Who Is Jesus? A Devotional Journey Through the Book of Matthew

By M.R. Hyde

Is Jesus all that you think he is? Would there be more about him you do not know? Explore the character and the person of Jesus Christ through Matthew's eyes. This book is divided into small sections of the Gospel of Matthew designed for personal or small group interaction. Each section is followed by a reflective or meditative question regarding Jesus Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: M.R. Hyde
• Release date: Feb 2, 2011
• ISBN: 9781458115591

M.R. Hyde

M.R. Hyde celebrates and explores the known and spiritual world by writing for Christian religious purposes and by penning fiction for the sheer joy of words. She is also an active artist.View the online gallery now at https://www.redbubble.com/people/mrHydeArt/shop.

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Who is Jesus? A Devotional Journey Through the Gospel of Matthew

Revised 2020

Copyright 2010, 2013 M.R. Hyde

Smashwords

Edition

Blog: http://thewordwwtw.blogspot.com/

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Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 Biblica. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. The NIV and New International Version trademarks are registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica. Use of either trademark requires the permission of Biblica.

Table of Contents

How to Use this Book

Who is Jesus?

Who is God?

Baptized Son

The Overcomer

Echo of Salvation

The Master Teacher

The Healer

The Authority: Part A

The Authority: Part B

Friend of Sinners

The Bridegroom: Part 1

The Faith Receiver

Lord of the Harvest

The Commissioner: Part A

The Commissioner: Part B

The Judge

Lord of the Sabbath

Servant Lord

Not of Satan

Greater than Jonah

Family Man

Storyteller: Part 1

Storyteller: Part 2

Storyteller: Part 3

The Gentleman

Acquaintance of Grief

The Provider

Master of the Elements

The Non-Traditionalist

Good Master

The Repeater

Definer of Yeast

The Christ

The Dying and the Living

Whole Faith

The Transfigured

Tax Paying Citizen

Defender of Children

Extravagant Shepherd

Way of Reconciliation

Merciful King

Upholder of Marriage

King of Children

Pathway of Perfection

Merciful Provider

The Least Servant

Attentive Messiah

Triumph and Strength

Possible Faith

Unquestionable Authority

The Bridegroom: Part 2

Hypocrite Trap

Son of the God of the Living

The Law of Love

Son and Lord of David

For Listeners and Learners

The Woe Limit

Coming Messiah

Triumphant Messiah

The Announced

The Last Bridegroom

Misunderstood Master

The Great Divide

The Anointed One

The Body and the Blood

Unflinching Prophet

Man of Sorrows

The Betrayed

The Accused

The Disowned

The Condemned

King of the Jews

Final Authority

The Was Dead

The Risen and the Living

The Sender

Appendix

Enjoying a Relationship with Jesus Christ

What is the Christian Bible?

Why Was the Bible Written?

General Layout of the Christian Bible

Two Important Things Regarding the Reading of the Bible

About This Book

About the Author

Bibliography

How to Use this Book

This book is divided into small sections of the Gospel of Matthew designed for personal or small group interaction. Each section is followed by a reflective or meditative question regarding Jesus Christ. It will be important for you to have a Bible with you as you read this. The English version used in this journey is the New International Version, but other versions are appropriate as well. If you would like a digital Bible at your fingertips, there are many available online, many of which now have audible formats. Find one that fits and works best for you.

Recommended uses include the following:

Personal Daily Devotional

Personal Weekly Devotional

Small Group Weekly Discussion Starters

Further exercises can include:

Comparing the NIV version to other Christian versions of the same text

Comparing the Gospels side-by-side

Jesus said,

Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

—Matthew 5:6

Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus? This short question invites many, many answers. Perhaps we have been told the Bible stories in church or Sunday school. Or maybe we remember grandparents talking about him. Or was it that newspaper article or that street preacher that described this person Jesus you really did not know much about? The Name of Jesus somehow ends up the topic of discussion over and over throughout history. There must be something to this person. Maybe he’s like Mohammed or Buddha. Maybe he’s a great teacher or one of hundreds of prophets in the stream of human history. Maybe he’s just a guy who got a lot of publicity. Whoever he is, this Jesus calls for some investigation.

