Today's theme is not just for the week, but for the year. We have two phrases from Jesus that we will be applying. One is the call to “Come, follow Me,” from Matthew 4:19. It is likely familiar to those who frequent Christian circles and walk the Christian walk. The other saying of Jesus, “Come… learn from Me,” is drawn from Matthew 11:29, reflecting that He has something to pour into us that He also poured into His first disciples.

Our response to that call is connected to Matthew 5:2, where we are told, His disciples came to him, and Jesus began to teach them. What was taught to those initial disciples would later be passed down to following generations as the message made it way from Jerusalem into Judea, Samaria, and the ends of the earth.

The setting for this learning opportunity with Jesus comes at the beginning of His discourse known as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7). There Jesus sat down and His disciples gathered around him to be taught. We will spend this year focusing on those teachings of Jesus out of that Sermon. That backdrop will allow us to work through the entire gospel of Matthew, fleshing out this invitation to follow Jesus that culminates in a call to make disciples of all nations. God bless our journey!