NT Reading: Matthew Introduction

 

So, it begins. Let's open our Bibles to Matthew 1. Or you can click here:

Below is a brief introduction to the book of Matthew. 

The Book of Matthew

Each of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) tells the story of Jesus from its own perspective. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah and King, who fulfills God’s promises in the Old Testament. Jesus is not just a wise teacher; He is the one God has chosen to usher in the kingdom of heaven. He has come to save and to restore humanity into right relationship with God—starting first with Israel and then moving to the wider world. 

One of Matthew's primary goals is to show Jesus as the Messiah- the fulfillment of Jewish hopes for salvation (1:18-25). The book is filled with references to the Old Testament -most of which are quoted by Jesus Himself.

Matthew uses the designation Son of David to point to Jesus’ human lineage from King David in the Old Testament, showing Jesus’ legitimate right to the throne (1:1–17). In addition, Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ identity as the divine Son of God (3:14–17), who has authority to control nature, heal disease, and forgive sin. The theme of authority runs just below the surface of the entire Gospel—in the miracle stories, in Jesus’ teachings and parables, and in His confrontations with the religious leaders. In everything He does, Jesus is acting in the name and power of God Himself. By the end of Matthew’s Gospel, some of Jesus’ disciples are worshiping Him—and it is here that it becomes apparent that the people realize what we have also found to be true: Jesus is God Himself (28:17). Today, we proclaim Jesus as our Jewish Messiah, who is also our King and God! He is all we ever hoped for and far more. And this savior, Jesus, inspires us to both praise Him and take action—He motivates us to make disciples of all nations, a work that is far from done (28:18–20).

Source: Faith Life Bible Study Bible -Logos

New Testament Reading Schedule

Here is our schedule for the month of February. This is just to get you ready. We will try to do better with the calendar picture next time. 😁 

 

The Reading schedule with a new look :)

 Below is the general plan for the NT Reading Reading, and the chapter division for February. It is pretty simple, with one chapter per day, every day of the month. 

In March, the schedule will go from Monday through Friday, and the division will be slightly different. This way you can use the weekends to catch up in case you fall behind. 

New Testament Reading Plan (2026)

Period	Books to Read	Chapters	Daily Pace
Feb 6 – Mar 12	Matthew	28	~1 Chapter/day (Mon-Fri)
Mar 13 – Apr 2	Mark	16	1 Chapter every weekday
Apr 3 – May 6	Luke	24	1 Chapter every weekday
May 7 – Jun 4	John	21	1 Chapter every weekday
Jun 5 – Jul 10	Acts	28	1 Chapter every weekday
Jul 11 – Jul 31	Romans	16	1 Chapter every weekday
Aug 1 – Aug 21	1 Corinthians	16	1 Chapter every weekday
Aug 22 – Sep 8	2 Corinthians	13	1 Chapter every weekday
Sep 9 – Sep 16	Galatians	6	1 Chapter every weekday
Sep 17 – Sep 24	Ephesians	6	1 Chapter every weekday
Sep 25 – Oct 15	Phil, Col, 1 & 2 Thess	16 total	1 Chapter every weekday
Oct 16 – Oct 30	1 & 2 Tim, Titus, Philemon	14 total	1 Chapter every weekday
Nov 1 – Nov 18	Hebrews	13	1 Chapter every weekday
Nov 19 – Dec 1	James, 1 & 2 Peter	13 total	1 Chapter every weekday
Dec 2 – Dec 10	1, 2, & 3 John, Jude	8 total	1 Chapter every weekday
Dec 11 – Dec 31	Revelation	22	1 Chapter/day (including weekends)

 

We will have a few of these printed out on the OA shelf for those of us who prefer a hard copy.

Many blessings!

New Testament Reading Program

 

Hello ladies!

We have had a whole month to put in place our New Year's resolutions. By now, you are probably way ahead of us getting the 2026 list of things done. Perhaps you have even decided to read your whole Bible, and now are on your journey through Exodus or, in case of the chronological programs, following Job as he deals with suffering. We commend you for that. Keep up the good work!

Now, if you have not started on any Bible reading program yet, we have you covered! Starting on February 6, you can join us as we begin the New Testament Reading. It takes 5 minutes or less for each day's reading. We will be posting here the monthly schedule to keep you on track. We may also offer suggestions of books/commentaries that can go along with your reading, in case you want to dig deeper. 

We hope you can tag along. We are so excited to do this together!