Matthew

Book Reviews aim to provide succinct, thoughtful summaries of books I have read. Each review contains quotes from the book, thoughts from others, and also some thoughts of my own. Typically they will be structured in the following order: author, introduction, message and purpose, remarkable chapter, and conclusion. This review will cover Matthew, a book written almost 2,000 years ago and one that is part of a larger collection of books called The Bible.

Matthew

Author

It is believed that the apostle Matthew is the author of Matthew, although the author did not identify himself in the text. The early church unanimously affirmed that Matthew was authored by the apostle Matthew. Therefore, it would require impressive evidence to overturn this early consensus.

Introduction

It seems fitting that the first book of the New Testament—the Gospel of Matthew—begins with these words: "the historical record of Jesus Christ." This Gospel was written from a strong Jewish perspective to show that Jesus truly is the Messiah promised in the Old Testament.

Message and Purpose

Matthew probably wrote his Gospel in order to preserve written eyewitness testimony about the ministry of Jesus. Matthew's Gospel emphasizes certain theological truths. First, Jesus is the Messiah, the long-awaited King of God's people. Second, Jesus is the new Abraham, the founder of a new spiritual Israel consisting of all people who choose to follow Him. This new Israel will consist of both Jews and Gentiles. Third, Jesus is the new Moses, the deliverer and instructor of God's people. Fourth, Jesus is the Immanuel, the virgin-born Son of God who fulfills the promises of the Old Testament.

Matthew divided his Gospel into five major blocks of teaching, each of which concludes with a summary statement:

Discourse One: The Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes (5:1-16), the character of kingdom righteousness (5:17-48), the practice of kingdom righteousness (6:1-7:12), the choice of the kingdom (7:13-27), and the manner of Jesus' teaching (7:28-29).

Discourse Two: Ministry of Jesus' Disciples. The preachers and their mission (10:1-15) and the response to be expected (10:16-42).

Discourse Three: Parables about the Kingdom. The parable of the sower (13:1-9), the parable method explained (13:10-23), other parables (13:24-52), and the response to Jesus' parables (13:53-58).

Discourse Four: Character of Jesus' Disciples. Humility (18:1-20) and forgiveness (18:21-35).

Discourse Five: Olivet Discourse. Prophecy of the coming of the kingdom (24:1-36), exhortations to readiness (24:37-25:30), and the judgment of the nations (25:31-46).

Some scholars believe these five major discourses were meant to correspond to the five books of Moses and to confirm Jesus' identity as the new Moses.

Remarkable Chapter

It's an impossible task to single out one chapter in a book that contains twenty-eight rich chapters. However, it seems appropriate to highlight the nativity of the Messiah in the first chapter, as this creates the foundation for the entire gospel message:

"An angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him [Joseph] in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.'

Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:

'See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated 'God is with us.'

When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord's angel had commanded him. He married her but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son. And he named Him Jesus."

Conclusion

As the first book in the New Testament, Matthew serves as a gateway between the two testaments. Of the New Testament books, and certainly of the four Gospels, Matthew has the strongest connections to the Old Testament. Matthew looked back and referred to Hebrew prophecies about sixty times ("was fulfilled" and "so that what was spoken . . . might be fulfilled"). He also looked forward by dealing not only with Messiah's coming and His ministry, but also His future plan for His church and kingdom. Matthew gave us God's entire plan from Genesis to Revelation, making it a prominent book in the Bible containing rich historical and theological truths.