Luke 20, 21 & 22

Jesus arrived in Jerusalem at Passover. The Feast of Unleaven Bread lasted for a week, and commemorated the deliverance of the people of Israel from slavery in Egypt. On the night of Passover the first born son in every Egyptian family was killed, but the angel of death passed over the homes of the Israelites because their doors were smeared with the blood of the lamb to distinguish them. On that night the Israelites left so quickly that, at their last meal, there was no time to bake bread with leaven so they ate unleavened bread.

In Jesus time every male Jew, who was of age and who lived within 15 miles of the holy city, was bound by law to attend the Passover. But it was the dream of every Jew to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem. Today when Jews celebrate the Passover they pray that "next year they may keep it in Israel."

The atmosphere of Passover was always inflammable as the city swelled with pilgrims. The Jewish authorities had to figure out a way to arrest Jesus without provoking a riot. Judas betrayal offered them the opportunity they were looking for.

Luke 18 & 19

Does Jesus really expect us to sell all of our stuff and give the money to the poor? Don't drink the kool-aid just yet. In this passage Jesus was determining whether this rich ruler's treasure lay with God or with money. He was examining the ruler's orientation to God by directly confronting him with the very thing that was hindering him- his wealth. Zacchaeus, the short little guy who climbed the tree to see Jesus, was also a wealthy man yet Jesus does not command him to give away his money.

The early church had many writings about Jesus. The most popular ones and the ones that were deemed the most authentic made the cut when they compiled the bible in 325 AD. The other writings became known as apocryphal. One of those the Gospel According to Hebrews gives a bit more insight on this particular incident.

In that account, Jesus initially tells the rich ruler to obey the law and the prophets. The man replied, "I've done so." Jesus then tells him to sell his things. This causes the rich man to scratch his head a bit. "Why do you say that you have obeyed the law and the prophets? For it is written in the law, 'You must love your neighbor as yourself.' There are many brothers of yours who are dying of hunger, and your house is full of many good things, and not one single thing goes out of it to them."

The secret and the tragedy of this rich ruler was that he was selfish. He was rich, and yet he gave nothing away. His real god was comfort, and what he really worshipped were his own possessions and his wealth. That is why Jesus told him to give it all away.

Luke 15, 16 & 17

In chapter 15 we have three lost things. Lost sheep. Lost coins. And lost sons. We know this story as the prodigal son. But a better name might be the loving Father.

The son asks for his inheritance early. Then blows it. Returns home expecting to grovel for scraps at the family table. Instead he's met with the compassion of a loving father.

In Jewish law, the eldest son would have received a great share of the inheritance than younger sons. It was not unusual for a father to distribute his estate before his death so that he could retire, although early Jews warned against this practice.

The son hits rock bottom and ends up with a job feeding pigs. An especially horrible thing for a Jewish person, since pigs were considered unclean. He decides enough is enough and heads home. His father rushes to meet him with forgiveness and love. The father calls for the fatted calf. This calf would have been kept for sacrifices on special feast days. A meal of meat was rare in ancient Palestine.

The coming home party doesn't sit well with the older brother. His unhappiness illustrates the response of the Pharisees and scribes at the prospect of sinners becoming acceptable to God.

Luke 12, 13 & 14

Jesus frequently describes the kingdom of God as a feast. In Palestine invitations to a feast would have been sent out well in advance but the time of the meal would not be announced. Then on the day of the feast, servants were sent out to summon the already invited guest. To accept the invitation beforehand and then to refuse it when the day came was an insult.

Many Jews had what they thought was a clear picture of what would happen when the Messiah came. One of these was a picture of a Messianic banquet. On that day God would give a great feast for His own people. It's this banquet that the man in verse 15 is thinking.

But Jesus interrupts him with a parable.

Throughout all their history the Jews had looked forward to the coming of the messiah. But when the Messiah came they refused His invitation. So God invited some new guest. The Gentiles, the outcast, the sinners. Jews would never have dreamed that outsiders would find a place at God's table.

By the way, did you catch their excuses. I'm too busy at work. I have a new hobby. I'm hanging out with new people. Or I have a new farm, I have these new oxen, I just got married.

What excuses do you use to avoid your place at God's table?

