We are just over halfway through our year in the gospel of Matthew so we thought it would be a great time to zoom back out and remind us why we are spending so much time in this telling of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. As elders, MC leaders, and a teaching team we initiated spending 12-18 months in Matthew to better form us as a witnessing community.
We believe that this book is an essential component of any disciplemaking community who wants to continue to take up their their role in God’s story as they are sent together on God’s mission.
In Matthew’s gospel, we are doing just that, encountering Jesus as he continues God’s Mission. (Or the Missio Dei) We are seeing not only a historical narrative (events, characters, timelines) but a profoundly missional manifesto that we hope shapes the witness of our church in the valley for years to come. Oh yeah, we also hope it is changing your heart and life as you see Jesus in this way.
Looking Back
The genealogy that Matthew used to open up his gospel signifies Jesus’ place in the divine drama of redemption—a narrative that beckons us to recognize our role within it. A narrative that continues to today. It’s imperative for our missionary calling, wherever that may be, that we first see Jesus’ calling and vocation.
Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus, particularly in the Sermon on the Mount but not only there, outlines a kingdom ethic that challenges the prevailing cultural currents of our time. In Matthew, discipleship is not passive observance, or information memorization, but active participation in the Way of Jesus. Disciples are not content to hear the words of Jesus, but are called to a way of life to live. We have seen, there is no gospel experience that is purely personal, but public life will be shaped in those who follow as part of the Jesus community.
Kingdom Come
The life, ministry, and community of Jesus are all understood by Matthew as God setting up his kingdom, establishing Jesus as the true King of creation, and shaping the missional witness of the church who would read of these mighty acts of God.
Go Now
The climax of Matthew’s gospel, the Great Commission, resonates with missional urgency as well. It compels believers to proclaim and embody the gospel of the kingdom, baptizing and teaching all nations. This commission transcends mere evangelism; it demands the integration of faith and action, cultivating communities that reflect the righteousness and compassion of God’s kingdom. As David Bosch reminds us, we can only understand what Matthew means by discipleship, if we look at the first 27 chapters of his gospel to see what he means.
In The East Valley As It Is In Heaven
We beleive Matthew’s narrative is a call to embody the values of God’s kingdom—justice, mercy, and reconciliation to name a few—in a world marred by brokenness, division, and pain. As we read this gospel we find ourselves invited perhaps again, or perhaps for the first time, to join in God’s redemptive mission, engaging with both individual hearts and societal structures, thereby living into the prayer Jesus gave us where his kingdom comes and his will is done, “on earth as it is in heaven.”