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For the past month, I have been reading a portion of Matthew’s Gospel during my morning prayer. I’ve done this before, on my own, but this time around, I have a guide to accompany me: George Martin’s new book, Bringing the Gospel of Matthew to Life. Martin, a popular and reliable biblical commentator, not only unpacks the meaning of the text for me, he also illuminates it with insights that have practical consequences for my life.
He helps me to understand the words on the page as they were originally meant by Matthew; he also helps me see how I should change my life to become a more loving Christian and follower of Jesus.
So That’s What It Means! Of course, sometimes the meaning of a gospel verse is clear. When Jesus says, “Pray for those who persecute you,” we know exactly what we must do. But it requires more effort to understand the beatitude “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3,44). This verse has always intrigued me. Here’s Martin’s take on it (boldfaced words are those from Matthew’s gospel):
Jesus proclaims that the poor in spirit are blessed because they will be part of God’s reign when it is established. But Jesus says more than…
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