Tag: matthew
The Highway South
A Short Story Inspired by Matthew 2:14-15 The call came at 2:13 in the morning. Elias Mercer woke to the shrill vibration of his phone against the nightstand. For several seconds he stared into the darkness of the apartment, disoriented by the hour and the strange silence that filled the room. Beside him, his wife...
The Flight Beneath the Watchful Stars
A Poem Inspired by Matthew 2:14-15 When midnight wrapped the hills in solemn shade,And every wind moved softly through the land,A quiet fear through hidden chambers strayed,Like drifting ash no mortal eye had planned.The tyrant dreamed of crowns secured by might,While heaven marked another pathway there;For God still walks within the deepest night,And guards His...
Out of Egypt I Called My Son
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:14-15 Matthew 2:14–15 records a moment of quiet obedience in the midst of danger: “So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through...
The Flight Beneath the Faithful Hand of God
A Devotional for Jun 2, 2026 on Matthew 2:14-15 Matthew 2:14–15 reminds us that God often leads His people through unexpected roads in order to preserve His promises. Joseph rose in the night, gathered Mary and the young Jesus, and fled into Egypt because danger had arisen under Herod’s jealous rage. The journey was sudden,...
The Last Bus Out of Winter
A Short Story Inspired by Matthew 2:13 The snow had been falling since late afternoon, thick enough now to bury the edges of the sidewalks and soften the hard outlines of the city. Nathan Reed stood beneath the flickering shelter light on Walnut Avenue with his collar raised high against the wind. Across the street,...
The Flight Beneath the Midnight Sky
A Poem Inspired by Matthew 2:13 Beneath the weight of midnight’s solemn veil,When Judah slept beneath the iron hush,There came a voice no earthly wind conveyed,A warning breathed through heaven’s hidden gate.The silent chamber where the Child reclinedWas touched by terror riding on the dark,For death had stirred within a tyrant’s breast,And wrath had sharpened...
Hidden Guidance
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:13 Matthew 2:13 reads: “Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, ‘Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the...
The Flight Beneath the Sovereign Hand
A Devotional for May 31, 2026 on Matthew 2:13 In Matthew 2:13, the quietness of obedience becomes the pathway of divine protection. Joseph is warned in a dream to flee with Mary and the child Jesus into Egypt because Herod seeks to destroy the young Savior. The verse reminds us that the purposes of God...
When God Redirects the Journey
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:12 Matthew 2:12 records a brief moment in the story surrounding the birth of Jesus, yet the verse carries profound theological weight. The verse reads: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.” In this single...
The Worship of the Magi and the Revelation of the King
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:9-11 Matthew 2:9–11 presents a quiet yet profound moment in the early life of Jesus. The narrative describes the journey of the Magi, the mysterious visitors from the East who follow a star until it stops over the place where the child Jesus is found. Their response to the...
A King Opposed: The Quiet Strategy of Fear
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:7-8 Matthew 2:7–8 presents a moment of calm conversation that conceals a profound spiritual conflict. The verses read: “Then Herod secretly called the Magi and determined from them the exact time the star appeared. And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child....
The Ruler Who Shepherds His People
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:5-6 Matthew 2:5–6 recounts a moment of remarkable clarity spoken in the midst of political tension and spiritual blindness. When King Herod asks the chief priests and scribes where the Messiah is to be born, they answer immediately by quoting the prophet Micah: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so...
Power, Fear, and the Search for Christ
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:3-4 Matthew 2:3–4 records a moment of quiet tension that reveals much about the human heart, political power, and the nature of God’s kingdom. The passage reads: “When King Herod heard this he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling all the chief priests and scribes of...
The King Who Was Worth the Journey
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 2:1-2 Matthew 2:1–2 introduces one of the most striking scenes in the early story of Jesus: wise men traveling from the East in search of a newborn king. The passage reads, “After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east...
God With Us
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 1:24-25 Matthew 1:24–25 records a quiet but decisive moment at the threshold of the New Testament story. The passage reads in the public domain King James Version: “Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife:...
God With Us
A Bible Study Reflecting on Matthew 1:22-23 Matthew 1:22–23 says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: ‘Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel’ (which means, God with us).” These two verses stand at the threshold of the New...
First Impressions on Matthew 11:2–15
This is the beginning step of my sermon work on the Gospel text. for the third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025.