The book of Matthew is a Gospel Narrative. The purpose of Matthew has numerous aspects of importance. It is here to tell that Jesus is the promised Messiah of the Old Testament prophecy. Because the gospels , (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) are narratives (like the Old testament histories), we should emphasize the broader context when reading them. We should always think about the broader sweep of the narratives, constantly relating the various events and teachings to those that precede and follow them. The heart of the narrative lies in the interrelation of the various events and teachings to one another. To ignore this interrelation is to miss the basic meaning of the narrative. The gospels demand some background information regarding history and culture1. It is more relevant to understand the culture, values and worldview of the people on the pages of the Gospel, than to know the specific author or recipients. All of that interaction comes to full light when we understand those important historical and cultural aspects of the gospels. The focus on the gospels is on Jesus, not on us! The Gospels were primarily written to tell us about who Jesus is, what he did for us, and why He is the only true object of our faith. If we change this focus1, we distort the very essence of the Gospels. We will think of Him as the God-man who walked the earth and now sits resurrected and glorified at the right hand of our Father. With four different Gospels, we should do comparisons of the various Gospel accounts when appropriate. When you blend the different Gospels together, you loose something unique and precious. We need to understand the centrality of the Kingdom of God in the Gospel. The author of this book was Matthew, a tax-gatherer for... ... middle of paper ... ...le writing this paper, I was very distracted with trials that the Lord was throwing my way. Family problems, relationship stress, and the overwhelming reality that this paper dictated my grade and academic progress. I spent more than 8 hours researching reading different commentaries. I put forth more effort than I have for any paper in my educational history. It was surprised to realize that this paper wasn’t hard, but very time consuming. I enjoyed this assignment mainly because is presented me with thoughts that I never would have come across on my own. Reading through the entire book of Matthew helped me comfort some life obstacles that I have recently been praying about. I feel as if I have conquered the fear of feeling inadequate when I read the gospel, and now read the bible with an open heart and the knowledge that I am always going to learn something new.
Carson, D. A. New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition. 4th ed. Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994.
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke there’s mention of some things God has done for us that the author of John left out. For instance, John does not mention Jesus ever casting out demons or include much about helping the poor. John instead includes more about his ministry and teaching to others, like Jesus’ early Galilean ministry in John 2, 3, and 4, which is not mentioned in the other gospels. John also implies that Jesus’ ministry took place over three or four years, whereas the other Gospel’s only mention his ministry once. By not including the miracles that Jesus had preformed an focusing on his ministry it shows us that we should not focus on what Jesus can do for us, but instead focus on ministering to others and spreading His word just as Yeshua followers do. The Synoptics also frequently mention the Kingdom of God and all that we will get, while John mentions this once and instead places an emphasis on eternal life. Instead of thinking about what God is going to give us, we should think in a more Yeshua way, and think about eternal life and what that truly
In the Bible’s New Testaments the book of Matthew is of Gospels genre. In the Old Testament God appointed the people who we know as prophets. They were the ones to describe Jesus life and work. What they wrote, those things did happen during Jesus life on earth. The book of Matthew explains to everyone who doesn’t believe it that Jesus is Christ. It means that Christ is God’s King. People were told by the prophets that they will be saved by the Christ from punishment for their evil deeds. This is the book about Jesus life. It teaches what Matthew wrote in this book about what Jesus taught. It even included the speech by Jesus called “The Sermon on the Mount” in chapters 5-7. It even went on to say that many ill people were cured by Jesus, blind people were able to see again, deaf people were able to hear again and Jesus even freed people who were possessed by evil spirits. There were some people who happen to hate Jesus. Jesus was killed by those who hated him on a cross. According to the prophets they had already written that Jesus would die (Isaiah 53; Matthew 12:40). Jesus was the one to suffer all the punishment from other people’s evil deeds after his death (Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:28).
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the origin of nearly everything the Christian Church teaches about Jesus. The Gospels, in turn, serve as the scale or test of truth and authenticity of everything the church teaches about Jesus. It is said that the Gospels are the link between Jesus of Nazareth and the people of every age throughout history who have claimed to be his followers. Although the Gospels teach us about Jesus’ life they may not provide concrete evidence that what they speak of is true there are several other sources.
One can also say that the story shows the kingship of Christ. The theme of Matthew is the kingship of Christ. It would make total sense f...
