Bible Reading Plan - Gospels in 90 DaysSample

Matthew Introduction

The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew, one of the original twelve disciples (also referred to as “Levi” by Mark and Luke). Matthew was originally a tax collector, but He left His life and career behind to go follow Jesus (as recorded in Matthew 9:9). This gospel account of Jesus’ life is the most Jewish-centric, full of Old Testament references that Matthew’s Jewish readers would have picked up on.

After 400 years of silence in between the book of Malachi and the birth of Jesus, this account of Jesus’ life serves as a reminder that God had not forgotten His people. Quite the opposite in fact! Throughout these 28 chapters describing Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection, we are able to see both the humanity and divinity of Jesus. We'll read some of the most famous words Jesus said, as well as the stories of some of the miracles He performed during His ministry. The book ends with The Great Commission: that we are to go and make disciples of all nations. That instruction is no less for us today than it was to the original audience to which Jesus spoke those powerful words.

This book is an eyewitness account of the most impactful person in human history—and we get to read it! As you read each chapter, try to immerse yourself in the story. That’s what makes these narrative accounts of the life of Jesus so compelling! Close your eyes and picture what each one of these scenes might have looked like. Ask God to reveal Himself to you in a new way as you experience Jesus through these ancient, sacred words.

This chapter starts with the genealogy of Jesus and describes how Jesus is linked to familiar characters from the Old Testament: He descends from the Messianic line of David and Abraham. These key points are meant to provide evidence that Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies and will bring God’s blessing to all the nations, just as God promised to Abraham. In 2 Samuel it was also foretold and explained that the Messiah would come from King David’s line, and in the very first sentence of this book, Matthew points to Jesus as the fulfillment of those promises.

But let’s not miss that Matthew, all throughout Jesus’ geneology, includes some interesting characters that didn’t fulfill prophecies, but rather were meant to provide us with hope . He mentions prostitutes, murderers and adulterers along the way because it identifies that there were sinners in the line of Jesus—people just like us. As the theologian Charles Spurgeon put it, Jesus “is akin to the fallen and to the lowly, and He will show His love even to the poorest and most obscure.”

What a gift that God made sure to intentionally include the lowly in this list. It’s tangible evidence of His grace and love for us all—one more assurance that we would never have to feel that we fall outside of His forgiveness. In fact, not only does it provide assurance of forgiveness, it exhibits a picture of Ephesians 1:11 which says that we have obtained an inheritance in Jesus. Absolutely none of us are so bad that we cannot be included in the genealogy of Christ the King!

Today as we go about our day, let’s focus on and give thanks for a God who cared so much about us that He inspired those writing Scripture to include names like Tamar, Rahab, and David (despite what he did with the wife of Uriah). Names that did not have to be included, but as 2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, were “God-breathed” for our benefit. What a reminder of God’s love for every single one of us, no matter our story.