Gospel of Matthew

The Evangelist Background

The Evangelist Background

Born in Palestine sometime in the 1st
century
St. Matthew was one of Jesus 12
apostles and also one of the four
Evangelists, according to the Bible.

The Evangelist Background

Matthew authored the first Gospel of
the Bible's New Testament, now
known as the Gospel of Matthew.
Prior to preaching the word of God,
he worked as a tax collector in
Capernaum.

The Evangelist Background

Matthew is the patron saint of tax
collectors and accountants.
The Feast of St. Matthew is annually
celebrated on September 21.

Symbols of the Evangelist

Matthew and the winged man from
Revelations
Matthew is the only one of the four
Evangelists who was definitely one of
the 12 Apostles of Jesus.
About Matthew, also known as Levi,
writing the Gospel of St. Matthew
there is little doubt but still some
debate that it might have been
dictated or re-written

Symbol of the Evangelist

Matthew the Evangelist, is therefore
the author of the first gospel, which is
generally accepted to be the one
written from first hand experience.
It would have been hand written on
Papyrus
Matthew the Evangelist, the author of
the first gospel account is symbolized
by a winged man, or angel.

Symbol of the Evangelist

This represents Jesus Incarnation,
and so Christs human nature and
implies that we should use our power
to reason to achieve salvation.

Symbol of the Evangelist

Historians believe that Matthew
preached the Gospel in Hebrew for 15
years to the Jewish community in
Judea but may then have moved
further a field no one seems to know
where or what he did they think he
probably died a martyr but dont know
where or how

Intended Audience of the

Gospel
The Gospel for the Jews:
Matthew wrote his gospel to convince
fellow Jews that Jesus was the messiah
foretold in the Old Testament.
His gospel was written from a Jewish
viewpoint for a Jewish audience. The
internal evidence of this is so overwhelming
that it is often called "The Gospel for the
Jews."

Intended Audience of the

Gospel
The Jewishness of Matthew's gospel
is evident from start to finish.
As part of this, Matthew's gospel has
far more references and allusions to
the Old Testament than any other
New Testament book.
It systematically identifies Jesus' life
with the history of Israel and the book
of Israel (Old Testament).

Intended Audience of the

Gospel
His formula "that it might be fulfilled
which was spoken by the prophet"
occurs again and again.
A peculiar feature of several of these
"formula prophecies" is that they refer
to events or prophecies that have
occurred or been fulfilled in Old
Testament times.

Purpose of the Gospel of

Matthew
Matthew's main purpose is to prove
that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old
Testament predictions concerning the
Messiah.
All of the Gospel writers quote the OT,
however Matthew has nine OT prooftexts that are unique to his Gospel
(Matt. 1:22-23; 2:15; 2:17-18; 2:23;
4:14-16; 8:17; 12:17-21; 13:35; 27:910).

Purpose of the Gospel of

Matthew
It has also been observed that
Matthew seems to group his material
around blocks of material suited for
instruction, so that Jesus' actions and
other concerns seem less prominent
in his overall purpose.

Date and Place of

composition of the Gospel
Some have argued on the basis of its
Jewish characteristics that Matthews
Gospel was written in the early church
period, possibly the early part of a.d.
50, when the church was largely
Jewish and the gospel was preached
to Jews only (Ac 11:19).

Date and Place of

composition of the Gospel
However, those who have concluded
that both Matthew and Luke drew
extensively from Marks Gospel date it
later after the Gospel of Mark had
been in circulation for a period of
time. Accordingly, some feel that
Matthew would have been written in
the late 50s or in the 60s.

Date and Place of

composition of the Gospel
Others, who assume that Mark was written
between 65 and 70, place Matthew in the
70s or even later. However, there is
insufficient evidence to be dogmatic about
either view.
The Jewish nature of Matthews Gospel
may suggest that it was written in the Holy
Land, though many think it may have
originated in Syrian Antioch.

Content of the Gospel

Gospel of Matthew: What is the
Significance? The Gospel of Matthew
presents many important facts and
significant lessons.
First, it clearly establishes that Jesus
Christ is the Messiah that was
prophesied throughout the Old
Testament.

Content of the Gospel

Second, it proves that Jesus was the
Son of God, whom He claimed to be
through living a sinless and perfect
life.
Third, the Gospel records Jesus
performing miracles over nature
(calming the storm; Matthew 8:23-27),
healing people (curing the servant;
Matthew 8:5-13) and raising the dead
(Jairus' daughter; Matthew 9:18-19).