I would always like to know more about Jesus. And I’m always searching to know more about God. I happen to believe that there is one source that will give me all I need to know about Jesus--- the Bible. So, let’s go to the New Testament and read about this person Jesus.

In the beginning of the New Testament there are four books that are very similar in content. The first book is called Matthew. Then there is Mark, Luke and John. These four books are called The Gospels. Gospel means good news. Four different people wrote about the life of Jesus and it is called good news. These are four different perspectives, four different eye-witnesses, four stories about one Man who they called their Savior.

Christian tradition holds that three of these Gospel writers—Matthew, Mark, and John—were people who walked with Jesus in human history. They were called his disciples. A disciple is a student, a pupil, a learner—a person who accepts the teachings of another. While Jesus was on earth, he asked people to follow him, learn from him and believe that he was the only Son of the living God. There were twelve disciples at the beginning of Jesus’ work and ministry on earth. After that millions and millions of people have become disciples of Jesus Christ. The fourth book of the Gospels was written by Luke, a man who learned about Jesus from these disciples and found him to be his personal Savior too. Jesus was so important to Luke that he wrote as complete a story as he could based on the accounts of first-person witnesses. The first four books of the New Testament are the stories of the life of Jesus and how he has made a difference in the world with eternal implications.

Each of these individuals had to grapple with the same question we grapple with today. There were many teachers, prophets and philosophers in the areas of Galilee and Jerusalem where the disciples lived and worked. And these influencers of thought often promoted their own ideas of God and this Jesus who had recently arrived on the scene. These books of the New Testament deal honestly and clearly with what each writer understood about our question of Jesus.

How important is an eye-witness account to you? Do you believe someone when they describe a sporting event, an incredible game, or perhaps a speech by a famous person? Witnesses to events, for most of us, are the most important piece to a real story. So, I challenge you now to listen to Matthew, as he tells his story about the Man named Jesus.

We know some things about Matthew that will be helpful in understanding who the writer was. Matthew was a tax collector who lived in what we now call the Middle East. He lived in a region that Herod the Great ruled as the Roman Empire. Matthew lived among a Greek speaking, Jewish/Christian community. In Matthew 9:9-11we read about Matthew as he writes about his first meeting with Jesus. As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and ‘sinners’ came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.

We learn a lot about Matthew from this short passage. He was a tax collector who ate with people who were considered sinners, He invited these people into his own home. Tax collectors were not popular people. They made sure that each citizen paid what was due the Roman government and the religious taxes in addition to these. Tax collecting was certainly a job that needed to be done, but the job was seen in a negative light. Nevertheless, Jesus did not seem to have a problem eating with tax collectors and sinners. In Luke 5:29 the author also identifies Matthew by another name, Levi.

It is from the common point of eating a meal with Jesus that Matthew begins to follow him. From that moment on Matthew’s life took a completely different course.

The book of Matthew itself is a combination of different kinds of literature. In this book we find historical facts, proclamation or preaching of the Gospel, eye-witness accounts to miracles and events, ethical teachings of Jesus, early historical development of the Christian church, descriptions of the Messiah and the Kingdom of God, and calls to repentance in light of coming judgment. It sure looks like we will have a lot to learn from Matthew and about Jesus.

So, let’s begin, shall we?

In the first chapter of Matthew we read a long list of names. It is a genealogy of the family of Jesus. It may seem a little boring or of no consequence, but I believe it begins to help establish part of who Jesus is.

Read Matthew Chapter 1

Matthew told us some very important things about Jesus. It was his intent to describe the lineage, birth and nature of Jesus Christ. Here is what we have already learned about Jesus: Jesus was born a human through a Jewish line of heritage that included kings and poor people. He was born to a willing and obedient woman named Mary and a struggling, righteous but obedient, man named Joseph. Jesus was not only born into human flesh, but was also prophesied from early times as the one named Immanuel—God with us.

The reality, mystery and wonder of Jesus have been introduced to us by Matthew. My curiosity is piqued. More questions are raised. Who is Jesus?

Who is God?

Who is God? That is a basic human question. Can humans become God? Is there a spiritual evolution of the soul from humanity to godhood? Many religions throughout the world assure us that if we follow their way, we will eventually become gods. In America, we are urged to find our true selves and then we will have ultimate control over our destiny—essentially, we are told that we can become our own gods.

