Introduction: The Book of Matthew
During his birth in Winchester, Massachusetts, Rick Hoyt was strangled by the umbilical cord, leaving him brain damaged and unable to control his limbs. Months later, doctors told the Hoyt family that Rick would live in a vegetative state the rest of his life and should be put in an institution.
“But the Hoyts weren’t buying it,” wrote Rick Reilly in a profile of the Hoyts for Sports Illustrated magazine (June 20, 2005). “They noticed the way Rick’s eyes followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was anything to help the boy communicate.
“‘No way,’ Dick Hoyt says he was told. ‘There’s nothing going on in his brain.’
“‘Tell him a joke,’ Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a lot was going on in his brain.”
Then, hooked to “a computer that allowed him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his head, Rick was finally able to communicate” with others. This technology enabled him to begin a new life. And that new life included, among other things, his father pushing him in a wheelchair in a charity marathon. After the race, Rick typed out, “‘Dad, when we were running, it felt like I wasn’t disabled anymore!’”
Dick determined to give Rick that feeling as often as he could. Four years later, they ran the Boston Marathon together. Then someone suggested a triathlon, and since then the two have done hundreds of athletic events, with his father pushing or pulling him along.
“‘No question about it,’” Rick has typed out. “‘My dad is the Father of the Century.’”
We’ve got a lot in common with Rick Hoyt because we have a Father who, even more than Dick Hoyt loves Rick, loves us, cares for us, and was willing to sacrifice His only son for us.
Like Rick, the tragedy and debilitating effects of sin have paralyzed us all. By our own strength, the life we live isn’t anywhere close to the life we were meant to live. As hard as we might try, we will never improve ourselves enough to be saved. “Our condition through sin is unnatural, and the power that restores us must be supernatural, else it has no value.”—Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 428. We must be saved from outside ourselves because it should be obvious by now that we cannot save ourselves.
It was for this reason that people, at times, have looked up into the night sky for help outside of themselves: a Deliverer. Our spiritual ancestors, the Israelites, had a name for this hoped-for Deliverer: the Son of David, whom we know as Jesus of Nazareth.
And an inspired version of Jesus’ story is given in the Gospel of Matthew, our topic for this quarter. Matthew, a Jewish believer in Jesus, and one of the original disciples of Jesus, recounts the story of Jesus from His own Spirit-inspired perspective. Though in common with Mark, Luke, and John, Matthew’s theme is the incarnation, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Matthew focuses strongly on the fact that Jesus is the Promised Messiah. He wanted his readers to know that the redemption of Israel was to be found in Jesus, the One of whom the prophets spoke and to whom all the Old Testament types pointed.
Though his audience was primarily Jews, his message of hope and Redemption speaks to us, as well; a people who, like Rick Hoyt, need Someone to do for us what we never can do for ourselves.
And Matthew tells the story of Him, Jesus, doing just that.
Andy Nash, PhD, is a professor and pastor at Southern Adventist University, in Collegedale, Tennessee. He is the author of several books, including The Haystacks Church and The Book of Matthew: “Save Us Now, Son of David.”
Sources referenced in this Introduction
(Links to web sites or Amazon)
Team Hoyt Official Website links to many news articles about the father-son team.
Ellen White, The Ministry of Healing. Pacific Press.
Andy Nash, The Haystacks Church. Review & Herald Publishing Association. (December 22, 2013)
Andy Nash, The Book of Matthew: Save Us Now, O Son of David. Pacific Press Publishing Association. (March 15, 2016)
Also recommended: Ellen White, The Desire of Ages. Pacific Press.
Ellen White, Humble Hero – A very readable modern adaptation of the The Desire of Ages. If you’ve never found the time to read The Desire of Ages, give this version a try. If you’ve read the longer book before, read this for a fresh review. You’l recognize familiar passages.
This is a very touching and encouraging story that reminds us of an infinite everlasting love that God has for human race despite being in a condemned state!
The book of Matthew is truly and wonderfully a life giving story. It expresses in simplicity the thoughts, works, pain, struggles, plans of our Maker aimed at restoring distorted creation to His original image.
It’s a story which exposes stark realities. A story that reveals the incomprehensible but true works of a LOVE so pure; God dying so we could live! Glory be to God the Father and His Christ.
Very inspiring! Reminds me of the ‘Ninenty and Nine’. Inspires me to continue ‘Seeking the Lost’.
Truly, he should be the father of the decade. He was featured on NBC and CBS at least twice.
How many times have I found myself needing a push or pull and a lift spiritually but my God has constantly made a way for me.
I lovd this. I can’t save myself. Christ died before I was born.He died for my sins.
My question is should I keep sinning? Because Christ died before my birth. He knew I was to sin.
Please help. Sinning is natural with me. I hate it but I find I’m doing it…
Abraham, being conscious of our need of salvation is the foundation of the salvation process. Jesus calls you “blessed” because you realize you are “poor in spirit.” (Matt 5:3)
As to your question, “Should I keep sinning?” Let me ask you another question: If Christ died to save you from your sins, what should be your response? Would it not be terribly ungrateful – rebellious even – to keep right on sinning? In fact, it would be a rejection of His salvation.
But I notice that you do say, that you “hate it” – you hate that you are still sinning. That is good. It shows that your heart has been renewed and that what you used to love, you now hate. Paul had the same experience, and he also shared the answer. Please read Romans 7 NLT and Romans 8 NLT. (I specified the NLT version because you may find it easier to understand, but I recommend reading these chapters over several times in different versions of the Bible. Just click on the links, and then choose different versions.)
Romans 8 tells us the secret to victory – that is, allowing the Holy Spirit to control us. This is an ongoing process. The more time we spend with Jesus in His Word, talking with Him and working with Him, the more we become like Him. So I suggest that you stop focusing on sinning (or stopping sinning) and start focusing on spending time with Jesus, listening to Him and doing what He tells you. Choose to serve Him, and in this way, you will become more and more like Him.
This story brings me hope both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, God can take my degenerate life and change it into something wonderful. Physically, I am suffering with severe pain and unable to stand for long or walk properly. I feel like giving up. This brings me hope. Thank you Lord!
I very much like Inga’s comment suggesting we focus on Christ, spending time with Jesus in his word, rather than focusing on our own sins. “By beholding ye are become changed”. Thank you for reminding me.