via TJC
Congratulations on your progress on this Bible Adventure! If anyone has been bored reading through all the drama, intrigue, back stabbing, and cycles of turning back to God and the resulting disobedience; then you might not appreciate why Jesus is such a big deal.
The old covenant, which is a testament or binding agreement was summed up in the laws of Moses. Jewish people had been waiting for over six centuries for God to do something new. God had promised a King who would rise above all Kings and bring peace to Israel. The new agreement, the New Testament, was between God and his people and would come through this King and his teachings.
AD27 Jesus begins his three year ministry, and it takes miracles to convince Jews this is the King, the Messiah. The ultimate miracle, Jesus’ resurrection, finally convinced His skeptical disciples and the church was born and began to grow.
370 years later, church leaders gathered and selected the next 27 books we will journey through - the New Testament.
We start with Matthew, not because it is the first stories about Christ, because it best picks up where the Old Testament leaves off - with a promise that God will send a Messiah to fix all the Jewish peoples problems.
Matthew is part of the problem. He collects taxes from the people to send to Cesar. He hangs out with other tax collectors and prostitutes, until one day Jesus invites him and his life is forever altered. Matthew goes on to write the stories which cover over 30 years Jesus’ life on earth. He probably writes it after AD70 when the temple is destroyed.
Daily Battle Order:
At some point in your life you also perceived an invitation that would forever change you. Thank God for that today! Share that simple story of your invitation with another person. The power of your story is no less powerful then the one we will now read from Matthew this week.
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