What does the author want you to know about him?
The gospel of Matthew wants us to know that Jesus is the son of God. It gives the background of Jesus in the first chapter and explains that He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus came to the world to save the people from sins.
What can you tell me about Jesus?
Jesus Christ is a very powerful messiah. In fact, john the Baptist, whose main mission was to prepare the way for Him, described that Jesus was so powerful such that he viewed himself not fit to carry his sandals(Matthew 3:11 New international version). Despite his mighty nature, Jesus showed humility and only endeavored to do his Father`s will. He was also a very prayerful man. He prayed relentlessly before choosing his disciples and before his crucifixion.
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What is the main message of Jesus?
The main message Jesus gave was the good news about the kingdom of God. He used beatitudes to describe who were fit to enter the kingdom of God. For instance, he said blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God (Matthew 5:3). He also gave parables to explain how the kingdom of God was like. Moreover, he taught on the matters of the world including: Murder, adultery, divorce, oaths, revenge, love for enemies and judging (Matthew chapter5, 6, and 7).
What kind of people appear to respond favorably to Jesus's message, and what kind of people appear to reject his message?
Those who responded favorably were the sinners and the sick. Those who rejected his message were the teachers of the law and the Pharisees, and especially those from his hometown.
Why do you think people react so differently to Jesus?
Some of the people accepted the message because they were perplexed by his miracles. Jesus performed many miracles including healing of deadly diseases and raising of the dead. Others were mesmerized by his powerful message. After finishing the teachings in (Matthew 7:28), the people were amazed at his teachings, because he taught as one who had authority not as one of their teachers of law. Other people rejected his message because they claimed to know his origin. They wondered where he could have gotten all that knowledge and powers considering he was just a carpenter`s son that they knew very well (Matthew 13:54-57).
Does Jesus appear to favor some people over others, or does he treat everyone the same?
When it came to doing his works, Jesus did not favor anyone. He treated everyone the same.
Did anything surprise you in this reading?
What surprised me is how Jesus reacted when one of his disciples struck and cut an ear of a servant of high priest during his arrest. Jesus was not happy with the action and he asked him to put the sword at its place (Matthew 26:52). Another incidence is when He was praying in Gethsemane. He was troubled and sorrowful and was asking his father to take away his cup if possible (Matthew 26:39). Having seen Jesus executing his fathers will from the beginning of the Gospel, I expected that he would not fear to undergo that final mission.
Did you encounter any new information?
One of the new information that I encountered is the Lord`s prayer. Jesus taught his disciples how to pray and not to be like hypocrites when they pray (Matthew 6:5-13). Further, I realized the two greatest commandments in the law was about the love for God and one`s neighbor (Matthew 22:34-37).
Reference
Burdick, D. W. (1985). The NIV study bible, new international version . K. L. Barker, & D. W. Burdick (Eds.). Zodervan.
