The Matthew 28:19 Project

When I first started reading the Bible, I didn’t know where to begin, so—oddly enough—I opened it somewhere in the middle of Isaiah. Looking back, that probably wasn’t the wisest choice, but I kept going anyway. I made it almost to the end of the Old Testament before I stopped.

This past January, I made a New Year’s resolution to read the entire Bible. I found The Bible Recap, a chronological reading plan, and it felt doable—so I started on January 1. To my surprise, I stuck with it. And I’m glad I did because I realized how sneaky my God is. He was speaking to me, giving me the confidence to create The Matthew 28:19 Project, inspiring me with ideas for blogs, and I wasn’t even aware of it. This year, I’ve learned more about Scripture, about God, about Jesus, and about how intricately God weaves His story than I ever have before. From Genesis to Revelation, Christ is everywhere. Had I not committed to reading the whole Bible, I would have missed the beauty of that thread.

I understand why many people begin with the New Testament—it feels easier and seems more “about Jesus.” But skipping the Old Testament means skipping the foundation of His story. Jesus Himself constantly quoted it: in the wilderness He said, “Man shall not live by bread alone…” (Matthew 4:4), echoing Deuteronomy 8:3. Then, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God” (Matthew 4:7), pulling straight from Deuteronomy 6:16. Later He told the Pharisees, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice” (Matthew 12:7), quoting Hosea 6:6. And when He cleansed the temple, His words—“My house shall be called a house of prayer” (Matthew 21:13)—were rooted in Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11.

And it wasn’t only Jesus. Even the Devil quoted Scripture. In Matthew 4:6, he twisted Psalm 91:11–12 to tempt Jesus: “For He shall give His angels charge over you…” The enemy knows the Word—he uses it for deception. That alone is a reminder of why we need to know the whole Word for ourselves.

Paul also heavily relied on the Old Testament in Romans. In Romans 3:10–11, he references the Psalms: “There is none righteous, no, not one…” echoing David’s words in Psalm 14:1–3 about humanity’s urgent need for God. Paul isn’t just quoting—he’s demonstrating that the message of salvation has always remained consistent.

And if you’re not reading the entire Bible, you’re missing how powerfully the New Testament fulfills Old Testament prophecy. Matthew references Isaiah 7:14 when explaining the virgin birth in Matthew 1:22–23. Micah predicted that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), and indeed, Matthew 2:1 shows Jesus was born there. Isaiah foretold that a messenger would prepare the way for the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3), and Matthew 3:1 begins with John the Baptist crying out in the wilderness—just as God said he would.

One of my favorite examples of how God weaves His story from beginning to end is in Matthew 2, when Herod ordered the murder of the infants. Matthew quoted the prophet Jeremiah—“A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning…” (Matthew 2:17–18). Jeremiah had spoken those words centuries earlier in Jeremiah 31:15, using Rachel as a symbolic mother of Israel, weeping for her descendants. But Jeremiah himself was reaching back even further to Moses’s writings in Genesis 35:16–20, where Rachel literally wept and died near Bethlehem. So you have Moses writing the original event… Jeremiah echoing that grief generations later… and Matthew showing how that same sorrow ultimately pointed to the days of Jesus. Three different authors, in three different eras, all tied to one moment—and all telling one continuous story God planned from the beginning. How amazing is that? If you aren’t reading the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, you would have missed this!

These are just a few examples, but they clearly show one thing: from the very first page to the last, Jesus is present in the Scriptures that many believers overlook today. The Old Testament doesn’t lead you away from Christ—it points directly to Him.

So don’t settle for just part of the story. Open the entire Word. Let every chapter reveal the God who keeps His promises, fulfills His prophecies, and weaves the story of Jesus through every page. When you read it all, you don’t just learn about Him—you see Him everywhere.