MATTHEW
INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW
Each of the four Gospels( Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) tells the story of Jesus from its own perspective. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the long-awaited Jewish Messiah and King, who fulfills God’ s promises in the Old Testament. Jesus is not just a wise teacher; he is the one God has chosen to usher in the kingdom of heaven. He has come to save and to restore humanity into right relationship with God— starting first with Israel and then moving to the wider world.
BACKGROUND
The text of Matthew doesn’ t identify its author, but ever since the second century AD, Chris tian tradition has ascribed this Gospel to Matthew the tax collector— called Levi in Mark and Luke’ s accounts— who became one of Jesus’ 12 disciples( Mt 9:9; 10:3; Mk 2:14; Lk 5:27 – 29). Various features in Matthew reflect a writing style that is more Jewish than the other three Gospels, although John’ s Gospel is also steeped in Judaism. Matthew seems to have been intended for a community of Jewish people who believed that Jesus was the Messiah. Based on Matthew’ s focus on the negative elements of the Judaism of Jerusalem and Judaea, it seems that the Gospel’ s audience probably lived outside of the Israel region. It was probably written in the late first century, around AD 60 – 85.
STRUCTURE
One way to organize the Gospel of Matthew is by the five major blocks of Jesus’ teaching. Each block ends with a phrase noting what happened when Jesus was finished speaking( for example, Mt 7:28). These five blocks are: the Sermon on the Mount( 5:1— 7:29); the missionary discourse( 9:35— 10:42); Jesus’ parables( 13:1 – 52); Jesus’ teaching on discipleship( ch. 18); and Jesus’ teaching about his return and the day of judgment( 23:1— 25:46). This five-part division could serve as an echo of the Pentateuch( the first five books of the Old Testament). Matthew is presenting Jesus as a new Moses. Like Moses, Jesus is leading God’ s people in an exodus— this new exodus involves breaking the bonds of sin. And just as Moses delivered God’ s law, Jesus fulfills it( 5:17 – 20).
Tyre
Galilee
Capernaum Nazareth
Jerusalem
Samaria
Judea
Bethlehem
Caesarea Philippi
Jericho
Bethsaida
This map depicts many of the locations of Jesus’ ministry according to Matthew’ s Gospel.
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