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JANUARY 20
DAY 19:Why are some events in Matthew in a different order from the order in Mark or Luke?
In general, Matthew presents a topical or thematic approach to the life of Christ. He groups
Jesus’teaching into five major discourses:
1. The Sermon on the Mount (chaps. 5–7)
2. The commissioning of the apostles (chap. 10)
3. The parables of the kingdom (chap. 13)
4. The childlikeness of the believer (chap. 18)
5. The discourse on His second coming (chaps. 24; 25)
Matthew makes no attempt to follow a strict chronology. A comparison of the synoptic
Gospels reveals that he freely placed things out of order. He was dealing with themes and broad
concepts, not laying out a timeline. Mark’s and Luke’s Gospels follow a chronological order more
closely.

January 20 he left all that he had in Joseph’s hand, and he
did not know what he had except for the bread
which he ate.
Now Joseph was handsome in form and
Genesis 39:1–40:23
appearance.
Now Joseph had been taken down to 7 And it came to pass after these things that
39 Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph,
Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, and she said, “Lie with me.”
bought him from the Ishmaelites who had 8 But he refused and said to his master’s
taken him down there. The LORD was with wife, “Look, my master does not know what is
2
Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he with me in the house, and he has committed
was in the house of his master the Egyptian. all that he has to my hand. There is no one
9
And his master saw that the LORD was with greater in this house than I, nor has he kept
3
him and that the LORD made all he did to pros- back anything from me but you, because you
per in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his are his wife. How then can I do this great
4
sight, and served him. Then he made him wickedness, and sin against God?”
overseer of his house, and all that he had he 10 So it was, as she spoke to Joseph day by
put under his authority. So it was, from the day, that he did not heed her, to lie with her or
5
time that he had made him overseer of his to be with her.
house and all that he had, that the LORD 11 But it happened about this time, when Jo-
blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s seph went into the house to do his work, and
sake; and the blessing of the LORD was on all none of the men of the house was inside, that
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that he had in the house and in the field. Thus she caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie
6
with me.” But he left his garment in her hand,
and fled and ran outside. And so it was, when
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she saw that he had left his garment in her
39:2 The LORD was with Joseph. Any and all hand and fled outside, that she called to the
14
ideas that Joseph,twice a victim of injustice,had men of her house and spoke to them, saying,
been abandoned by the Lord are summarily “See, he has brought in to us a Hebrew to
banished by the employment of phrases high-
lighting God’s oversight of his circumstances, mock us. He came in to me to lie with me, and
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e.g.“with him”(vv.3,21),“made all he did to pros- I cried out with a loud voice. And it hap-
per” (vv. 3,23),“found/gave him favor” (vv. 4,21), pened, when he heard that I lifted my voice
“blessed/ blessing” (v. 5), and “showed him and cried out, that he left his garment with
mercy” (v. 21). Neither being unjustly sold into me, and fled and went outside.”
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slavery and forcibly removed from the Land So she kept his garment with her until his
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(37:28), nor being unjustly accused of sexual master came home. Then she spoke to him
harassment and imprisoned (vv. 13–18) were with words like these, saying, “The Hebrew
events signaling even a temporary loss of divine servant whom you brought to us came in to
superintendence of Joseph’s life and God’s pur- me to mock me; so it happened, as I lifted my
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pose for His people, Israel. voice and cried out, that he left his garment
with me and fled outside.”
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