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TABLE OF CONTENTS
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THESIS
The Gospel of Matthew introduces its presumably Jewish Christian readers to a very
Jewish perspective of the person, words and actions of Jesus Christ. Matthew aims to provide
evidence of the Messiahship of Jesus Christ throughout the Gospel. He warns those who deny
Jesus’ redemptive role or who choose not to fully follow Him of the consequences, which will
await them. Matthew shares his earnest desire to let others hear what Jesus taught and how
everything in His life proved to be the fulfillment of the prophecy found in the Hebrew
writings.
arguments to Replacement Theology, which denies the role of Israel as a continuing part of
Ultimately, Matthew leaves his readers with a view of the future reign of the Messiah-
King that expands far beyond Israel and extends to the whole world.
INTRODUCTION
From the beginning verses, it is clear that Matthew, the assumed writer of the Gospel
of Matthew, one of three gospels referred to as Synoptic Gospels, writes to a readership who
views the world around them to them through a decidedly Jewish filter. Through everything
introduced in the Gospel text, Matthew wants his readers to understand the fulfillment of all
While Matthew aims to show his readers that Jesus Christ is indeed the promised
Messiah of Israel, he strongly warns against his readers’ understanding of the religiosity of
Judaism in favor of the authenticity of a life of a person redeemed by and yielded to the
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Messiah. Matthew seeks to show what following the Messiah means. His end time parables
explain that God will select only those who are faithful and true to the end.
Regrettably, the Gospel of Matthew through its writing style has also delivered some
arguments to those who pursue the concepts of replacement theology, a belief that holds that
Israel has been replaced by the church in God’s view. Matthew is the only of the four
evangelists to use the term “church” in his gospel. He is the only Gospel writer who has the
Jews cry out at Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate: “And all the people answered. ‘His blood be
on us and on our children!’”1 Taking a critical look at some of the passages, however,
highlights that Matthew sought to alert his readership solely to the dangers of neglecting a
Ultimately, Matthew leaves his readers with a clear understanding and directive of
what Jesus, the Messiah, expects of the church, of those who have put their trust in Him. He
assures his readers that the Messiah has not only come, but will come again to redeem His
bride , the Church, which will be made up of those who have trusted in the redemptive work
of salvation completed by Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, Son of God and Messiah.
THE MESSIAH THROUGH THE EYES OF ONE MAN: MATTHEW THE EVANGELIST
From ancient writings left by the early church fathers and transmitted to us through the
centuries, we can assume to be true that that which has been passed on to us regarding the
authorship of the Gospel of Matthew. In particular, “the early Father Papias, who was a
disciple of Polycarp, the disciple of the apostle John”,2 seems to refer to the Gospel as written
1
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt 27:25.
2
Normal L. Geisler, A Popular Survey of the New Testament. (Grand Rapids, MI, Baker Books, 2007), 50.
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by the same Matthew whom we have met through the pages of the gospels as Matthew the
Apostle.
Interestingly enough, the exact wording of Papias when referring to Matthew’s work,
which includes the phrase “in the Hebrew language”, gives us a first hint as to who wrote the
Gospel – even though this has led to a discussion of different sorts as to the language of the
Gospel.
took this to mean that Matthew originally wrote his Gospel in Hebrew.”3 Since no original
Hebrew source of Matthew has been found, the Hebraic character seems to be the more likely
reference in Papias’ statement and shows us first glimpses of the author Matthew. So who was
Geisler for Matthew’s authorship4 may also lead the reader to a better understanding not just
of the author, but of the Gospel itself. First, the reference to money seems to fit Matthew’s
role as a tax collector as described in the three synoptic gospels. Secondly, the many self-
references to “Matthew the tax collector” fit a presumed humility on the part of the writer. In
a third point, the writer refers to a “dinner” rather than a “great banquet”, as the same scene is
described in the Gospel of Luke, again showing humility in the writer. Geisler further
highlights the omission of the parable of the tax collector and the story of Zacchaeus who is
also described as a tax collector, the long discourses on Jesus’ teachings which seem to be in
3
Walter A. Elwell and Philip Wesley Comfort, Tyndale Bible Dictionary, Tyndale reference library (Wheaton,
Ill.: Tyndale House Publishers, 2001), 987.
4
Norman L. Geisler, ibid., 49.
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line with someone who is a record keeper and the fact that as an apostle, Matthew would have
had direct access to the words of Jesus and the events surrounding His ministry.
