The Gospel
of Matthew
is, in most Bibles,
the first of the four biographies
of Jesus
written by his followers and received by the church as
scripture, and the first book in the New Testament.
Matthew is attributed to the apostle of that
name, a former tax
collector called by Jesus.
Matthew places a particular emphasis on Jesus as the Messiah. He
frequently references Old Testament
to show how some aspect of the life of Jesus is a fulfillment of messianic prophecy.
I find this an interesting point of comparison between Christianity
and some later religions
that claim some connection to the Jewish or
Christian scriptures or historic people from them. Islam and Mormonism, along
with some others, claim that the Bible was corrupted over time and had to be
replaced or corrected by later texts. The authors of the New Testament, in
contrast, accepted, relied on, and appealed to the authority of the existing
Jewish Bible.
The book is organized in this fashion:
-Jesus’ ancestry
and early life,
-His ministry,
-His miracles,
-His parables,
and
Only Luke
pays comparable attention to the nativity and
early life of Jesus. Matthew presents
this as evidence that Jesus fulfilled prophecies that the Messiah would be a
descendent of David,
born of a virgin in Bethlehem, and
spend time in Egypt.
Jesus’ ministry began with his baptism by John,
himself a fulfillment of prophecy that the Messiah would be announced by a
prophet like Elijah.
Eventually, Jesus commissions others to carry His message. This section
includes the Sermon
on the Mount and the Beatitudes.
The miracles He performed were evidence of His authority from God.
Jesus is known as a teller of parables. Matthew presents several in one
section that relate to the Gospel and Kingdom of God. Later, Jesus uses a
series of parables to prepare His disciples for the things leading up to His
crucifixion.
The death and resurrection of Jesus are not only fulfillments of
prophecy, but are also the culmination of His work. On the cross, He bore the
punishment for all the sins
of man. In his resurrection, He demonstrated the means and hope of eternal life
for those who follow Him.
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