The Old Testament ended with God's promise of a messenger who would come to announce the coming of the Saviour. The New Testament opens with four books--the Gospels--all chronicling the life of Jesus, the promised Messiah, during His time on earth. The four Gospels describe that "messenger," John the Baptist, and give the story of Jesus from four different points of view.
This Gospel was written by Matthew. Matthew, although Jewish, had been a tax collector for the Roman government--making him wealthy but very unpopular with his fellow Jews. Whe Jesus called him to follow, he responded immediately, leaving behind his lucrative career - Matthew 9:9-13.
Matthew begins his book in the most exciting way one could write to a Jewish audience--he laid out Jesus' genealogy to prove his lineage. That would have been of primary importance to them. What was Jesus' ancestry? Did he descend from Abraham? He did. Was He in the line of David as had been promised? He was.
To show that Jesus fulfilled the qualifications for the Messih, Matthew used more Old Testament quotations and allusions than any other Gospel--almost 130. He used terms and names that were familiar to the Jewish people. The phrase "the kingdom of heaven" appears thirty-two times in Matthew but nowhere else in the New Testament.
Another phrase found exclusively in Matthew is "that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled," again pointing out Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man, Servant of the Lord, and the Son of David.
Matthew's goal, was to convince the Jews that the King of kings had come. As we read Matthew, meet the King of kings and Lord of lords. Rejoice in His victory over sin and death and make Jesus the King of your life.
God Bless,
Dan
This Gospel was written by Matthew. Matthew, although Jewish, had been a tax collector for the Roman government--making him wealthy but very unpopular with his fellow Jews. Whe Jesus called him to follow, he responded immediately, leaving behind his lucrative career - Matthew 9:9-13.
Matthew begins his book in the most exciting way one could write to a Jewish audience--he laid out Jesus' genealogy to prove his lineage. That would have been of primary importance to them. What was Jesus' ancestry? Did he descend from Abraham? He did. Was He in the line of David as had been promised? He was.
To show that Jesus fulfilled the qualifications for the Messih, Matthew used more Old Testament quotations and allusions than any other Gospel--almost 130. He used terms and names that were familiar to the Jewish people. The phrase "the kingdom of heaven" appears thirty-two times in Matthew but nowhere else in the New Testament.
Another phrase found exclusively in Matthew is "that what was spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled," again pointing out Jesus' fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah. Jesus is referred to as the Son of Man, Servant of the Lord, and the Son of David.
Matthew's goal, was to convince the Jews that the King of kings had come. As we read Matthew, meet the King of kings and Lord of lords. Rejoice in His victory over sin and death and make Jesus the King of your life.
God Bless,
Dan