What were the purposes behind Matthew’s writing? Stanley D. Toussaint identifies
two distinct purposes: the purpose to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, by showing that “He is
the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies concerning the promised Messiah” 5, and the
purpose to present the kingdom program of God, by showing that “first of all that the Jews
rejected an earthly kingdom when they rejected their King”6, meaning that the kingdom is
From the evidence known to us, Matthew writes as a Jewish believer with a clear
message to his fellow Jewish Christians and with the great hope of bringing them and other
Jewish listeners to a truly repentant and fruitful walk with their Messiah as he shares the
Gospel.
(a) Jesus was the Messiah, and so he was the son of David; (b) Jesus was conceived
and born in a wholly miraculous manner, being conceived and born of a virgin without
human intervention.7
Matthew employs the telling of Jesus’ genealogy at the very beginning of the Gospel
as a tool to set the stage for a clear affirmation of Jesus as the Messiah. He wants to start with
5
Stanley D. Toussaint, Behold the King (Multnomah Press, Portland, 1981), 18.
6
Ibid.
7
The Anchor Bible. Matthew. Introduction, Translation, and Notes by Albright, W.F. and Mann, C.S.
(Doubleday & Company , Inc., Garden City, NY, 1971), 9.
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a clear statement that proves to his readers that Jesus clearly fit the prophetic requirements
As John Nolland points out in his commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew
draws on materials from Genesis, Ruth (Ru. 4:18–22) and 1 Chronicles (1 Ch. 3:10–19) to
build his genealogy of Jesus as the Christ, the promised Messiah. Matthew lets his Jewish
readers understand how Jesus fits into the salvation history as they have understood it so far:
by “evoking important aspects of the story of Israel’s history the genealogy functions as a
Stanley D. Toussaint shows that Matthew in addition was not as concerned as Luke to
show God’s reaching all the way back to the beginning of mankind with Adam as the first link
in Jesus’ genealogy, but rather that he wants to make sure his readers understand the clear line
back to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people and hence the clear connection to Messianic
lineage:
Another mark of the Jewish character of Matthew’s Gospel is found in the genealogy
of chapter one. Matthew traces the record of ancestors of Jesus back through David to
Abraham, the father of the Jewish race.10
somewhat surprising women in the telling of Jesus’ descent. By choosing to include women
of an ambiguous state who according to according to Garry Willis “were not the types that
8
John Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew : A Commentary on the Greek Text (Grand Rapids, Mich.; Carlisle: W.B.
Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005), 34.
9
Gary Willis, What the Gospels Meant (Penguin Group, New York, 2008), 64.
109
Toussaint, Behold the King, 17.
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proper Victorians would boast of in their bloodlines”11, Matthew reminds the Jewish people
again not only of their history but also highlights that God is fully capable of working through
human obstacles by restoring lives and intervening divinely to make the arrival of the
“representatives of all twelve tribes since the Messiah would restore them all – a fact that
Jesus affirms in his choice of the Twelve to follow him (Mt. 19.28)”12.
FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY:
Having set up his initial proof points of the Messiahship of Jesus, Matthew throughout
the Gospel continues to reiterate to his readers that Jesus is the fulfillment of Messianic
prophecy through extensive use of Hebrew Scripture passages. Clearly, he has in mind that
his readership knows these prophecies already, and he does not feel the need to explain them,
as some of the other Gospel writers have to do to make the content understandable to their
non-Jewish readers. Graham Stanton points out one particular passage in Matthew 11 to show
how Matthew draws his readers’ attention back to what they know quite well – their
Scriptures:
In Matthew 11:2-6 John’s disciples are told by Jesus to go and tell their imprisoned
leader that they have seen evidence of the fulfillment of Scripture: the blind are
regaining their sight, the lame are walking again, the lepers are made clean, the deaf
are hearing, the dead are being raised to life, the poor are hearing the good news
proclaimed to them… In their original context in Mark and Q they were not set out as
the fulfillment of Scripture, but they are in Matthew.13
11
Willis, What the Gospels Meant, 65.
12
Ibid., 66
1312
Graham Stanton, Gospel Truth? New Light on Jesus & the Gospels (Trinity Press, Valley Forge, PA 1995),
140-141.
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According to John Nolland, Matthew uses Old Testament material as context to the
coming of Jesus and claims the eschatological fulfillment of at that point unfulfilled or only
partially fulfilled prophecy. In addition, Matthew displays the continuation of biblical patterns
and moral ethics in Jesus’ words and actions and provides models from the Jewish people's
The world “fulfilled” is used fifteen times in the text of the Gospel of Matthew,
using that which his readers know well: the Hebrew Scriptures. In doing so, he is certain that
any argumentation will be fact-based as the readers can refer back to what they themselves
can verify.
As Nolland points out, “the scribes and Pharisees were walking copies of the Law.
