A journey through the New Testament, as text

1. The Star Over Bethlehem

Nativity · Luke 2; Matthew 2

Night over the hills outside a small town. The air is cold and clear, and the sky is full of stars. Long ago, in the days of King Herod, something quiet was about to change the world.

Shepherds kept watch over their flocks in these fields. Luke tells us that an angel brought them news in the dark, and that the glory of the Lord shone around them.

Far to the east, wise men had seen a star and set out to follow it. Matthew says it went before them until it came and stood over the place where the young child was.

The Gospels do not describe a palace. They tell of a manger, a mother and a husband who stayed close, and a child laid down to sleep. The greatest news arrives in the smallest of places.

Stand here for a moment. Let the light be enough.

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.”

Luke 2:11 (KJV)

Reflect: Where in your own life is a quiet beginning easier to miss than a loud one?

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2. The River Jordan

Baptism · Matthew 3; Mark 1

The River Jordan runs low and slow through dry country. People came to it from the towns and the countryside, drawn by a prophet in the wilderness who called them to turn back to God.

John baptised in the river. The Gospels say crowds came to him, and that he pointed beyond himself to someone who was coming after him.

Then Jesus came to the river to be baptised. We will not try to show his face. We see the water, the light on it, and one figure standing in the current, small against the reeds.

Matthew writes that the heavens were opened and that the Spirit of God descended like a dove. A voice from heaven spoke, and the Father's delight was heard before any public work had begun.

“And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:”

Matthew 3:16 (KJV)

Reflect: What would change if you began from being loved, instead of trying to earn it?

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3. Follow Me

Calling the fishermen · Matthew 4; Luke 5

Dawn on the Sea of Galilee. Fishermen wash their nets on the shore after a night of work. It is ordinary, tiring, honest labour, and it is where the story goes next.

Matthew tells us that Jesus walked beside the sea and saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and Andrew, casting a net into the water. A little further on he saw James and John mending their nets with their father.

They were not scholars or priests. They were working people with weathered hands. The Gospels say they left their nets and followed.

A call can arrive in the middle of ordinary work. Notice how little is said, and how much is begun.

“And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.”

Matthew 4:19 (KJV)

Reflect: What ordinary work are you in the middle of, and what might it be asking you to notice differently?

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4. The Hillside

Sermon on the Mount · Matthew 5-7

Above the lake, a green hillside rises toward the sky. Matthew gathers some of Jesus' best-known teaching here, which has long been called the Sermon on the Mount.

It opens with blessings: for the poor in spirit, for those who mourn, for the meek, for those who hunger for what is right. They are not the people the world usually calls fortunate.

He speaks of salt and light, and says that a city set on a hill cannot be hidden. He speaks of birds and wildflowers, and of a Father who knows what we need.

Listen from the back of the crowd. The words are simple, and they have been carried for centuries.

“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.”

Matthew 5:14 (KJV)

Reflect: Which of these blessings feels closest to where you are today?

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5. Peace, Be Still

Calming the storm · Mark 4

Evening on the lake. The disciples row across with Jesus in the boat, and then, as sudden storms do on this water, the wind rises.

Waves break over the sides. Mark says the boat was filling, and that Jesus was asleep in the back of it, on a cushion.

The frightened men woke him. He rose, and the wind and the sea were still. Mark's words are plain: there was a great calm.

Every life meets a storm. This scene does not hurry past the fear. It stays in the boat with it, and then shows the stillness that follows.

“And he arose, and rebuked the wind, and said unto the sea, Peace, be still. And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm.”

Mark 4:39 (KJV)

Reflect: What storm are you in, and what would it be like to ask for help in it?

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6. Twelve Baskets

Feeding the five thousand · Matthew 14; John 6

A quiet place by the lake, late in the day. A great crowd had followed Jesus out of the towns, and evening was coming on.

The disciples saw the problem: a great many people, a remote place and very little food. All they could find was five loaves and two fish, a boy's meal.

Jesus took what there was, looked up to heaven, gave thanks and broke the bread. The disciples passed it along, row after row.

Everyone ate and was filled, and the leftovers filled twelve baskets. A small offering, placed in good hands, was enough.

“And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.”

