Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

The symbol for the Gospel

of Matthew is a man.
Matthew opens his
Gospel showing Jesus
human family tree or
genealogy.

The Gospel of Matthew was

written around 85 AD.

Matthews audience was

primarily Jewish
Christians and some
Gentiles.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew

is the first book of the
New Testament, even
though it was written
after the Gospel of Mark.

Through Matthews
genealogy tracing back to
Abraham, Matthew
becomes a good
transition between the
Old and New Testaments.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

In the early Church, the Gospel of Matthew was the most

popular Gospel and was thought to be the first written
Gospel.

The purpose of Matthews Gospel was to show Jewish

Christians that Jesus was the fulfillment of all Jewish
prophecies about the Messiah and one could be a
faithful Jew and believe in Christ.

Matthew also wanted to help Jewish Christians accept

Gentile, or non-Jewish, Christians to the faith community.

Matthew shows his audience that Jesus Christ is a

universal figure for all people to follow, whether Jew or
Gentile.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Matthews Gospel includes an Infancy Narrative, or

the account of Jesus birth and early life.

Matthew and Luke are the only Gospel writers that

included infancy narratives.

Since the infancy narratives were written after Jesus

Resurrection, the writers interpreted Jesus birth fully
understanding His Hypostatic Union.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

In Matthews Infancy
Narrative, we see:

Genealogy of Jesus

Announcement of
Jesus birth to Joseph

Magi who follow a

Star

Holy Familys Flight

into Egypt

Massacre of Infants

Return from Egypt

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Matthew shows his Jewish

Christian audience that Jesus is
truly a son of Abraham and
David and a true Jewish citizen.

Abraham lived around 1850

B.C. and is the Israelites
Father in Faith.

Gods covenant promise with

King David is the Messiah would
come from Davids family tree.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Joseph IS NOT Jesus biological

father, yet Matthew includes
Jesus as part of Josephs family
tree.

Jesus becomes part of

Josephs family tree by:

Joseph taking Jesus

physically into his home
Formally giving Jesus his
name

Jesus is now the fulfillment of

all the covenants God has
made with Abraham, King
David, and the whole of Israel.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Joseph is told in a
dream about how Mary
was pregnant with Jesus
through the Holy Spirit,
something Joseph did
not known at first.

Joseph is told that a

prophecy from the
Old Testament would
be fulfilled in Marys
Son:

Behold, the virgin shall

be with child and bear a
Son, and they shall
name him Emmanuel,
which means God with
us.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Even the story about

the Magi coming to
offer gifts of gold,
frankincense and
myrrh fulfill an Old
Testament prophecy.

All from Sheba shall

come bearing gold,
frankincense, and
heralding the praises of
the Lord. Prophet
Isaiah

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Matthew is showing his Jewish Christian audience that

all the Old Testament prophecies are fulfilled in
the person of Jesus Christ, especially in His birth.

Even King Herod rejecting the child Jesus and trying

to kill Him foreshadows how Jesus would
ultimately be rejected by a majority of the Jewish
nation while Gentiles, like the Magi, come to accept
Him as Lord.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Jesus beings his public ministry in Matthews

Gospel by saying, Repent, for the Kingdom of
Heaven is at hand.

Jews do not say the name of God; to

prevent offending the Jewish Christian
audience then, Matthew uses the term
Kingdom of Heaven instead of Kingdom
of God.

The word kingdom here is a metaphor for the

reality Jesus is teaching about God; God should
reign in our lives now, as He does in Heaven.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Jesus shows what Gods Kingdom is like by

teaching His disciples how to pray the Our
Father.

The lines in the prayer, Thy Kingdom come,

and Thy will be done, are known as
Synonymous Parallelism, or a style in
Hebrew poetry where the same idea is
expressed in two neighboring lines but using
different words.

Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of

Heaven in the Our Father:

Is the same thing as Gods will; wherever

Gods will is done, the Kingdom is there
Can be present both on Earth and in Heaven

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Jesus used the Parable of the

Weeds and Wheat to show how the
Kingdom of Heaven was growing on
Earth.

(Matthew 13: 24-30)

Think about the following and what

they could be symbols of:

Wheat
Weeds
Enemy who plants the weeds
Harvest
Harvesters

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Matthew

Wheat Symbolic of Good People

Weeds Symbolic of Evil People

Enemy who Plants the Weeds Satan

Harvest End of the World

Harvesters Gods Angels

Entrance into the Kingdom of Heaven IS NOT something we

earn; it is Gods gift to us for

following Him.

However, we must first accept this

invitation to follow God; God does not
force us to follow Him.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew

Matthews audience asked, Why was Jesus

wanted dead by the Jewish high priests if He was
the prophesied Jewish messiah? Who was Jesus
to question the authority of the Jewish leaders?

Matthew, to answer such questions, presents

Jesus as the New Moses, who has authority
from God to teach in His name.

Part 3: The Gospel of

Matthew
Moses Life

Jesus Life

Moses flees the killing

of the firstborn males
by Pharaoh as a baby

Jesus flees the killing

of the firstborn males
by King Herod as a
baby

Moses flees from

Egypt to Israel, then
back to Egypt when
his life is in danger

Jesus flees from Israel

to Egypt, then back to
Israel when his life is
in danger

Moses goes up a
mountain to receive
the Old Law

Jesus goes up a
mountain to teach the
New Law

Moses used blood on

doorposts to save the
Israelites

Jesus gives His own

blood to save the
entire human race

Matthew shows both Jesus and Moses

are prophets of God.