people and circumstances that led you to Jesus. Ask God to help you understand and appreciate those whose experiences are radically different from your own.
DAY TWO
Matthew 1:18-25
Now the birth of Jesus the Messiah took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. Her husband Joseph, being a righteous man and unwilling to expose her to public disgrace, planned to dismiss her quietly. But just when he had resolved to do this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: ‘Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,’ which means, ‘God is with us.’ When Joseph awoke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took her as his wife, but had no marital relations with her until she had borne a son; and he named him Jesus.
Prompt
Here is an interesting instance in which the more modern translation is also the more euphemistic. "Before they lived together"? Matthew's point is about much more than living arrangements. It is about sexual intercourse, and it sounds shockingly like pagan myths of gods coming to earth and taking human wives. Maybe the difference is that Mary's pregnancy is FROM the Holy Spirit, not BY the Holy Spirit. That would be a miracle reminiscent of the creation of the universe ex nihilo, out of nothing. How would that affect our understanding of the complete divinity and the complete humanity of the Christ? How important is it to your discipleship?
Pray, asking God for a deeper appreciation for the significance of the coming of the Messiah and for the way in which it took place.
DAY ONE
Matthew 1:1-17
An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham was the father of Isaac, and Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers, and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Aram, and Aram the father of Aminadab, and Aminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, and Jesse the father of King David.
And David was the father of Solomon by the wife of Uriah, and Solomon the father of Rehoboam, and Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asaph, and Asaph the father of Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah, and Uzziah the father of Jotham, and Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah, and Hezekiah the father of Manasseh, and Manasseh the father of Amos, and Amos the father of Josiah, and Josiah the father of Jechoniah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
And after the deportation to Babylon: Jechoniah was the father of Salathiel, and Salathiel the father of Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel the father of Abiud, and Abiud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor, and Azor the father of Zadok, and Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud, and Eliud the father of Eleazar, and Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah.
So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.
Prompt
If you are looking for a Biblical name to suggest for a new baby in the family, here are some that are definitely not overused in our day! Better research them first, though. Rahab, for example, might not have the reputation you would want your own descendents to live up to. Manasseh and Abijah should probably be avoided, also. Ruth is good. Abraham and David were certainly great men, but even they had some pretty serious faults. All were included in the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah. What does that tell you about how God works?
Pray, giving thanks for your own ancestors - even the ones whose negative contributions God used to bring you where you are. Pray for your children and grandchildren and for yourself, that they and you might be among the positive influences God uses to bring blessing to His world.
