Matthew chapter 4

Matthew 4

Messiah by victory over Satan             Chapter 4

Any claim to spiritual power must be put to the test, as with all of us, so with Christ, for He identifies with His people in all things. 
 This is the subject of this chapter “Then was Jesus led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil”. 
  The word tempted is pierazo which can mean “put to the test”, or it can also mean “enticed”.   From God’s standpoint it was the first of these, from the devil’s it was the latter; he actually believed he could bring Him down, as he had done every man.  It remains a principle in the service of God that all servants will be put to the test, but in the case of Christ there was never any possibility He would be enticed.  The claims of Christ have been proved now they must be tested against the opposition.   His own words in Matthew 12 v29 could summarise this chapter “...how can one enter the strong man’s house, and spoil his goods except he first bind the strong man, and then he will spoil his house”. 
The chapter thus divides;
 Chapter 4 v1- 11        Christ binds the strong man.
 Chapter 4 v12-25       Christ spoils the strong man’s house.

Chapter 4 v1-11           He binds the strong man
Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness;   Mark records “Immediately the Spirit driveth Him into the wilderness(Mark 1 v12);  the word is ekballo which is thrust, compelled, no choice in the matter, the servant must face and overcome Satan if he will assault his kingdom.   Luke, who writes of the man, uses a less intense word (Gr. ago) which is to gently lead.  The word in Matthew is anago which is to lead up, to take to a higher level, for he writes of the king.   Thus each writer uses the words carefully to represent the context of their presentation.   Nothing of this event was to prove what Jesus was, for God knew His perfections, He had already declared this;  it has to do with us His followers who would experience similar attacks, and these are lessons on how we can ward off the attentions of the evil one.   He used no miraculous means to conquer Satan, only those means that are available to us all.   Thus, His victory can be our victory, and we must understand the tactics of the enemy, and the way to overcome.   Ephesians 6 v10-13 says that every believer faces an enemy too strong for them, and we need to avoid the fiery darts and stand against the wiles of the devil.   Matthew’s view that He was “led up”, refers to the confrontation with higher spiritual power.   The best way to grasp this is to take each step as it is stated.
• “When He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward hungered...”.
Satan confronts Him in the realm of the body, Jesus was a real man, whose body required food, and Satan came when He was at His weakest bodily.   He attacks at a vulnerable point.   His body was weak and faint, and crying out for food.   Jesus must identify with His people in their extremity, as many may go hungry at times.   There are other factors here; 
a) It was immediately after a great victory(the baptism and the adulation from heaven).   We could cite Abraham who was met by the king of Sodom after the victory over the kings of Shinar; or Elijah just after the victory on Mount Carmel etc.  We are vulnerable when we have succeeded;

b) It was in a wilderness, there was nothing pleasing to the eyes, no growth, just barrenness, depressing to the human spirit;  Mark even remarks He was with the wild beasts, everything to remind Him of the fall and it’s dread consequences;  nothing of any comfort to the soul.   How are we when bereft of earthly comforts?

 
c) He was lonely, denied any human contact for 40 days and nights, only the Spirit and the Father, but Himself in a human body in solitude.
 
d) He was bodily weak, actually famished and crying out for food; this is probably the limit of human deprivation of food.  Many are weak in body through pain, and weakness and unusual fatigue and perhaps starvation.  Jesus hunger was real, as ours would be, and was at the forefront of His thoughts. 

• “And when the tempter came to Him he said “If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread”.
   What human being can make bread out of a stone just by speaking?   Satan knew exactly who He was, he was not in any doubt, what he was saying, “since you are the Son of God, eat bread just by changing the rocks of the desert”.   There is a subtle inference here questioning the goodness of God, as much as to say, how can the Son of God be allowed to go hungry?   He was fasting at the prompting of the Spirit in obedience to His Father.   Satan says, “you’re hungry you’re the Son of God. It should not be”. 

• “But He answered and said “It is written Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord”.
  Citing from Deuteronomy 8 v3, He answers;  the command to fast stands, no command to eat has come and until it comes I will not eat.   Satan enticed Him to disobey the Spirit because of extreme bodily weakness.   How many of us succumb to this excuse to disobey the Lord?    He will not eat until the word comes from God.  Notice He pointed to the written word, God does not give mixed messages, one from the written word and yet another from the spoken word.   There is a parallel passage in Johns 1st epistle which underlines the principle that the written word is the answer to victory over Satan;
“I have written unto you young men because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one”- 1st John 2 v14.    It is the written word used in the situation that ensures the victory.  Not just the ability to quote it but the resolution to obey it.

• “Then the devil taketh Him up into the holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto Him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written “He shall give His angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone”.
First to note is that the devil can quote the holy scriptures, except he misquotes them.   Citing Psalm 91 v11-12 he omits the words “in all thy ways”, which completely changes the meaning of the text.   Satan perverts the meaning, and we ask, how many of his emissaries today are misquoting the word, and applying a false meaning to it?   We must be careful indeed, we need to know the word to be able to use it.    Jesus is God yet He learned the truth of Deuteronomy as a man, in the very same way we can do.   This is an attack in the realm of the soul, for the suggestion was to perform a spectacular act before the multitude in order to speed His credibility with them.   There are many today performing seemingly miraculous acts to gain a following, and this was the suggestion of Satan, as he knew public figures need the support of the masses.  There is no way Psalm 91 is encouraging hurling oneself down a 500 feet drop to gain recognition, yet that is how he presented it.

