My Reflections on Delight's "Beautiful Kingdom" Study

Over the past ten weeks, my perspective on the Book of Matthew dramatically changed.

Growing up Catholic, I remember reading the Book of Matthew, well, at least bits and pieces of it. I remember hearing excerpts of it when the priest would do the gospel. I even remember saying "Amen" or agreeing with what the priest would say about these excerpts. However, I did not fully know or understand the meaning or the reality of how incredible the Book of Matthew truly was - until this semester.

During these last ten weeks, I dove into the "Beautiful Kingdom" study from Delight Ministries, which was a study on the Book of Matthew. While this study did not analyze every chapter of Matthew (the study would take a lot longer than ten weeks if that was the case), it discussed some very important aspects of Christianity. We discussed everything from trusting in the Lord to dealing with "messy" people to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

While I read all the chapters that the study discussed, I did a lot of my own reading of the Book of Matthew as well. This study made me so curious about Jesus, and made me understand how Jesus truly interacted with His disciples. It also made me speechless as to how much Jesus loves us.

My Beautiful Kingdom study alongside my Bible, flipped to the beginning of the Book of Matthew.

Takeaway One: Jesus was Human

The main thing I love about the Book of Matthew is that it describes so much of how Jesus interacted with His disciples. From talking about the parables Jesus told to the Last Supper to His inevitable crucifixion and resurrection, I feel like Matthew gives a good glimpse into how we can expect to interact with the Lord. However, one of the main takeaways I got from Matthew is that Jesus was human.

You probably read that last sentence and thought "Well, duh, of course Jesus was human, we know that." Yes, I knew that Jesus was human before reading this study. However, one thing I never really understood is that He went through all of the same human emotions and tribulations that we went through.

Jesus knew what He had to do to save humanity. He knew that He was going to be arrested and crucified. While He was willing to do it, He still had His doubts and His anxieties surrounding it, just like any of us would have.

In Matthew 26, while Jesus is praying in the garden, He expresses worry and anxiety to God. He goes to Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, expressing His concerns, and then prays to God, saying:

"My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will." - Matthew 26:39

Y'all, Jesus literally asked God if He didn't have to do this. It's not that Jesus didn't love us enough to do this, but He was scared, which is a normal human feeling that we all experience. If I was Jesus, I would be terrified too!

Not only did Jesus cry out to God in the garden, but He cried out to God while dying on the cross. In Matthew 27:46, Jesus cries out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" I'm sure we have all had moments like this where we've felt defeated and our prayers were not answered.

Chapter 9 of the study went deep into the crucifixion of Jesus, and we talked about how even though times were dark in this moment for Jesus and His disciples.... the resurrection was coming.

Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead, after paying all of our debts, and did exactly as He promised.

This goes into my next point about how much Jesus loves us, and how we need to trust in Him!

Takeaway Two: Jesus LOVES Us (Oh, How He Loves Us!)

One of the other main takeaways I got from Matthew is how much Jesus loves us.

I mean, obviously I knew that Jesus loved us so much that He died for us on the cross, but that truly did not sink in for me until I dove into this study. The way that Jesus knew every single sin that every person committed and still chose to die on the cross for us is mind-blowing to me.

Jesus knew that He was going to be taunted, belittled, and tortured by society. He knew that two of His best friends and disciples were going to betray him. He knew every sin that all of the people after Him would committ. He knew, and yet, He still chose to die on the cross to save humanity from death after life on Earth.

He not only died on the cross to save us, but He resurrected from the dead! God resurrected Jesus, so we need to trust that God will come through for us. God can help us go through loss. God can help us go through times of poor health. God can do it ALL, and we need to trust that He can do it all!

We will all perish from this Earth at some point, but if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior and strive to be more like Jesus, we can live eternally in His Beautiful Kingdom! Who wouldn't want to spend eternity in such a beautiful place?

With this being said, we need to discuss our last takeaway: how Jesus calls us to be disciples and make others disciples.

Takeaway Three: Jesus Commissions Us to Spread His Word

In our last chapter of the Beautiful Kingdom study, we focused on Matthew 28, specifically the part where Jesus talks about The Great Commission.

Jesus tells us in Matthew 28,

"Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” - Matthew 28:19-20

Jesus literally said it Himself - He wants us to share His Word! Now, does this have to be by reading the Bible out loud wherever you go? Does this have to be by blasting worship music from your speakers? Well, not necessarily.

It can be as simple as complimenting someone, lending them a helping hand, sharing your faith with that person. Sharing your faith can inspire someone who had never even heard of Jesus to become a believer, so don't be afraid to share it!

I know for me, that person was my coworker and one of my closest friends, Sydney. This time last year, I identified as a Christian, but I was so unsure in my faith.

Since meeting her last semester, I slowly started to get back into my faith. I am forever thankful for all that Sydney's done for me, and she barely even had to quote Scripture or blast her worship playlist for me to get on fire for Jesus. All she had to do was just be a good friend.

Without her praying for me, I would not be where I am today.

Sydney and I last semester, enjoying our Alani Nu energy drinks before our History class started.

My Overall Thoughts

Overall, would I recommend this study to a friend? Absolutely! Whether you've never touched the Bible or have read the Book of Matthew hundreds of times, I highly recommend this study. It is truly a great study to learn more about Jesus, how He interacted with others, and how much He loves us1