His gospel is the longest of the four, and some scholars believe it was the first to be written. This one tells the story of a landowner who goes to get workers for his vineyard. Jesus states the golden rule in the sermon on the mount 7. A collection of stories from the gospel of matthew. Commonly known as the three wise men or the three kings, the magi came to worship the king of the jewsthe messiah. First, it clearly establishes that jesus christ is the messiah that was prophesied throughout the old testament. The gospel according to matthew is the first book of the new testament and one of the three synoptic gospels. And its very important that jesus for matthew is fully a man from israel. This summary of the gospel of matthew provides information about the title, author s, date of writing, chronology, theme, theology, outline, a brief overview, and the chapters of the gospel of matthew. Matthews gospel is titled this way because it is presented as a confirmation to hebraic christians that jesus is the longawaited messiah of the jews, who was to be a descendent of david and of abraham. Matthew doesnt specify how many there are, but they brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh and the three gifts led to the common belief. Matthew lesson 1a verse by verse ministry international.
Matthews gospel, along with the gospels of luke, john, and mark, is an inspiredand thus accurate and truehistory of the life of christ. The title of matthews gospel is the entire first verse. Irenaeus famously associated symbols from ezekiel 1. Matthew s gospel is titled this way because it is presented as a confirmation to hebraic christians that jesus is the longawaited messiah of the jews, who was to be a descendent of david and of abraham. By continuing to cite parts of the old testament and the torah throughout the gospel of matthew, he points out that jesus fulfilled the law, but he did not come to destroy it. Matthew uses this to refer to jesus multiple times, and he is not called by this name in any other gospel.
For matthew, jesus is not the son of david, but he is the son of abraham. Matt hew more than all the other gospels identifies how his coming to earth was the fulfillment of m any old testament prophe cies. Book of matthew read, study bible verses online bible study tools. This is appropriate since matthew is the most jewish of the gospels and also the one most closely linked to the old testament and to the prophecies concerning the coming of the messiah. Three major themes in the gospel of matthew cafnepal. Mar 17, 2017 it was also important to matthew to point out that believing in jesus not cause jews to lose a sense of their traditions. Although the first gospel is anonymous, the early church fathers were unanimous in holding that matthew, one of the 12 apostles, was its author. The first and most important of jesus speeches is the sermon on the. The gospel of matthew was possibly written in antioch, an early home of christianity. Stories from matthews good news easyenglish bible with. It is named for its traditional author, matthew the tax collector and disciple, and was written sometime in the later 1st century ce. Ive put together some observations about the book of matthew to help you. Matthew is the first of the four gospels, and the first book of the new testament.
Matthew the apostle, or levi, flourished 1st century ce, palestine. Here are five important facts about the gospel and facts about the gospel books and its authors. The apostle matthew, also known as saint matthew and levi, was one of the twelve disciples of jesus christ. Aug 11, 2007 the book of matthew is the first book of the new testament, and it starts with a list of ancestors of jesus, which is important, because the old testament required the messiah to have a certain lineage, so the book of matthew proves that lineage. Matthews main purpose is to prove to his jewish readers that jesus is their messiah. Matthew, mark, luke, and john are the four books of the bible that record almost everything we know about jesus. Finally, the most important connection between matthews gospel and my friends storythis account was written to save souls. The most popular bible verses from matthew found 1,071 verses matthew 28.
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 niv. The gospel of matthew is especially important for it is one of the two gospels originally written by an apostle the other being the gospel of john. Rather than list many of those verses here, ill conclude by revealing the structure of matthew s gospel, which is important. Matthew writing his gospel from the lindesfarne gospels, an illuminated latin manuscript of the gospels written before 700. Introduction to the book of matthew learn religions. Second, it proves that jesus was the son of god, whom he claimed to be through living a sinless and perfect life. This is seen by an analysis of matthew and luke both matthew and luke have material in their gospels that is common to the gospel of mark. If we want to learn about the things jesus said and did, we have to turn to these ancient texts, believed to have. This isnt merely an ancient historical account or a jewish version of a campfire story.
