John L. Hiigel - Partnering with the King: Study the Gospel of Matthew and Become a Disciple of Jesus

PARTNERING

with the

KING

STUDY THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

and Become a Disciple of Jesus

with the

KING

JOHN L. HIIGEL

2013 First Printing

Partnering with the King: Study the Gospel of Matthew and
Become a Disciple of Jesus

Copyright 2013 by John L. Hiigel

ISBN 978-1-55725-997-4

The Paraclete Press name and logo (dove on cross) is a registered trademark of Paraclete Press, Inc.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version, NIV Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com

The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Offices by Biblica, Inc.

Scripture quotations marked ESV are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good New Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Hiigel, John L.

Partnering with the King : study the Gospel of Matthew and become a disciple of Jesus / John L. Hiigel

pages cm

Includes bibliographical references (pages ).

ISBN 978-1-55725-997-4 (trade pbk.)

1. Christian life. 2. Bible. N.T. Matthew.Commentaries. I. Title.

BS2545.C48H53 2013

226.2'077dc23 2012042075

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in an electronic retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any otherexcept for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

Published by Paraclete Press
Brewster, Massachusetts
www.paracletepress.com
Printed in the United States of America

Dedicated with gratitude to

STEVE STUCKEY

HANK POTT

BRUCE MILLER

AND

SAMUEL CHETTI

who discipled me to Jesus during my college years.

When we turn to the Scriptures to ask how to live as Christians, we find not the word Christian, but disciple. When we ask about how to live as disciples, we find not a topical essay or a set of instructions, but a story.

The story is indispensable, because to be a disciple is to follow a living person: the Lord Jesus Christ. The Gospel of Matthew narrates Jesus life so that we will join with him. It beckons us into the ongoing story of the one who fulfilled Gods promises to redeem us, rose from the dead, and promised to be with us always. Discipleship is life with Jesus, for Jesus, in partnership with Jesus.

I invite you to read the Gospel of Matthew with me for a month. The book in your hands is not a commentary but a devotional study meant to be read straight through, a chapter a day, as you immerse yourself in the Gospel of Matthew. (By all means, read it at a different pace if that works better for you. Small groups or Sunday school classes may wish to read it a chapter a week from fall to spring.) For newcomers, the book can serve as an introduction to the Christian life. For more seasoned Christians, I hope that it will be a source of renewal and vision.

For readers who hesitate to begin a life of following Jesus due to questions about whether Matthew is reliable, I have added an appendix at the end that addresses this very question. You may want to read that foundational information before launching into Day 1 of the Gospel study.

Please dont skip over reading the text of Matthew itself in order to get to what I have to say! The entire Gospel is reproduced here in these pages to make it easy to integrate Scripture and explanation. In the end, my chapters are only here to illuminate what is already right there in your Bible.

Matthew 14:1321

The Gospel of Matthew is more than a grand announcement of good news about Jesus the Messiah; it is a call to respond. At the beginning of Jesus public ministry, as he announces Gods kingdom, he calls some individuals to be his disciples. At the end, he commands them to go out and make more disciples all over the world. By narrating Jesus story, this Gospel tells us what we need to know in order to follow him and to be involved with him in his merciful work. We get to see him in action, hear his voice, and watch what his on-the-scene disciples are learning and doing. As we do, we discover what Jesus intends for us.

One episode from the heart of Matthews Gospel displays especially well what it means to enter into this sort of life.

Matthew 14:1321

13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, This is a remote place, and its already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.

16 Jesus replied, They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.

17 We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, they answered.

18 Bring them here to me, he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

As the story begins, Jesus has received some disheartening news, and we find him traveling by boat across the small Sea of Galilee with his disciples, trying to find some solitude. By this point in the Gospel, Jesus is famous for his work of healing, and when word gets out where he is headed, large crowds pursue him and are waiting when the boat arrives at the shore. Rather than send them away, Jesus responds with compassion and enters into a sustained time of ministering to the peoples ailments and needs.

We become aware of his inner group of disciples in verse 15, where, picking up on the healers compassion, they too show sympathy for the people. The place is remote, far from anywhere the people could obtain food. The crowd is becoming hungry, and the hour is late. The disciples bring their concern to Jesus: Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.

Jesus response catches our attention: They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat. The word you is emphatic. His command is apparently ludicrous, with the thousands of people present and the distance from any food source. The disciples respond with a protest, We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish, as if to say, You must be joking! This is all we have!

Jesus, however, is quite serious. He tells them to bring him what little they have. He has the people sit down on the grass. He takes the precious food, looks to heaven in prayer and gratitude, and then breaks the loaves for distribution. Matthew says, Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. The whole crowd is fed until they are fully satisfied, with much more food left over than they had available in the first place.