The Book of MatthewSample

Walking along the beach of Lake Galilee, Jesus saw two brothers: Simon (later called Peter) and Andrew. They were fishing, throwing their nets into the lake. It was their regular work. Jesus said to them, “Come with me. I’ll make a new kind of fisherman out of you. I’ll show you how to catch men and women instead of perch and bass.” They didn’t ask questions, but simply dropped their nets and followed.

(Matthew 4:18-20, The Message) 

Pastor Carl recently spoke about “The Stretch Called Christmas,” explaining that the Christian faith begins with a massive stretch: believing that our Lord and Savior was born of a virgin. Matthew must have known that he was taking a risk when he wrote this account. We believe that it is a miracle story, but that it is not the end of the story. 

In chapter 3, we read about John the Baptist. In short, he told the Jewish people to get it together and to get ready for what God was about to do. When John meets Jesus, he is shocked when Jesus requests baptism for himself. This inquiry was not what John had in mind when he preached. Jesus’ baptism sets the stage for the rest of the story. He humbles himself and identifies with God’s people, sharing in their humanity, life, and death. 

This theme continues as the devil leads Jesus into the wilderness and tempts Him. Jesus experienced temptation, just as we do—distraction or detours from God’s plan. Jesus fights sin by knowing the Word of God, teaching us how to do the same. We must believe what the Bible says because the enemy would love nothing more than to distract people away from the calling of God. 

As Jesus’ ministry begins to unfold in chapter 4, we quickly see his influence and power. These first four chapters cover a lot of ground, but we don’t get all of the details. There is another stretch in this story: we jump from Jesus’ birth to the beginning of his ministry. What happened in those 30 years? 

God doesn’t usually give us all the details. Many times, His promises come to pass in ways we don’t expect. The real questions are: Are we going to trust Him? Will we believe that He is still at work or that He hasn’t forgotten us? Are we going to continue to leave everything behind to see His Kingdom move forward EVEN WHEN it doesn’t seem to make sense? 

Discussion Questions for Leader

How do you fight temptation? 

How do we stay faithful when God doesn’t give us the details?

When have you had to trust God when it didn’t make sense?