Pondering the book of Matthew.

To Ponder: to weigh in the mind with thoroughness and care

I always enjoy reading the book of Matthew. It is laid out in such a clear way that I find it a refreshing start to the year. It helps me to reexamine my own life, and therefor giving me a list of things to improve in myself for the year. I also usually find one or two things that I tend to overlook or not see the importance of or simply misinterpret in daily study.

Matthew to chapter 21: 22

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."

It sound simple enough but I think I had a dozen questions regarding this verse: Does that mean you can only pray for something once and if you pray for it again you don't truly believe? Does "If you believe" refer to your faith in God or faith that it will be done?

It was interesting the questions that popped up in my head even though I felt I already new the answer.

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 7:8"For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

In each case the meaning is- keep on asking, keep on seeking, keep on knocking. My Dad said to me "Your heavenly Father knows how to give good gifts to his children...he will give you what you want but maybe not in the way you expect." So, Lord, I will keep on praying.

Here's another one:

Matthew 22:14 "For many are invited, but few are chosen."

Okay, maybe a bit of a tricky topic but it is a verse that has interest me. It comes from the parable of the wedding banquet. Jesus was saying that "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son..." In short, the king sends his servants to those that had been invited but they refuse and mistreat the servants. He then sent servants to invite those that were gathered in the streets. The wedding hall was filled but when the king came in to see the the guests, he noticed a man who was not in wedding clothes. He then told his attendants to throw him out where there would me "weeping and gnashing of teeth."

In Greek "many" and "few" equal everyone. So, everyone was called, but some people refused the invitation and are not chosen. I see this as God chosen people, the Jew's, refusing the invitations because they are still waiting for the Messiah to come. Jesus has seen this so He sent his disciples to the gentiles so they will be invited also. However in reference to the man who was thrown out; it can not be assumed that a gentile will accept the invitation either and so he will be thrown out. Interesting!

Now that last comment I will make will be about Matthew 28:11-15.

"...You are to say, 'His disciples cam during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.'...And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day."

I don't have much to say about this but I find it amazing that this one action has gone down through so many generations of Jews. This one deception has caused God's chosen people to turn from Jesus. They still wait for the day to rejoice that the Messiah has come.

God Bless

Your comments are welcome.