Matthew 13

Another lengthy chapter today, mostly filled with parables this time. Each of them is a way Jesus related a truth about His kingdom - which is spiritual, and not (yet at least) a physical empire on this earth. Some of the stories He explained in more detail to His disciples, but the meanings of most of them aren't too hard to decipher... though I suppose we an advantage in that area that those originally hearing Jesus preach did not, in the form of the written books of the Bible (especially the New Testament) which we can study.

Jesus' use of parables here fulfills a couple more prophecies about Him, from Isaiah 6:9-10 and Psalm 78:2. It is cool to see how aware of those scriptures the author, Matthew, was: even though he wasn't a priest or anything like that (he was, in fact, a tax collector - before Jesus called him as a disciple) he had read enough of the prophets to be able to cite Isaiah as well as others. I wonder if that came from his time studying under Jesus, or if he was already familiar with those prophecies beforehand.

Finally, the chapter ends with Jesus returning to his hometown of Nazareth. Because the people who lived there knew Him, though, they had trouble believing that this 'local boy' was truly able to speak with authority and knowledge. Their disbelief led to Jesus performing fewer miracles there than in other places he visited, which is a pity... and a good reminder that we should put out faith and trust in Him, even if things don't seem believable from a human standpoint.

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.

Matthew 3

It isn't mentioned directly, but this chapter jumps forward many years from the previous ones. Jesus is now a grown man, and we are introduced briefly to John the Baptizer (I use that term out of habit, as it is what a prof in my high school used to make sure people didn't think John was a Baptist in the modern denominational sense). The details about him and his relationship to Jesus are glossed over in this Gospel, but when I get to... I think it is Luke... there will be a lot more depth about them. As I read Matthew I really begin to appreciate Luke more: it was geared toward a Gentile audience, while Matthew was aimed at Jewish folks. That is in part why Matthew focuses so heavily on where Jesus and the events surrounding His life fulfill prophecy.

Speaking of that, we find out that John's ministry was foretold by Isaiah (40:3). The classic idea we have of baptism also gets its roots here, with people being immersed in the Jordan river as a symbol of their repentance and being forgiven of their sins. I know that some churches practice simply sprinkling with water instead, and while their heart is in the right place it doesn't evoke the same idea of being completely washed clean and becoming a new creation.

Finally, we have the public revealing of Jesus and His true nature as the Son of God. This is one of many events in Jesus' earthly ministry that would have been pretty amazing to see! Ah, what I wouldn't give for a time machine...