March 16th, 2023
Thursday, March 16
It Is Different
By: Lori Ennis
"“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Ephesians 4:22-25
I don’t know about you, but I tend to relate to those who think a lot like I do. And of all the gospel writers in the Bible, I am probably the most like Matthew.
I like facts.
I like them written down and recorded and able to be referenced, and I like to write.
A lot.
I like all the details and I like the nuances that tell a good story, and I like to be thorough.
Just like Matthew did.
The difference between Matthew and me, however, is that I’m not writing anything near of importance as he was when I write.
His purpose in writing the gospel named for him was of supreme importance–it was to show his fellow Jews that Jesus was King, the Messiah their people had waited for, and the one true God.
More than any other gospel writer, he referenced the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. More than any other gospel writer, he gave lineage to Jesus to show just how he lined up as who He said He was.
And perhaps more than any of the other gospel writers, Matthew knows how radical a change Jesus made in his life, and he wanted his people to know how and why that transformation happened.
He wanted people who read his words to know the Truth that he knew: Jesus.
I love a scene in “The Chosen”; it’s where Jesus calls Matthew and Peter objects because Matthew is different–he’s not who Jesus thinks he is.
Jesus responds with, “Get used to different.”
While this is, of course, a fictitious reenactment, I can imagine Matthew faced a lot of this contention from people in how he could suddenly have love for his fellow Jews and want to share the transformative love of Jesus with them.
Which is why he was thorough and detailed in his writing as he could be.
It mattered because it was life-saving.
It was different.
But well worth getting used to!
It Is Different
By: Lori Ennis
"“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.
Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body.” Ephesians 4:22-25
I don’t know about you, but I tend to relate to those who think a lot like I do. And of all the gospel writers in the Bible, I am probably the most like Matthew.
I like facts.
I like them written down and recorded and able to be referenced, and I like to write.
A lot.
I like all the details and I like the nuances that tell a good story, and I like to be thorough.
Just like Matthew did.
The difference between Matthew and me, however, is that I’m not writing anything near of importance as he was when I write.
His purpose in writing the gospel named for him was of supreme importance–it was to show his fellow Jews that Jesus was King, the Messiah their people had waited for, and the one true God.
More than any other gospel writer, he referenced the Old Testament to show how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. More than any other gospel writer, he gave lineage to Jesus to show just how he lined up as who He said He was.
And perhaps more than any of the other gospel writers, Matthew knows how radical a change Jesus made in his life, and he wanted his people to know how and why that transformation happened.
He wanted people who read his words to know the Truth that he knew: Jesus.
I love a scene in “The Chosen”; it’s where Jesus calls Matthew and Peter objects because Matthew is different–he’s not who Jesus thinks he is.
Jesus responds with, “Get used to different.”
While this is, of course, a fictitious reenactment, I can imagine Matthew faced a lot of this contention from people in how he could suddenly have love for his fellow Jews and want to share the transformative love of Jesus with them.
Which is why he was thorough and detailed in his writing as he could be.
It mattered because it was life-saving.
It was different.
But well worth getting used to!
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