At the end of Matthew 4, we learned that Jesus had gathered a huge following as he preached, taught, and performed signs and wonders. Jesus’ residence in Capernaum, in Galilee of the Gentiles, signaled the dawning of the light of salvation on a land dwelling in deep darkness. His words brought light to his disciples as well as the great crowds and his works brought life to the masses as the domain of darkness was pushed back by the kingdom of light. By Jesus’ words and works,

As Matthew introduces us to the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry in Galilee, he presents the core of Jesus’ proclamation in continuity with that of the Messiah’s forerunner, John the Baptist: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matt 5:17). At the same time, the unfolding of that message by Jesus will take a somewhat different course than John’s because Jesus brings the kingdom in himself with power. This is especially the case when we consider the summary of Je

Because we are not God, we will always wrestle with the problem of evil. Why does it exist? How did it come into existence? Indeed, why does the Holy Spirit drive Jesus into the wilderness for the express purpose of being subjected to evil, specifically the temptations of Satan (Matt 4:1)? There are at least two interrelated approaches to addressing this problem. The first approach recognizes that Jesus’ role as the mediator of the covenant of grace includes an element of spi

When John the Baptist objects to Jesus’ attempt to be baptized by him, Jesus responds, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt 3:15 ESV). Jesus’ response is filled with wisdom and love, and the purpose of this reflection is to focus on the concept of fittingness. After all, Jesus could have said that it was necessary; he could have said that it was, for the sake of appearances, the right thing to do. Something different, though, is

It can seem as though preaching on John the Baptist’s preparatory message in Matthew 3 has parallels with a lame duck presidency. The new thing has already happened, so what is the benefit of giving space to the old? Of course, that line of thinking could be applied universally to the Old Testament—and that would be wrong—but it seems more pressing with John the Baptist because of the proximity of his ministry to Jesus’ ministry. Why not just skip John’s message of preparatio

Besides the fulfillment of Scripture, a secondary theme that weaves throughout Matthew 2:13-23 is the ordinary way in which the early life of Jesus unfolds. Especially when Luke’s birth narrative is considered alongside Matthew’s telling, we have no doubt that this child of Mary is expected to be someone great. But when the page is turned from the visit of the magi to the events in Matt 2:13-23, one may wonder why things seem to fall out in such an ordinary way. To be sure, t

In his commentary on the New Testament, J. H. Bavinck argues that the wise men from the East had five guides who led them to the one who was born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2).[1] His exposition is instructive for developing the background of Matthew 2, so this reflection is a summary of his comments. The first guide for the magi that Bavinck notes is attentiveness. It is almost too obvious to note, but these wise men had to have their attention simultaneously directed toward

As Matthew moves from Jesus’ genealogy to his birth, two installments in Jesus’ origin story, he focuses on Joseph’s critical role in legally establishing the link between Mary’s son and the lineage of King David. One question we might ask ourselves is, “Why does it matter?” Isn’t the testimony of Matthew and Luke that Jesus was born of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Spirit sufficient to establish his uniqueness and importance for the salvation of God’s people? As

Even a casual investigation of Matthew’s genealogy (Matt 1:1-17) shows that his concern is not to fastidiously reproduce a hereditary list or offer a precise record for drawing Jesus’ family tree. While the lineage from Abraham to David might seem relatively straightforward, several generations are collapsed into a few names elsewhere, e.g. in the succession of kings. And, it is worth pointing out that this telescoping of the genealogy can be checked against the Old Testament

It is often said that Christ’s first advent is integrally connected with his second advent, and so we do well to consider Christ’s second coming during Christmas. It could also be said Christ’s triumph over death on Resurrection Sunday is integrally connected with his final triumph over death on the last day. In a way, the encounter that Jesus’ two disciples had with him on the road to Emmaus is a picture of the time leading up to Christ’s second coming. This reflection consi

With the story of Job brought to a conclusion in chapter 42, there might be a loose end or two that is still hanging. In the first place, one might wonder at the starkly statement tucked within v11, i.e. Job’s family and friends comforted him “for all the evil that the Lord had brought upon him” (ESV). Secondly, one might wonder how a fresh set of children is adequate restoration. Are humans like livestock that can be replaced? Finally, one might have a general dissatisfactio

God’s answer to Job comes in two parts. It is not that chapters 40-41 cover the same ground as 38-39 in more focused detail. Rather, they advance the argument by focusing on a complementary perspective. The key comes in Job 40:7-9 (ESV), “Dress for action like a man; I will question you, and you make it known to me. 8 Will you even put me in the wrong? Will you condemn me that you may be in the right? 9 Have you an arm like God, and can you thunder with a voice like his?” I