This is significant because this was a symbol of Moses bringing the Jews out of exile in Egypt. After this Jesus goes on to be baptized by John the Baptist. After his baptism Jesus is sent into the desert for 40 days where he is tempted by the devil. This again is a significant piece that is signifying Moses and the Jews forty year trek through the desert. .
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Jesus finally starts to begin his teaching and one of his most famous gatherings where he spoke to many people was the Sermon on the Mount. In this sermon Jesus emphasizes many things to his followers such as loving one's neighbor, trust in God, and the proper way to pray. The verses that struck me the most from this sermon were Mt. 5:11-12 that says, "Blessed are you when people abuse you and persecute you and speak all kinds of calumny against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven; this is how they persecuted the prophets before you." What this means is that even though someone may be getting persecuted for spreading God's word they should know that there will be a place in heaven for those who make a stand for him. .
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The next few chapters of Matthew are very similar to the ones in Mark's Gospel. This is where Jesus performs most of his miracles and is at the heart of his teachings. Like in the Gospel of Mark Jesus also heals the sick and drives out a number of demons in Matthew's Gospel. One of the stories that I enjoy that shows how miraculous Jesus was is in chapter eight of Matthew where he calms the storm and it says, "Save us Lord, we are Lost! And he said to them, why are you so frightened, you who have so little faith. And then he stood up and rebuked the winds and the sea." As you can imagine the disciples on the boat with him were in aw that Jesus had power over the winds and the sea. .
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Another thing that Matthew's Gospel shows that is similar to Mark's Gospel is how Jesus spoke in parables.