From the Christian perspective there is a significant problem with these modes of thinking, for there is only one God and King—Jesus Christ. He was the only one who could and does hold the essence of humanity and divinity together. This idea causes a lot of trouble. It always has and it always will. Jesus Christ came to us from outside of our human understanding. He is God, at one and the same time the very nature of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We acknowledge Him as one in three—The Holy Trinity. This may not be so difficult to understand. It is similar to the different roles that we humans. There exists one man who is a father to his children, a son to his own father and a husband to his wife. In crude way we can begin to comprehend how God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And he is the only one who is this. No one of us can become him, although the Scriptures assure us that we can become like him. This is a critical matter of faith in understanding who Jesus is.

As we read our passage today from Matthew Chapter 2, I want you to pay close attention to the people who approach Jesus. How did they approach him and why did they approach him in the manner they did? Let’s explore who they were first.

During the life of Jesus Christ, Herod ruled the area of Judea which was dominated by Roman rule. Herod thought himself to be god-like, there was to be no one equal to him. Although he himself was of Jewish descent, he had little problem killing Jews—and anyone else—who might threaten his place as king. Any threat to his station as ultimate ruler was dealt with by quick and horrible violence.

Early in the life of Jesus, some wise men (also called magi) from another land came seeking someone called the King of the Jews or the Christ (which also means Messiah). In the book of Matthew, we find many references to ancient passages of Scripture foretelling the coming of a Messiah—one who would save his people and deliver them. These visiting magi had been studying these ancient passages and the stars in the sky and felt that they had seen a sure sign of the arrival of the Messiah. It seems very important to Matthew book that we would see the direct connection between the arrival of Jesus and the promise of the Messiah because he quotes the ancient Hebrew Scriptures so much.

The third person that we see in this passage is Joseph, the earthly father of Jesus. Although Joseph had accepted the role of being Jesus’ father when he found out about Mary’s pregnancy, he was constantly faced with difficulties simply for who Jesus was and who he was thought to be.

Read Matthew 2

Now think with me about the responses of these people to Jesus. There is actually very little known about the wise men. Many legends have been built up around these men. But what do we actually know about them from the Bible? They are simply represented in this passage as coming a great distance, following a star, studying the Holy Scriptures and having a desire to worship the Christ. What incredible men these were! To travel so far by faith! How many of us would ride a camel many nights to meet and worship one we had only read about?

Why would Herod respond the way he did? In fact, why would all Jerusalem be disturbed along with him? Herod began by deceiving the wise men and then proceeded to take horrifying and extreme measures against one child by killing other children! The only answer to this rests on the word king. Remember that Herod wanted no other king beside himself. The Jewish people had awaited the promised Messiah King for centuries. Then some folk from outside city walls told them that he had already arrived! We do not know precisely what the rest of Jerusalem did, except mourn the death of their children. What a horrible response to a threat Herod made! Herod’s jealousy and fear drove him to care for nothing but himself.

What was Joseph’s response? Simple obedience. Here is one of the most obedient people in the Bible. He responded to the angels, to dreams from God and to the Word of the Lord, all because the baby born to his wife was named Jesus—which means the Lord saves. Joseph understood enough of who Jesus was to protect him with all his might. This included travels to Egypt away from their families and then taking the long journey back to Nazareth in Galilee once Herod had died.

We see three different responses to Jesus and they tell us much about who he is. Wise men gave up everything to search for him and worship him as king and Messiah. A ruler was so threatened by him that he murdered to get rid of him. A man named Joseph followed his heart and obeyed God on behalf of him.

Who is Jesus? He is either your great Savior or your great enemy. There must have been something about him that was different than any other human to draw such incredible responses from people. Is he your Messiah or your enemy? Only you and he can answer that question together.

Who is Jesus to you this day?

Baptized Son

How far would someone go to show that they fully empathize with you? Empathy is the action of understanding and being sensitive to the feelings, thoughts and experiences of another person. It usually implies the greatest sense of compassion and care. If someone was being empathetic you would feel a strong sense of friendship, insight or kindness from them. Today we will be looking at Chapter 3 of the Gospel of Matthew. In this chapter we encounter some very interesting people. We continue to try to answer our question, Who is Jesus?

