Week 11 - Matthew

April 6, 2021

Welcome to Week 11!

This week we begin the "Matthew track" of our reading by getting through the first 15 chapters of Matthew. This track will lead us through Hebrews and James in the weeks ahead.  This track is grouped together because of the Jewish flavor of all 3 books.  It is believed that the author of Matthew is Jesus' disciple, also called Levi, and formerly a tax collector.  This is now our third gospel and the third of the "Synoptic gospels," which means that many of the accounts are similar between Matthew, Mark, and Luke.  Even so, there are some differences.  If you have a Bible that gives parallel passages, it might be interesting to check out a few of the parallel passages to note the differences.  When you note a difference, ask yourself what that difference teaches, how it adds to the story, and how it reflects the authors' perspectives.

As you read, keep in mind our reading questions.  Use these as general questions to keep in mind as we read to help formulate your reflections, observations, and questions.

Our guiding questions are these:

• What stood out to you in the reading?
• Was there anything confusing or troubling?
• Did anything make you think differently about God?
• How might what you read change the way you live?

Please post a comment below with some of your questions, comments, and reflections from this week's reading.