Matthew begins with a genealogy to show jesus heritage and then tells of his miraculous conception and birth. Matthew and the synoptic gospels the four gospels are listed in what was traditionally regarded as their chronological order i. This gospel was composed in hebrew near jerusalem for hebrew christians and translated into greek, but the greek copy was lost. There are many different names that are used to refer to jesus. The gospel of matthew is the opening book of the new testament of the bible, and the first of the four gospels, matthew, mark, luke, and john. Though matthew accepts that the cross is a necessary part of jesuss journey to god, he doesnt sugarcoat anything. The book of the genealogy of jesus christ, the son of david, the son of abraham. Why do matthew and luke have different nativity stories. Gospel of matthew concise yet complete information on the book of matthew. Update on december 17, 2019 by pastor jack wellman. Matthew begins with a genealogy to show jesus heritage and then tells of his miraculous conception and birth without any reference to a journey to bethlehem. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of bible.
Calling the gospel of matthew the first gospel need not be merely a clever way to duck questions of authorship many modern scholars deny matthew wrote it but a way of recognizing. Matthew is the only gospel that mentions the magi at jesus birth. Though probably not the first gospel to be written mark likely has that distinction, the gospel according to matthew comes first in our new testament. Unlike, say, johns gospel, matthews gospel is pretty big on the humiliation that goes down on the cross. Christians in the west tend to look to prophecy for its apologetic value. The gospel of matthew is concerned with the position of these early christian churches within israel, or in its relationship to what we call judaism.
In matthews gospel, jesus delivers five major speeches, which parallel the five great books of moses known as the pentateuch. The stories also use the same wording in many spots. Paul beginning with romans, the catholic or universal letters beginning with james, and the book of revelation. Matthew tells us the story of jesus with an emphasis on his role as. When jesus called matthew to follow him, he was a tax collector or publicanone of the most reviled professions in ancient judaism.
Although the gospel of matthew was not the first gospel written, it is generally regarded as the most important and was placed first in the collection of writings that constitute the new testament. Matthew begins with details of how jesus descends from the line of david, making him a king. The gospel of matthew has a unique perspective on jesus. The gospel according to matthew matthew sparknotes. In addition to materials found in the gospel of mark, the gospel of matthew contains a large number of jesus sayings and discourses and also a. Bible stories popular people and events from scripture. Matthew didnt write this to stimulate your mind or tickle your funny bone. The gospe l o f ma rk recounts prior revelations in jesus lifetime on earth, at his baptism and transfiguration. While western cultures tend to have little interest in genealogies. Rather than list many of those verses here, ill conclude by revealing the structure of matthews gospel, which is important. The position of the gospel according to matthew as the first of the four gospels in the new testament reflects both the view that it was the first to be written, a view that goes back to the late second century a. This fact is important because it is consistent with the old testament description of the messiah. March 15, 2019 deuteronomy is clearly one of the most important books in the old testament. Western feast day september 21, eastern feast day november 16, one of the twelve apostles of jesus christ and the traditional author of the first synoptic gospel according to matthew 9.
Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans. So like matthew says, for god, all things are possible 19. He is traditionally regarded as the author of the gospel of matthew. Matthew was a jew and was writing to those who were like him jewish. Matthew, mark and luke are called the synoptic gospels because they share many stories the technical term is pericopes, sometimes even identical wording. What is it about the gospel of matthew that makes it so important. Christians carry around in their heads what i call the mush gospel.
We mush together the various stories from all the gospels into a single story gospel that is idiosyncratic. The symbol for the gospel of matthew is a winged man. Matth ew an d lu ke go back further still, showing jesus as the son of god from his bir th. The book of matthew is the first gospel an account of jesus life and ministry in. Origen said the first gospel was written by matthew. Therefore, matthew begins his gospel by taking all the genealogy of jesus. Jesus is the fulfillment of the ot predictions of the messiah. In matthew s gospel, jesus delivers five major speeches, which parallel the five great books of moses known as the pentateuch. The bible story of the three wise men, from the gospel of matthew, is also known as the biblical magi or the three kings. Learn about the unique purpose of matthew bibleproject. The gospel of matthew contains much valuable information about jesus and about his teaching which we do not find with the other evangelists. The infancy gospel of matthew is a 7thcentury compilation of three other texts. Jesus can defeat satan, the strong man, because hes got divine backing.