The Gospel of Matthew is an eyewitness story written for an audience of believers, under great stress, and persecution. Matthew develops a theological plot incorporating genealogy, speeches, parables, inter and intra textual references, common vocabulary, and fulfillment quotations, with a tension that builds as we are invited into the story. The crucifixion and resurrection bring us to a Christological climax that symbolically points beyond its conclusion to God’s Kingdom, bringing atonement, salvation and the ushering in the Eschaton. The extraordinary events surrounding the crucifixion act as commentary, adding important details concerning the death of Jesus.1
One of the main characteristics of the gospel of Mark is it’s length. Mark is much shorter than Matthew and Luke, but what it lacks in quantity, it makes up for in quality. The author of Mark does not slow down the gospel story and makes sure that only important and relevant details are included. When Mark is compared to Matthew and Luke, it becomes obvious to see what Mark has eliminated. The author’s omission of Jesus’ birth, lineage, resurrection, and ascension denotes careful planning and purpose in the gospel of Mark.
In the gospels of Mark and John, both showed a vivid portrait of Jesus in their writing. Mark’s gospel describes much more of Jesus' life, miracles, and parables as suffering servant. However, John’s gospel was written to convince people to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God. Nonetheless, both John and Mark present many of the crucial events of Jesus' life, including his trial, crucifixion, and resurrection.
Baptist Publication Society, 1886). Clarke, Adam; ed. ; pp. 63-63. Clarke's Commentary (New York: Abingdon-Cokesbury Press, 2003). no date. Criswell, W. A. & Co., W. A. Expository Notes on the Gospel of Matthew (Grand Rapids: Zondervan).
Senior, Donald. 1998. "The Gospel of Matthew and the Passion of Jesus : Theological and Pastoral Perspectives." Word & World 18, no. 4: 372-379. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost (accessed March 13, 2014).
Matthew characterizes Jesus as the prophesized Messiah that has finally arrived. Every time a significant event, Matthew highlights that these events fulfill a certain specific prophecy. One example is the revelation that the power of the Holy Spirit caused the Virgin Mary to conceive. Matthew 1:22-23 says, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel.” Later on, Matthew 2:18 quotes a prophecy in Jeremiah that foretold the Herod’s actions, and Matthew again quotes another prophecy in Matthew 2:15 where “the Lord had spoken by the prophet, ‘out of Egypt I called my son.’” This was when Joseph, Mary, and Jesus had fled to Egypt to avoid the wrath of Herod. Other important details that fulfilled prophecies are Joseph’s lineage of the House of David and Jesus’ childhood in Nazareth (which makes him a Nazarene). (Matt. 2:23) The very end picture that Matthew intends to portray is that Jesus fulfills so many specific prophecies in the Old Testament, that surely, without a doubt, Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were waiting
The contents of the Bible have dealt with controversy in regards to its inerrancy since publication, and will surely continue to. Historians progress to learn more about biblical stories in order to provide evidence for the reliability of information. Many believers today understand that not everything in the Bible has been factually proven. An outstanding topic many scholars pay attention to lies within the four gospels. The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, replay essentially the same story with minor inconsistencies, while John portrays Jesus in an entirely different way. The differences in each gospel are due to how each gospel entertains different portrayals of the life and understanding of Jesus himself, in order to persuade
Matthew directed this passage toward the Matthean reader for it supplies instruction and a sense of warning to those who wish to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. “Matthew uses tension and surprise, in both form and content, to address this situation, while affirming that Jesus Christ, “God is with us,” is the defining figure around which the community’s self-understanding, imagination, and social relations are to be formed” (Saunders 871). By presenting the text in the form of a parable, the message of God’s will is omitted in a historical and cultural context that enables society to comprehend the meaning behind the words chosen by Matthew.
The four gospels are detailed accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Each portrays a unique story and angle of Jesus, who is the savior of the Jews and the world. Apostle Matthew’s writings are to prove to the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah. Mark stressed the humanity of Jesus and also his deity. Luke wanted to show that the gentile Christian in God’s kingdom is based on the teachings of Jesus. John speaks of Jesus as one sent from God to reveal His love and grace to man. The four gospels work together to elaborate on the several key themes; salvation, spreading His word, and the fulfillment of Jesus’ promise.
The New Testament teaches about who Jesus is and what he did on the earth. John wrote the last of the four gospels which recount Jesus’ life and what is to come. The gospel of John is somewhat different from the other three gospels, in that it is more symbolic and less concrete. For example, John expresses Jesus as the Passover Lamb when Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not. This gospel is showing that Christianity is moving away from the long-practiced Jewish traditions. John’s gospel can be laid out into four parts: the prologue or the incarnate word, signs of the Messiah with teachings about life in him, the farewell teaching and the passion narrative, and the epilogue or the roles of Peter and of the disciple whom Jesus loved. The Gospel of John is arguably the most