Gospel of Matthew
Jesus as the "New Moses"
Overview
Author: Jewish Christian
Audience: Jewish Christians who are almost about to fall away from God
Date of writing: 85 AD
Christology: "New Moses;" low
Winged Animal: Winged Man; Angel
Stories and themes are only viewed in the Gospel of Matthew are the following: the death of Judas, the stationing of the guards outside Jesus' tomb, the Old Testament being mentioned 133 times, the Magi who follow the star, the flight into and return from Egypt, and the massacre of the infants.
A special characteristic of this gospel is that it is broken down into five parts. This element represents the five parts of the Torah, as Matthew is the most Jewish gospel.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is seen as the "New Moses" because he is delivering the oppressed from their oppressors. Matthew draws many parallels between Moses of the Old Testament and Jesus of the New Testament. A significant one is when Moses goes up to Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments. Jesus had also gone up a mountain to deliver The Beatitudes.
Discipleship
According to the Gospel of Matthew, discipleship is described as being "fishers of men." We are called to catch and train others, or in other words to spread the Good News. Disciples are the primary focus of Jesus during the heart of His ministry. A model disciple of Matthew is Peter. He related to the audience of Matthew as a "typical" disciple because he had his highs and lows. He becomes "the rock" of which that Church will build on, and he is called "the rock" because he has overcome his weaknesses.