LESSON 3

THE STORY OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Introduction:
  • From early in the life of the church it was assumed that The Gospel of Matthew was written by the Apostle Matthew.
  • It seems that the best date for this Gospel is AD 66-70, some time near or after the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman army.
  • The Gospel was written for Jewish Christians who had only recently been rooted up from the beloved Jerusalem and who had moved North into Southern Syria, possibly near Damascus.
  • The Gospel explains to these Jewish Christians that their faith should not be rooted in Jerusalem and the Judaism of the Temple in Jerusalem, but only in Jesus, the Messiah.
  • Christian faith and Messianic expectation is focused solely on Jesus.
  • Matthew explains that Jesus fulfills every aspect of Jewish Messianic expectation.  Among many the following points are important:
  • He has the right royal lineage – genealogy (Matt 1:1-17).
  • He fulfills Messianic prophecy (Matt 1:18-23 – Isaiah 7:14)
  • He was born in Bethlehem as predicted by the prophets (Matt 2:1-6 – Micah 5:2).
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  • According to Matthew Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Divinely Sent Son of Man, and the King of God’s Kingdom.
  • Jesus came to bring in (introduce) the Kingdom of God which kingdom began breaking in with his birth as king and his Messianic ministry.
  • John the Baptist predicted that Jesus would bring in the kingdom of God (Matt 3:1-3).
  • Jesus claimed to be introducing the kingdom (Matt 12:28).
  • Jesus promised to build his church (Matt 16:16-18).
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    • The Unique Jewish Style of Matthew’s Gospel:
    • Matthew uses a number of Jewish literary devices and emphases that would have meaning to his Jewish Christian readers:
      • His genealogy of Jesus is a typical Jewish genealogy, mentioning only those significant persons in the lineage.
      • In Jewish style he records much of Jesus’ teaching in parables.
      • In Jewish Rabbinic style he gives much emphasis to the sayings of Jesus.
      • He lumps stories or teaching points in groupings of five or seven.
      • He adopts a typical Rabbinic style of quoting from the Old Testament.
      • He makes much of Jesus being in a son of Abraham and a son of David, both Messianic concepts.
      • He includes much of Jesus’ teaching about the end of the age and its importance.
      • Matthew records Jesus speaking of the kingdom of heaven rather than the kingdom of God – Jews did not use God’s name often and substituted "heaven" in place of "God".
         

    Matthew Emphasizes the Radical Nature of True Discipleship:

  • In many ways this is a gospel about discipleship, but the discipleship called for in Matthew is a radical discipleship.
  • The Great Commission in Matt 28:19, 20 is expressed in terms of "making disciples of all nations".
  • Immediately after calling his disciples Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount – this is a sermon about being a disciple. The Sermon covers:
  • The character of a disciple - Matt 5:1-16.
  • The righteousness of a disciple - Matt 5:17-6:18.
  • The disciple and the world - Matt 6:19-34.
  • General qualities of genuine discipleship Matt 7:1-29.
  • The disciple must be willing to face persecution and die for faith in Jesus Matt 10:16-39 (note especially verse38, 39).
     
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    The Great Teaching Blocks in Matthew:

    Matthew is characterized by five great blocks of teaching which are unique to Matthew and in which Jesus instructs disciples on discipleship:
  • Matt 5:1-7:29 - The Sermon on the Mount
  • Matt 5:1-16 – The Character of the Disciple.
  • Matt 5:17- 6:18 - The Righteousness of the Disciple – Better than the Pharisee and not defined by law but by relationship with Jesus.
  • Matt 6:19 - 34 - The Disciple and the World – Disciples have a different attitude to worldly matters. The focus on kingdom concerns.
  • Matt 7:1-29 - The Genuine Qualities of the disciple.
  • Matt 10:1- 42 - The Limited Commission Disciples make disciples. This will bring opposition from the community of Jews and result in persecution.
  • Matt 13:1-52 - The Kingdom Parables – The disciples' attitude toward the kingdom and how disciples treat one another in the kingdom. The kingdom is valuable. Kingdom growth takes time. Disciples do not judge in the kingdom!
  • Matt The Disciple Living in Community (The Church) – Disciples are humble servants.
  • The Great Apocalyptic Message – The destruction of Jerusalem and Jesus’ Second coming. Judgment on Jerusalem is certain, but this is not the end of the word! This is not the Second or Final Coming of Jesus for Jesus' Second Coming will be unannounced – disciples must be prepared and watchful.
     
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    The Great Commission in Matthew:
  • Matthew records the Great Commission of Jesus to his disciples in different terms than Mark and Luke.
  • He stresses, like Mark, that the Gospel is for all people:
  • Mark "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation…"
  • Matthew "Go and make disciples of all nations…"
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  • The imperative verb (command) in Matthew’s commission is "You must make disciples…"
  • The other verbal actions in this commission are participles which draw their imperatival nature (command nature) from the main verb of the sentence, "you must make disciples…" We thus call these participles "imperatival" or "modal" imperatives which explain how one must make disciples!
  • "Go" is one of these modal or imperatival participles which explains to the Jewish church that in order to make disciples of all nations, they must go to all nations! (Remember, Jews were reluctant to go to the Gentiles and to accept them into community).
  • "Baptizing them" is another modal or imperatival participle which explains how one makes disciples. Obviously they must first be taught, but the action which brings them into fellowship with Jesus and the church is baptism.
  • "Teaching them" to observe all that the apostles had been taught is additional means of making disciples. The must be taught correctly what it means to be a disciple!
     
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    Summary:
  • Remember, Matthew’s Gospel was written essentially to Jewish Christian recently displaced from Jerusalem.
  • They needed to know that Christian hope and discipleship was not centered on the Law of Moses and Jerusalem.  It is centered on Jesus as the Messiah.
  • They needed to know what real discipleship is like. It is a radical call to follow Jesus at all costs.
  • Matthew draws special attention to Jesus’ teaching on who a disciple is, what kind of person they should be, what they must do as disciples, how their lives are focused on kingdom matters, how they must live together in community, and that Jerusalem is not the center of their faith.
  • Christian and kingdom life is focused on living for Jesus and waiting for his second coming which could be at any time. Disciples must be ready, prepared, and watchful.
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