what to do about a persistently sinful believer. Yet another in chapters 23–25 speaks of the end
times, and Matthew alone uses the image of sheep and goats to describe the division of the lost
and the redeemed in the final judgment. Finally, at the end of the Gospel, the risen Christ delivers
his “Great Commission” (Matthew 28:18–20), whereby He sets out the global task of the Church,
with supporting assurances:
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And
surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
STOR Y L INE
Matthew leads us from one mountain—Sinai, where God gave the law to Moses—to a seaside hill
in Galilee, where Jesus proclaimed the deeper truths of kingdom life. Also, this Gospel presents
a new altar as well as new teaching: in Moses’ day, lambs were sacrificed at the tabernacle; but
here, in Matthew, the Lamb of God is sacrificed on the cross for the sins of His people, once for all.
OU TL INE
1. Background and preparation (1:1–4:25)
2. The Galilean ministry (5:1–18:35)
3. The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)
4. The ministry through miracles (8:1–10:42)
5. Teaching through parables (11:1–13:52)
6. Opposition and withdrawal (13:53–16:12)
7. Jesus as the Son of God (16:13–18:35)
8. The final period (19:1–28:20)
9. Toward Jerusalem (19:1–20:34)
10. The Triumphal Entry (21:1–17)
11. Christ as teacher (21:18–25:46)
12. Trial, death, and burial (26:1–27:66)
13. Resurrection and ascension (28:1–20)
THE 7 ER A S
For topical study, please refer to the Subject Index that begins on p. 1687.