Week 2: Today, in week 2 of The Gospel According to Matthew, we turn our focus to chapters 3 and 4. Matthew introduces us to John the Baptist, presenting him as the last of the Old Testament prophets. John’s call for repentance is reminiscent of the prophets of old and preparation for the Messiah to come. Jesus is baptized, and all is done to fulfill righteousness. As we step into chapter 4, Jesus now faces his time in the wilderness. Once again, this parallels the journey of the Israelites, except in each case, Jesus was victorious. Chapter 4 ends with Jesus finding great success in proclaiming the Good News as people start arriving from everywhere to hear and see him.

As we move into week 3 in our study of the Gospel According to Matthew, we draw our attention to the Sermon on the Mount. The heart of Matthew’s Gospel is grounded in the message that Jesus delivers in chapters 5-7. After preaching this sermon, Jesus sets out around the region, healing in the surrounding cities. Word of Jesus spreads, and before long, the disciples find themselves surrounded by a diverse population representing those near and far. As Chapter 9 draws to a close and Chapter 10 opens, we find Jesus looking out over the diverse crowd, and he has compassion for them. It is in this moment that Jesus decides to activate the disciples and sends them out to continue the work that has already begun. Our study will ask ourselves what we are doing to reach these very same lost. Is the harvest still plentiful? Are the workers still few?

Week 1: Matthew begins his Gospel by anchoring Jesus into the heart of the Jewish faith. By starting with Abraham, connecting David, and then running the genealogy to the Exhile, Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah that emerges from the greater story of the Jewish faith. In Week 1, we’ll study the infancy narrative and how God’s plan came to us through a Child- steeped in the rich history of the Jewish text, the Torah- their story.