Content of the Gospel

Fourth, Jesus personally gives over
200 real and practical lessons of how
God desires people to live, respond
through challenging circumstances,
and make choices regarding their
future for eternity.

Content of the Gospel

Every word spoken and written in this
Gospel can be applied to life in a
practical manner.
A summary of this extremely
important book of the Bible can only
provide highlights, and is not a
replacement for reading the actual
text.

Content of the Gospel

Gospel of Matthew: The Final Chapter &
Great Commission The last chapter of the
Gospel of Matthew specifies the calling of
all disciples of Christ: "Go ye therefore, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe
all things whatsoever I have commanded
you: and, lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. Amen" (Matthew
Matthew 28:19-20).

Content of the Gospel

This is the mission of all Christians
that have a faithful commitment to
Jesus Christ. It is to spread the Good
News of Jesus Christ to the world and
teach the lessons that He commands

The
Characteristics
of
the
Gospel

Characteristics
is the first book of the New
Testament. The narrative tells how the
Messiah, Jesus, rejected by Israel,
finally sends the disciples to preach
the gospel to the whole world.
There are five characteristics that give
primacy to this Gospel.

 1. The arrangement of its content,

making it an excellent book of
instruction, as Matthew gathered the
material into sections in order for it to
be committed to memory, the method
at the time.

 2. This Gospel presents the fullest

account of Christ's teaching. Matthew
recorded most of the sayings of Christ
and preserved them in groups with
remarkable skill. The Sermon on the
Mount is an excellent example of this,
and is considered an excellent
exposition of Christian ethics.

 3) Matthew's Gospel is the most

comprehensive in that it presents all facets
of Christ's activities and teachings, and
reflects long and deep study upon this
substance. It artistically and appropriately
combines teaching with biographical
narratives. Matthew presents the views and
opinions of Christ's teaching without
partiality. Because of this, his work was
widely accepted by Christians.

 4) This Gospel is an ecclesiastical book. In

the mind of the writer, the idea of the
Church constantly exists. He is the only
evangelist to mention the Church. He
records parables of Christ to fit the needs
and conditions of the Church. He presents
the teachings of Christ to be the law in the
Church as the law of Moses was for Israel.
This Gospel is considered in all ages as the
standard presentation of the Faith.

 5) Matthew's Gospel includes not only

the Good News of salvation, but also
the new law and the new Church.
This is why Matthew emphasizes the
Christian leadership of the Church.
The true disciples were
commissioned to go to ail nations,

 The book of Matthew is an ecumenical Gospel in many

ways. Its material refers to more than one point of view to
serve the needs of the world Church. The narratives and
sayings included in Matthew's book were shaped in the early
days of the Christian movement. In these days, Christians
kept the law with a different attitude than the Jewish people,
although the Gospel of Matthew had a Jewish appeal as well
as one for the Gentiles. Jewish law and Christian freedom
can be found side by side, working together, and Matthew
can be quoted either for or against the laws of the Pharisees
(cf. 15:12-14; 23:2).

Themes: Jesus is Presented

as
The Gospel According to St Matthew
begins with the verse, "The book of
the generation of Jesus Christ, the
son of David, the son of Abraham" (Mt
1:1). From this first verse of his
gospel, Matthew begins his purpose.
He has written to show Jesus to be
the promised Messiah.

Themes: Jesus is Presented

as
Matthew begins by establishing His
kingship by referring to Him as the
son of David, the son of Abraham.
The excitement of majesty to be
found in this first verse is beautifully
expressed by Charles Spurgeon in his
commentary on the Gospel of
Matthew.

Themes: Jesus is Presented

as
This verse gives us a clue to the special drift of
Matthew's gospel. He was moved of the Holy
Spirit to write of our Lord Jesus Christ AS KING "the son of David." He is to be spoken of as
specially reigning over the true seed of Abraham;
hence he is called "the son of Abraham." Lord
Jesus, make us each one to call thee, "My God
and King!" As we read this wonderful GOSPEL
OF THE KINGDOM may we be full of loyal
obedience, and pay thee humble homage

Matthew 6:21
For where your treasure is,
there will your heart be also.

THANK YOU FOR

LISTENING!