He begins with His lineage and His identity as the “Immanuel.”Matthew 1:1-25
He clarifies that He is the King of Jews and nothing will change that! Matthew 2:1-23
He declares at His baptism by John that He is God’s beloved Son. Matthew 3:1-17
He exposes the devil’s deeds and clarifies why Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew 4:1-25
He followed Him as the “Crowds” did and saw why He gained celebrity status! Matthew 5:1
He gathered from Jesus’ message on the mount the way to truly be happy. Matthew 5:2-16
He harvested a clear understanding about the purpose for Jesus coming. Matthew 5:17-20
He informs us about the true meaning behind God’s teachings. Matthew 5:21-7:28
He joyfully wrote about the supernatural abilities of Jesus. Matthew 8 & 9
He knowingly became one of Jesus’ disciples and accepted the cost. Matthew 10
He learned firsthand of John the baptizers’ death and his place in God’s plan. Matthew 11:1-19
He meaningfully gained info about Jesus’ disdain toward the unrepentant. Matthew 11:20-24
He noted in delight Jesus’ longing for all to come to Him. Matthew 11:25-30
He openly acknowledged that Jesus is the Lord! Matthew 12
He pointed to the parables so we could ponder the plan and purpose of Jesus. Matthew 13
He qualified reality with the death of John the baptizer. Matthew 14:1-12
He recorded the reality of the great power of Jesus. Matthew 14:13-36
He stated clearly the difference in the teachings of God and man. Matthew 15:1-20
He taught so we could know that Jesus is the One and only Savior. Matthew 15:21-39
He unequivocally pointed out false followers and confirmed true followers. Matthew 16:1-20
He valued the evidence of why we should follow Jesus. Matthew 17:1-22; 2 Peter 1:16-21
He wrote so we would honor God and not ourselves. Matthew 17:24-20:34
He eXpressed all that he knew about Jesus from firsthand knowledge.
He zealously wrote all he knew about Jesus because he wanted everyone to know about Jesus.
Think about it. Matthew was there when Jesus entered Jerusalem and was hailed as the King. He was there when Jesus cleansed the Temple and cursed the fig tree. He was there when others questioned Jesus about His authority. He heard Jesus’ parables and His explanation of them firsthand. He was a proverbial “Fly on the wall.” He heard the woes against the Scribes and Pharisees. He listened while Jesus spoke about the Temple’s destruction. He heard the lessons of the wise and foolish virgins, the talents and the judgment. He was there when Jesus instituted His Supper. He was in the garden when soldiers arrested Jesus. He heard the crowd cry out for the crucifixion of Jesus. He was one of those who were in great fear not knowing his own fate. He knew the emptiness and grief of Jesus’ death firsthand. He was there! He wasn’t someone who read about it after the fact. He was one of the eleven who waited for word form Jesus and when he received it he penned it and he gave us the great commission. Matthew 28:16-20
About the author:
Don and his wife Brenda have been married 48 years. They have two married sons Jason/Crista and Nicholas/Heather and four grandsons Luke, Ryker, Blake and Drew. Don is a graduate of the Gateway School of Preaching, Fairview Heights, IL, the Bristol Roads School of Biblical Studies, Flint, MI and he has a bachelor’s degree in religious education from Michigan Christian College. He has been preaching since 1979. He has preached at Pacific, MO; Howell, MI; Arnold, MO; Festus, MO; Dexter, MO; and De Soto, MO where he has served since 2007. He also serves the congregation as one of the elders. Don has done campaigns and meetings in several states and mission work in Cuba, India, and Jamaica. Don refers to himself as a “Minister” because he loves ministering to others and helping them learn about Jesus and growing in their relationship with Him.
De Soto church of Christ 