I love the Gospel according to Matthew. It has always struck a deep chord inside my being and made me realize the greatness of our Lord. Matthew opens with a long geneology linking Christ all the way back to David, but traces it through the kings of Israel and Judah. From the get go, Matthew seeks to show that Jesus of Nazareth was our King.
Then Matthew covers most fully Jesus brilliant sermon on the mount. In this sermon, spanning from Matthew 5 to 7, Jesus lays out the way of the Kingdom of Heaven. He calls his disciples to a higher calling, a deeper understanding, and living as close to Life as possible. In Texas there are ranchers who don't use fences to herd their cattle. Because these parts of Texas are so dry, the ranchers use wells to keep the cows in certain areas. Fences aren't even necessary because the cows know that the wells are LIFE GIVING and to wander away is death. I think that's what Jesus is saying throughout the sermon. In the same way, yes there are fences BUT HERE IS THE WELL! Drink! Live abundantly! This is the calling of the Kingdom of Heaven, not higher stronger fences, but deeper, cooler, sweeter wells.
The second great part of Matthew dedicated to the Kingdom of Heaven is chapter 13. In chapter 13 Jesus tells parable after parable describing the Kingdom. It's like he's looking at all the different facets of a beautiful jewel and describing each one. It's like the UNSTOPPABLE mustard plant! Did you know that only mustard farmers were allowed to grow mustard under Roman rule in Palestine? People were not allowed to grow it in their yards because of the nature of the plant to GROW, and take over neighbors yards and entire sections of towns! I LOVE that Jesus describes the kingdom almost as a weed you cannot get rid of, because it's true! The world can never weed out the Kingdom of Heaven! Especially, as Matthew points out, with Jesus as our King!
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