Elimentry Notes About the Gospels: Matthew, Part II

 Christians, and even some  non-Christians have a high reverence for the Bible. It is God speaking to us about Who He is.

"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" 2Timithy:3:16

The Gospels

  We see, that  the New Testament begins with the Gospels.The word Gospel is an old English word which means "glad tidings": or "good news" . the Greek word is "εὐαγγέλιον, euangelion", which is  "good message".   They are the authorized biographies of Jesus Christ, giving an overview of His life,  teachings ,  actions and events surrounding  Him. Yet , they are not the earliest writings of the Christian Church, many of Paul's epistles were penned  and sent and circulating before the Gospels were ever called upon to be written. It is believed by some Biblical Historians  , and with good reason , that of the four Gospels that we have,   Mark's may have been the earliest written and or even existed if only in brief note form.  Three of the Gospels  Matthew, Mark and Luke are called  "synoptic" which means "seen together". John stands alone and has a varied   view which speaks a little different then the other three. Each one with a specific audience and goal.

 Matthew 's Gospel

If you have ever been in a Church that has stained glass windows (which I happen to like) you might have seen varies  symbols and may have thought what are they and what do they represent? In the early years (and we still do this) of the church Christian's borrowed heavily from those events in the life of Old Testament personalities and in the life of the people of Israel.  Christian understood that they are in participation of God's purpose in human history and saw Israel as their spiritual predecessors they naturally used what they found in the Scriptures in the life of Israel, and their  the wandering in the wilderness.The twelve tribes would had a specific banner under which to camp.

 

If  you  have seen a symbol of a winged man in a church  this winged man was chosen to represent the Gospel of Matthew.  Christians found this symbol in the encampment of Israel as they journeyed toward the Promised Land, for Christians journey to a "Land of Promise"  of eternal life. (which when Israel camped  the camp  formed a cross.)  It was the banner of the Tribe of Ruben  and was  pictured as a man and positioned at the south end of the camp.the early Christan used the Ruben symbol to represent the Gospel of Matthew. 

Jews His Audience

Matthew called Levi the son of Alpheus, was originally was from Capernaum , he  was a tax collector which was a occupation with little social standing in the eyes of the Jewish people , they were viewed with great suspicion and  as corrupt and for dealings with Roman authorities whom the Jews saw as unclean , they styled them as traders against Israel. 

Matthew  collected taxes for Herod Anitpas at the time of His calling by Jesus. Matthew would have had some measure of background for details, and tax collector were often known to be fluent in two or more languages. It was written approximately around the early to mid 50s AD.

Matthew aims his message about Jesus right toward his own people, being careful to uses concepts and ideas to make his message about Jesus Christ more readily  accepted in the minds of Jesus' own  people letting them know that their long awaited Messiah had come. Matthew's place as an Apostles would speak volumes of the acceptance and inclusion that is extended to us as, after all,  if a hated tax collector could be forgiven, how much more the average Jew.   

Jesus' Genealogy 

Matthew begins with proving Jesus' pedigree Matthew 1:1-17, He is careful to show that there is an unbroken linage from the Abraham to David to Jesus, this was to reflect the requirement that the Messiah would be the "Son of David" , that is of the line of David. Matthew is also careful to insert  milestones in the national life of Israel  into his time line of Jesus, showing Jesus is part of that and when understood is the point of it all. There are actually two genealogy's found in Scripture Matthew's which starts with Abraham and concludes with Joseph, Jesus' "human father" . Luke's account traces the genealogy from Adam hinting that Jesus is "second Adam" as Paul wrote.Genealogies was of great importance to the Jewish people of the day it informed them as to just who a person was and where the came from.

Old Testament

It can not be overstated just how important the Old Testament is , which is the Inspired Mythology of the people of Israel ,and speak of  the personalities  that populate these writings and their relationships with the Great God, as well as the events  historical and prophetic. Just another note: Some do not understand the deference between "the Old Testament & the Old Covenant".