Luke 10 & 11

Jesus commissions 70 men and sends them out in pairs to the cities he's about to visit. Numbers are a big deal in the bible. They would have provided rich symbolism to the readers of the day. For instance, the number 7 was a symbol of God's perfection. The creation story took place in 7 days. In the Old Testament Jacob served for 7 years for obtain his wife Leah, and another 7 years for his wife Rachel. There were 7 loaves and fishes, and we are told forgive 70 x 7.

The number 40 was a symbol for a "period of testing." Noah's flood lasted 40 days. The children of Israel wondered in the wilderness for 40 years. Jesus fasted in the desert for 40 days.

The number 70 was also symbolic to Jews. Seventy elders were chosen to help Moses lead and direct the people in the wilderness. There were seventy Sanhedrin, the supreme council of the Jews. And Genesis refers to 70 nations of the world.

Numbers can also be confusing in the bible. You might note that the translation we are using doesn't say 70 it says that Jesus sent 72 men. Biblical scholars many times debate certain wording in original Greek manuscripts. This is one of those times. It's estimated that various translations use the number 70 about 50 percent of the time, and the number 72 the other 50 percent of the time. The exact number may not matter- just that Jesus was preparing to evangelize the non-Jewish world.

Luke 8 & 9

One of the New Testament Challenge participants has posed a good question. It seems to say in Matthew, Mark and now in Luke that Jesus spoke is parables so that not everyone would understand. Why would Jesus not want people to understand?

Rev. Steve Langhofer responds:
A couple of insights. First from William Barclay in his commentary on Matthew 13.... "the parable conceals truth from those who are either too lazy or too blinded by prejudice to see." In other words, not everybody wants to understand. It takes work. You have to think hard. You have to let some preconceived notions go, and be open to new ones that may prove uncomfortable. Some want to receive great insight without any effort. Doesn't work that way.

Secondly, a quote from Eugene Peterson's The Message: (concerning parables) "Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. "

Luke 6 & 7

One of the benefits of this new Bible translation is that in new wording we may see God's story in a new way. Many of us gloss over the Beatitudes as we read them for the hundredth time without remembering how amazingly radical they were to the people that Jesus addressed. They were revolutionary bombshells to the early church.

The Beatitudes took the accepted standards and turned them upside down. The people that Jesus called happy the world at that time called wretched, and the people that the world called wretched Jesus called happy. Can you imagine the impact of a statement like "Happy are the poor, and woe to the rich."

According to the Gospel of Luke by William Barclay, what Jesus was saying was this, "If you set your heart and bend your whole energies to obtain the things which the world values, you will get them- but that is all you will ever get. But if you set your heart and bend your energies to the true Christ, you will run into all kinds of trouble. Your payment will come later, and it will be eternal joy."

Luke 4 & 5

Why does Jesus heal people and then ask them not to tell anyone? Good question. One speculation is that the Jewish people thought that the Messiah would be a conquering king who would overthrow the Roman empire and kick some serious Roman butt. Palestine was a bit of a powder keg waiting to blow. Rebellion was always just under the surface. Jesus knew that if the report went out that He was the Messiah the revolutionaries would be ready to act.

Jesus may have wanted to wait so that He could teach the people that the Messiah would not be that conquering king but rather a suffering servant. When Jesus asked for silence from people, he was buying time to show them what the Messiahship meant.

Luke 1, 2 & 3

Zacharias was a priest that belonged 'to the section of Abia.' At this time the priesthood of Israel was separated into twenty-four divisions, of which, the family of Abijah was one. They only needed all of the many thousands of priests to be together for the big three Jewish festivals. Passover, Pentecost and the Feast of Tabernacles. The rest of the year each priest would serve one week two times a year.

Zacharias is chosen by lot for the coveted role of offering the incense, something that a priest might do only once in their entire lives, if ever. Every morning and every night a special sacrifice was made on behalf of the entire nation. As a part of this sacrifice incense was burned on a special altar so that the sacrifice might go up to God with a sweet-smelling incense. The hour of incense was at about 9:00 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. It was during this once in a lifetime experience that God made His plan known to Zacharias.

A priest could only marry a woman of pure Jewish lineage. It was a special honor to marry a woman who was a descendant of Aaron (Moses brother whose story is told in Genesis and who established the lineage of priest). Elizabeth was a descendant of Aaron.

Bibledex video - Book of Luke

The Gospel of Luke

Luke is the longest of the four Gospels, and the only one with a sequel-the book of Acts. Luke, a physician, was not an eyewitness to the events surrounding Jesus but gathered reports from others to provide "an orderly account" of the events to someone named Theophilus.

