Read the Bible Through:Matthew 1-3

This is a new series that I am going to be doing. I am reading through the Bible and will record my thoughts and the overall ideas that I see expressed in Scripture as I read. I found out last semester at school that this is a great way to get to know the Word better - reading and then recording what I read.

MATTHEW 1-3
Chapter 1 of Matthew is the recording of the 14+14+14 generations that were the blood line of Jesus' earthly father from Abraham to Joseph. Luke 3 records Jesus' lineage through Mary back to Adam. Chapter 1 also talks about Jesus being born to Mary who was a Virgin and the intervention in the "divorce" of Joesph from Mary by an angel who visits Joseph. This has to do with the time before Joesph and Mary were official completely married but for all practical purposes they were married.

Chapter 2 tells of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem and the entrance of the wise men into the story. As they pass through Jerusalem, Herod hears about them and asks them to tell him when they find Jesus. He's not planning on worshiping Jesus as he says by the way.

The wise men follow the star to Bethlehem and find Jesus and Mary in a house. It sounds to me like Joseph, Mary and Jesus are living in Bethlehem. The wise men bow, worship Jesus, give him gifts, and then head back to their country after they were warned in a dream to not tell Herod.

When Herod figures out what has happened when the wise men do not return to him he sends his solders to kill all of the children two years old and younger in Bethlehem and the surrounding area (maybe Jesus may have been close to 2 years old then??).

Joseph gets another angelic visit telling hm to take the family to Egypt. They do so and the story quickly turns to the death of Herod and the angel tells Joseph to move back to Israel and ultimately to Nazareth.

Chapter 3 introduces John.  What an interesting character in the story.  Of course this chapter talks about Jesus being baptized which certainly gives importance to baptism, but I wonder how baptism was introduced and at what point it became important.  This obviously is before the resurrection, and certainly seems to have no other biblical precedent.  I will need to research this one! Stay tuned.

Awesome stuff in the first three chapters!  Why don't we spend our lives immersed in this book?