Even a cursory read of the Gospel of Matthew makes clear that it is concerned with the identity of Jesus Christ. These meditations attempt not to focus on tangential topics that relate to Jesus, even though these are important. Rather, they seek to focus simply on who Jesus is. Because 2020 exposed the fragility, corruption, and misery of humanity, such a focus is not only welcome but sorely needed. Humanity does not merely require self-help books that provide practical steps for improvement or philosophical musings that explain away suffering. Humanity is in dire need of something outside of itself: a Savior. The authors of these chapters are soberly aware of this truth, and they resist the temptation to reduce Jesus to a miracle worker who provides temporary relief or a commendable example that is to be imitated. Instead, in their own distinctive ways, they affirm the bold and ever-urgent proclamation that Jesus is the exclusive Savior of all people.
