Meditation on the Words of Jesus in Matthew

By Norman Campbell

I am the treasurer of Saint Anne and all Saints, Vauxhall, and have qualified for The Diocesan Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies. My intention here is to outline what the words of Jesus evoke in me as an ordinary Christian. Having prayed before the task that was in front of me I hope I have some inspiring comments to make that will be instructive to fellow Christians and even unbelievers. The following verse of a favourite hymn, popular with many, hopefully may be applicable during the process of reading this book as Jesus is very much alive and present in my life generally.

I heard the voice of Jesus say:
'Come unto me and rest;
Lay down, Thou weary one, lay down
Thy head upon my breast.'
I came to Jesus as I was,
Weary and worn and sad,
I found in Him a resting-place,
And He has made me glad.

I hope my comments will result in a closer relationship of the reader with Jesus, and that the end result will be peace and hope for the future as Christians.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: Feb 26, 2013
• ISBN: 9781481784993

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© 2013 by Norman Campbell. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Scripture, apart from the verses indicated by WEB (World English Bible), taken from the New King James Version—Copyright (c ) 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

The headings to the verses are also from the New King James Version.

Published by AuthorHouse 02/18/13

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8498-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4817-8499-3 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

Preface

Chapter 1 (Matthew 3)

Chapter 2 (Matthew 4)

Chapter 3 (Matthew 5)

Chapter 4 (Matthew 6)

Chapter 5 (Matthew 7)

Chapter 6 (Matthew 8)

Chapter 7 (Matthew 9)

Chapter 8 (Matthew 10)

Chapter 9 (Matthew 11)

Chapter 10 (Matthew 12)

Chapter 11 (Matthew 13)

Chapter 12 (Matthew 14)

Chapter 13 (Matthew 15)

Chapter 14 (Matthew 16)

Chapter 15 (Matthew 17)

Chapter 16 (Matthew 18)

Chapter 17 (Matthew 19)

Chapter 18 (Matthew 20)

Chapter (Matthew 21)

Chapter 20 (Matthew 22)

Chapter 21 (Matthew 23)

Chapter 22 (Matthew 24)

Chapter 23 (Matthew 25)

Chapter 24 (Matthew 26)

Chapter 25 (Matthew 27)

Chapter 26 (Matthew 28)

Preface

I am the treasurer of Saint Anne and all Saints, Vauxhall, and have qualified for The Diocesan Certificate in Biblical and Theological Studies. My intention here is to outline what the words of Jesus evoke in me as an ordinary Christian. Having prayed before the task that was in front of me I hope I have some inspiring comments to make that will be instructive to fellow Christians and even unbelievers. The following verse of a favourite hymn, popular with many, hopefully may be applicable during the process of reading this book as Jesus is very much alive and present in my life generally.

I heard the voice of Jesus say:

‘Come unto me and rest;

Lay down, Thou weary one, lay down

Thy head upon my breast.’

I came to Jesus as I was,

Weary and worn and sad,

I found in Him a resting-place,

And He has made me glad.

I hope my comments will result in a closer relationship of the reader with Jesus, and that the end result will be peace and hope for the future as Christians.

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Chapter 1

BAPTISM OF JESUS

v15: . . . . "Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness.’’

Jesus is responding to John’s surprise that Jesus should express a desire to be baptised by John. John recognised Jesus as being the Messiah. If we are certain that God is speaking to us regarding any matter and it really is God’s will we should follow our instincts in that situation like John did in his response to Jesus’ request to be baptised. That baptism is important as a Christian sacrament seems to be born out by, as I see it, Jesus’ decision to submit to be baptised himself despite John’s reaction. Whatever is proper for Jesus is proper for us as Christians. I feel that this verse indicates as well Jesus’ humility. Let us pray that we can reject pride in ourselves and model ourselves on Him especially after our commitment to baptism. It was necessary for His baptism as likewise God deemed it necessary for all aspiring Christians.

