Series Introduction
Welcome to our Trinity Family Read-Thru Series!
As we anticipate jumping back into the Gospel of Matthew on Sunday mornings, we’re inviting our church family to review what had been covered prior to Pastor Ty’s sabbatical last summer.
Sure you could go back and listen to or read almost fifty sermons, but for those a bit less ambitious, we’ve created a reading plan. Don’t worry, it’s just two chapters a week for the next eight weeks. We’d love this to become an opportunity for family discipleship; so we’ve written up a synopsis and discussion questions for each week of this Read-Thru. Below is the first installment!
Read
Read Mathew 1-2 out loud together.
Review
In these first two chapters we are introduced to Jesus through his ancestors, parents, and foreigners (Magi) from the East. The long list of ancestors in chapter one, also known as a genealogy, signifies both Jesus’ Jewish ancestry and royal status as a descendent of King David. Later in chapter one we are introduced to Joseph, Jesus’ father. Though Joseph was not Jesus’ biological father, Matthew is very clear that Joseph was Jesus’ real earthly father.
In chapter two we learn that Jesus’ importance was not just revealed to his parents, but others as well. Both the current king of Israel and a group of non-Jewish foreigners discover that the Jewish Messiah has been born, but only one party has righteous intentions for the anointed child. Contrary to what we might expect, it was the foreign Magi who sought to honor Jesus and Herod who sought to destroy him. By God’s power, Jesus was delivered from Herod’s evil plan, foreshadowing Jesus’ future conflict with the political and religious elite.
Discuss
- Why might it have been difficult for Joseph to take Mary as his wife after it was known that she was pregnant? Why did Joseph marry her anyway?
- Share a time in your life when obeying God meant doing something that caused other people to think less of you. Looking back, was it worth it? Why or why not?
- What does Jesus’ name mean (1:21)? What title was he to be given and what does it mean (1:23)? Why is this good news?
- Try to come up with as many problematic or bad things that happened in chapters 1-2. According to Matthew, did these things interrupt or fulfill God’s plan? How do we know?
- How does knowing that God has a good purpose and plan behind the bad/problematic things help you today?
Pray
Ask God to help you rejoice in Jesus as the Magi did and give you the courage to obey God’s Word as Joseph did.