Lesson 2
THE BOOK OF MATTHEW
In this lesson, I will be sharing with you the outline of the book of Matthew. I want to note that much of what I will be sharing with you has been acquired from many bible sites and bible scholars, and I’ve proved to myself that they agree with one another. I’ve tried to put them in my own simple words so that they are understood.
The book of Matthew is the first book of the New Testament. The four main Gospels are the Gospel of Matthew, The Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Luke & the Gospel of John. Each one of these Gospels give us a different view and situation of our Lord. The Gospel of Matthew shows Jesus as “The King. The Gospel of Mark shows the Lord as “The Servant.” The Gospel of Luke shows the Lord as “Man” and The Gospel of John shows Jesus as the “Son of God.”
The Gospel of Matthew reveals that Jesus is King. Zecharia says “Behold, Your King is coming.” (Zechariah 9:9-10) Every king has a genealogy. There is a total of 42 generations that are given from Abraham to David down to His stepfather Joseph. Since our Lord was the heir of Joseph, it is where his legal right to the throne comes from, and it is from Mary, His mother, that he gets His genealogy and His right to the throne because Mary was of the royal line of David.
Matthew was a tax collector as well as a disciple of Jesus, and the estimation is that the Gospel of Matthew was likely written between 45 to 60 A.D. The name Matthew comes from the Hebrew name Mattityahu, which means “gift of Yahweh” or “gift from God.”
The first 3 chapters establish the preparedness of Jesus the King for his ministry. Matthew is claiming that Jesus is the promised one who will deliver Israel from slavery, and with his divine teaching will save them from their sins and establish a new covenant through a new relationship with God and his people. It is a new relationship with humanity through Jesus Christ marked by the forgiveness of sins and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and a transformed heart. More on this and the new covenant in subsequent chapters.
Starting in Chapter 4:12 Matthew begins the account of Jesus’ ministry, introducing it by the teaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus that ends with God proclaiming Jesus his “beloved son” (3:13-17), and the temptations in which he proves his true sonship by his victory over the devil’s attempts to deflect him from the way of obedience to the Father (Matthew 4:1-11.) Here Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and tested by Satan. He was tested on 3 levels, the body, the soul and the spirit. First, the body. Jesus had not eaten for forty days and nights to show his dependance of God that would sustain him not only in his physical hunger, but in the devil’s temptations as well. Satan tempts Jesus, “Turn these stones into bread, if you are the Son of God, Preserve your life.” Jesus answered, it is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God”. Can you imagine not eating for forty days? Secondly, Jesus was tested on the level of the soul. The devil took him to the highest point of the temple, and gave Jesus the opportunity to throw himself down, and to use his power and authority to act independently from God the Father, to do things his own way by using His authority over angels to save Himself. Such temptation plays on the urge for status and pride of life. Jesus refused, and by doing so, proved himself to God despite the pressure put upon him by the devil. Finally, Jesus is tested on the most vital part of his humanity which is the spirit. It seems the spirit of man is always reaching out for something, a hero, to worship. Here again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and said, “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.” (Matthew 4:9b) Jesus responded, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: “Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.” Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended to him. So, the Son of God passed the test and showed himself to be man as God intended man to be.
Then Jesus announces the arrival of God’s Kingdom. Matthew explains how the Son of God came into the world & offered himself to be the King of Israel. Just as Jesus was tested, he put Israel to the same test. First on the physical level, then on the level of the soul. Jesus was rejected on both levels, but on the level of the spirit & through the cross, he would redeem man for God. The central message of Jesus’ preaching is the coming of the kingdom of heaven and the need for repentance. Jesus began to preach saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” {Matthew 4:17) That brings into question, what is repentance? It is certainly not just saying that I’m sorry. In the bible it means “to change one’s mind.” It involves a complete change of heart and conduct. True repentance denotes a spiritual about-face or change of direction, and it is an essential piece of saving faith. Repentance and faith are intrinsically intertwined. In simple words, it is to sin no more. It’s easier said than done, isn’t it? Redemption begins with the spirit. Remember Christ is in our hearts, and we will never really change until it reaches the level of the spirit which is the place of basic worship. When we commit ourselves to Jesus, the changes will begin to show. “A person who has repented of sin and exercised faith in Christ will give evidence of a changed life”. (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 5:19-23; James 2:14-26). I have seen changes in myself, and one of the happiest days I experienced was a few months ago when my niece, a mother of three in her mid-forties said to me, “Uncle, I’ve noticed a big change in you over the past year.” Her acknowledgement made me extremely happy, as we all want recognition that we’re doing something right and good. Within a few minutes, however, it came to me that I was being prideful which is one of the things that Jesus really dislikes. So, I thanked my niece for her kind words and realized that this little victory belonged to Jesus, not me. He’s the one that is changing me every day.
Next comes the “Sermon on the Mount”. Most biblical scholars state that this is one of the most famous, powerful and authoritative teachings of Jesus Christ. In the ‘Sermon on the Mount” the theme of righteousness is prominent. It lays out the foundational principles for Christian living as it emphasizes love, humility, forgiveness, righteousness, and reveals human nature and the nature of God. Jesus sees the crowd gathering and following him up on the mountainside and he began to teach them. The crowd consisted of people seeking healing and guidance. His disciples were also with him, and there were no privileged members. They included the poor, the wealthy, the religious. And when Jesus finished the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes. (Matthew 7:28-29). I hope everyone will take the time to read this sermon that is found in Chapters 5 thru 7 of Matthew. The nature of the community that Jesus will establish is shown, and it will always be under the protection of him whose power can deal with all dangers (Matthew 8:23-27), but it is only for those who are prepared to follow him at whatever cost (Matthew 8:16-22).