John the Baptist, by most accounts, was an unusual man. In the Gospels we see that he was the actual cousin of Jesus. His mother Elizabeth was pregnant at the same time as Mary and they rejoiced together over the great news. In fact, in Luke 1:41 John jumped in his mother’s womb the moment he heard that Mary’s voice proclaiming that Jesus was conceived.

John grew up to be a very serious man with a two very serious messages. One of his messages was to repentance—that is to turn away from sins to God. The second message was that those who repent should be baptized. It was a common practice that converts to Judaism would repent, ask God for forgiveness and be baptized. This was usually done by a public confession of their repentance through the act of being immersed in water. This act of baptism was never done by a person born of Jewish descent because it was believed that, as Craig Keener has described it, if they were born into a Jewish family and did not reject God’s law, they would be saved. John was a brave and bold man, as well as unusually clothed with a strange diet. It did not seem to bother him at all to call everyone to repentance. His messages were not just to the Gentile folk willing to repent, but also to the Jewish folk who needed also to repent. This would have been shocking for a Jewish person to hear. John confronted two groups of Jews in particular—the Pharisees and Sadducees. These two groups were respected and highly influential and pious Jewish leaders.

John himself was a Jew, but a unique Jew. He was known as a prophet—one who foretells God’s actions and the consequences (positive or negative) that people will encounter by way of their responses to God. Prophets are almost always unusual people because they encounter God in intimate and striking ways. This encounter launches them out into unique and captivating ways of relating and speaking. All through the Old Testament God spoke through prophets. The writer of this Gospel quoted these prophets many times, indicating that the words of the prophets of old have something specific to do with this man named Jesus. John also was a prophet who told of One who is coming who is both powerful and the leader of a kingdom, One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, and One who acts with unquenchable fire.

Was he talking about Jesus? It does not sound like the Jesus some would describe: gentle Jesus, meek and mild, our best friend. John was talking about a coming King, one that all Jews anticipate. Jews believe that this ruler will free them from social and political oppression. This king would rule with such authority that all the oppressors and rulers of the world would be overcome and the Jewish people would be radically rescued. Truly, God had promised for centuries to rescue his people, and he did many times. But there was an expectation for a final and complete victory. John’s message, though, was not just for the Jewish people but also for the Gentile seekers who would come and believe.

Read Matthew 3:1-12

John was anticipating the coming king. He, in fact, was one who has been chosen to proclaim the arrival of the Messiah. So, he proclaimed the need for everyone to repent. He knew in his heart that the Messiah was this great and coming king, filled with strength and awesome power.

And then Jesus stood next to him. God had revealed to John that his cousin was this powerful Messiah. Just imagine that you have been looking for him for years, proclaiming his arrival, confronting people so that they will be ready to meet him and there he stands in the water next to you!

Read Matthew 3:13-17

John knew who Jesus was by clear revelation. He knew that Jesus did not need to repent or be baptized. He was the living Son of God, who had come to bring salvation fully, freely and finally to every person from every nation and language.

John wrestled with trying to understand why Jesus would be baptized. There was no sin in him. But this is where we see the wonder and magnificence of Jesus coming to empathize with us. He took on the form of a servant and declared that he would be baptized just as any other human being would be baptized. Jesus simultaneously empathized with us who so desperately need a Savior. And he modeled for us how those who are saved should act in response to that great salvation. Jesus said himself that this was appropriate in order to fulfill all righteousness—proper to show the way for believers to follow.

John consented, the Bible says. He knew who Jesus was—the One who was all powerful and mighty, coming to judge the earth with righteousness and the One who would submit himself for our sakes to baptism. What a wonder, this God-Man! If I was John I would have been trembling as I watched the Son of God washed with the waters of repentance he did not need.

What was Father God’s response? Absolute, unquestionable, affirmation and love. God was well pleased and we are blessed by the decision of Jesus Christ to empathize with us.

If you do not know that God loves you today, I invite you to receive this truth—that there is One named Jesus Christ who came and walked on earth so that you would not have to suffer the negative consequences of sin. If you have not yet, I urge you to repent and be baptized today. Confess your sins to him who is willing, able and waiting to forgive you today.