Little is known about Theophilus. We don't know if this Theophilus, which means friend of God or lover of God, was a given name or a name taken after conversion (which was a common practice). The title given to him by Luke "most excellent" indicates he held prominence and may have been a high ranking official in Roman society. One thing that we do know about him is that he was apparently a Gentile. In fact, Luke himself is identified in one of Paul's letters as not circumscribed which was code for 'not Jewish.' If so, then Luke is the only Gentile writer of a New Testament book. He was present during some of the events in Acts, so Luke may have been a later convert to Christianity who knew Paul and sometimes traveled with him.

Luke wrote this Gospel to reassure Theophilus that God was still at work in the Christian community founded by Jesus.

Mark 15 & 16

Rejected by His disciples, condemned by the council, and denied by Peter. Jesus now faces the Roman authorities. Pilate first had Jesus scourged. This was a more severe punishment than a flogging or beating. The prisoner was beaten with a whip fashioned of strips of leather with sharp pieces of bone and metal attached, which would rip and tear the skin .

Crucifixion was a gruesome, humiliating and excruciating form of execution. It frequently produced a coma prior to death, but Jesus was in control of His faculties until the moment when He died.

Bibledex video - Book of Mark

 Here's the link to the Bibledex video for the Book of Mark. Watch out for Luke, coming up soon!

Mark 13 & 14

The disciples were excited by the majestic architecture of the temple. The stones used to built the temple were believed to weigh several tons each. An early church historian named Josephus described it as magnificent and said that there was nothing like it in the world. It even had beautiful white marble stones with gold ornamentation. Herod the Great started construction in 20 BC and it was later completed by Herod's descendants around 66 AD. The temple was surrounded by elaborate covered walkways, courtyards and stairways that filled twenty acres of the most prominent landscape in all Jerusalem. The disciples must have really taken notice when Jesus foretold that not one stone would remain. This prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD when the Roman General Titus sacked the city and destroyed the temple.

End times are heavily debated among bible scholars and there are many different points of view. The old testament prophet Daniel warned of "the abomination of desolation that would stand where it ought not." In our new translation it is stated as "when you see the disgusting and destructive thing standing where it shouldn't be. This may be a reference to the Antichrist's presence in the rebuilt Jewish temple during what is called the tribulation period. The phrase "let the reader understand" is Mark's way of reminding the audience of the Hebrew origin of this teaching from the book of Daniel.

Mark 11 & 12

Jesus was hungry. From a distance He saw a fig tree. Fig season is not until May or June. (and this event probably took place in March or April during passover) However, fig trees generally produce buds in March and leaves in April. Jesus was hoping to find edible buds, but this particular tree didn't have any. The lack of leaves indicated that the tree would be fruitless that year. Scholars suggest that this fig tree represented Israel, which bore no fruit and would soon face the judgement of God.

Mark 9 & 10

The Pharisees' question about divorce was a trap. They hoped He would contradict Moses or offend Herod Antipas. Remember that John the Baptist had just been beheaded for questioning Herod's newest marriage.

A certificate of divorce was a document signed before witnesses. Its intent was to limit frivolous divorces. In Jesus' day the interpretation of this custom varied. Some communities allowed divorce for almost any reason, while other communities permitted divorce only for sexual impurity.

In the first century, Jewish men were allowed to divorce their wives for many different reasons. But Jewish women were far more restricted in their grounds for divorce. One of the few had to do with her husband's occupation. If he were a copper smelter, tanner, or dung collector, she could get a divorce, even if she knew before she married what his trade was, on the grounds that she couldn't have known how awful the smell would be. *

Source: New Illustrated Bible Commentary.

Mark 7 & 8

The scribes and Pharisees are becoming more vocal in their opposition to Jesus.
These Pharisees were probably sent from Jerusalem by Jewish religious authorities to learn Jesus position on important issues. They question Him about ritual hand washing. Jesus responds by calling them hypocrites. The term originally referred to actors who wore masks on stage as they played different characters. So Jesus is saying that the Pharisees were not genuinely religious; they were merely playing a part for all to see.

Jesus later warns the Disciples to beware of "the leaven or the yeast" symbols of the growing corruption of the Pharisees and of Herod Antipas which was spreading throughout Israel. This King Herod was one of the four son's of Herod the great, the king that killed the male babies after the birth of Jesus.