Matthew 14:20 (KJV)

Reflect: What small thing do you have that could be offered rather than held back?

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7. The Long Road Home

The prodigal son · Luke 15

This one is a story Jesus told, not a place he stood. A man had two sons, and the younger asked for his share of the inheritance and left for a far country.

He spent everything. A famine came, and he ended up feeding pigs, hungry and alone, a long way from home and from himself.

Then he decided to go back, with nothing to offer but an apology. The story turns on what happens next: the father sees him while he is still far off, and runs.

Watch the road. It is long, and then it is suddenly short. Parables are told to be walked through, not just understood.

“And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.”

Luke 15:20 (KJV)

Reflect: Who is waiting on the road for you, and who might you run toward?

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8. Hosanna

The triumphal entry · Matthew 21; John 12

Spring in the hills around Jerusalem. The city is crowded for the Passover festival, and word has spread that Jesus is coming.

He rides toward the city on a young donkey, as the prophet Zechariah had described. It is a humble way for a king to arrive.

People lay their cloaks on the road and spread branches. They cry out Hosanna. The Gospels show a crowd that is hopeful, loud and not yet sure what it is seeing.

The gates stand ahead, golden in the afternoon sun. The week that follows will be the hardest in the story.

“And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.”

Matthew 21:9 (KJV)

Reflect: What are you hoping for that you do not yet fully understand?

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9. The Upper Room

The Last Supper · John 13; Luke 22

An upper room in Jerusalem, lit by lamps. Jesus and his twelve disciples share a meal on the night before his death.

John records that Jesus rose from the table, took a towel and washed his disciples' feet. The one they called Lord did the work of a servant.

He gave them bread and a cup, and spoke to them about love. Christians have kept this meal in remembrance ever since.

The candles burn low. Outside, the night is waiting. In this room, for a little while, the table is full.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.”

John 13:34 (KJV)

Reflect: Who could you serve quietly this week?

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10. The Olive Grove

Gethsemane · Matthew 26; John 18

Across the Kidron valley, an olive grove on the slope of the Mount of Olives. The Gospels call the place Gethsemane. It is night, and the city is quiet.

Jesus withdrew a little way from his disciples to pray. They were tired and kept falling asleep. He prayed alone, in great sorrow.

The Gospels do not hide his distress. They also record his prayer, which ends by giving the outcome to the Father. Even here, at the edge of what is coming, he turns toward God.

The old trees keep watch. A few lanterns move in the distance.

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Matthew 26:39 (KJV)

Reflect: What are you carrying that you could bring to prayer tonight?

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11. It Is Finished

The cross · Luke 23; John 19

We will be gentle here, as the Gospels themselves are restrained. There is no spectacle in this scene, only the facts, told plainly.

Jesus was crucified outside the city, at a place called Golgotha, between two others. Around the sixth hour, Luke says, darkness came over the land.

Some of the women who had followed him from Galilee stood watching from a distance, with others who knew him.

At the end he commended himself to the Father and died. Then the story goes quiet. The light in this scene is small, and held.

“And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”

Luke 23:46 (KJV)

Reflect: What helps you stay honest with grief without hurrying past it?

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12. The First Morning

The empty tomb · Luke 24; John 20; Matthew 28

Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, women went to the tomb with spices. They were carrying grief, not expectation.

They found the great stone rolled away. The Gospels describe confusion and fear, and then a message: he is not here.

The tomb is open and the morning is coming. Nothing in this scene needs to be explained. The sun rises, and light fills the empty place.

Everything that follows in the New Testament begins here, with a small group of frightened, astonished people and the first sunrise of a new day.

“He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

Matthew 28:6 (KJV)

Reflect: Where might morning be arriving that you have not yet noticed?

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13. The Road Outward

Pentecost and Acts · Acts 1-2

Weeks later, the followers of Jesus are gathered in Jerusalem, waiting, as they had been told to do. It is the day of Pentecost.

Acts describes a sound like a rushing wind, and divided tongues like flames resting on each person. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak.

People from many nations were in the city, and each heard in their own language. The message was never meant to stay in one room.

From here the story moves outward: Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and on to the ends of the earth. The road begins at your feet, too.

“And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”

Acts 2:3-4 (KJV)

Reflect: Where is the road asking you to go outward?

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