Gospel of Matthew: Historical Record of the Messiah, Jesus Christ
The Gospel of Matthew
This week Edward and I start our study of the Gospel of Matthew. As we move closer to Easter, we thought it would be great to remember, read, study, and dig deeper into Christ's life, ministry, crucifixion, which leads us to the Good News of His Resurrection and Commission.
As with my study of Lamentations, I'd like to continue to share some background, historical contexts, and insights about the book. As we study the books of the Bible, it is important that we make sure to heed the historical contexts, the background information, and take into account the literary structure and genre of the book in order to gather the most insights, and to fully understand what the Word is speaking to us. As always, my insights are gathered from my Bible (Holman Christian Science Bible, Study Bible), and additionally, I have referred to notes from a Christian life class taken at CBU in 2011 with Dr. Cate.
The Gospel of Matthew Intro:
The New Testament begins with the four Gospels; the first of the Gospels is Matthew, which serves as a great transition from the Old Testament into the New Testament. Of all the Gospels, Matthew is the most concerned with Jewish perspectives, illustrating Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and with illustrating how Christian Jews struggled against non-Christian Jews.
The Gospel of Matthew Context:
Gospel of Matthew Author: Matthew (?)
The author didn't identify himself in the text, so historians are not completely sure, but all signs point to Matthew, an apostle, being the Gospel's author. There are some who believe one of the disciples, Levi, a tax collector mentioned in Mark and Luke, is Matthew and he was renamed (Levi --> Matthew) like Simon was renamed Petter. Early manuscripts attribute the Gospel to Matthew, and the early church affirmed Matthew as the writer. Though there are some who dispute Matthew's authorship of the Gospel for various reasons, the general belief is that Matthew is the author and little will likely change this opinion that is based on solid evidence.
Gospel of Matthew History:
The Gospel of Matthew was written around the early-mid 50s AD. Most historians and scholars believe that Matthew was written based off of the Gospel of Mark and another hypothesized document known as 'Q', which are a collection of Jesus' saying or oracles (Dr. Cate). (Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels; their information overlaps.)
The most important historical things to keep in mind when reading the Gospel of Matthew, in my opinion, is the books historical record of Jesus' life, its incorporation of Old Testament scripture, and its emphasis on Christian Jews' lives amongst non-Christian Jews. As you read Matthew, you'll see a large amount of Old Testament (OT) references, all confirming and highlighting Jesus' true identity as the Messiah promised within the OT. Matthew illustrates how Jesus fulfills the promises of the OT, and serves as a gateway into the New Testament (NT).
Gospel of Matthew Structure:
The Gospel of Matthew is broken up into three major sections, which all begin with "From then on Jesus began to." The sections are an introduction (1:1-4:16), a body (4:17-16:20), and a conclusion (16: 21-28:20). Further, Matthew is divided into five major teaching blocks, or sermons, with each concluding with a summary. According to my Bible and Dr. Cate, scholars believe these five sections reflect the five books of Moses (Torah), and illustrates Jesus' identity as the 'new' Moses.
Jesus' Five Sermons in the Gospel of Matthew:
- Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)
- Ministry to the Twelve Disciples (10:5-11:1)
- Kingdom of Heaven Parables (13:1-53)
- Character Traits of Jesus' Disciples (18:1-19:1)
- Olivet/Eschatological Discourse (24:1-25:31)
- Gospel of Matthew Message & Purpose:
When reading the Matthew in comparison to the other Gospels, it becomes evident that Matthew's message and purpose was grounded in Jesus' identity as the Messiah, and the fulfillment of OT promises. It does this by preserving eyewitness testimony about Jesus' ministry, and also drawing parallels to OT scripture.
Matthew emphasizes four main Christian Theological truths:
- Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited King of God's people.
- Jesus is the new Abraham, the founder of a new spiritual Israel composed of believers who follow Him, both Jew and gentile.
- Jesus is the new Moses, the deliver and teacher of God's people.
- Jesus is the Immanuel, virgin-born son of God, who fulfills OT promises.
In addition to these truths, we learn a lot about Jesus's life and ministry from the Gospel of Matthew, most particularly, the kind of Messiah He was to become in how He fulfilled OT scripture, resisted temptation, taught, and healed people from all walks of life with all kinds of ailments. Matthew shows us how Jesus echoes Moses, Elijah, and other Hebrew prophets, confirming His identity.
