The Gospel of Matthew
King of the Jews
Yehoshua (Jesus)
Places
Born: Bethlehem
Currently: Antioch, Syria
Education/Occupation
PhD in The Kingdom of Heaven
Teacher at The Jewish Academy
"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind...You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" - me
Genealogy of Jesus
- Jesus is the son of Abraham and the son of David.
- There are only 5 female ancestors of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
- Matthew is the only Gospel to include the women in the genealogy.
- This ancestry of Jesus is special to this Gospel because even though Luke also includes the genealogy, Matthew starts the genealogy with Abraham and David.
The Bridge
Matthew is the bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament
Matthew binds the Old and New Testaments together because it is the first Gospel in the Bible and talks about the Jewish Christians and the Jewish people
The Annunciation to Jospeph (Mt 1:19-25)
The Visit of the Magi (Mt 2:1-12)
Authority of Jesus
- Jesus represents a new Moses who has authority to enforce the New Law
- Jesus’ identity is seen in the infancy narrative
- Moses’ story begins with an infancy narrative about the slaughter of the innocents like Jesus’ story
- Sermon on the Mount (Mt 5:1) Jesus is preaching the Beatitudes on a mountain and is again like Moses who received The 10 Commandments on Mount Sinai
- Jesus says that he is here to fulfill the Jewish Law, not abolish it
Matthew's Audience
- Matthew's audience included Jewish Christians
- Because his audience was mainly Jewish, Matthew used the term Kingdom of Heaven since it was not reverent to use God's name
- Also included Gentiles
Audience's FAQ
Who was Jesus to interpret the Law and to criticize their interpretation?
Jesus acted as the New Moses.
From where did Jesus get his authority?
Jesus received authority from God.
Where did the early church leaders get their authority?
Jesus gives them authority in his first commissioning of the Twelve.