Introduction to the Bible Lesson 19 – Introduction to the Gospels, Matthew I.
An introduction to the gospels a. There is only one “good news” (which is what the word “gospel” means). b. Why have four different gospels? There were four different audiences for the books. i. Matthew – Written primarily to the Jews. 1. Shows Jesus was the Messiah that the Old Testament talked about. 2. Jesus is Christ. ii. Mark – Written primarily for the Romans. 1. Presents Jesus as the servant of the Lord in all His conquering power 2. Jesus is King. iii. Luke – Written primarily for the Greeks. 1. Shows the perfection of humanity, a friend and Savior, a God of intelligence. 2. Jesus is for everyone. iv. John – Written primarily to the church. 1. Shows Jesus as both God and man to head off anyone from saying otherwise. 2. Jesus is God and man. c. The gospels are portraits, not biographies. i. They were meant to be pictures for different groups. They are not written like biographies, which simply tell about someone’s life. The gospels help to show different people about what Christ’s life means for them and for all of us. ii. John 21:25 – All the books in all the world couldn’t hold all the information about who Christ was and what He did.
II.
Matthew a. Matthew is the first gospel. It offers the most complete account of the life of Jesus. b. It is a Jewish gospel. It sets the story of Jesus against the backdrop of the Old Testament. It links the Old Testament with the New. c. Note the genealogy. i. In 1:1, it says this is the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Remember: think Jewish appeal. David was the great king of the Israelites, and Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation). ii. Each section has 14 names. Each section ends with someone unique. David established the kingdom, Jeconiah lost the kingdom, and Jesus restored the kingdom. d. Matthew’s inclusion of the wise men is no accident. It signifies to the Jewish audience that Christ had a worldwide message and mission. Remember that after the return of the exiles 500 years before, the nation of Israel became very closed, xenophobic, and self-righteous.
e. “Son of David” is used a lot in Matthew. i. It is a royal title, significant because Israel was still looking for its true king. In the Old Testament, ii. God promised David that one of his descendants would always sit on the throne. The title shows that Jesus ultimately fulfills that prophecy. iii. However, since many in Israel saw “Son of David” as a political title (Israel wanted an earthly king to free them from the Romans), Jesus didn’t always seem comfortable with it (Matthew 22:41-45). Messiah --------------→ Christos --------------→ (Hebrew word – “anointed one”) (Greek term used in NT)
Christ (Jesus)
f. What is meant by “kingdom?” i. It is used over 80 times in the gospels, and quite a bit in Matthew. The phrase “kingdom of heaven” was used instead of “kingdom of God” so not to offend Jewish readers. ii. The Jewish people were very hesitant to use the name of God, out of fear of misusing it and violating the third commandment. iii. The kingdom had a double meaning. In one sense, it came with the birth of Christ. But in another sense, it is not perfected yet (Matthew 6:9 – “thy kingdom come”; I Cor. 15:58). g. The church i. Even though John is written primarily to the church, Matthew is the only gospel to use the word “ecclesia” (Church, community, literally “calledout ones”). ii. Three major church sayings in Matthew: 1. Matthew 16:17-18 – The universal church 2. Matthew 18:17 – The local church 3. Matthew 28:18-20 – The missionary church h. Matthew has five discourses: i. Matthew 5-7 – The Sermon on the Mount (Blueprint for Christianity) ii. Matthew 10 – Jesus’s charge to the 12 disciples (Guide to missions) iii. Matthew 13 – The Parables (How the Kingdom of heaven progresses) iv. Matthew 18 – Fellowship in the Kingdom (What it takes to be a community) v. Matthew 24-25 – Mount of Olives (end times, eschatology); coming of the Son of Man; consummation of the Kingdom). i. Remember that Matthew wanted to show his Jewish audience that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The book has tons of Old Testament Scriptures quoted in it. Jesus said in Matthew 5:17 that he had not come to get rid of “the law and the prophets “(the Old Testament), but to fulfill it. Some good ones: Verse in Matthew Matthew 1:22-23 Matthew 2:3-6
Old Testament verse Isaiah 7:14 Micah 5:2
Meaning/reference Immanuel as “God with us” Jesus born in Bethlehem
Matthew 2:13-16 Matthew 4:12-16 Matthew 8:16-17 Matthew 13:35 Matthew 27:9
Hosea 11:1 Isaiah 9:1-2 Isaiah 53:4 Psalm 78:2 Zechariah 11:13
Fleeing to/return from Egypt Ministry in Capernaum Christ as healer Christ as teacher Judas – 30 pieces of silver
III.
“The kingdom of heaven is like…” a. Matthew 13:31-32 – A mustard seed. b. Matthew 13:33 – Yeast. c. Matthew 13:44 – Valuable treasure hidden in a field. d. Matthew 13:45-46 – A pearl of great value. e. Matthew 13:47-50 – A net. f. Matthew 18:23 – A king who wants to settle accounts with his servants. g. Matthew 20:1 – A landowner who went out to hire workers. h. Matthew 22:2 – A king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. i. Matthew 25:1 – Ten virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom.
IV.
Table Talk a. Choose one of the “kingdom” verses from III above. Why is the person or object Jesus chose reflective of the kingdom of heaven? b. Of the four gospels, which one speaks to you the most. Why? i. Matthew – Jesus is the fulfillment of everything the Bible said. ii. Mark – Jesus is a man of action who gets the job done. iii. Luke – Jesus came for everyone, even those we decide shouldn’t have the opportunity to make it. iv. John – The church is Christ living with His people and bringing truth and grace.