New Testament Readings Begin with Matthew
THESE prophecies of Christ's work are a fitting introduction to the New Testament, to the One of whom the prophet spoke so abundantly; consequently our first readings in the New Testament begin with Matthew, the earliest of the evangelical prophets, covering the introduction, the birth of our Lord, His genealogy, and the Sermon on the Mount. This last really is not at the first of Christ's ministry as we are sometimes told. It was not spoken until the second year of His ministry. The first year of His ministry was largely spent in Judea. It would be impossible for us to read Christ's life in chronological view without combining all the various Gospels in one.