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Chapter 2

SATAN TEMPTS JESUS

v7: . . . . "It is written again, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’ ‘‘

This is Jesus’ rebuke to the devil who has just asked Jesus to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. God himself knows how and when to intervene and this could be sought through prayer. God can only do good and every person has free will of his own and can be responsible for his own personal decisions. If a person decides on a certain course of action he has only himself to blame if he is wrong. Should we not consult God when we are about to make important decisions but not insist on God’s intervention if that is not His will?

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v10: . . . . "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ‘‘

We need determination and strength of mind to resist Satan if he impinges in any way on our lives, especially if he tries to weaken and shake our Christian faith in any way. We need to be continually aware of his stealth and cunning in trying to achieve his aims. We ask that our focus in life should be on God and God alone. A good approach to life would be to abandon any inclination to be influenced by Satan, and to pay no attention to his efforts to undermine our Christian faith. Like Jesus, should we not, as Christians, show reverence to God and worship and praise him as he deserves? Shouldn’t we put Him first in everything we do and acknowledge Him as our creator and the source of all things that are good? We ask prayerfully that we persevere in Christian service, showing love and kindness to all human beings.

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Chapter 3

THE BEATITUDES

v4: . . . . Blessed are those who mourn,

For they shall be comforted.

When we encounter difficult times in our lives as Christians we are assured of Your close presence and support through difficult times. On occasions when we suffer the loss of a friend or member of the family You are always close to us and ready to share our burden of grief. We acknowledge that there are times when our faith can be severely tested in times of trouble and unhappiness. However Lord, You respond with charity and kindness despite the circumstances. You guide and comfort those who are encountering stormy waters, but lead them eventually to calmer waters. Eventually some will triumph and overcome the trials of this life, anticipating a life of joy and peace in heaven.

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v6: . . . . Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled.

Thank You Lord for Your promises to all who are faithful to You. We pray that our quest for righteousness be a never ending one and that we achieve that state through our efforts to become closer to You. We hope to accomplish this partly through dedication in reading and properly digesting the word of God as expressed in the Bible. We are promised we shall receive righteousness if we make a continued effort to seek it, and this should be an ongoing process in our lives as Christians. Our entire mind must be applied to this goal. Our reward, if our approach to seeking righteousness is genuine, will be a spiritual satisfaction which will transcend any physical satisfaction we could hope for.

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v8: Blessed are the pure in heart,

For they shall see God.

Lord help us to remain pure and spotless in Your sight as we progress along our Christian path. I pray that I am able to eradicate all imperfections in myself through being guided by the Holy Spirit and, that under His influence, I abandon old ways and be fashioned perfectly as a pearl is in its growth. I ask only to be accepted into Your kingdom and see Jesus face to face. In our search towards perfection we leave no stone unturned towards that goal. We hope eventually to receive resurrection bodies that will be perfectly formed and not be so imperfect and vulnerable to decay and influenced by external forces as our present earthly bodies are. When we will be finally welcomed into heaven after our earthly struggles our joy will be complete.

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v10: "Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake,

For theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Give us the strength and determination to survive persecution, whether from individuals or from political sources which might be directed at our Christian faith.

Give us the confidence in our faith to defend it when it is attacked. Let us not hesitate to confess what we stand for despite opposition and derision from certain quarters. Silence as a response may be golden in some situations; sometimes the occasion demands vigorous defence of Christianity and all it stands for and what it claims to embody. This includes our acceptance that Jesus is divine. Enable us to stand firm in our belief that Jesus had a vital and necessary mission on earth; He died an atoning death for us. Let us trust in these incontrovertible facts despite opposition from non believers. Our reward will be inevitable and glorious whereas dissenters will suffer a tragic fate.

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v12: "Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.’’

Let us be grateful and confident of what will await all those who will eventually enter heaven after their life on earth comes to an end. Despite living a tragic life like Lazarus, who was reduced to begging at the rich man’s door for any crumbs from the rich man’s table, Lazarus emerged triumphant and entered heaven; the rich man received his just