The Book of Matthew
Commonly known as the Gospel of Matthew
Starts in Matthew 10
“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these:
first, Simon, who is called Peter,
and Andrew his brother;
James the son of Zebedee,
and John his brother;
Philip and Bartholomew;
Thomas and Matthew the tax collector;
James the son of Alphaeus,
and Lebbaeus,
whose surname was Thaddaeus;
Simon the Cananite,
and Judas Iscariot,
who also betrayed Him.”
(Matthew 10:2 – 4)
The author, Stephen King
Is known for the quote:
“The truth is in the details”
When we read the Bible
We need to pay attention to the details
Everything that is written
Is there for a reason
Matthew is the only Apostle
Who is named with a Job Title
“Tax Collector”
Knowing this truth helps me
With my understanding of Matthew
He identifies himself
As being a “Tax Collector”
Someone good with figures
A person who thinks logically
I love Mathematics
And used to be a Teacher
Of Mathematics
And yet now, like Matthew
God has me as a writer
(Amongst other things)
Not my first choice
Nor my natural leaning
But I trust God
That He uses my words
As I believe, they are His words
So what is my point in saying this
Jesus takes us as we are
But makes us into what He wants us to be
“Fishers of men”
Now we turn to chapter one
Of the Gospel according to Matthew
And the first seventeen (17) verses
Give a detailed list
Of Jesus’ Family Tree
It starts with Jesus Christ
The Son of David
The Son of Abraham
David – a man after God’s own heart
Abraham – the father of the faith
Then follows a list of fathers
From Abraham to David
David to Joseph
“Joseph the husband of Mary,
of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.”
(Matthew 1:16)
It is interesting to note the wives and mothers
Who are named in this list:
Tamar, Rahab, Ruth
“her who had been the wife of Uriah”
(Bathsheba)
(Matthew 1:6)
And, of course, Mary
Significant women
In the ancestry of Jesus
The good, the bad and the questionable
No matter what we may think
The lesson here is that everyone
Is important
We have a name
God knows our name
And we all matter to Him
Note also verse 17
“So all the generations from Abraham to David
are fourteen generations,
from David until the captivity in Babylon
are fourteen generations,
and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ
are fourteen generations.”
(Matthew 1:17)
Fourteen generations (14)
Nothing is by accident
Yet we all still have FREE will
Forty-Two generations in total
From Abraham to Jesus
Each and everyone
Important to God
And we are no different
YOU are important to God
YOU matter
YOU have a purpose
YOU are NOT here by accident
God KNEW that you were coming
AND He LOVES you