Matthew’s Account: Earliest official account of Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection.
Linked to Matthew the tax collector, one of the twelve apostles.
Based on eyewitness accounts and teachings passed down orally for 30-40 years.
Book designed to highlight themes about Jesus.
Themes: Continuation and fulfillment of the biblical story about God and Israel.
Jesus as the Messiah from the line of David.
Jesus as a new authoritative teacher like Moses.
Jesus as 'Emmanuel' or 'God with us'.
Structure of the Book
Design: Introduction and conclusion frame five sections in the center, each ending with Jesus's teachings.
Chapters 1-3: Link Jesus’s story to the Old Testament.
Genealogy connects Jesus to the line of David and Abraham.
Birth story fulfills Old Testament prophecies.
Jesus’s conception by the Holy Spirit marks him as divine.
Jesus as the New Moses
Parallels with Moses:
Jesus comes out of Egypt, passes through waters (baptism), enters wilderness (40 days), and delivers new teaching (Sermon on the Mount).
Jesus as the greater Moses, delivering Israel and establishing a new covenant.
Jesus's Teachings and the Kingdom of God
Chapters 4-7: Jesus announces the arrival of God’s kingdom.
Kingdom as God's rescue operation.
Jesus confronts spiritual evil and restores God's rule.
Sermon on the Mount: Jesus's first major teaching, about living in God's kingdom.
Kingdom is inclusive, calling everyone to repentance.
Demonstration of the Kingdom
Chapters 8-9: Nine stories of Jesus bringing the kingdom to the lives of broken people.
Healing and saving acts of grace.
Call to follow Jesus to experience his power.
Chapter 10: Teaching disciples to announce the kingdom.
Jesus foresees rejection and persecution.
Responses to Jesus
Chapters 11-13: Mixed responses to Jesus’s message.
Positive: Some see him as the Messiah.
Neutral: Figures like John the Baptist.
Negative: Religious leaders reject him.
Parables: Commentary on diverse responses.
Focus on the kingdom’s value and unstoppable spread.
Key Observations for Reading
Old Testament Quotations: Strategically integrated to explain Jesus’s identity.
Types of Followers:
Usually unimportant or irreligious individuals transformed by faith.
Tension with religious leaders is a recurring theme.
Conclusion
The first half of Matthew illustrates the unfolding story of Jesus as both the fulfillment of the Old Testament and a transformative figure in people's lives, setting the stage for the developments in the second half of the book.