Matthew 12

A lot of varied topics are covered here in chapter 12, enough that I cannot touch on them all in a short blog entry. Instead, here are some of my favorite things from this passage:

More fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew points out that Jesus' healing ministry and the way in which he didn't come seeking direct conflict fulfill Isaiah 42:1-4. I like it so much because hundreds of years before these events God showed Isaiah that we gentiles (non-Jews) would be putting our hope and faith in Jesus.

Jesus foretold of His death and burial. In verses 38-42, Jesus compared what was going to happen to Him to the story of Jonah. This reinforces that Jonah is, in fact, a true story (some would want to paint its supernatural events as just a myth or parable).

Jesus states that those who do the Father's will are His (Jesus') family. This fits in well with a lot of other passages in the New Testament, where Jesus is shown as the firstborn of all those who will be saved - and others where we are called brothers and sisters in Chris, as well as children of God. This imagery is very powerful, especially now that I am a father myself.