Gospel of Matthew Contribution to the Bible:
The Gospel of Matthew is a great transition book from the OT to the NT and serves as a bridge between the two books. As a whole, it reveals God's entire plan, from Genesis to Revelation. Throughout the book, Matthew takes great care to draw connections to the OT; he refers to Hebrew prophecies about 60 times. Additionally, he also looks at the present (at his time) ministry of Jesus' and looks forward to the Christ's coming, His future plans for the church and the Kingdom.
Outline of the Gospel of Matthew
I. Birth and Infancy of Jesus (1:1-2:23)
A. Genealogy (1:1-17)
B. Birth narratives (1:18-2:18)
C. Settlement in Nazareth (2:19-23)
II. Beginning of Jesus' Ministry in Galilee (3:1-4:25)
A. Ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12)
B. Baptism of Jesus (3:13-17)
C. Temptation of Jesus (4:1-11)
D. Summary of Galilean ministry (4:12-25)
III. Teaching Block One: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)
A. The Beatitudes (5:1-16)
B. Character of kingdom righteousness (5:17-48)
C. Practice of kingdom righteousness (6:1-7:12)
D. Choice of the kingdom (7:13-27)
E. Manner of Jesus' teaching (7:28-29)
IV. Jesus' First Miracles (8:1-9:38)
A. A series of miracles (8:1-9:8)
B. The kingdom and the old order (9:9-17)
C. More miracles (9:18-38)
V. Teaching Block Two: Ministry to the Twelve Disciples (10:1-42)
A. The preachers and their mission (10:1-15)
B. THe response to be expected (10:16-42)
VI. Responses to Jesus' Ministry (11:1-12:50)
A. The kingdom and John the Baptest (11:1-15)
B. Challenge to the present generation (11:16-30)
C. Opposition to the kingdom (12:1-45)
D. Fellowship in the kingdom (12:46-50)
VII. Teaching Block Three: Kingdom of Heaven Parables (13:1-58)
A. Parable of the sower (13:1-9)
B. The parable method explained (13:10-23)
C. Other parables (13:24-52)
D. Response to Jesus' parables (13:53-58)
VIII. Close of Jesus' Ministry in Galilee (14:1-17:27)
A. Crisis of opposition (14:1-15:20)
B. Withdrawal to the north (15:21-39)
C. Further conflict (16:1-12)
D. Crisis of faith (16:13-20)
E. Preparation of Jesus' disciple for His death (16:21-17:27)
IX. Teaching Block Four: Character Traits of Jesus' Disciples (18:1-35)
A. Humility (18:1-20)
B. Forgiveness (18:21-35)
X. Jesus' Ministry on the Way to Jerusalem (19:1-20:34)
A. Teachings on the way to Jerusalem (19:1-20:28)
B. Healing at Jericho (20:29-34)
XI. Jesus' Ministry in Jerusalem (21:1-23:39)
A. Events in Jerusalem (21:1-22)
B. Controversies with the Jews (21:23-22:46)
C. Denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees (23:1-39)
XII. Teaching Block Five: Olivet/ Eschatological Discourse (24:1-25:46)
A. Prophecy of the coming of the kingdom (24:1-36)
B. Exhortations to readiness (24:37-25:30)
C. Judgment of the nations (25:31-46)
XIII. Betrayal, Crucifixion, and Burial (26:1-27:66)
A. The plot to betray Jesus (26:1-16)
B. The Last Supper (26:17-30)
C. Events in Gethsemane (26:31-56)
D. The trials (26:57-27:26)
E. Crucifixion and burial (27:27-66)
XIV. Resurrection and Commission (28:1-20)
A. Women and the angel at the tomb (28:1-10)
B. False witness of the guards (28:11-15)
C. Jesus' Great Commission (28:16-20)
Please Note: It is never my intentions or hope to pass on the insights or knowledge I have about different books of the Bible as my own. Everything I share comes from my study Bible, which I have found gives me great guidance and insight in my own reading. I share these insights here for a few reasons; (1) to help facilitate accurate readings of the Bible; (2) to provide greater resources to those who (for whatever reasons) do not have the same resources available to them; finally, (3) to shine greater light on the divinity of Scripture. My prayer is that these insights will expand your reading as it does mine, and that the insights I gather from my study resource will minister to you like they do to me.
Deep and Full Blessings to You,
Kiandra