MATTHEW
A Miraculous Pregnancy – Matthew 1 (18
–
25)
This
is
how
Jesus
was
born:
His
mother
Mary
was
engaged
to
Joseph,
but
before
the
marriage
took
place,
she
found
herself
to
be
pregnant
by
the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
Her
husband
Joseph,
was
a
just
man,
and
since
he
did
not
want
to
disgrace
her
publicly,
he
resolved
to
put
an
end
to
their
engagement
privately.
He
had
been
thinking
this
over
when
an
angel
of
the
Lord
appeared
to
him
in
a
dream.
Joseph,
son
of
David,
do
not
be
afraid
to
take
Mary
for
your
wife,
for
her
child
has
been
conceived
by
the
power
of
the
Holy
Spirit.
She
will
give
birth
to
a
son.
Name
him
Jesus,
for
he
will
save
his
people
from
their
sins.
All
this
happened
in
fulfilment
of
these
words
of
the
Lord
through
the
prophet,
where
he
says:
The
virgin
will
conceive
and
will
give
birth
to
a
son,
and
they
will
give
him
the
name
Immanuel,
which
means:
God
is
with
us
.
When
Joseph
woke
up,
he
did
as
the
angel
of
the
Lord
had
directed
him.
He
made
Mary
his
wife,
but
they
did
not
sleep
together
before
the
birth
of
her
son;
and
to
this
son
he
gave
the
name
Jesus.
Magi Seek the King – Matthew 2 (1–6)
After
the
birth
of
Jesus
at
Bethlehem
in
Judea,
in
the
reign
of
King
Herod,
some
astrologers
from
the
East
arrived
in
Jerusalem,
asking:
Where
is
the
newborn
king
of
the
Jews?
For
we
saw
his
star
in
the
east,
and
have
come
to
worship
him.
When
King
Herod
heard
of
this,
he
was
much
troubled,
and
so
too
was
all
Jerusalem.
He
called
together
all
the
chief
priests
and
teachers
of
the
Law
in
the
nation,
and
questioned
them
as
to
where
the
Messiah
was
to
be
born.
At
Bethlehem
in
Judea,
was
their
answer,
for
it
is
said
in
the
prophet:
And
you,
Bethlehem
in
Judah’s
land,
are
in
no
way
least
among
the
chief
cities
of
Judah,
for
out
of
you
will
come
a
ruler,
who
will
shepherd
my
people
Israel.
Herod Investigates – Matthew 2 (7–8)
Then
Herod
secretly
sent
for
the
astrologers.
He
found
out
from
them
the
time
of
the
appearance
of
the
star.
Sending
them
to
Bethlehem
he
said:
Go
and
make
a
careful
search
for
the
child.
When
you
have
found
him,
bring
word
back
to
me,
so
that
I
too,
can
go and worship him.
The Magi Find Jesus – Matthew 2 (9–11)
The
astrologers
heard
what
the
king
had
to
say,
and
then
continued
their
journey.
The
star
which
they
had
seen
in
the
east
led
them
on,
until
it
reached
and
stood
over
the
place
where
the
child
was.
At
the
sight
of
the
star,
they
were
filled
with
joy.
Entering
the
house,
they
saw
the
child
with
his
mother,
Mary,
and
fell
at
his
feet
and
worshipped
him.
Then
they
opened
their
treasure
chests,
and
offered
to
the
child
presents of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Angles Give Warning
– Matthew 2 (12–15)
But
afterwards,
having
been
warned
in
a
dream
not
to
go
back
to
Herod,
they
returned
to
their
own
country
by
another
road.
After
they
had
left,
an
angel
of
the
Lord
appeared
to
Joseph
in
a
dream,
and
said:
Get
up,
take
the
child
and
his
mother,
and
seek
refuge
in
Egypt;
and
stay
there
until
I
tell
you
to
return,
for
Herod
is
about
to
search
for
the
child,
to
put
him
to
death.
Joseph
woke
up,
and
taking
the
child
and
his
mother
by
night,
went
into
Egypt,
and
there
he
stayed
until
Herod’s
death.
This
was
in
fulfilment
of
these
words
of
the
Lord
in
the
prophet,
where he says:
Out of Egypt I called my Son.
A Mad King
– Matthew 2 (16–18)
When
Herod
found
out
that
the
astrologers
had
tricked
him,
he
flew
into
a
rage.
He
sent
and
put
to
death
all
the
boys
in
Bethlehem
and
the
whole
of
that
region,
who
were
two
years
old
or
under,
guided
by
the
time
which
he
had
learned
from
the
astrologers.
Then
,
what
had
been
spoken
through
the
prophet
Jeremiah
was
fulfilled
:
A
voice
was
heard
in
Ramah,
weeping
and
mourning
loudly;
Rachel,
weeping
for
her
children, refusing all comfort for they were dead.
Return to Israel
– Matthew 2 (19–23)
But
on
the
death
of
Herod,
an
angel
of
the
Lord
appeared
in
a
dream
to
Joseph
in
Egypt
and
said:
Get
up,
take
the
child
and
his
mother,
and
go
into
the
Land
of
Israel,
for
those
who
sought
to
take
the
child
’s
life
are
dead.
He
woke
up,
and
taking
the
child
and
his
mother,
went
into
the
Land
of
Israel.
But
hearing
that
Archelaus
had
succeeded
his
father
Herod
as
king
of
Judea,
he
was
afraid
to
go
back
there;
and
having
been
warned
in
a
dream,
he
went
into
the
part
of
the
country
called
Galilee.
There
he
settled
in
the
town
of
Nazareth,
in
fulfilment
of
these
words
in
the
prophets:
He will be called a Nazarene.
John The Baptist – Matthew 3 (1–6)
About
that
time
John
the
Baptist
first
appeared,
proclaiming
in
the
wilderness
of
Judea:
Repent,
for
the
kingdom
of
heaven
is
at
hand.
John
was
the
one
who
was
spoken
of
in
the
prophet
Isaiah,
where
he
says:
The
voice
of
one
crying
aloud
in
the
wilderness.
Make
ready
the
way
of
the
Lord,
make
his
paths
straight
.
John’s
clothes
were
made
of
camels’
hair,
with
a
leather
strap
round
his
waist,
and
his
food
was
locusts
and
wild
honey.
At
that
time
Jerusalem
and
all
Judea,
as
well
as
the
whole
district
of
the
Jordan,
went
out
to
him
and
were
baptized
by
him
in
the
Jordan
River, confessing their sins.
John Chastises – Matthew 3 (7–10)
But
when
John
saw
many
of
the
Pharisees
and
Sadducees
coming
to
receive
his
baptism,
he
said
to
them:
You
children
of
snakes!
Who
has
prompted
you
to
seek
refuge
from
the
coming
judgment?
Let
your
life
then
prove
your
repentance,
and
do
not
think
that
you
can
say
among
yourselves:
Abraham
is
our
ancestor.
For
I
tell
you
that
out
of
these
stones
God
is
able
to
raise
descendants
for
Abraham!
Already
the
axe
is
lying
at
the
root
of
the
trees.
Therefore,
every
tree
that
fails
to
bear
good
fruit
will
be cut down and thrown into the fire.
