Usually
when God is at His most quiet, that is when He is working the most in
our lives. Such as was the case with Israel, the Scriptures &
mankind. Between Malichi & Matthew there was four hundred years of
total silence between God and man. Tere were no prophets, no revelation
of Scripture - total silence. Until that night in a stable in Bethlehem
of Judea that four hundred years of silence was broken by the cry of a
new born baby.
Yet,
it would seem as if there were no gap for a remarkable link binds
Malachi & Matthew together. Matthew continues where Malachi leaves
off. This is one of the many infallible proofs of the inspiation of
Scriptures.
As
the Old Testament ends with Malachi, and the New Testament opens with
Matthew, we see Matthew immediately links the vtwo Testaments with the
Old Testament geneology leading up to the birth of Christ. It will now
be Matthews task t5o present to Israel their rightful king.
At
the time of the birth of Jesus, Joseph & Mary were the rightful
king & queen of Israel. This royal identity was then past on to
Christ. This is why you read of Jesus being a king or the Son of David.
Author
Although
the first Gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous
in holding that Matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author.
However, the results of modern critical studies—in particular those that
stress Matthew’s alleged dependence on Mark for a substantial part of
his Gospel—have caused some Biblical scholars to abandon Matthean
authorship. Why, they ask, would Matthew, an eyewitness to the events of
our Lord’s life, depend so heavily on Mark’s account? The best answer
seems to be that he agreed with it and wanted to show that the apostolic
testimony to Christ was not divided.
Matthew, whose name means “gift of the Lord,” was a tax collector who left his work to follow Jesus Matthew 9:9-13. In Mark and Luke he is called by his other name, Levi.
Date and Place of Writing
Some
have argued on the basis of its Jewish characteristics that Matthew’s
Gospel was written in the early church period, possibly the early part
of a.d. 50, when the church was largely Jewish and the gospel was
preached to Jews only Acts 11:19.
However, those who have concluded that both Matthew and Luke drew
extensively from Mark’s Gospel date it later—after the Gospel of Mark
had been in circulation for a period of time. See essay and chart, p.
1943. Accordingly, some feel that Matthew would have been written in the
late 50s or in the 60s. Others, who assume that Mark was written
between 65 and 70, place Matthew in the 70s or even later. However,
there is insufficient evidence to be dogmatic about either view.
The
Jewish nature of Matthew’s Gospel may suggest that it was written in
the Holy Land, though many think it may have originated in Syrian
Antioch.
Recipients
Since
his Gospel was written in Greek, Matthew’s readers were obviously
Greek-speaking. They also seem to have been Jews. Many elements point to
Jewish readership: Matthew’s concern with fulfillment of the OT (he has
more quotations from and allusions to the OT than any other NT author);
his tracing of Jesus’ descent from Abraham (
1:1–17);
his lack of explanation of Jewish customs (especially in contrast to
Mark); his use of Jewish terminology (e.g., “kingdom of heaven,” where
“heaven” reveals the Jewish reverential reluctance to use the name of
God; see note on
3:2); his emphasis on Jesus’ role as “Son of David” Matthew 1:1; 9:27; 12:23;15:22;20:30-3121:9-15 & 22:41-45. This
does not mean, however, that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews. He
records the coming of the Magi (non-Jews) to worship the infant Jesus Matthew 2:1-2, as well as Jesus’ statement that the “field is the world” Matthew 13:38. He also gives a full statement of the Great Commission Matthew 28:18-20. These passages show that, although Matthew’s Gospel is Jewish, it has a universal outlook.
Purpose
Matthew’s
main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their
Messiah. He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and
ministry fulfilled the OT Scriptures. Although all the Gospel writers
quote the OT, Matthew includes nine proof texts unique to his Gospel Matthew 1:22-23; 2:15-23; 4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:35 & 27:9-10, to
drive home his basic theme: Jesus is the fulfillment of the OT
predictions of the Messiah. Matthew even finds the history of God’s
people in the OT recapitulated in some aspects of Jesus’ life. To accomplish his purpose Matthew also emphasizes Jesus’ Davidic lineage
Structure
The way the manuscript is arranged reveals an artistic touch. The whole Gospel is woven around five great discourses: Matthew 5-7; ch 10;ch 13; ch 18 & chs 24-25. That
this is deliberate is clear from the refrain that concludes each
discourse: “When Jesus had finished saying these things,” or similar
words Matthew 7:28;11:1; 13:53; 19:1 & 26:1.
The narrative sections, in each case, appropriately lead up to the discourses. The Gospel of Matthew has a fitting prologue in chs 1 & 2, and a challenging epilogue in 28:16-20.
The fivefold division may suggest that Matthew has modeled his manuscript on the structure of the Torah which are the first five books of the OT. He may also be attempting to presenting the gospel as a new Torah and Jesus as a new and greater Moses.
Outline
· The Birth and Early Years of Jesus (
chs. 1–2)
· The Beginnings of Jesus’ Ministry (
3:1—4:11)
o The Beginning of the Galilean Campaign (
4:12–25)
o The Commissioning of the 12 Apostles (
ch. 10)
o The Parables of the Kingdom (
ch. 13)
o Herod’s Reaction to Jesus’ Ministry (
14:1–12)
o To the Eastern Shore of the Sea of Galilee (
14:13—15:20)
o Discourse on Life in the Kingdom (
ch. 18)
o Teaching concerning Divorce (
19:1–12)
o Teaching concerning Little Children (
19:13–15)
o The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (
20:1–16)
o Restoration of Sight at Jericho (
20:29–34)
o The Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem as King (
21:1–11)
o The Cleansing of the Temple (
21:12–17)
o The Last Controversies with the Jewish Leaders (
21:18—23:39)
o The Anointing of Jesus’ Feet (
26:1–13)
o The Earthquake and the Angel’s Announcement (
28:1–7)
o Jesus’ Encounter with the Women (
28:8–10)
o The Guards’ Report and the Jewish Elders’ Bribe (
28:11–15)