The Gospel of Matthew
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The first book listed in the New Testament canon
Well-ordered and contained detailed teaching lessons
Link between the Old Testament and the New Testament
Vital role in Christian instruction and worship
 Lord’s Prayer
• Contains 80% of Mark’s gospel
 Omits passages (from Mark) that paint Jesus
or the apostles in an unfavorable light
• Author: Jewish-Christian scribe
• Originally written in Greek
• Date: 80’s AD (after the destruction of the Temple in
Jerusalem)
• Audience: Jewish-Christian community
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Knowledge of Jewish customs
Use of Hebrew terms like Gehenna, Beelzebul, Kingdom of Heaven
Use of the number “7”
Compares Jesus to Moses
Over 130 passages in Matthew have Old Testament roots
 “This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be
fulfilled” (Mt 21:4)
 “Do not think that I have to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not
to abolish but to fulfill” (Mt 5:17)
 Uses Q, Mark, and M as sources
 Matthew’s audience struggled with how Judaism would continue
now that the Temple was destroyed
 According to Matthew, true Judaism involved a Church gathered
around the Teacher Jesus
Themes in Matthew’s Gospel
• Judgment
 Second coming of Christ; We should always be ready for the Lord’s
return
• Jesus is Emmanuel
 “God with us”
• Discipleship
 Requires humility, rejection, even suffering
• Church
 Only gospel where the word for church (ekklesia) appears
 Local or universal community of believers
• Right Instruction
 An instruction manual for new converts and faithful disciples
 Teaches righteousness, prayer, conversion
Comparing the Gospels of Matthew and Mark
• Matthew’s gospel begins with a genealogy of Jesus,
tracing his ancestors to both David and Abraham
• Son of David
 Jesus as Israel’s Promised Savior
• Four women mentioned in genealogy: Tamar, Rahab,
Ruth, Bathsheba (foreigners) – Gospel will eventually be
preached to all people
• Infancy Narrative:
Joseph’s dream about Jesus’ birth
Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem
Homage of the Magi
Plotting of the evil King Herod
Warning given to Joseph in a dream
Flight to Egypt
Massacre of the infants
Return of the Holy Family from
Egypt after the death of Herod
 Settling of the Holy Family in
Nazareth
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• Matthew shows Jesus as
Emmanuel
• Mark’s gospel ends abruptly with no resurrection
appearances; Matthew’s gospel with 2 resurrection
appearances
• Conclusion of Matthew’s gospel: met with the Eleven in
Galilee and instructed them to preach to all the nations
• Matthew’s gospel organized
into 5 narratives with
discourses (speeches)
by Jesus
Discourse One: The Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 5-7
• First and most important of the five discourses
• Summary of the New Law (love, grace, freedom)
• Moses delivered the Old Law on Mount Sinai; Jesus
delivers the New Law on a mountain
• Involves conversion of the heart and putting discipleship
into practice
• Beatitudes: offer blessings on unlikely people like the
poor in spirit, mourners, the meek, and peacemakers
• Christians are the “salt of the earth” and the “light of the
world.” (5:13-16)
 Faithful disciples will change the flavor of the world
 Christians should dispel darkness, show the way, and help eliminate
fear of the unknown
 Good works will act as a beacon of light that lead other people to
God
• Christians observe a new standard of law (Mt 5:17-48)
 Jesus and His teachings fulfill the Old Covenant
 Mere external observation of the Law is not enough
 Interior conversion is necessary
• Christians have a right attitude (Mt 6:1-34)
 A need for a clean heart and pure intention
 The Lord’s Prayer as the model prayer for Christians
 Golden Rule: “Do to others whatever you have them do to
you.”
 We must put Jesus’ words into practice
Discourse Two: Sharing the Faith with Others
Matthew 10
• Jesus directs the apostles to preach the gospel in a spirit
of poverty and not burden themselves with accumulating
money or carrying excess baggage
• “Behold I am sending you like sheep in the midst of
wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.
(Mt 10:16)
• “Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it?” (Mt 10:39)
• “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever
receives me receives the one who sent me.” (Mt 10:40)
Discourse Three: Parables About the Kingdom
Matthew 13
• Parable: a short story drawn from ordinary life that
makes a comparison with a religious message
 To confuse outsiders and to present truths about the kingdom to
insiders (disciples) in ways that show how God works
 Unbelievers do not “get” the parables because they lack the eyes
and ears of faith
 Disciples are blessed with the vision that comes with faith in Jesus
 Allegory: a story in which
people, things, events have
symbolic meanings that
represent something else
Discourse Four: Jesus Founds and Instructs
the Church
Matthew 18
• Matthew’s gospel as “the gospel of the Church”
• “You are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church.
. . I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt
16:18-19)
• Christ’s power to forgive sin and to teach
authoritatively
• Pope as successor to Peter
• Greatness lies in serving, not in being
served
• No limits on forgiveness (7 times 70 as a
symbol for infinity)
Discourse Five: The Final Judgment
Matthew 24-25
• Eschatological (end time)
• Involves the end of the Temple, the end of the world, and
the divine judgment on the Last Day
• Daniel 7-8 with apocalyptic (revelation) language
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Ongoing war between good and evil
God is in charge during times of trial
Disciples should remain faithful
Disciples should always be prepared
for God’s return
• “Whatever you did for one of
these least brothers of mine,
you did for me.” (Mt 25:40)
Jesus Challenges Judaism
• Matthew 23 critical of Judaism
 Jesus criticizes the scribes and Pharisees for their arrogance
 Jesus exclaims seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees
 Woe: in the Old Testament; shows sorrow or grief; used to shock
people to examine their behavior and change it
 Strong language reflects religious turmoil within Judaism in the
80’s
 Matthew trying to convince Jews that
Jesus fulfills the promises made to
Israel
 Not Anti-Semitic language