Please read Chapters 1-14 of the Gospel of Matthew. Concentrate especially on Chapters 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. Please pick a key verse from the assigned chapters and do one of the following:1. Explain why you think this verse the key to understanding what the selection is about.
2. Explain why you think this verse is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.
3. Explain why you think this verse is the most difficult/hard to understand in the assigned chapters.
4. Reply to any other student comment on this post.
The most memorable verse for me was Matthew 7.7. It says,"Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." Not only is this a verse that I learned at a very young age, but it also shows some of the fundamental principles of Christianity. It does not matter what kind of person you are or what kind of background you come from, if you want to devote your life to Christianity you will be accepted. That is a huge reason why Christianity spread so fast throughout the Roman Empire and eventually throughout most of the world.
ReplyDeleteThis is one of my favorite verses as well. It is very memorable and just plain good. It is a very accepting verse.
DeleteIt's nice that it's written/said simply, self-explanatory, and no one can really argue with the meaning.
Delete2. The most memorable verse for me was Matthew 7.12. It says, "Do to others what you want them to do to you. This is the meaning of the law of Moses and the teaching of the prophets." I think this is important because it summarizes all of his teachings and what God wants people to do. I also think it is memorable because it is so easy to understand. This verse should make everyone think about how they treat people.
ReplyDeleteThere are many good verses and passages from these 14 chapters of Matthew, but the one that stood out was when Jesus says that He has not come to abolish the law or the prophets, but He came to fulfill (ch. 5 vs. 17). There are numerous times throughout this half of the gospel where Matthew shares an Old Testament passage, thereby proving that Jesus was in fact the one that Israel had been waiting for. The best example of this is later on as Jesus begins to teach in parables. Matthew tells us that the reason for all these mysterious parables was because a prophet the Old Testament stated: "I will open my mouth to speak in parables; I will proclaim what has been hidden from the foundation of the world." (ch 13 vs. 35) (Psalms 78 vs. 2) Jesus speaking in parables fulfills that prophecy and helps confirm who He was.
ReplyDeleteI noticed the Old Testament references throughout the book of Matthew as well. From the birth of Jesus to everything he said and did, it was all foretold.
DeleteI really enjoyed reading The Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13: 1-23. I won't quote the whole section, but what stood out to me the most was how I think I fit into this parable. As much as it pains me to say I feel as though I am the rocky ground. Matthew 13: 20-21"The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away." I consider myself a Christian, and when I hear the good news I am over joyed, but something happens and that feeling leaves just as quickly as it came. This is something that I am going to work on.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion Matthew 14:28-30 are the most memorable verses. In these verses Jesus is walking on water and calls out to peter to come to him. In a later verse in Matthew we here Jesus talk about if we have the faith of a mustard we can move mountains. That verse was kind of difficult for me to understand until I compared it to the faith that Peter had when he got out of the boat and started walking on water toward Jesus. For a few seconds peter had the faith of a mustard seed and could walk on water because of it. Sadly this was short lived and peter began to sink one he became afraid. I feel that this is important to me because my faith is something that I am always looking and and trying to find ways to build it up, these verses are a good reminder what can be done when you have faith.
ReplyDeleteI like how Matthew spelled it out for us. This is how you should pray. God knows what you really want. There is no need to blabber on for hours on end. I personally need to work on this. When I pray I feel like I am begging for forgiveness for everything I have ever done wrong just to get to the final "oh yea, and I could really use a better (insert desire here)".
ReplyDeleteI also have been fascinated with Mat. 7:7. The "Ask, Seek, Knock" verse has always been one that I go to to remind myself that all I have to do is ask in His name!
ReplyDelete2. The most memorable is Matthew 7:15, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves." Because I've heard of the wolf in sheep's clothing and i can relate to. Some people in your life will try to deceive you and fool you but really have other motives hidden underneath what they show you.
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