Mark 5 & 6

The Feeding of 5,000

The details that Mark provides add new dimensions to the story of the feeding of the 5,000. Details such as the crowd sitting on the green grass, let us know that this story probably happened in late winter or early spring. The fact that the groups were separated and counted in hundreds and in fifties let us know that an eyewitness recounted this story to Mark. The book of John tells us that this event took place prior to Passover which is celebrated in March or April. Bible scholars use these types of details to give us new understanding of biblical events.

Keep in mind that in addition to the estimated five thousand men there were women and children who were included in the meal.

Mark 3 & 4

New Testament Times
Although no one can say for sure when New Testament events happened, one informed guess looks like this:

BC
4 Jesus is born

AD
27 Jesus begins his public ministry
30 Jesus is crucified and resurrected
33 Paul is converted to faith in Christ
50 Paul writes his first letter (First Thessalonians)
60 Paul dies in Rome
70 Jerusalem is destroyed by the Romans; Mark's Gospel is written
85 Matthew's and Luke's Gospels are written
100 John's Gospel is written

Source: Get Acquainted With Your Bible by Gary L. Ball-Kilbourne

Mark 1 & 2

In Jesus' day, synagogues were common throughout Palestine. Local congregations of Jews met to read scripture and to pray. Synagogues probably began during the Babylonian captivity (Jews were held captive in Babylon from about 582-597 B.C.E.) At that time Jewish captives didn't have a temple but longed for communion with God, so they met in local groups to worship together and to read Torah. Some synagogues also functioned as local courts and some may have even been elementary schools. They became centers of Jewish community life.

The Temple was a massive complex in Jerusalem where Jews worshipped. Jews traveled to the temple for special feast days several times a year. Only priest were allowed to enter the temple to offer sacrifices for the sins of the people. In 70 A.D. the temple was destroyed by the Romans. At that time animal sacrifice stopped because there was not a sacred placed to complete the ceremony. The Western Wall of the temple survives today in Jerusalem.

The Gospel of Mark

The Gospel according to Mark is an action-packed, vivid account of Jesus' actions and achievements. His eyewitness accounts provide more detail than the other Gospels. For instance in the account of the friends that lower the paralytic through the roof, Mark identifies that there were four friends while the other Gospels just label them as "friends."

Mark wrote for Gentile Christians, especially Romans. He concentrates more on Jesus miracles than His teaching. Many believe that Mark wrote in Rome, under Peter's supervision and that it was written in 70 A.D. making it the first Gospel to be written.

One of Mark's favorite words is "immediately" which he uses often in this the shortest of the Gospels.

Matthew 26, 27 & 28

Some interesting tidbits:

• The fragrant oil poured on Jesus head and feet is believed to be a perfume extracted from pure nard. The nard plant can be crushed and distilled into an aromatic amber-colored thick essential oil. She could have opened the flask and poured out a trickle instead she broke the flask and poured out the oil on Jesus body. Jesus saw this act as an anticipation of His death. The expensive oil points to the value of Jesus' death and the high cost of devotion to Him.
• 30 pieces of silver was the price of a slave. The Old Testament prophet Zechariah had foretold of this amount in Zech. 11: 12-13. Note the contrast between the costly devotion of the woman and the small price of Judas's betrayal.
• The High Priest Caiaphas was the most influential member of the Sanhedrin, the highest ruling body and supreme court of the Jews. The position had lots of authority, but little job security. He was afraid that civil disorder would mobilize Roman troops and lead to Israel's downfall. So when Jesus came along, drawing the attention of lots of people and performing amazing miracles, Ciaphas determined that He would have to be destroyed. This led to the well conceived plot in which Jesus is arrested. An illegal trail was held, and false evidence was brought against Him. Caiaphas orchestrated Jesus' conviction and execution.

Matthew 24 & 25

Background of Matthew 24
Jesus' teaching in Matthew 24 took place in the last days of His life. He had just returned to Jerusalem for the last time before His death, and had just completely denounced the religious leadership of the Jewish nation.

Bible scholars strongly disagree on the meaning of Matthew 24. It's been called the most difficult, perplexing and abused chapter in the entire bible. Groups like the Jehovah's Witness, The Worldwide Church of God, and the Mormons use this chapter to substantiate their believes.

"I take great comfort in verse 36, and this helps me put the whole chapter in perspective: "But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." And it is in the Father, through the Son, that we place our trust. "In all things God works for good," (Romans 8:28), even when it seems the word is turned upside down!
Rev. Steve Langhofer. Senior Pastor. Asbury United Methodist Church

Matthew 21, 22 & 23

To understand the New Testament, it's helpful to know about the three influential religious groups of the period.