What they did with it might be suspect, but not their knowledge of it. They could be relied on
to report the Law of Moses with care and accuracy.”16 Matthew uses this knowledge as the
launching point to Jesus teaching about human religiosity versus a redeemed life of true trust
and faith - and the mercy of God springing from this. Nolland continues:
After the positive beginning comes a sharp disjunction: the scribes and Pharisees
are a reliable source of information on the Law, but are not to be looked to in other
respects. Their ‘deeds’ stand in contrast to the ‘good deeds’ to which Jesus calls in
5:16. The contrast here between saying and doing echoes that warned against in 7:21.
15:3–9 explores an instance of how the Pharisees and scribes use their own tradition to
bypass one of the Ten Commandments, but it is primarily to the continuing material in
chap. 23 that we must look for illumination here. Matthew seems content to illuminate
14
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 36.
15
Geisler, Survey of the New Testament, 52.
16
Nolland. The Gospel of Matthew, 923.
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how the scribes and Pharisees are in the wrong in terms both of what they do and what
they fail to do. He makes no effort to link these things specifically with
commandments of the Mosaic Law; if what is done fails to stand moral scrutiny, it is
not the doing the Law.17
Matthew 5:16 says: “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they
may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. “18. Matthew 7:21
states: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the
one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.19 It is clear from the way Matthew
reports Jesus’ words that the emphasis is on the attitude of giving and serving rather than the
minute observance of every detail of the Law, much in line with passages from the Hebrew
Scriptures such as Isaiah 1:11-18, where God implores His people to change their hearts
understanding of the Pharisee and scribes, which ultimately sets the stage for the passion
James M. Robinson shows how much this teaching of Jesus conflicts with the
understanding of Jewish minds by highlighting another point of contention for the Pharisees
and scribes. Jesus is pointing out the inadequacies of their behavior in contrast to Gentile
behavior - Gentiles who were clearly not part of the chosen people of God:
Matthew betrays its Jewish Christian background by presenting even more such
comments:
And if you greet only your brother and sisters, what more are you doing than
others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?
When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for
they think that they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like
them.
17
Nolland. The Gospel of Matthew, 924.
18
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version, (Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001), Mt 5:16.
19
Ibid., Mt 7:21.
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If the offender refuses to listen to the church, let such a one be to you as a
Gentile and a tax collector.20
Matthew clearly portrays Pharisees as those who exemplify what God is not seeking in
His followers. By juxtaposing the strict interpretation of the Law interpreted without
with Jesus’ interpretations of the Law having been made for man, rather than made to restrict
man, Matthew shows the hardness of hearts of the first century religious leaders.
It is hard to be sure how effective the comparison would have proved for Pharisees
with a fastidious approach to sabbath restrictions. It would certainly be effective in
disturbing simple certainties about rigid application of the Law.21
Matthew provides his ultimate declaration that Jesus is the Christ from historical start
to future finish in a passage, which has become known as the Olivet Discourse as recorded by
Matthew, Mark and Luke and which is deemed “the longest and most important section of
teaching about the future in the Synoptics22.” Matthew lets Jesus speak for Himself: “See that
no one leads you astray. For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they
20
James M. Robinson, In Search of the Original Good News: The Gospel of Jesus (Harper, San Francisco,
2005), 81.
21
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 483.
22
D. R. W. Wood and I. Howard Marshall, New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove,
Ill.: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 846.
23
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version, Mt 24:4-5.
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which serves as a warning not to just the Jewish audience, but also those now following Jesus
Here is danger for those who deny Jesus’ call, who are not among the chosen. But
danger, too, for those within the church. Into these last days before Jesus’ death,
Matthew collects a series of Jesus’ own stories, each of them long and dramatic, with
which to warn his own community of troubles and temptations to come. There is no
special grandeur to this section. Gone are the short, sharp instructions and brisk
examples; here are full, spacious images of the dutiful and the delinquent, the alert and
the complacent, and finally of the rewards and punishments that they face.24
Matthew chooses one final passage to drive home the point that Jesus, the Son of Man,
is the Messiah and that He will return in glory as the King that the Jewish nation is so
anxiously waiting for. There is little doubt left under whose authority the Son of Man
operates. Matthew delights in sharing God the Father’s blessings on those chosen from the
Matthew’s writing includes the only occurrences of the term “church” in the Gospels.
Interestingly enough, in its key meanings, the Greek term ἐκκλησία can mean both the
assembled people of Israel congregation or the assembled Christian community, either as the
24
Robin Griffith-Jones, The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic
(HarperCollins Publishers, New York, 2000), 172.
25
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version, Mt 25:31-34.
