Step 1: We admitted that we were powerless over our dependencies-that our life had become unmanageable.

January 14, 2007

A Brief Look at The Gospels

     If you are following along with our devotional reading, you know that yesterday we began reading the gospel of Matthew. This is the first gospel one comes to when they open up their New Testament portion of the scriptures (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). The first three gospels are pretty similar; John has some noticeable differences in material. This used to freak me out.

     When I first began reading scripture, I didn’t like any incongruency in the telling of the story of the life of Jesus. The problem, I have come to discover, was with some basic misunderstandings on my part. (Can you believe that? I was wrong? Goodness!) I was reading these books as if they were four different news accounts by four different eye witnesses. I expected a bit of variation, but I was focused on the time line of events, not the content.

     God did not share my perspective as His Spirit guided these early recorders. Time was not His emphasis; He was trying to make a point, a different point, in each of these accounts. In the book of Matthew, written by Matthew, one of the 12 apostles (and you will recall – he was the tax collector) was the human author. Scholars love to argue about this kind of thing, but most people agree on this point.

     Which gospel came first in the time line? Again, lots of debate, but most would say that Matthew was written after Mark.

     What is the purpose for this book? Matthew is driven to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. He accomplishes this through comparing the life of Jesus with the prophetic words about the Messiah written in the Old Testament. He draws heavily on the history of God’s people – a high value for the Jewish culture.

     Matthew knew what we experience: all of us are in need of a deliverer. Jesus represents hope. Matthew tells a story of hope. But what I particularly love about scripture is true in this gospel: God keeps it real. Tomorrow we’ll examine one very real portion of this gospel.

Scripture reading for today: Matthew 4

Thought for today: I wonder what particular strategies you have used to save yourself from the inevitable burdens associated with living on planet earth. Have you self-medicated, self-improved, self-helped? Taking personal responsibility for our lives is a good thing. Believing the illusion that we are in control and responsible for the outcome of our efforts is denial – and usually discouraging.

Common strategies: workaholism, addiction of various forms, hypochondria, body image obsessions, perfectionism, isolation, addiction to the approval of others…

Thought for tomorrow:

When he [Jesus] saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:37 NLT

Teresa McBean
January 14, 2007

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