Gospel According to Matthew: Bible Commentary: The Evangelicals

By Martin Horlock

Before his conversion, Matthew the son of Alphaeus collected taxes at Capernaum on behalf of the Romans. At that time his name was Levi, Mark 2.14. The Lord commanded him to follow him, and he did. It is likely that he changed his name after this; Matthew means "gift of God." He had been a servant of the greatest earthly kingdom known until then, the Roman Empire. It is fitting, then, that his Gospel has much to tell us about a much larger empire, the kingdom of God.
The first Gospel records a high percentage of the teachings of Jesus. More than half consist of his parables and sayings. The people continually marveled at his doctrine; 7.28, 13.54, 22.33. Apart from its introduction and conclusion, the Gospel can be divided into five sections, each of which ends with words such as, "when Jesus had finished all these words", See 7.28, 11.1, 13.53, 19.1 and 26.1.
Matthew almost certainly wrote his Gospel for the Jews. To such, the humiliation, rejection and death of Jesus were a real stumbling block. They had expected one to deliver them militarily and politically, Luke 24.21. Matthew set out to show that Jesus was indeed his Messiah. Chapter 1 shows that his genealogy was accurate; He was entitled to the promises of Abraham and to the throne of David. Chapter 2 shows that his childhood was in complete agreement with the Old Testament.
Chapter 3 shows that the prophesied forerunner had already come. Chapter 4 shows that his temptation proved that he was capable of reigning. Chapters 5 through 7 detail the principles under which He would rule. Chapters 8 and 9 record the fulfillment of the messianic signs of Isaiah 35 and 61. All the important events in Jesus' life occurred to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies. Ten times Matthew uses words like "so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled."
Notice the expression, "Since then Jesus began" in 4.17 and 16.21. Broadly speaking, then, the Gospel is made up of three parts: an introduction from 1.1 to 4.16; the ministry of Jesus from 4.17 to 16.20; and, his path of suffering and glory, from 16:21 to 28:20.
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• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B08J5CQ49N
• ISBN13: 9798685147530
• Release Date: September 2020
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 88 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.0" x 10.0"