Who is Jesus and does he really empathize with you right now?

The Overcomer

There are some basic struggles for every human being. You would find these struggles and desires present in every culture in the world. They could be called temptations. Now temptations are interesting things—they would have to evoke some interest in us or they just would not be temptations. The dictionary describes them as enticements to do wrong by the promise of pleasure or gain. They are provoking ideas that would test your limits or your values. They are ideas that could lead you toward doing something risky or dangerous.

Here is a truth about God’s character: he does not tempt us himself—although he permits temptation in our lives. It is quite like testing metal to see how strong it is or to show how strong it is. An example of this is found in the Old Testament book of Job. In that book God declares that Job is a righteous man and Satan asks to prove God wrong. God permits Satan to work over Job, although God does not allow Satan to kill Job. That marvelous book wrestles with the physical, intellectual and spiritual struggles that come from suffering. Just as we see Job and his friends wrestle with temptation and suffering. We can also read many more stories of temptations and trials in the rest of the Old Testament.

We have to be honest—some of our suffering comes as a result of sinful decisions that we make and some come from just living in a fallen world. But there are times and places when God permits the metal of our souls to be tested—and sometimes that is through the direct avenue of temptation. There is one source of temptation. That source is Satan, the enemy of our souls. 1Peter 5:8-9 states, Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers and sisters throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. There is a great struggle between darkness and light. It has happened for centuries and it will only stop when Jesus comes to the earth again, completely destroying the work of Satan. So, in the meantime we all face temptations—great and small.

In our continuing journey through the New Testament book of Matthew and trying to answer the question Who is Jesus? we come now to the fourth chapter. Let’s read a fascinating passage about Jesus’ encounter with the tempter Satan.

Read Matthew 4:1-11

In this passage Jesus is tempted. In relation to our question of who Jesus is, we can certainly see some interesting things. Remember that temptation has to be something real to the tempted. I believe that this Scripture describes to us the reality of Jesus’ temptations and the reality of his humanity and divinity. If Jesus was not really human, he would not have been tempted. If Jesus was not really divine, he would have not been the adversary of Satan. Why would Satan have been so intent on defeating him? Jesus had come to overcome Satan, sin and death. Almost unbelievably, Satan was audacious enough to think that he could overcome Jesus with temptation! Ah, the deceiver is very deceived, isn’t he? Perhaps Satan thought that since God was now in the flesh, he was weaker. But that’s where Satan was quite wrong. Flesh is not weak when it is filled with God!

Let’s review the temptations: 1) Real, physical need and hunger (40 days and nights of fasting!)—Jesus was hungry. Satan invited him to create his own bread to eat. In essence this temptation is to provide for self rather than relying on God’s provision. 2) Testing God in who he says he is—essentially this is a temptation to prove himself and manipulate his powers to save himself. Would this not be the same temptation he would face years later in the Garden of Gethsemane? 3) Worshipping power and riches. I believe that these are the basic human temptations: temptations to provide for ourselves instead of trusting in God’s good will and timing; trying to force God to act based on selfishness; and worshipping something or someone other than the one, true, living God. There are a multitude of other temptations. But at the core, these are the ones that each individual faces. These are serious temptations that affect our present lives and our eternal destinies.

Jesus made decisions about these temptations. He showed us the way to face this kind of trial. Benedict Viviano said it best in this way: The individual temptations in Matthew are not as bizarre as they appear at first glance; they are all based on various ways of sinning against the great commandment to love God ‘with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might. (Deuteronomy 6:5)

How did Jesus overcome Satan? In one simple and powerful way. Quite simply it was by the Word of God. Jesus answered as Moses did in Deuteronomy 6:16, 13, and 8:3. Jesus understood that God’s Word is living and active, more powerful than a double-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12). Satan cannot overcome that Word even though he knows it himself and abuses it. It is important to note here that Satan did indeed use the Word of God against God himself. Be very aware, my dear brothers and sisters, that in order to battle Satan’s abuses you must know and recognize that Word well enough to realize the truth as the truth is being twisted in front of you!

The beauty and wonder of this passage in Matthew is that, through the careful and quick use of the Word of God, Jesus overcame temptation. Once again Jesus showed us the way. Do not become persuaded that you have to