Subscribe to “The Gospel According to Matthew” Substack

Like Noah building the Ark, I’ve been whittling away on a side project. I’m now thrilled to be able to share it. Following in the footsteps of my friends Mark, Luke, and John — I’m launching a Substack!

To coincide with his birthday, my newsletter unpacks the story of Jesus. Some say he’s a myth, several denounce him as a misfit, others declare he’s the messiah, and more still ask “But what exactly is myrrh?”

My ideal reader is you! Like the universalists, there will be something for everyone. Join me on a pilgrimage in verse and parables. To pique your interest, you can look forward to a virgin birth in a feeding trough, fish ’n’ chips for thousands, and a torturous death upon an instrument of agony that might look kind of cool on a necklace. I don’t want to give too much away, but if you stay until the end I’ll treat you to an out-of-this-world plot twist.

I know we all get too much spam (my house is still filled with the recent political campaign scrolls from Pontius Pilate). So I’ll post roughly every two weeks — just enough to get us through my planned 28 posts before it’s Jesus’ birthday again and this time for you to ask “But what exactly is frankincense?”

Before you go there, I guarantee that 1 in 5 newsletters will include a unique story not in the other synoptic Substacks. And I also promise not to give you any writing advice. Substack is already filled with too much of the same — newsletters on how to get a scroll published, posts on how to stone chisel a story while holding down a shepherding day job, and notes on how writing can keep you sane while under Roman rule.

“The Gospel According to Matthew” isn’t the most original title. But after years of research, drafting, peer review, re-drafting, writer’s block, putting it on the backlog, re-inspiration after reading that even Moses struggled when he wrote the Pentateuch, line edits, beta readers, a writing retreat, wondering if I should chuck it into the Sea of Galilee and start over, more re-drafting, the Holy Spirit’s final edits, and then building up the courage to hit “publish,” I realized I didn’t need something punny. If this title format has drawn fishing net loads of subscribers for the other gospel writers, then it doesn’t need to be called “The Good Newsletter.”

I’m just a simple publican from Galilee, but I hope this newsletter resonates with some of you. Who knows, maybe it will stand the test of time, and years from now still be read and argued about.

“The Gospel According to Matthew” will be free, and always free. Whoever has ears, let him hear: there will be no paid subscriptions, no founding members, no buying me off for thirty pieces of silver. Of course, I won’t say no to a good Samaritan who throws me a few denarii, but every post will always be accessible whether you’re a disciple or a Pharisee.

I’ve just launched the debut post. You won’t be able to put it down if your thing is genealogical tongue twisters. Just try reading some of these doozies out loud: Amminadab, Jehoshaphat, Shealtiel, Jeconiah, and Zerubbabel. Don’t stress, they’re minor characters you’ll never hear about again.

Look forward to my next post dedicated to Jesus’ birth. Much like any family celebration, it involves travelers coming from afar and bestowing extravagant and age-inappropriate gifts on the youngest family member. And you’ll be able to say, “One out of three isn’t bad, I know exactly what gold is!”

If you’ve read this far — thank you. I hope you’ll hit subscribe with the enthusiasm of a wise man chasing down a star — but more on that next week.

God bless,

Matthew