Matthew
Summary This Gospel records in detail the genealogy, birth, five great discourses (teachings), suffering on the cross, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, the King and true Messiah who came to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament.
- Date written
- AD 70–85
- Historical period
- The period of Roman imperial rule, around the time of the Jewish-Roman War (AD 66–70)
Background
Primary recipients: Jewish Christians and Hellenistic Jewish communities (thought to be mainly in the region of Antioch in Syria). Theological and social crisis: After the temple was destroyed, Judaism was reorganized into a synagogue system centered on the Pharisees, which began to label Christians who followed Jesus of Nazareth as heretics and to expel them from the synagogues and persecute them. Purpose of writing: It was written to lay an unshakable foundation of faith for Jewish believers who were suffering persecution and a crisis of identity over the question, “Is Jesus really the true Messiah (King) promised in the Old Testament?”, by demonstrating the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
Content
It unfolds with a framework of ‘five sermons (discourses)’ reminiscent of the five books of Moses. The King’s Genealogy and Birth (Chapters 1–2): The lineage of the King who came as the son of Abraham and the son of David, the virgin birth, and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. The Beginning of Ministry and the Constitution of the Kingdom of Heaven (Chapters 3–7): The ministry of John the Baptist, the baptism and temptation of Jesus, and the proclamation of the Sermon on the Mount to the disciples (1st discourse: the life of the people of the kingdom of heaven). Miracles of Power and the Sending of the Disciples (Chapters 8–10): Ten healings and nature miracles confirm the power of the Messiah, and the twelve disciples are sent out into the world (2nd discourse). Rejection and the Parables of the Kingdom (Chapters 11–13): Fierce opposition from the Pharisees and disputes over the Sabbath, and an explanation of the reality of the kingdom of God through the parables of the kingdom of heaven, such as the parable of the sower (3rd discourse). The Church Community and the Foretelling of the Cross (Chapters 14–18): Peter’s confession of faith and the proclamation of the founding of the church, the predictions of the Passion, and the principles of community life and forgiveness (4th discourse). The Entry into Jerusalem and the Final Judgment (Chapters 19–25): The cleansing of the temple, the rebuke of the hypocrisy of the religious leaders (Matthew 23), and the eschatological discourse on the destruction of the temple and the second coming (5th discourse). Atonement on the Cross, Resurrection, and the Great Commission (Chapters 26–28): The Last Supper, the prayer in Gethsemane, the death on the cross and the resurrection, and the proclamation of the final Great Commission, “Make disciples of all nations.”