The Gospel of Matthew
Key verse: 1:1 “The book of the generation of Jesus
Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Key idea: The King and His kingdom
Key word: fulfilled
- About the author
- In Hebrew, Matthew means “gift of Jehovah,” & its
Greek equivalent is “Theodore.” Also called “Levi,” Matthew’s father was
Alphaeus (Mark 2:14), though this is not the same Alphaeus who was father of
James the Less (Matthew 10:3).
- He was a tax official, a publican (Luke 5:27), a class
of men hated by the Jews because they were seen as traitors. Matthew was
collecting taxes when Jesus invited him to discipleship, & he immediately
obeyed (Luke 5:28). His vocation implies two things about him:
i.
his wealth. On one occasion, Matthew gave a “great feast” & invited a
great multitude of publicans to hear Jesus (Luke 5:29). With great modesty,
Matthew omits his calling and dinner in his account.
ii.
his education. His interaction would have required him to know Aramaic,
Greek (the business language), and Latin (the language of Rome).
iii.
His politics. Matthew’s thinking was opposite of Simon the Canaanite, a
former member of the Zealots which used violence to advance their political &
religious cause (Luke 6:15). Matthew accepted Roman occupation in Israel and
determined to make the best of the circumstance.
- Little is known of Matthew’s later life. In the
300’s, the church historian Eusebius mentions a meeting of the apostles
where they divided the Roman world into twelve parts where each apostle
would evangelize. Early history says that Matthew preached for 15 years in
Palestine and then preached to Persians, Parthians, Medes, Macedonians,
Syrians, and Ethopians (International Standard Bible Encyclopedia,
vol. iii:2009). One traditional account claims that he suffered a martyr’s
death but an older historian, Heracleon, writing about A.D. 150 said that he
died a natural death.
- The oldest historical accounts say that Matthew wrote
the book that bears his name. A trainee of the apostle John, Papias (A.D.
70-155) was an elder of the Hierapolis church. He claimed that “Matthew
composed the oracles in the Aramaic tongue.” If he wrote an account of
Jesus’ life in Aramaic, only the Greek version survived. Other early
witnesses to Matthew’s authorship also include Ignatius (A.D. 116), Polycarp
(A.D. 150), Justin Martyr (A.D. 160), Irenaeus (A.D. 185) & Origen (A.D.
250).
- About the book
- Many Bible scholars consider the book of Matthew the
single most important document of the Christian faith. Historians say that
it was the most widely read and quoted of the four gospels. In his
commentary on Matthew, Brother Jack Lewis called Matthew “the most
comprehensive Gospel, giving us the fullest account of Jesus’ teaching
arranged so that it is quite suitable for teaching purposes” (8). He said
that Matthew has influenced Christian literature more than any other book.
- Ancient manuscripts found in the East almost always
listed the gospels in the same order that is on our Bibles. Manuscripts
found in the West usually followed this order: Matthew, John, Luke, and
Mark.
- A four-hundred year gap exists between Malachi and
Matthew. Since Matthew emphasizes the Old Testament, it is a natural
transition between the two testaments. Matthew had a great knowledge of the
Old Testament which he quotes or alludes to more than 100 times showing that
he wanted to emphasize the Old Testament.
i.
13 times he uses the word “fulfill” showing that the character and work
of Jesus were predicted by prophets of old time.
1)
His virgin birth of Jesus, 1:22
2)
His return of God’s Son from Egypt, 2:15
3)
Herod’s slaughter of infants, 2:17
4)
His living in Nazareth, 2:23
5)
His preaching that enlightens, 4:14
6)
His miracles, 8:17
7)
His compassionate mission, 12:17
8)
Jewish leaders stubborn resistance to Him, 13:14
9)
Teaching in parables, 13:35
10)
Triumphant entry in Jerusalem, 21:4
11)
His crucifixion, 26:54
12)
His arrest, 26:56
13)
His betrayal & 30 silver pieces, 27:9
ii.
9 times he uses the term “it is written.” He uses the perfect tense form
of the verb “written” to emphasize a past event where the results remain with us
(2:5; 4:4,6,7,10; 11:10; 21:13; 26:24,31). This phrase could be translated, “it
stands written.”
iii.
7 times Matthew quotes Jesus as asking if his opponents had read the
Scriptures: 12:3,5; 19:4; 21:16,42; 22:31; 24:15.
iv.
The internal evidence shows that Matthew is writing for the Jewish
audience who was well-versed in Scripture.
- For the most part, the narrative is chronological, but
some of the material is grouped according to subject matter (e.g. the Sermon
on the Mount in Matt.5-7 and the parables in Matt.13).
- In contrast to Mark who said little of Jesus’ sayings,
Matthew describes Jesus as a doer and a teacher. Recorded are at least 20
miracles and 6 major messages (chapters 5-7; 10; 13; 18; 23; & 24-25). Over
60% of the book deals with Jesus’ teachings.
- Matthew emphasizes Jesus’ kingdom. The new Israel is
both international & interracial in scope. The most Jewish account of
Jesus’ life begins with the Gentiles seeking Jesus (Matthew 2) and ends with
Jesus seeking the Gentiles & Jews (Matthew 28).
- Date of authorship: Eusebius quotes Clement of
Alexandria (also called Titus Flavius Clemens) about A.D. 200 as saying that
“the gospels containing the genealogies [Matt. & Luke] were written first.”
If true, then this destroys the idea that the synoptics depended upon Mark
for their material. Perhaps this is why Matthew always appears first in
order among the gospels. The fact that Matthew prophesies the destruction
of Jerusalem (Matthew 24) but does not record its fulfillment is a strong
reason to believe that it was authored prior to A.D. 70. How much before
this date we cannot know for certain. Some claim that Matthew must have
been the New Testament work to be written.
- Outline of Matthew
- Brief outline
i.
Jesus’ early life (1-2)
ii.
Jesus in Galilee (3-18)
iii.
Jesus in Judea (19-28)
- Another outline
i.
His pedigree (1-4)
ii.
His preaching (5-7)
iii.
His powers (8-11)
iv.
His parables (12-15)
v.
His principles (16-19)
vi.
His predictions (20-25)
vii.
His passion (26-28)