Matthew wrote around 80-85 CE, after the Temple's destruction, for Jewish Christians asking, "Who are we now?" His answer: Jesus is the New Moses who fulfills Israel's entire story and extends God's covenant to all nations. We explore Matthew's Moses parallels—the infancy narrative, five teaching blocks, the Sermon on the Mount delivered from a mountain—and his constant refrain "this took place to fulfill." But Matthew's vision is radical: the Magi come from the East, the centurion amazes Jesus with faith, and the Canaanite woman persists. The boundaries are breaking. This sermon challenges us to ask: Who are we excluding that Jesus is inviting in? What walls are we building that God is tearing down? Keywords: Matthew's Gospel, New Moses, fulfillment, Sermon on the Mount, inclusion, boundaries, Gentiles, covenant

The Suffering Servant: Mark's Radical Vision of the Messiah

We rewind to the church's beginning—to Mark's Gospel, written around 65-70 CE as Rome burned and Christians were fed to lions. In the shadow of Nero's persecution, Mark wrote urgently: immediately appears over 40 times. This isn't philosophy; it's a survival manual.

At Caesarea Philippi, in the shadow of Caesar's city, Jesus asks the pivotal question: "Who do you say that I am?" Peter confesses, "You are the Messiah"—but Jesus immediately redefines what that means. Not a warrior-king who conquers Rome, but a suffering servant who conquers through the cross.

Mark presents Jesus as genuinely, fully human—tempted, angry, grieved, exhausted. No claims of divinity. No pre-existence. Just a remarkable human being who perfectly reveals God's character through radical obedience, love, and self-giving.

The climax comes at the crucifixion when a Roman centurion—an executioner, a representative of brutal power—becomes the first to truly understand: "Surely this man was the Son of God!" He saw divinity not in palaces or temples, but in weakness, vulnerability, and death.

But here's the uncomfortable truth: We are not Mark's persecuted audience. We are Rome. Which means the question isn't "Will we endure persecution?" but "Will we see Christ in the suffering rather than seeking him only in the powerful?"

Where are you being called to descend from privilege and stand with those being crucified?

Mark 8:27-38