OVERVIEW
The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah-King who fulfills Old Testament prophecies and brings about the kingdom of heaven through his teachings, miracles, and ultimately, his death and resurrection. As the Jewish nation and especially the key religious leaders intensify their opposition and rejection, Jesus reveals that His kingdom will have an interim or mystery phase before His Second Coming in glory.
Through his narrative, Matthew emphasizes the importance of faith, repentance, and obedience to God’s will — constituting the righteousness of God. He provides a comprehensive guide for Christian living that emphasizes the love of God, love of others, and the call to discipleship with its corresponding cost. Overall, Matthew’s Gospel aims to reveal the divine nature of Jesus and his coming as the King of the Jews to be the Savior of all (Jew and Gentile) who respond in faith and repentance. Jesus commissions His disciples to bring the good news of salvation to the world and make disciples of all the nations.
BIG IDEA
Jesus the Messiah-King Exercises Kingdom Authority
Matthew 16:16 : “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
BASIC OUTLINE
I. (1:1 – 4:11) JESUS’ ORIGIN AND PREPARATION FOR KINGDOM MINISTRY
A. (1:1 – 2:23) The Birth and Infancy of Jesus
B. (3:1 – 4:11) Inaugural Events in Jesus’ Ministry
II. (4:12 – 7:29) THE KINGDOM MESSAGE HIGHLIGHTS TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS
A. (4:12–25) Summary of Powerful Impact of Early Galilean Ministry
B. (5:1 – 7:29) First Discourse: The Sermon on the Mount
III. (8:1 – 11:1) THE KINGDOM MISSION FACES OPPOSITION TO JESUS’ AUTHORITY
A. (8:1 – 9:34) Authority and Discipleship in Jesus’ Ministry
B. (9:35 – 11:1) Second Discourse: Mission and Opposition
IV. (11:2 – 13:52) THE KINGDOM AGENDA MUST TRANSITION DUE TO REJECTION
A. (11:2 – 12:50) Revelation and Rejection
B. (13:1–52) Third Discourse: 7 Kingdom Parables Anticipating the Mystery of the Interim Age
V. (13:53 – 18:35) REJECTION, SUFFERING AND GLORY
A. (13:53 – 17:27) Jesus’ Deeds: Rejection, Discipleship, and Glory
B. (18:1–35) Fourth Discourse: Life and Relationships in the Community
VI. (19:1 – 25:46) THE MOVEMENT TO THE CROSS
A. (19:1 – 22:46) Jesus’ Deeds: Opposition and Discipleship
B. (23:1 – 25:46) Fifth Discourse: Guilt and Judgment of Israel
VII. (26:1 – 28:20) THE PASSION AND RESURRECTION OF JESUS
A. (26:1 – 27:61) The Passion Narrative
B. (28:1-20) The Resurrection and Appearances
WHY STUDY THIS BOOK?
• To respond to the authority of King Jesus with a life of committed discipleship that has a missional focus encompassing the Great Commission
• To persuade us of the immeasurable value of our precious King and His Kingdom
• To marvel at the sovereign providence of God in controlling all of history in the precise fulfillment of OT prophecies
• To demonstrate the continuity between OT revelation and NT fulfillment now that the King has arrived on the scene
• To help us model the compassion and mercy we see demonstrated by Jesus towards all types of marginalized people
• To motivate us to anticipate and be prepared for the coming kingdom that Jesus will inaugurate on earth upon His return
NOTABLE QUOTES
Warren Wiersbe: Quick Facts on Matthew
- When was it written? Around AD 65
- Where was it written? Possibly Antioch
- Who wrote it? Matthew (also called Levi), son of Alphaeus
- Why was it written? To demonstrate to Jewish readers that Jesus is the King, Israel’s long-awaited Messiah
Drew Hunter:The Old Testament story ends with longing for a King to come establish God’s kingdom. This kingdom will bring reconciliation to God for sinners and restoration to flourishing for creation. Matthew announces the arrival of this King and the dawn of this kingdom through Jesus’s message and ministry. Jesus’s words declare how his people will be ethically transformed (Matt. 5–7) and his works display how his creation will be physically healed (Matt. 8–9). This is a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
Yet Matthew shows us, especially in chapter 13, that this kingdom does not arrive all at once. The mystery of the kingdom is that while it has already dawned in Jesus’s life, death, and resurrection, it will not arrive in its fullness until Jesus returns.
Chuck Swindoll: The apostle Matthew, a Jew himself, offered a decidedly Jewish perspective on the ministry of Jesus. He included more than fifty direct citations—and even more indirect allusions—from the Old Testament. This exceeds any of the other gospels and indicates that Matthew had the Jewish population in mind when he sat down to write. Matthew’s extensive connections between Jesus and the Old Testament provide ample prophetic evidence for Jesus’s ministry but also give contemporary readers a glimpse into how first-century readers approached the Old Testament with a Christ-centered mind-set.
E. Michael Green: The very Jewishness of this Gospel not only made it a valuable guide for those coming into Christianity from Judaism, but also provided a wonderful bridge into the Old Testament, showing the continuity and the difference between Christianity and Judaism.
David Malick: The Purposes of Matthew are many:
A. He desires to show that the major events in the life of Jesus took place in fulfillment of prophecy–He is Messiah B. He desires to show the comprehensiveness of the message of salvation to include the Gentiles C. He desires to provide an apologetic for the many questions which would have been raised against Jesus–illegitimacy of birth, residence of Jesus in Nazareth rather than Bethlehem, stealing of the body of Jesus D. He desires to teach the commandments of Jesus by recording five major discourses throughout the book