Simply stated , the Old Covenant is that agreement that God made with the People of Israel  at Mount Sinai,   it was enforce and lasted until the Cross at Calvary. The Old Testament is the written record of the People of Israel and their relationship with God, and that written record contains the particulars of  the Old Covenant and is part of the inspired record of Scripture, the Word of God,  therefore it does not expire.

These writings collectively called:

 the TANAKH- The Hebrew Bible, The Old Testament

 TORAH-  The Law

NEVI'IM- The Prophets

KETHUVIM- The Writings 

Jesus Is The One

These Inspired writings created the cultural anticipation of the coming Messiah which confirm and support Jesus' Messianic Credentials. Matthew aims his message about Jesus right toward his own people, being careful to uses concepts and ideas to make his message about Jesus Christ more readily  accepted in the minds of Jesus' own  people Israel,  letting them know that their long awaited Messiah had come..

Matthew used these Scriptures to make  case to the Jews that Jesus is the very one that they sought for from the very beginning is come.Matthew used the Old Testament to show that Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures, that fulfilled that cultural anticipation. Israel as a nation provided the human incubation place for Jesus' coming and preserved the Ancinet prophecy of one who would reconcile humanity to our God,

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." Genesis:3:15.

This verse is, called by some the "Proto Euangeliuem" , that is,  the first preaching of the Gospel.

This message to Adam and Eve would created humanities general awareness that he needed a Messiah, the Scriptures follow that promise down through the ages until that moment when our Lord was born there in Bethlehem.


 Matthew is careful to show that Jesus is the Son of Abraham and the Greater Son of David, seven times in Matthew Jesus is referred to as "the Son of David"  who came forth from Bethlehem the ancestral home of the house of David fulfilling the Micah:5:2  prophecy.  And the reactionary response by the despised King Herod who the Jewish people held with much contempt. Matthew:2:16-18 

Even where the Messiah  would be from , that is how he would be called a Nazarene Matthew:23:19-23

Jesus the King

Matthew  shows the Jews that Jesus is  the "King of the Jews" from the inquiry  of the Magi in Matthew:2:2   to Pilate's question "Are you the King of the Jews?" Matthew:27:11,  to the inscription over the cross "this is Jesus King of the Jews" Matthew:27:37
Only in Matthew's account do we hear Jesus speak of His throne Matthew:19:28 and 25:31. Jerusalem which is the "city of the King"  and the heart of Israel is called "the Holy City" Matthew:4:5  and then called "the city of the great King" Matthew:5:35

In Mathew the term "Kingdom" is found over fifty  times and the term "Kingdom of Heaven"  is found thirty-five time. Matthew  more than the other Gospel writers uses the prophesies  of the Old Testament   to show that they foreshadowed the life of Jesus.

The Prophet

Matthew sows that Jesus is "The Prophet" who God spoke of to Moses. The people of Israel came to identify "The Prophet" as the promised Messiah."That Prophet"  like Moses would lead them. The Jewish religious leaders were asking John the Baptist, if he was "the Prophet"

They asked him, "Then who are you? Are you Elijah?" He said, "I am not." "Are you the Prophet?" He (John) answered, "No." John:1:21

"I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers; I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell them everything I command him.If anyone does not listen to my words that the prophet speaks in my name, I myself will call him to account" Deuteronomy:18:18-19

 Matthew speaks to the very heart and hopes of the people of Israel, showing them through their very own Scripture that the One, they hoped for and prayed for had come, Son of Abraham, the Greater Son of David the second Joshua, who would led them to glory, but rejected Him, at least for a season.

In Matthew's account the Holy Spirit speaks to the heart of the Jewish people, (and all people) giving them everything they need to identify with our Lord Jesus Christ the very one they have sought.

 

to be continued 

Rev.Todd Crouch, Pastor

Fountain of Life Church

Washington, Pa 

Fountain of Life Broadcast heard on RKP Radio 1710 & 1670 in Washington, Pa.

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