The book of Matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the four gospels. (The word Gospel means Good news) At 28 chapters it is the longest of the four. Written by Matthew whose name means 'Gift of God' he was also known as Levi. He was one of the twelve apostles and witness to the events of Jesus life, he was a tax collector before he left everything to follow Jesus.
The first part of his Gospel relate to the two and a half years that Jesus ministered in Galilee and the second part describes his six month ministry to the Jews in the south in a more intense nationalistic environment. Matthews gospel is very close to that of Mark but there are particular differences, Matthew aims his account at a Jewish audience particularly to new believers. He presents Jesus as the king of the Jews, the one who fulfils all that the old testament foretold, the messiah King for whom they had been waiting. He focuses on the Royal line of David and linked Jesus to his ancestry with a genealogy in the opening part of his Gospel. He pays particular attention to the crown of thorns and the sceptre and the title given to Jesus (King of the Jews) for which he was mocked. These would have resonated with a Jewish audience but not particularly for a non Jewish gentile one.
The book of Matthew contains the Great commission to make disciples of all nations and the greatest teaching of all, The sermon on the mount plus four other teachings connected to the kingdom. The idea of a kingdom and a king (Jesus) fitting together. These five sermons mirror the five books of the law in the old testament. Matthew is hinting that Jesus is bringing a new spiritual law which gives a different perspective to the old law of Moses. Following the Genealogy he describes the birth baptism and temptation of Jesus. He then begins describing his ministry including the calling of his disciples before covering the death and resurrection in more detail than any of the other Gospels. Throughout his book the teachings are alternated between the deeds of Jesus and his actions, serving to underline the way in which he worked.
Matthew uses the phrase Kingdom of heaven rather than kingdom of God as in the other Gospels as the Jews would avoid using Gods name in speech for fear of speaking irreverently. Matthew makes more references to the Jewish scriptures and prophets than the other Gospel writers as he looks to remind them that Bethlehem was predicted in the old scriptures to be the birth place of Jesus , that he would be born of a virgin, he reminds them of their history of wanderings in the dessert and of their exile in Egypt. He also points out that Jesus was innocent of the charges made against him and stresses why the Jews had not received the Messiah in the way they were expecting because they had not lived out the scriptures as they should have.
Jesus was not a King to drive out the occupying Romans but instead a prince of peace. The Jews had been told that Jesus had come to abolish the law but Matthew assures them that Jesus did not come to abolish the law but rather fulfill it by giving it a spiritual dimension. Matthew was written at a time when there were tensions between Jew and gentile, with the early church attracting more Gentiles who did not hold to many of the old customs. He was therefore anxious to convey that the followers of Jesus were not abandoning the old testament, that the Christian faith still had Jewish roots and that Jesus himself a Jew was the long awaited for Messiah who had been foretold in scripture. Although it is written for a Jewish audience it also mentions Christs concern for the Gentiles, that Jesus ministered in Galilee to the Gentiles. He points to the great faith of the Roman centurion and the Canaanite women and in the Great commission Jesus commands his followers to make disciples of all nations not just the Jews showing that the gospel is to be inclusive.
Matthew more than the other Gospels record the negative words of Jesus, particularly in Chapter 23. He is very stern regarding the Pharisees who were the religious teachers of the time who interpreted the laws in a very harsh manner concentrating on the letter rather than the spirit of the law, by putting an unbearable burdens on people and administering harsh punishments. Jesus called them a "brood of vipers". It’s worth remembering that Jesus also gave curses or woes to those who sinned including whole towns and cities. There were four major cities on the Sea of Galilee at that time Bethsaida, Capernaum and Chorazin which now no longer exist but the town he never cursed Tiberius is still there today.
Another key theme in Matthew is discipleship and is a good book for new Christians because it instructs us in how to live like Christ, in the kingdom of heaven on earth which is one of the books main purposes. Discipleship centres on two main areas. 1) Faith in an ongoing sense after the initial decision to follow Christ and take him into your heart. Jesus is looking for continuing trust in him. 2) Righteousness. The idea that our deeds and attitudes need to match the professing of our faith and that we should not forget the reality of judgement in securing justice in the Kingdom, thus guarding us from complacency.
Matthew is also the only Gospel to speak about the Church both in a local and universal sense. Jesus declares that Peter because of his faith would be the rock on which my (Universal) Church would be built. He also gives guidance on how to settle disputes, deal with believers who sin and those who drift away from the faith, all in the Church locally. All of the Gospels speak of the Kingdom but Matthew gives it particular prominence. He confirms that the Kingdom has already broken in, in the here and now but is to be consummated later when Jesus returns, whereas the Jews believe that the Kingdom is yet to come in the future.
Matthew also uses the word father with regard to God 44 times, more than any other Gospel, so we end up with this dual idea of God as both King and father which suggests a personal relationship rather than just obeying rules as you would of a King. How we are to live in this kingdom is highlighted in the sermon on the mount and that we are on a mission to love and help all people but particularly the poor and marginalized. The kingdom is also to be a community which grows giving us an idea of what the kingdom will look like at the end of the age and beyond, including the signs that we are to look for as that time approaches.
In conclusion we can say that Matthews Gospel was vital for the early church as a uniting factor between Jew and Gentile, as a directive to go out into the world and to explain what discipleship should be all about. The kingdom being both an offer and a demand, all within the context of what Christ achieved in his healing and teaching ministry, culminating in what he did on the cross for us.
Summary and Reference Unlocking the bible - David Pawson Matthew for everyone - Tom Wright