Next in chapters 8 through 13, you have the section on miracles and the Lord’s power on healing the sick as well as his authority over disease, demons and death. The disciples begin to have some insight into the mystery of Jesus. They wonder about him whom “the winds and the sea obey” Matthew 8:27). They witness with the crowd the cure of the paralyzed man and the forgiveness of his sins, and they testify as to the authority of Jesus and glorify God who had given such authority to Jesus, but also to the disciples who constitute the community of Jesus, the church. In chapter 13, there is a growing opposition to Jesus, and hostility toward him has already taken place by the Pharisees who reject Jesus and put forth a plan to put him to death as they claim he has demonic powers, that he is a false teacher leading people astray and accuse him of blasphemy due to his claims of divine authority. Jesus pronounces judgment on the nation of Israel, and in chapter 13, the parables are given with truth hidden beneath a type of symbol. The disciples ask Jesus why he speaks in parables and Jesus replies, “This is why I speak to them in parables: Through seeing, they do not see; through hearing, they do not hear or understand.” We will cover various parables and their meanings in future lessons.
Beginning with chapter 14, we have the feeding of the 5000. Here, Jesus took five loaves of bread and two fish, and extremely small amount for a huge crowd, and miraculously multiplied them to feed everyone with 12 baskets of leftovers. Just as a note, however the 5000 figure only included men, and theologians believe that Jesus fed as many as 15,000 including the women and children. Then in chapter 15, you have the feeding of the 4000. In the feeding of the 4000, it states that there were seven loaves of bread and a few small fish and seven baskets of leftovers. The feeding of the 5000 was primarily a Jewish group near the Sea of Galilee, and the 4000 was a more Gentile crowd in a different region. Both miracles demonstrate how God cares & provides for his people.
Chapters 16 through 20 basically deals with Jesus’ teachings to his disciples, and what it means for Jesus to be Israel’s Messiah. Here he explains to Peter that he will reign and become a different kind of king, that he would establish himself as the messianic king who reigns by becoming a servant and lay down his life for Israel and the nations. That as the servant king, you gain honor and glory by serving others. You forego revenge, and you forgive your enemies. Jesus explains that to follow him, you must also become a servant.
In chapters 21-25 Jesus confronts Israel’s leaders. He comes to Jerusalem for Passover riding on a donkey, and we have his triumphal entry, as he is hailed by the crowd as the Messiah. Our Lord enters the courtyard of the temple and asserts his authority over the temple and Israel’s leaders are deeply troubled and offended. As Jesus passes into the temple, he stops the offerings and drive out the money changers. In chapter 23:13, Jesus says, “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees.” In verse 16, ‘Woe to you, blind guides.” (Matthew 23:16a). “Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” (Matthew 23:23a). The word “woe” roars out all through the chapter.
Finally, in chapters 26-28 we have the betrayal, Jesus’ trial, the agony of the crucifixion and the resurrection. After the Passover meal, Jesus is arrested and put on trial before a council of Jewish leaders called the Sanhedrin. He is there alone, forsaken by his friends, and brought before the Pontius Pilate, the governor or Rome. Pilate thinks that Jesus is innocent, but false witnesses came forward and said that Jesus has committed blasphemy, and finally two came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.” But Jesus would not answer and stood silent. Although Pilate thought Jesus was innocent, the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds that were yelling “Let him be crucified!”, and the chant was getting louder and louder. At this point, Pilate saw that a riot was breaking out, and he washed his hands and said to the crowd, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.” He then sentenced Jesus to death by crucifixion. I’m sure all of us has heard many times that Jesus died on the cross. I wonder how many of you have taken the time to read about the excruciating pain and torture that Jesus endured. I highly suggest you research this event. There are many articles about this you can find on the internet. Believe me when I say this is an extremely difficult read, so be prepared. It brought me to tears wondering how men can be so cruel.
In chapter 28 we have the resurrection of Jesus, as he overcame and entered the realm of the human spirit. When you acquire a man’s spirit, you have all that he is. Through the cross and the resurrection, Jesus has made it possible through the holy spirit to dwell in man, to dwell in us. So, the great message of the Gospel is that not only is God in us, but we are in Him. He is here right now in the invisible realm ready to administer his life, character and being for us. God is omnipresent, capable of being everywhere at the same time. Heaven doesn’t mean some place ups in the sky somewhere. It means the realm of invisibilities, where God reigns in the spirit. He is here to make us whole and live as he intends man to live. According to the Bible, it says that the fruit of the spirit is love, joy and peace, and says that love binds all virtues together in perfect harmony. Here is what Peter says, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3) Through the death of His Son, Jesus, God has made the gift of eternal life available to us for free, but at a costly price for God. Jesus’ last words to his disciples are, “And behold. I am with your always, until the end of the age”.
The Gospel of Matthew in the Bible concludes with Jesus giving his disciples the Great Commission, which is a final teaching that instructs them to spread the good news of Jesus’s resurrection to all nations.