A Study on Matthew
I heard someone once say that there was a cheat sheet for understanding the Bible and how it is laid out.
They remarked that books Genesis to Malachi preach that “Jesus is coming!” Then, Matthew to John announces that “Jesus is here!” and continually Acts through Revelation explain that “Jesus is coming back!”
The first book of the New Testament, Matthew, is the first book to proclaim the good news: Jesus is here.
A few months ago, I decided to start a New Testament read-through, starting with Matthew and ending with the book of Revelation. I chose a study through the company Spoken Gospel, which is “dedicated to seeing Jesus in all of scripture.”
Spoken Gospel opened their study on Matthew by stating,
“Matthew’s gospel is an intentional explanation of how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Bible’s expectations.”
Their insights into the book of Matthew set the stage for what Jesus had been prophesied to do, how He was fulfilling those prophecies, and what He would complete through the sacrifice of His life.
The Book of Matthew begins with a long list of names.
I hate to admit it, but I am one of the many who skim these long passages of names that seem so irrelevant.
But they’re not irrelevant.
The opening remarks of Matthew, the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, declares that Jesus is greater than the Old Testament,
Beginning with Abraham, through Moses, through David, we finally end with the Messiah, Jesus Christ.
These Old Testament powerhouses are nothing compared to the final name of the genealogy; their history, relationships, and families culminate in the one true Messiah.
The Christmas story follows the genealogy, beginning in Matthew 1:18 - Matthew 2:12,
“She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” – Matthew 1:21
“...and they will call him Immanuel (Which means ‘God with us’)” – Matthew 1:23
Immanuel, God with us.
But things go a little haywire from there.
Jesus’ birth story is riddled with marriages falling apart, political deception, escaping danger, and infant slaughter.
Spoken Gospel highlighting to myself that,
“God intervened in the worst situations to fulfill the grand story of salvation that he had been telling for thousands of years.”
Jesus then completes the path that John the Baptist had prepared for him, by being baptized himself, and God declares Jesus as His son,
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased’” – Matthew 3:16-17
Jesus then begins to preach the gospel, proclaiming,
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” – Matthew 4:17
But Jesus didn’t do it alone.
No.
Jesus began to call the Twelve.
“‘Come, follow me,’ Jesus said, ‘and I will send you out to fish for people.’” – Matthew 4:19
This, as pointed out to me, is a direct callback to Jeremiah 16:16,
“‘But now I will send for many fishermen,’ declares the LORD, ‘and they will catch them.’” — Jeremiah 16:16
Fishermen.
Fisher’s of men.
Jesus then begins his work; laying the foundations of the law before us. From the Beatitudes, all the way to laws regarding murder, adultery, divorce, and oaths.
From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus exemplified that He was willing and able to fulfill the plans God had placed in advance for Him; from healing a man with leprosy, to driving out demons, to restoring a man’s ability to walk, Jesus declared that He was able to rescue, save and redeem, even from before His death.
For Jesus did not come to heal the healthy, but the sick.
“‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’ On hearing this, Jesus said, ‘It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.’” – Matthew 9:10-13
“‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light’” – Matthew 11:28-29
Then, the signs begin to take shape. The sign of three, the sign of Jonah, a foreshadowing of the resurrection.
Throughout Matthew 14:38-42, Jesus declares that something greater than Jonah has come, something greater than Solomon has come. And they are one and the same.
He is greater.
Continually, Jesus, one-ups his predecessors, so to speak. Where Moses led people through water, where John the Baptist immersed people in water, Jesus walks on water (Matthew 14:22-36). – once again proving He is greater than the Old Testament and that He is the one John the Baptist helped prepare the way for.
But apart from Jesus’ ministry of prophecy fulfillment, Matthew is riddled with warnings that tradition and rule following do not get you into Heaven. Jesus exemplifies this when scolding the Pharisees for their hypocrisy and misleading teachings.
Because,
Jesus is the only way to salvation.
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” – Matthew 16:24-26
And He has come to seek and save the lost.
The parable of the wandering sheep paints a beautiful portrait of a shepherd seeking the one that wandered away from the ninety-nine (Matthew 18:10-14).
But the way is not easy, and Jesus acknowledges this.
There are many verses throughout Matthew that highlight how hard being a true Christian is, verses such as,
“Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God” – Matthew 19:23-24
And,
“Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whosoever wants to be first must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” – Matthew 20:26-28
“For many are invited, but few are chosen” – Matthew 22:14
Continually, verses such as Matthew 23:12 highlight the shedding of ourselves to exalt Him.
The good news is that all things are made possible through God (Matthew 19:26).
The book of Matthew concludes with the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. All of the Old Testament prophecies culminate in one glorious fulfillment.
It is finished; love has won.
The veil is torn.
God is no longer separated from mankind.
God is with us.
And then Matthew ends his book with the Great Commission.
A call to action.
He has laid out the details of Jesus’ life so carefully, so thoughtfully, but the story doesn’t end there.
Matthew gives us a subtle nod.
There is a place for us in the story of Jesus.
The story is not over.
And Jesus is coming again.
And are to prepare as many people as possible.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” – Matthew 28:19-20
That was the whole point.
He’s here.
Immanuel, God with us, always, to the very end of the age.
