The Book of Matthew

The book of Matthew is one of the Bible's four Gospels. The Gospel of Matthew is quite fitting as an introduction to the New Testament and to "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (16:16). Although the author is not identified by name, the testimony of all early church leaders is that Matthew, one of Jesus' original twelve disciples, wrote the Gospel.

While Mark's Gospel was written for the Romans and Luke's Gospel for Theophilus and other Gentiles, Matthew's Gospel was written specifically for Jewish believers. The Jewish background of this Gospel is clearly present in many ways. 1. It uses Old Testament revelation, promises and prophecy to prove that Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. 2. It traces Jesus' family line starting from Abraham, the "father" of the Jews. 3. It reportedly declares that Jesus is the "Son of David". 4. It uses phrases and terms commonly used by the Jews. 5. It refers to Jewish customs without any explanation.

Though this gospel is written with the Jewish audience in mind, it is not for Jews alone. Like the message of Jesus Himself, Matthew's Gospel was written for the whole church. In this way, it faithfully reveals th cross-cultural and worldwide scope of the good news about Jesus.

Matthew wrote this Gospel to provide his readers with an eye witness account of Jesus' life; to assure his readers that Jesus was God's Son and the long-awaited Messiah foretold by the Old Testament prophets and to show that God's kingdom was revealed and lived out through Jesus in a way never before known to humankind.

Matthew wants his audience to understand two important issues: 1. Israel, for the most part, rejected Jesus and His kingdom. They refused to believe that He was their promised Messiah because He came as a spiritual leader rather than as a political leaders, as they expected. 2. Only at the end of this age - in the last days following God's end-time judgment on earth - will Jesus come in glory as the King of kings to judge and rule the nations.

Matthew presents Jesus as the One who fulfilled all of the God-inspired Old Testament prophecies about Israel's hope. He fulfills Old Testament prophecy in a variety of ways, including: His birth, His birthplace, His return from Egypt and His residence in Nazareth; His prophetic predecessor - John the Baptist, His primary location for public ministry, His healing ministry, His role as God's servant, His teaching in parables, His triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His arrest.

Chapters 5 - 25 record five of Jesus' major discourses. They also contain five major narratives describing His mighty acts as the Messiah. Many of these are miracles revealing His limitless power, authority and compassion. Jesus' five major discourses are:  His Sermon the Mount, His instructions and encouragement for His followers before He sends them out to preach, His parables that teach lessons about the kingdom of heaven, His teachings on the character of true disciples, and the teaching from the Mount of Olives about end-time events.

Seven major features characterize this Gospel. 1. It is the most Jewish-oriented of the New Testament Gospels. 2. It contains the most systematic and orderly arrangement an account of Jesus' teaching and ministry of healing and spiritual deliverance. 3. The five major discourses contain the most complete blocks of material in all of the Gospels on Jesus' teaching during His ministry in Galilee and on the subject of eschatology.

Far more than any other New Testament book, this Gospel carefully identifies events in Jesus' life that fulfill Old Testament prophecies and promises. It mentions the kingdom of heaven/kingdom of God twice as often as any other Gospel. Matthew focuses on the righteous standards of the kingdom over sin, demons, sickness and even death; and the future triumph of the kingdom in a final victory over evil in the end-times. It is the only Gospel to mention or predict the church as a powerful future entity belonging to Jesus.