Pharisees. Laymen, not priest, who taught in local synagogues. They were very concerned with strict interpretation and observance of the Mosaic law (laws given to Moses) in both the oral and written form. They recognized Jesus as a teacher but almost from the very beginning of His ministry were bitter and persistent enemies. They sought to destroy His influence among the people, and were themselves known for their self righteousness and pride.

Essenes. An apocalyptic sect of Judaism that protested against the way the temple was being ran. Many scholars believe they inhabited the settlement of Qumran and produced the writing found in the dead sea scrolls. They were celibate, didn't marry, and were very concerned with "end times."

Sadducees. Priestly families who were descendants of Zadok, the high priest during the time of King David and King Solomon. They were wealthy aristocratic families who controlled temple worship. There was open hostility between the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus did not select the religious leaders of the day to be His Disciples, but instead selected ordinary people and asked them to do extraordinary things.

Matthew 19 & 20

Jesus tells a parable in Matthew about a landowner who hired workers for his vineyard. He hired some workers for a full day, some for a half day and some for a few hours. Yet he paid them all the same wages.

Jesus wasn't really talking about compensation or labor law instead He was trying to help the people grasp something important about grace in the kingdom of God. He was not encouraging unjust pay scales or discrimination, He was illustrating the nature of God's grace in terms that His followers could understand.

God's grace is given because of the nature of the Giver, not the worthiness of the recipient.

Some believe that the workers with the contract represent Israel and those that came later were the Gentiles. They would be made equal with the Jewish people when salvation became available through faith in Jesus Christ.

Grace is getting what we do not deserve.
Mercy is not getting what we deserve.

Matthew 17 & 18

Jesus asks three of His Disciples (Peter, James & John) to go with Him to the top of a mountain. While they were on this hike Jesus was transformed by brilliant white light and is suddenly flanked by Moses and Elijah. You may have heard about Moses (think Cecil B. DeMille's Ten Commandments) but Elijah isn't as well known.

Elijah was a 9th century BCE Old Testament prophet who defended the worship of God over that of the more popular pagan god Baal. It was prophesied that Elijah would return and welcome the Messiah. In Jewish tradition a chair is set aside at circumcision ceremonies for Elijah who is said to be a witness at all circumcisions when the sign of the covenant is placed upon the body of the child. He is also symbolically present at Jewish Seder meals when as a part of the ritual a door of the house is opened and Elijah is invited in, in addition he has a place reserved at the Seder table and a cup of wine is placed there. Elijah is also one of two people in the bible who did not die. God came for him and whisk him away in a chariot pulled by a fiery horse. (The other person is the Prophet Enoch as described in Genesis 5:24)

In the transfiguration Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the Prophets.

Matthew 14, 15 & 16

God ask His followers to do extraordinary things. Peter even walked on water. John Ortberg, a best selling contemporary Christian writer, describes it like this:

Put yourself in Peter's place. Jesus is inviting you to have the adventure of your life. But at the same time, you are scared to death. What would you choose~ the water or the boat?

The boat is safe, secure and comfortable. There's a storm out there. And if you get out of the boat~ whatever your boat might happen to be~ there's a good chance you might sink.
But if you don't get out of the boat, there's a guaranteed certainty that you will never walk on the water.

If you want to walk on water, you have got to get out of the boat!

There is something~someone~ inside us who tells us there is more to life than sitting in the boat. You were made for something more than merely avoiding failure. There are many good reasons to get out of the boat. But there is one that trumps them all: The water is where Jesus is. *


Resolve this year to get out of the boat. Get your feet wet a little every day. You've been with the New Testament Challenge almost a week now. Give yourself a big pat on the back and splash away!

*Quote is from John Ortberg's book "If you want to walk on water, you've got to get out the boat."

Matthew 12 & 13

Read Matthew 12 & 13.

The observation of the Sabbath was a primary point of contention between Jesus and the religious authorities. The Pharisses were considered to be model religious people, and they recognized that the Sabbath was the sign of the covenant given to Moses. So it really peeved them when they thought that the disciples were desecrating the Sabbath. The Pharisses had established 39 categories of actions to be forbidden on the Sabbath, and according to their rules the disciples were harvesting grain. But the disciples were only picking grain to eat not for profit. So they believed they were not breaking God’s law.


