Matthew Introduction
Introduction
The Gospel according to St. Matthew has been called the most Jewish of the four Gospels. The author makes frequent connections with the Hebrew scriptures (Old Testament) and in general employs a familiar Jewish literary style. In every way Matthew endeavors to demonstrate the authenticity of Jesus as God's Messiah (Christ) who has come into human life in accord with promises made by God to the people of Israel in the books of the Hebrew scriptures (especially the Prophets and Psalms). Matthew makes clear that Jesus' coming is good news not only for Jews, but also for all the world's people.
This Gospel stands first among the four not because it was written first but because it was by far the most popular in the Early Church. It has been thoughtfully organized around five “teaching discourses” of Jesus (see indented sections of outline below). As Matthew presents him, Jesus is a Teacher of great stature and authority like Moses had been in his day (Deut 18.15). He speaks for God so persuasively that listeners marvel at his words. Significantly, like Moses, he also teaches from a mountaintop (the Sermon on the Mount), and his five central teaching sections in this Gospel compare in number with the five books of Moses (Pentateuch). Throughout this Gospel Jesus is presented as “the new Moses,” one who now speaks for God, bringing good news for his people, and for all people.
In the closing section narrating Jesus' suffering and death, Matthew brings out the majestic character of Jesus as Israel's Messiah. Jesus serenely predicted his eventual triumph over death (20.17-19), and this theme that death cannot defeat him is central to the author's purpose here. The final scene after Jesus' resurrection is again on a mountaintop, signaling authoritative revelation, and it is here that he commissions the disciples to go “and teach all nations” (28.19). Key themes in Matthew are struck again here at the end: Jesus the Teacher with authority, universal mission, commissioning of his followers to carry on his mission.
Matthew was written by an unknown Christian from Antioch in Syria around a.d. 90, but tradition has attributed this Gospel to Jesus' disciple, the tax collector of this name (but called Levi in the parallel texts in Mark and Luke).
Outline
Jesus' Origins (1.1—2.23)
Jesus' Preparation for Ministry (3.1—4.16)
Discourse 1: The Sermon on the Mount (“Living Rightly”) (4.17—7.29)
Jesus the Compassionate Healer (8.1—9.34)
Discourse 2: Mission Teaching (9.35—11.1)
Jesus Encounters Hostility (11.2—12.50)
Discourse 3: Teaching in Parables (13.1-52)
Jesus Continues His Ministry in Galilee (13.53—16.20)
Pointing toward Jerusalem (16.21—17.27)
Discourse 4: Teaching about Community (18.1-35)
Guidance for the Disciples (19.1—20.34)
Jesus in Jerusalem (21.1—23.39)
Discourse 5: The Final Age and Judgment (24.1—25.46)
Jesus' Arrest, Death and Resurrection (26.1—28.20)
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King James Version 1611, spelling, punctuation and text formatting modernized by ABS in 1962; typesetting © 2010 American Bible Society.
Matthew Matthew
Matthew
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: Matthew, the former Jewish tax collector and disciple of Jesus
Audience: Originally, the Jewish Christian church and the Jewish people
Date: AD 55–80
Type of Literature: Ancient historical biography
Major Themes: Gospel-telling, Old Testament fulfillment, heaven’s kingdom realm, kingdom-realm living
Outline:
Jesus’ Birth and Ministry Preparation — 1:1–4:11
Jesus Teaches His Kingdom Realm — 4:12–7:29
Jesus Demonstrates His Kingdom Realm — 8:1–11:1
Jesus Is Opposed — 11:2–13:53
Jesus Disciples His Disciples — 13:54–18:35
Jesus Marches to the Cross — 19:1–25:46
Jesus Dies, Rises, and Sends — 26:1–28:20
About Matthew
Four centuries of silence. Where was the promised Messiah? The Jewish people were waiting for the word of the prophets to come true, for they had prophesied that he would come. Then suddenly, the angel Gabriel made an appearance to a teenage girl to announce his birth. Shepherds saw a brilliant angelic light show on the hillside.
Wise men went out in search of him.
The light of the star shone over his manger.
Insecure Herod wanted to kill him.
Satan cruelly tested him.
The prophet John presented him to Israel.
God anointed him with the power of the Holy Spirit.
Then one day the King came into the synagogue and announced: “I’m here! I’ve come to set you free and to wash away sins, and liberate those who love and follow me.”
We can thank God for Matthew, for in his Gospel he presents our eternal King. Matthew means “gift of Yahweh,” and he lives up to his name. Thank you, Matthew, for the gift of your life and for what you have left for us in your Gospel!
