Introduction to the Matthew

Introduction to the Gospels

The Gospels present a four-fold account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Matthew and Luke are perhaps the most biographical, while Mark and John are more theological. They each have a particular purpose and audience that becomes readily apparent as you read their accounts. Matthew is written primarily to Jews with the intention of presenting Jesus as the fulfillment of the Messianic hope of Israel in the OT. Mark is written primarily to a Gentile, perhaps Roman, audience with the purpose of presenting the kingdom hope through Jesus as the Servant of the LORD. Luke is written primarily to an individual, Theophilus, presenting the most detailed and chronological account of Jesus, particularly in his humanity. John, quite unique from the other three Gospels, explicitly reveals that he is writing his Gospel so that people might believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Matthew and John were two of the original twelve disciples of Christ. Matthew, also known as Levi, was a tax collector. Mark, whose full name was John Mark, was a companion of Paul and a close associate of Peter. Luke, the doctor, who is also the author of Acts, is sometimes a companion of Paul, and was probably the only Gentile of the Gospel writers. John, was perhaps the disciple closest to Jesus ("the beloved disciple"), who was commissioned to take care of Jesus' mother at his crucifixion; and he is also the author of the 1,2, and 3 John and the Book of Revelation. How appropriate it is to begin the NT with four perspectives of its central figure, Jesus Christ. Only Luke suggests that his Gospel is chronological. We should not presume the others are chronological. It may be helpful to supplement your reading of these Gospels with a chronological "harmony," which brings similar accounts together and all accounts into a chronological timeline.

Here's a Harmony of the Gospels that I would recommend: http://www.amazon.com/Harmony-Gospels-Students-Life-Christ/dp/B0007DMFW6/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1255378048&sr=1-10

Introduction to Matthew

Matthew writes to a Jewish audience, presenting Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of the OT Abrahamic promises and the Eternal Davidic King. Matthew has the greatest number of OT fulfillment references and is most concerned with adherence to Jewish tradition, from genealogy to customs to prophetic fulfillment. As you read, try to see how Matthew builds his case, not only for Jesus as the Messiah, but Jesus as faithful Israel in contrast to unfaithful Israel. He will concatenate events together with select passages to convey this message. Other things unique to Matthew is that he alone directly speaks of the church (16:18; 18:7), he cites the OT more than any of the other Gospels, and he references "the kingdom of heaven" more than any of the other Gospels, and uniquely uses the expression "that it might be fulfilled."

Here is one question that I will engage if one of you express interest: Why is Matthew the only Gospel writer to mention the "exception clause" ("except for sexual immorality") when speaking of the prohibition of divorce (cf. Matthew 5:31-32; 19:8-9).