Okay, so “mateo 12” – sounds simple enough, right? I figured I’d dive into it and see what all the fuss was about. I’ve been trying to get a better handle on, you know, the Bible, and figured Matthew chapter 12 was as good a place as any to dig in a little deeper.
First, I grabbed my Bible. I’ve got this old, beat-up one my grandma gave me. It’s got that old book smell, which I kinda love. Then, I fired up my computer, because, let’s be honest, sometimes I need a little help understanding the King James English. I’m not gonna lie.
I started reading, just straight through. You know, just to get the overall vibe. I stumbled over some of the “thee” and “thou” bits, but I got the general idea. Some Pharisees were giving Jesus a hard time about his disciples picking grain on the Sabbath. Jesus, as always, had some pretty slick comebacks.
Then, I went back and read it again, slower. This time, I took some notes. I used a plain old notebook and pen – nothing fancy. I just jotted down anything that confused me, or anything that seemed important. Like, why were they so worried about picking grain? Seems kinda petty, right?
- What is the purpose for the conflict between Jesus and pharisees?
- Why did Jesus use that example with the bread?
- Think about something else and keep reading…
Next, I hit up some online commentaries. I just Googled “Matthew 12 commentary” and clicked on a few different sites. I didn’t spend a ton of time on any one site, just skimmed through to see if anyone had some insights on the parts I was stuck on.
After that, I tried to summarize the chapter in my own words. I figured if I could explain it to someone else, then I probably understood it myself. That’s always a good test, you know? I tried to use simple language, like I was talking to a friend who hadn’t read it. And then I made a new list to write the short summary of each paragraph.
Finally, I thought about how it all applied to my own life. That’s the tricky part, right? Taking these old stories and making them relevant today. I’m still working on that part, to be honest. It’s not always easy, but I think it’s worth the effort. At least that day, I really did some thing I never did before, and it’s worth.