Purpose
Matthew is a natural bridge between the Old Testament and the New because it has the most Jewish character. From the first verse to the last, Matthew establishes Jesus as a direct descendant of King David, preserving and fulfilling his royal line as the rightful heir as well as a descendant of Abraham, the father of Israel.
Furthermore, Matthew portrays Jesus as the new and greater Moses, who not only upholds the Jewish Torah but intensifies it—not in a legalistic way, but in a spiritual way, because following his teachings is the way into his heavenly kingdom realm.
It would be a mistake, however, to say there is only one purpose for this book. While one primary purpose is to communicate the Jesus story to the Jewish people, Matthew also means to communicate Jesus’ story to us. One particular aspect of the Jesus story that Matthew wants to share is that Jesus is King of a heavenly kingdom realm. Mark and Luke also speak of God’s kingdom realm, but Matthew focuses on how people behave as citizens of that realm, with Jesus as their loving King.
Author and Audience
It is believed that Matthew may have been the first apostle to write a gospel, and he possibly wrote it in Hebrew (Aramaic). Though some maintain that Matthew wrote his Gospel after the destruction of the temple in AD 70, it’s possible he wrote it anywhere from AD 55 to the mid-60s. He was a wealthy tax collector who profited greatly from his duty of representing Rome. And then one day, the man from Galilee stood in front of him and said, “Come, follow me.”
There continues to be debate over the original language of Matthew’s account. Eusebius, the Greek church historian, quoted Irenaeus as saying, “Matthew published his gospel among the Hebrews in their own language, while Peter and Paul in Rome were preaching and founding the church” (Eusebius, Historia Ecclesiastica III. 24.5–6 and V. 8, 2.) This, along with numerous other quotations from church fathers (Origen, Jerome, Augustine) would mean that the original manuscript of Matthew’s Gospel was written in Hebrew. Regardless, it is without dispute that Matthew was a Jewish man who presents a Jewish King who now sits on the throne of glory for all people.
Perhaps an unbiased look at the Hebrew and Aramaic manuscripts would yield further nuances of our Jewish heritage as believers in Yeshua (Jesus) and would strengthen our understanding of the inspired Scriptures. You will find ample footnotes throughout this translation to assist you in your study.
Major Themes
Gospel-Telling. The word gospel doesn’t simply mean “good news.” It is derived from the Greek verb euangelizomai, which means “to preach the good news.” In other words, Matthew is writing to tell us heaven’s truths embedded in the earthly events of the man Jesus. Matthew isn’t giving us dry theology, but sharing stories and teachings designed in such a way as to unfold the majestic, magisterial person of Jesus, who embodies all of our theologies!
Old Testament. As the first book of the New Testament, Matthew connects the past with the present and with the future. He quotes sixty times from the Old Testament, showing us that the New was enfolded in the Old, while the New Testament is the Old Testament unfolded and explained. The Old Testament is more central in Matthew than in any other Gospel, both in frequency and in emphasis. If the Jewish story is always pointing forward, Matthew’s Gospel is its final act. It brings resolution to the Old Testament by presenting King Jesus and his kingdom realm and community as fulfilling their prophetic expectations.
Parables. There are unique components to Matthew’s Gospel. For example, he records extensively the allegorical teachings of Jesus known as parables. Twelve are detailed by Matthew, and nine of them are unique to this account. He gives us two miracles of Jesus that are found nowhere else: the healing of two blind men and the miracle coin found in the fish’s mouth. It is through these simple stories that the nature of both our King and his kingdom really come to life!
Heavenly Kingdom Realm. Matthew brings us the realm of the heavenly kingdom and sets its virtue and reality before us. The phrase “kingdom realm” is used nearly forty times as Jesus offers it to you and me. And Jesus is described as the King fourteen times. This is the Gospel of the King and his kingdom, but a different kingdom than even his followers expected. For the kingdom realm that Jesus ushered in would not liberate the Jewish people from oppression from the Roman government as they expected—we can define neither the King nor his kingdom ourselves. Instead, he offers not only Jews but every person access to an eternal, heavenly realm free from the consequences of sin and an oasis to refresh our lives!
Kingdom-Realm Living. Matthew’s Gospel isn’t only about our loving King and his kingdom, it’s also about his subjects who act and live within that kingdom. The church is the community of Christ’s heavenly kingdom realm, and Jesus’ sermon on the hillside is the final Torah of the kingdom realm. For Matthew, a godly lover (the “righteous”) is someone who has chosen to submit to Jesus as King and whose life is lived in accordance with his ethics. The Gospel of Matthew will bring before your eyes the power and majesty of our loving King. Encounter the wonder of Jesus as you read this book!
Matthew
Our Loving King
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