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.
ReplyDeleteThe most memorable verse from the Book of Matthew from me was Matthew 6:25. It says, "This is why I tell you: Don't worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Isn't life more than food and the body more than clothing?" I believe this is memorable because it really makes you think about your life. Instead of worrying about nothing but the food you eat and the clothes on your back, it makes you think about how life has many aspects to it.
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.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your assessment. I also have had periods in my life where I heard the Good News and felt great. Then life would throw a curve ball and I would feel less joy and shuffle through my day. Of course one day that will all change...
DeleteIn 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.
ReplyDeleteMatthew 10:39 "Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."
ReplyDeleteThis is my favorite verse and the reason being its message; if we go about our lives without God, nothing special happens. Then again, if we were to seek out spiritual fulfillment and spread the Word, we shall receive eternal life and go to Heaven after our time on Earth.
How does one know if they will get to heaven without God?
DeleteMartyrdom is a hard path to go down and is filled with toils and snares. When the Bible talks about bareing your cross, it's no joke. Its not just as easy as preaching. To bare your cross one has to give all he has to the lowest of Gods people. My point being that spreading the word means nothinf without deeds to back it up
Delete1. Explain why you think this verse is the best/most memorable in the assigned reading.
ReplyDelete16 “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 Be on your guard; you will be handed over to the local councils and be flogged in the synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
I think that this is important because it says that even though you will be persecuted, that one should never give up on life and the events that happen because Jesus will always lead you to the correct path. The path that Jesus designed for you since you were born.
The most memorable verse for me was 6:9 The Lord's Prayer. This stuck out to me because it was something that I know by heart without really understanding the context of it. Therefore when I saw it during the reading, this verse popped out to me the most. I also understood the message that prayer to God does not have to be complex because he already knows what you want before you ask it, so it can be very simple indeed.
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)".
DeleteI 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.
ReplyDeleteThat is true, the hard part is finding out which are the false prophets and which are the real ones.
DeleteIn Matthew 1 it may seem completely useless to mention the chronology of Jesus but in order to convert people it was actually key. The Jews were focused around who was begotten by who, which showed the importance of that family. In doing the gospel in this manner, Matthew was actually making following Jesus more appealing and believable.
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