Gospel of Matthew Devotional

READ: MATTHEW 25:31-46
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that in the story of the sheep and the goats, Jesus says six times, “I was…”? Jesus’ point is that whenever his followers feed, give water, invite, clothe, care for, and visit even the least important of His brothers and sisters, they are literally serving Him.

This passage is not about earning our way to eternal life through acts of kindness. Instead, Jesus shows us that how we receive our brothers and sisters in Christ indicates whether we have truly received Jesus as our Lord.

Respond:

• Journal about a time when you experienced the presence of Jesus more deeply by serving a brother or sister in Christ. What did you do? How did you feel?

• Pray to ask the Holy Spirit if there is any brother or sister in Christ that He iscalling you to serve.

READ: MATTHEW 26:17-35
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that Jesus sings a hymn with His disciples at the end of their Passover meal? According to contemporary custom, Jesus’ disciples likely sang some of the Psalms of Hallel that night: Psalms 115-118.

Jesus interprets His coming death through the lens of Israel’s Passover. The slavery of ancient Israel, the oppression of Pharaoh, the sacrificed Passover lamb, the presence of God revealed at Mount Sinai, the giving of the Torah

through Moses, and the formation of God’s people in their promised land all anticipated God’s kingdom arriving through the Lamb who was slain from the beginning of the world.

Respond:

• Journal about your experience celebrating the body and blood of Jesus in communion. How has the Holy Spirit used the meal Jesus created to help you remember the death of Jesus and participate in His presence with you?

• Pray through one of the Psalms that Jesus may have sung that night with his disciples (Psalms 115-118). Which phrases point to the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission?

READ: MATTHEW 26:36-46
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that Jesus prays part of the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) in the Garden of Gethsemane? He prays to the Father, “Your will be done.” As Jesus lives out this prayer, He redeems the failure of the first humans in the Garden of Eden. On His darkest night, Jesus brings His sorrowful soul to the Father in prayer and chooses to fully surrender God’s will. Not only that, but Jesus askedHis closest disciples to come near to Him. Jesus demonstrates a life of total obedience and the importance of close friendships to carry us through our sorrow.

Respond:

• Journal about something heavy that you are carrying in your soul. What is making you sorrowful? What friends can help you take this burden to God?

• Pray to thank Jesus for going through His anxiety, betrayal, and arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. Rest in Jesus’ complete surrender to the plan of the Father because of His unending love for us.

READ: MATTHEW 26:47-75
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that Jesus was accused of “blasphemy” at His trial before the Sanhedrin? Some people before Jesus had claimed to be Messiahs, human kings who believed God had chosen them to lead a revolution to free Israel. No one accused them of blasphemy.

Jesus, however, claimed more than that. He uses the title “Son of Man” to refer to an ancient prophecy (Daniel 7:1-14). Jesus is saying that not only is He a human king, but He shares authority that belongs to God alone and will one day come to judge the world. One day, Jesus’ accusers will be on trial before Him.

Respond:

• Journal about a time when you felt wrongfully accused or attacked. How do Jesus’ actions while facing His accusers encourage you?

• Pray after reading Daniel 7:1-14. Thank Jesus for being the human and divine Son of Man who will eradicate evil from our world forever.

READ: MATTHEW 27:1-26
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice what “amazed” Pilate about Jesus? It was Jesus’ silence. Jesus refuses to lie, to curse His enemies, or to defend Himself at the cost of His mission. Matthew is possibly alluding to Isaiah 53:7, a prophecy about the role of God’s Suffering Servant in carrying our sins written hundreds of years before Jesus went to the cross.

In the same way that Jesus took Barabbas’ place (many manuscripts of Matthew make this clear by noting that “Jesus” was also Barabbas’ given name), Jesus takes our place. He went to the cross to cover our sins with His blood.

Respond:

• Journal about the role of silence in your life. Are you often silent when you should speak, or do you speak when you should be silent? How does Jesus model prophetic speech and surrendering silence for you?

• Confess a specific sin in your life and thank Jesus for dying to secure your forgiveness, freedom, and renewal through the cross.

READ: MATTHEW 27:27-66
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice how many royal symbols appear during Jesus’ crucifixion? The Roman soldiers mock Jesus by giving Him a scarlet robe, a crown, and a staff. They even kneel in front of Jesus and hail Him. On the cross, Jesus is given a sign: “This Is Jesus: King of the Jews.” Matthew is telling us that even when people fail to recognize Jesus as their King, God will still use their actions for His good purposes. On the cross, we meet Jesus as the Suffering King: The upsidedown Messiah who rules the world through His self-giving love.

Respond:

• Journal about what it may have been like to be in the crowd the day Jesus was crucified. What would you have seen, heard, smelled, or touched? What would you have felt?

• Pray to reflect on Jesus’ death on the cross for your sins. Read the words of Isaiah 53. Respond in prayer however God is leading you.

READ: MATTHEW 28:1-15
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that Matthew notes that Jesus rose “after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week”? The Sabbath day signifies God’s rest after completing the creation of the world (see Genesis 2:1-3). Now, Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of a new creation week. This is why the earliest followers of Jesus gathered on Sundays.

Jesus’ resurrection changes everything about our world. His resurrection secures His victory and gives us hope for our own resurrection as we experience eternal life in His kingdom that has come, is coming, and will come to renew all things.

Respond:

• Journal about what you may have felt if you were Mary Magdalene or one of the other women who were the first to meet Jesus after He rose from the dead.

• Pray by waking up to see a sunrise. Praise the Father for sending the Son in the power of the Spirit to triumph over the evil and corruption of our world with God’s renewing life, light, and love.

READ: MATTHEW 28:16-20
MEMORIZE: MATTHEW 28:17-20

Receive:

Did you notice that Matthew ends his Gospel with the same key phrase from the introduction? In Matthew 1, we met Jesus as Immanuel: “God with us.” Now, after Jesus rises from the dead, breaking the power of evil and securing His authority forever, He ends with a promise: “I am with you always.”

Jesus’ incarnate birth, righteous life, sacrificial death, and victorious resurrection inaugurated the kingdom of God. We can experience this rich life with God from the moment we turn to Him in faith and repentance. In Jesus, God offers us forgiveness for our past, transformation through the Holy Spirit in our present, and hope to experience God’s new creation in the future. That’s the good news Jesus sends His disciples out to share with the world.

Respond:

• Journal about a time when you felt the presence of Jesus with you. What were you doing? What did you feel? What was the result of that?

• Pray to ask God to show you a person who needs to hear about the good news of Jesus. How can you share the love of Jesus with that person through your life and your words?