How do you keep Sabbath? Do you have a day of rest and reflection? How do you renew your spirit?

More Matthew

Rev. Jerry Tubach offered the following thoughts in staff chapel this week.

In Matthew 9: 9-12 we read about Jesus calling Matthew to be His disciple. Matthew invited Jesus to his house for dinner. I assume to talk about what he would be doing as a disciple. The people who gathered for dinner that night were called tax collectors and sinners, a very specific term for people who were not allowed in the temple because they had violated the Jewish law. The custom in those days was to shun those people so they could repent and correct their behavior and get back to keeping the law and be allowed to come back to the temple and back into the social mainstream of life again.

When the Pharisees criticized Jesus for eating with people who were outcast, he responded by saying that well people don't need healing, but those who are sick. In other words, if these people are going to be healed by God's love, then someone has to show it to them so they can experience it.

Remember when you were in school eating in the lunch room? At which table did you sit? Was it the cool kid's table? Was it the nerd's table? Was it the misfit's table? Where did you sit? What did it feel like to sit at that table?

Whose table do we sit at today? Is it only the people who are like us and are the "best" people? Or do we make the effort, as Jesus did, to sit at some other tables so others can experience God's love through us? What might happen to our church if we invited some people to sit with us who have never been invited to sit at the church table before? Would it transform their life? Would it transform our life?

Matthew 10 & 11

Read Matthew 10 & 11.
Jesus invested Himself in the development of other people, particularly the twelve disciples. He gave them responsibility and authority, resisting the temptation to get the job done “right” by doing it Himself. He accepted the risk that they might fail, and He gave them good instructions and prepared them well before sending them out.


How could you be a better manager, parent or mentor this year?

Mathew 8 & 9

Read: Matthew 8 & 9.
Ten miracles are recorded in rapid order in today’s reading. The centurion, equivalent to a present-day sergeant, was a Gentile. Jesus’ comment on the faith of a Gentile centurion was a kick in the butt to the Jews.


Have you ever seen a despised or neglected person receive a surprising amount of love and respect?

Matthew 5, 6 & 7

Read: Matthew 5, 6 and 7.
The Sermon on the Mount was probably preached many times during Jesus’ early ministry. It’s aim was to give instruction to those who had responded to Jesus’ invitation to think differently about life. This sermon contains the core of Jesus’ moral and ethical teaching.


This past week, did you feel more blessed or stressed? What can you do to be more focused on God’s blessings in your life?

Matthew 3 & 4

Today, read Matthew 3 and 4.

In ancient times roads were repaired, smoothed and straightened before a king came, so in this passage John was preparing a spiritual road for the Messiah before His arrival. The quotation is from the book of Isaiah where the prophet announced the need to prepare a highway for the return of the Jewish exiles from captivity in Babylon to their homeland Israel.


Who has been like John the Baptist in your life? Who have been the people who have helped grow your faith?

Bibledex offers some great videos (with fun accents) explaining what's behind the book of Matthew. Click here to watch:

January 1: The book of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew is one of four gospels in the Bible and the first book of the New Testament. Matthew was one of the 12 apostles that were with Jesus throughout His public ministry on earth. Scholars believe that the book was written sometime between 50 and 70 A.D.

Matthew was a Jewish tax collector from Capernaum, who left his profession to follow Jesus. It’s not surprising  that this gospel talks more about money than the others, or that this gospel gives special attention to his home town.  Matthew gives a personal account of many miracles that Jesus performed.

Matthew writes to the Jewish people to persuade them that Jesus is the true Messiah that had been prophesied  in the Old Testament. It stresses how Jesus fulfilled Jewish prophecies. (By the way Jesus fulfilled over 300 prophecies spoken by different voices in the Old Testament over a period of about 500 years.) 

Read: Matthew 1-2

Genealogy was a big deal to ancient Jews. Listed here among all these boring hard to pronounce names are four women from the wrong side of the tracks. Tamar was involved in a sandal, Rahab was a prostitute, Ruth was not an Israelite, and Bathsheba was involved in all sorts of crap. What we can learn from even this tedious passage is that God can lift the lowest and place them in royal lineage, and that somehow God’s grace forgives the darkest of sins and reaches to the entire world not just the nation of Israel.

Christmas changes things. Sometimes you have to go home by another way like the Magi and like the Holy family. What new routes and new routines do you hope to cultivate in 2011?