One of the challenges of blogs is that I always want to rewrite what has been written because I don't think enough thought has been put into the words.  But when that happens, I never end up putting anything down.  Some thoughts to help you in your reading of Matthew.  This book can be broken up into 5 major discourses (sermons) -

Mt 5-7:  Sermon on the Mount - members of the kingdom amidst a dark world

Mt 10:  Mission of Jesus and His followers - there will be opposition

Mt 13 - Mystery of the Kingdom of heaven - different parables to explain the kingdom

Mt 18 - The New Kingdom Community 

Mt 23-25:  The Olivet Discourse and tribulations until Christ's return

So far, from my own reading, the life of the disciple isn't necessarily an easy one.  In the sermon on the mount, being a disciple in a dark world, up to the standard of God, seems impossible apart from God.  The Beatitudes begin the challenge of peacemaking, purity in heart, mourning, hungering and thirsting for righteousness, being persecuted because we are salt and light in a dark world.  Yet while the standard Jesus gives is challenging there is a rightness too, as to the full intention of God's law and will for us as believers.  Who wants to settle for just the legalistic show of the Pharisaical system?  

In the second sermon of the mission of Jesus, where the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few,  It is a challenge because people may opoose you for a student is not above his master - if they called Jesus Beelzebub, how much more the members of Christ's family?

As we face challenges in the life of discipleship and in ministry, it is not a surprise to our Lord Jesus.  He predicted it for kingdom personnel in a sinful world.  But let's receive encouragement from Jesus' words to us, for He is the one who has gone before us, and is preparing a kingdom that will fill our true hungering and thirsting for righteousness.  

Those are a few thoughts for now.  Until next time,

Tony