Matthew 1 & 2 - The birth of new beginnings

Online Reference Bible.com  I used New Century Version
I wasn't sure where to start and I have always started at the beginning, however, I heard that the Bible is like a library of books and so it doesn't necessarily need to be read cover to cover.  But where to begin when you don't know very much about the Bible?  I decided since I always start from the beginning (Old Testament) but am never successful reading it as planned, I would maybe start with the New Testament this time.  Again, where?  I know Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John were Jesus' disciples so I decided to start with Matthew.  As I searched for Matthew in my Bible, I found it to be the first book of the first Testament!  (Coincidence?  I think not....)  When I started reading the suggested readings for today, it is about the birth of Jesus!   Talk about relevance since we just celebrated Christmas!  We must be on the right track!  So here we go:
A little history about Matthew from Max Lucado:  Matthew was a tax collector and hated by the people.  "You got to wonder what Jesus saw in Matthew.  At the same time, you got to wonder what Matthew saw in Jesus."  But Matthew heard the call and never looked back...he spent the rest of his life convincing people that Jesus was the Messiah while Jesus died to save people like Matthew, "convincing us that if he had a place for Matthew, he would have a place for us, too."
Date written 60 A.D.
Contents:

• The birth and preparation of the Messiah 1:1 - 4:11
• Jesus' ministry in Galilee 4:12 - 20:29
• Jesus' last days on Earth 21:1 - 28:20

Today's Readings: Matthew 1:1 - 2:23
The first Chapter 1:1 - 1:16 tells the story of Jesus' linage. Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience and he needed to show the Jews that Jesus was a Jew, too.  So he shows that he was a descendant of both King David and Abraham.

1:16 And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.

1:17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the migration into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the migration into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

The number 14....what do you think about that? Does that mean something?  Will we see this number again in more scripture or is it coincidental? 

The Birth of Jesus Christ 1:18 -

18This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. His mother Mary was engaged to marry Joseph, but before they married, she learned she was pregnant by the power of the Holy Spirit. 19Because Mary’s husband, Joseph, was a good man, he did not want to disgrace her in public, so he planned to divorce her secretly.

20While Joseph thought about these things, an angel of the Lord came to him in a dream. The angel said, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the baby in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21She will give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

22All this happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23“The virgin will be pregnant. She will have a son, and they will name him Immanuel,” which means “God is with us.”

24When Joseph woke up, he did what the Lord’s angel had told him to do. Joseph took Mary as his wife, 25but he did not have sexual relations with her until she gave birth to the son. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Wise men came to visit Jesus 2:1

1 Jesus was born in the town of Bethlehem in Judea during the time when Herod was king. When Jesus was born, some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem. 2 They asked, “Where is the baby who was born to be the king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, as were all the people in Jerusalem. 4 Herod called a meeting of all the leading priests and teachers of the law and asked them where the Christ would be born. 5 They answered, “In the town of Bethlehem in Judea. The prophet wrote about this in the Scriptures:

6‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are not just an insignificant village in Judah.

A ruler will come from you

who will be like a shepherd for my people Israel.’ ” - Micah 5:2

7 Then Herod had a secret meeting with the wise men and learned from them the exact time they first saw the star. 8 He sent the wise men to Bethlehem, saying, “Look carefully for the child. When you find him, come tell me so I can worship him too.”

9After the wise men heard the king, they left. The star that they had seen in the east went before them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 10 When the wise men saw the star, they were filled with joy. 11 They came to the house where the child was and saw him with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. They opened their gifts and gave him treasures of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 But God warned the wise men in a dream not to go back to Herod, so they returned to their own country by a different way.

Jesus’ Parents Take Him to Egypt

13 After they left, an angel of the Lord came to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt, because Herod is starting to look for the child so he can kill him. Stay in Egypt until I tell you to return.”

14 So Joseph got up and left for Egypt during the night with the child and his mother. 15And Joseph stayed in Egypt until Herod died. This happened to bring about what the Lord had said through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt.”

Herod Kills the Baby Boys

16 When Herod saw that the wise men had tricked him, he was furious. So he gave an order to kill all the baby boys in Bethlehem and in the surrounding area who were two years old or younger. This was in keeping with the time he learned from the wise men. 17 So what God had said through the prophet Jeremiah came true:

18“A voice was heard in Ramah

of painful crying and deep sadness:

Rachel crying for her children.

She refused to be comforted,

because her children are dead.” - Jeremiah 31:15

Joseph and Mary Return

19 After Herod died, an angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph in a dream while he was in Egypt. 20 The angel said, “Get up! Take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, because the people who were trying to kill the child are now dead.”

21 So Joseph took the child and his mother and went to Israel. 22 But he heard that Archelaus was now king in Judea since his father Herod had died. So Joseph was afraid to go there. After being warned in a dream, he went to the area of Galilee, 23 to a town called Nazareth, and lived there. And so what God had said through the prophets came true: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

Any thoughts thus far?  Max Lucado suggests two things:

1. God's plan encompasses  your personality, your talents, and your future.  Ask God today to help you be a witness, open to new assignments, and eager to grow in faith as Matthew must have been when he received his call. 
2. Inspiration: Perhaps changes are in the air right now.   Maybe you're in the midst of a decision.  It's disrupting, isn't it?  You like your branch that you are sitting on but God is asking you to go out on a limb and move, forgive, evangelize, sacrifice...Regardless of the nature of the call, the consequences are the same: civil war - your heart may say yes, but your feet say no.  Excuses blow by like fallen leaves - "Its not my talent." "Its not my time."  "Not now, I'll do it tomorrow"...but eventually you are left staring at a bare tree and a hard choice: his will or yours?

My thoughts:
I don't think it was coincidence that I started with the Book of Matthew today.  I believe I was led to this gospel which makes me feel that I am on the right track.  I'm sharing it with you, my family so that maybe we can do this together but I will continue either way, I just think it would be more fun if we'd do it together.  So check in when you can, leave a comment or a "point to ponder" if  you want.  As far as what I'm doing today, its #1....I have no clue what I'm supposed to be doing for God and so I'll ask him as I have many times before.  I think #2 is also appropriate for our family right now as we embark on many changes in this next year....May God be with each of you as we venture forward.  And, may you keep God's intentions and the fact that we are here to do God's work in some way (help others, use our talents, etc) in your mind each day as you make choices about your lives.  I love you all and consider you all a gift to me from God.