March, 2019 the foundation stories of genesis set the stage of the drama of scripture in many ways. About these stories introduction download as html doc rtf. The gospel of matthew tells the story of jesus birth, life, death and resurrection as a continuation and fulfillment of the whole biblical story of god and israel. Shmoop bible guide explains the parables in gospel of matthew. Although all the gospel writers quote the ot, matthew includes nine proof texts unique to his gospel 1.
The four gospels are followed by the acts of the apostles, the letters of st. The general assumption among source critics is that mark was the first written gospel. Jun 25, 2019 the gospel of matthew is one of the longest books in the new testament, and it contains several important passages of scripture both spoken by jesus and about jesus. Writing for a jewish christian audience, matthews main concern is to present jesus as a teacher even greater than moses. The classic nativity scene is actually an amalgamation of the different gospel accounts reuters. A summary of the gospel according to matthew matthew in s bible. To a jewish audience, including these women created questions, and this genealogy begins the book of matthew by telling a story of gods redemption. Also in the first chapter of matthew, verse 23 refers to jesus as emmanuel. The gospel begins with the announcement that, this is the genealogy of jesus the messiah, the son of david, the son of abraham, followed by a detailed genealogy of 41 generations. The writing of the gospels matthew catholic planet. We mush together the various stories from all the gospels into a single storygospel that is idiosyncratic. The majority of the stories and the chronology of them is similar. It tells how israels messiah, rejected and executed in israel, pronounces judgement on israel and its leaders and becomes the salvation of the gentiles.
When people talk about the gospel, theres only one thing they mean. The whole book of matthew can be considered an important part of the bible, because it is sort of like a biography of jesus. The title of matthew s gospel is the entire first verse. This bible story is mainly regarding a group of famous foreigners who traveled to visit jesus after his birth, bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The remaining two matthew and luke have very different accounts.
Discover the meaning of each of their gifts and the significance. Matthews gospel is the most jewish of the four gospels, presenting jesus as the jewish messiah who brings gods people salvation from their sins. Dec 07, 2017 christmas stories the gospel of matthew by bernard brandon scott 12. After joseph discovered mary was with child, he decidedly to secretly or quietly divorce her, but an angel of the lord appeared to him in a dream and told him, behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name immanuel matthew 1. Then jesus came to them and said, all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Christmas stories the gospel of matthew by bernard brandon scott 12. Matthew and was composed in greek, probably sometimes after 70 ce, and borrows heavily from the earlier gospel according to mark. And jesus came and spake unto them, saying, all power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Matthew is one of the most quoted books of the bible. Sep 02, 2017 in fact, a closer reading of matthews gospel provides a better solution. The gospel of matthew is one of the longest books in the new testament, and it contains several important passages of scripture both spoken by jesus and about jesus. The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew.
The story of the storytellers the gospel of matthew from. The gospel of matthew continues the bible story with jesus. Knowing something ahead of time is proof of the messages divine origin. Mar 17, 2015 the gospel of matthew is the first book in the christian new testament and is one of the four gospels. Certain personalities were chosen to execute the plan of god by leaving to man written documents which contained his immortal will. The first section also describes the miracle birth story of jesus. Gods revealed truth was transmitted to mankind, both orally and in written form. Here are 5 stories from the bible from the gospel of matthew. He does this primarily by showing how jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled. Every page of matthews gospel is steeped in this theme of promise and fulfillment. Famous stories in the bible articles about the bible bible society. Matthews genealogy goes beyond the authors claims elsewhere in this gospel that jesus incarnation and ministry fulfills individual old testament prophecies and even the abrahamic and davidic covenants. Noted especially for jesus sermon on the mount in chapters 57, matthew is the source of the beatitudes 5.
The roman soldiers mock jesus before hes nailed to the cross 27. Regarding events in jesuspublic life, the following are proper to matthew alone. Gospel according to matthew, first of the four new testament gospels and, with mark and luke, one of the three socalled synoptic gospels. Western feast day september 21, eastern feast day november 16, one of the twelve apostles of jesus christ and the traditional author of the first synoptic gospel. What are the gospels, and why are there four of zondervan. Matthew uses quotes from the old testament to establish that jesus christ is indeed the messiah. This genealogy informs us that jesus christ is the fulfillment of the entire old testament. The gospel of matthew presents many important facts and significant lessons.