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total number of Christians living in one place or as the universal body of believers.26 In other
However, during centuries of history the use of this term, as well as the misquoting of
such verses as Matthew 27:25 in which Matthew writes that “all the people answered, ‘His
blood be on us and on our children!’”27, has given rise to a theology that has replaced Israel as
God’s chosen people. In this line of thinking, termed Replacement Theology, the church as
the new Israel has taken over the promises originally vowed to the Jewish people while
This paper does not seek to analyze the validity or intentions of Replacement
Theology, but rather wants to point out that even the seemingly clear writings of the Gospel of
Matthew, while direct and always intending to point out God’s wish for reconciliation, have
been used to attempt to prove certain theological tenets. Regrettably, this thinking has also led
words, “were now in the armory of an imperial church whose heirs would use these weapons,
Matthew reports Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples in the closing paragraph of
the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus does not wish to leave the Good News in just Israel and with the
Jewish people. To His disciples, this is a very novel concept. Nolland clarifies that although
26
Timothy Friberg, Barbara Friberg and Neva F. Miller, vol. 4, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament,
Baker's Greek New Testament library (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Books, 2000), 137.
27
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version, Mt 27:25.
28
Griffith-Jones, The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, the Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the Mystic, 163.
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“the Jews sought to commend their faith in various ways within a Jewish frame, itinerant
But with this new idea of discipling followers by sharing the good news that the
Messiah has come, died for our sins and now lives, comes affirmation of His divine authority
and great assurance of His never leaving His followers. Nolland adds:
As he commissions them, the risen Jesus confirms the full authority he has from God
and assures them that as they fulfil their discipling task, he will always be with them.30
Jesus instructs His disciples that as part of this fresh initiative of God the Gentiles are
to learn about their invitation to a relationship with the risen and soon returning Messiah,
Jesus Christ. This is to happen in the same fashion as with their Jewish Christian brothers and
sisters: through the traveling Word, brought by humans to humans under the guidance and
CONCLUSION
The Gospel of Matthew is written for and aims at an audience that understands who
the Messiah is – those from a Jewish background, familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures.
By using didactic tools in laying out Jesus’ genealogy and leveraging the words of Old
Testament Scripture, Matthew intends to prove without a doubt the Messiahship of Jesus
Christ, whom he followed for approximately three years during His earthly ministry. It is
important for Matthew to draw a clear line between the strict following of the Law of Moses
29
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew, 1266.
30
Nolland, The Gospel of Matthew,1261.
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Matthew repeats the strong chastisement of the behavior of Pharisees and religious
leaders given by Jesus. His intent is to show that God desires hearts, not the strict obedience
to the Law, yet the strong language Matthew relates unintentionally has been used to support
arguments for Replacement Theology, which denies any further role of Israel in the Kingdom
of God.
In its totality, the Gospel of Matthew seeks to prove without a shadow of a doubt that
Jesus Christ is the long awaited Messiah of Israel who has come and will come again – this
time to reign in glory over those who follow Him – Jew or Gentile.
The offer of salvation has been extended to the Gentiles of all nations. Matthew’s
readers are left knowing that they have been tasked with a commission to share the Good
News with those who were formerly excluded from the mercies and favors of God and who
have now been extended His grace through the Son of Man, Son of God and Messiah: Jesus
Christ.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
The Anchor Bible. Matthew. Introduction, Translation, and Notes by Albright, W.F. and
Mann, C.S. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Company, Inc. 1971.
Blomberg, Craig, vol. 22, Matthew, electronic ed., Logos Library System; The New American
Commentary, Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 2001, c1992.
Elwell , Walter A. and Beitzel, Barry J. Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible. Map on Lining
Papers. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1988.
Friberg, Timothy and Friberg, Barbara and Miller. Neva F., vol. 4, Analytical Lexicon of the
Greek New Testament. Baker's Greek New Testament library. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Baker
Books, 2000.
Geisler, Norman, L. A Popular Survey of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker
Books, 2007.
Griffith-Jones, Robin. The Four Witnesses: The Rebel, The Rabbi, the Chronicler, and the
Mystic. New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2000.
The Holy Bible : English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2001.
Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew : A Commentary on the Greek Text. Grand Rapids,
Mich.; Carlisle: W.B. Eerdmans; Paternoster Press, 2005.
Robinson, James M. The Gospel of Jesus: In Search of the Original Good News. New York:
HarperCollins Publishers, 2005.
Stanton, Graham. Gospel Truth? New Light on Jesus & the Gospels. Valley Forge, PA:
Harper Collins Publishers, 1995.
Toussaint, Stanley D. Behold the King. Portland ,OR: Multnomah Press, 1981.
Wills, Garry. What the Gospels Meant. New York, NY: Penguin Group, 2008.
Wood , D. R. W. and Marshall, I. Howard. New Bible Dictionary, 3rd ed. Leicester, England;
Downers Grove, Ill., InterVarsity Press, 1996.
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