The full name of the town was Colonia Marciana Ulpia Traiana Thamugadi. Trajan commemorated the city after his mother Marcia, eldest sister Ulpia Marciana, and father Marcus Ulpius Traianus.
Located in modern-day Algeria, about 21 miles (35 km) east of the town of Batna, the ruins are noteworthy for representing one of the best extant examples of the grid plan as used in Roman city planning.
Whenever Jesus passes by, lives are changed. Take, for example, the tax collector Matthew. One day he was sitting in his tax booth when Jesus walked by, looked him in the eye, and said, “Follow Me” (Matt 9:9).
Just that quickly, Matthew “left all, rose up, and followed Him” (Lk 5:29).
Matthew later wrote the first Gospel, an account of the words and works of Jesus penned for his fellow Jews, probably between A.D. 50 and 60.
The Gospel of Matthew had one overriding purpose: to demonstrate that the carpenter from Nazareth was the long- awaited Messiah – Christ, the Anointed One.
Matthew packed his Gospel with Old Testament links, quoting and alluding to the Old Testament more than any other New Testament writer.
His Gospel is wholly cut from Jewish cloth. Yet it’s a garment for Jews and Gentiles alike.
Matthew began his book with the visit of the Gentile Magi at the birth of Christ, and concluded his Gospel with the commission to make disciples of all nations.
Matthew, which is structured around five major discourses of Jesus, emphasizes the kingdom of heaven, our Lord’s role as Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, and the worldwide nature of the Gospel.
As the Promised One, Jesus is worthy of our hope. As Messiah, He is worthy of our trust. As King, He is worthy of our devotion. As Savior, His name should be proclaimed to all the earth, and, lo, He is with us, even to the end of the age.
Key Thought:
Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham, is the Messiah, the King of Israel, the Savior of the world.
Key Verses:
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” ( Matt 16:13, 16).
Key Action:
Make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit (see Matt 28:19-20).