• “Jesus said unto him, it is written again, “Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God”.
Again a quotation from Deuteronomy;  He ignored the  omission of words from the Psalm, but focused on the perversion of the meaning, and establishes a further ;principle as He quotes from Deuteronomy 6 v16;  that is, that one word from God does not contradict another word from God, and any interpretation must be in line with the whole.   It is a fundamental principle that we are not to put God to the test, rather are we to trust Him and obey Him, He does not send mixed messages!    It is a wonderful principle that God’s word is foolproof against any attempt to change the message.   Nowhere is this seen more today than in the multitude of bible versions where some have sought to alter the meaning of principles.   Such is the accuracy and harmony of scripture that it defies any such attempt.   Peter voices this in 2nd Peter 1 v20;
 “..no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation”(or is of it’s own solution); scripture interprets scripture and there are many who misquote it and pervert it and “put it to torture”, contorting it to establish their own thoughts.   Any interpretation must be in harmony with the rest of scripture.    Are we seeking the approval of men, are we prepared to compromise the word of God for popularity?  This is what Satan wants for us.

• Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, “All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me”.
 
 He now attacks the spirit of the man, the desire for better than what we have, the pride of life, power, authority, rule over kingdoms, the glory attendant with it.   In reality what Satan was offering Him was only what will be His from His Father when the time is right.   In fact he was offering a way to glory without the cross.   All the suffering ahead can be avoided if only once you will worship me; that is what Satan craves, to be worshipped, to be like God.   He attacked Him in body, soul, and spirit, that is in every part of His being as a man, presenting to Him an easier way, for God’s way was costly.
• “Then said Jesus unto him, “Get thee hence Satan: for it is written “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou worship”.
  With kingly authority He dismissed Satan, saying “Get thee hence”.  He will say the same again in chapter 16, when Peter is deceived over the issue of the suffering of the cross.   Once again He uses the written word from Deuteronomy 6 v13 and 10 v20; only God is to be worshipped, all the angels of heaven know this, all the people of God must get to know it, and any suggestion to the contrary is from the devil.
At a time of severe bodily weakness, He warded off the devil’s wiles by the sword of the Spirit, using the written word, which is available to us.   This is the victory, no matter the circumstances.   Satan will return, again and again, and the victory in every case is the written word hidden in the heart, and used when needed.   Isaiah, in chapter 40, advised the young not to depend on physical or mental strength, for it would fail, but those who “..wait on the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.”   The retrogression from youth to old age need not rob us of spiritual strength, but calm rest in the will of the Lord.
• “Then the devil leaveth Him, and behold angels came and ministered unto Him”.
We presume the ministry was of a bodily nature, particularly food to nourish His body, what a lovely picture is this!  In bodily weakness, He dispels the greatest power in the universe apart from God, yet is dependent on angelic ministration to recover.   Later, at the end of His public ministry, in Gethsemane, an angel appeared to Him to strengthen Him in the extremity of His agony, at the prospect of Calvary(Luke 22 v43).   Now enthroned in the glory of heaven, He provides the same service to His people, referring to angels in Hebrews 1 v13 “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who are about to inherit salvation”.

Verses 12-25         He spoils the strong man’s house

It is a sombre fact that the world is under the power of Satan, since our forefather Adam sold the whole race in Genesis chapter 3.   Satan’s claim that “the kingdoms of this world” were his was not contested by Jesus during the temptation event, but His spiritual victory over him gives Him the right to free His people from the grip of the devil.   This is the story of the rest of these verses, a story that continues today in every generation. 
These verses are a summary of His whole life’s work.  Matthew likes to bring everything together, as he does with His teaching in the next chapters 5, 6, and 7.  
John was set aside(v12);
Jesus first area of service(v13-17);
Jesus calls the apostles who would be the foundation of His work(v18-22);
Jesus mission; the extent, both geographically, and spiritually, of His all-conquering work for God(v23-25).
 Not one place was missed, not one disease He did not cure.  This is the supreme victory of Christ, that continues to this day. 

 Jesus courtesy to John(v12).              Jesus waited until the ministry of John was finished, before moving on to the public scene;  this was a matter of respect for the great man who had so ably presented  Him.   Paul had the same respect for his fellow workers when he said “For so I have strived to preach the gospel, not where Christ is named lest I build on another man’s foundation”-Romans 15 v20.  Paul followed his Master’s example.   This is the start of a new dispensation in the programme of God, the age of law is over, and the age of grace begins. 
The Divine programme moves according to a very definite time frame;  perhaps that is the force of verse 17
“From that time Jesus began to preach and to say “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.
  This is repeated in chapter 16, when the church is mentioned for the first time-Matthew 16 v21 “From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto His disciples how He must go up to Jerusalem and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and raised again the third day”.   Thus Matthew presents the two dispensations, two ways in which  God deals with the world;  in the time of the prophets it was adherence to the law, in the time of Christ it is following Him.   The old has passed away, the new day has come; Christ fulfilled the law, and we fulfil it in Him.

 God’s compensation to those in affliction(v13-17)         This is a very informative portion describing the just ways of God.   Jesus went straight to Galilee.  Why did He choose to serve first in Galilee, why not Jerusalem, where the temple, and the priesthood, and the services were?   If He would build an empire, surely Jerusalem would be the first place of operation?   The ways of God are higher than ours;  Isaiah the prophet in the very quotation Matthew uses, tells us why.   Historically, Jerusalem has always come under attack, and, geographically, those attacks came from the north side of the city.   Jerusalem is almost impregnable from the south, being at the edge of a 500 feet cliff, with rocks and ravines around.   However the north side was very exposed and when marauding armies came, they would come through Zebulon and Naphtali, causing damage to people and property, this fact is verifiable and is mentioned in Isaiah chapter 9 v1-5.   There, the Lord, in His governmental dealings with Israel, said that as a result, this area had suffered most, in what He called His vexation and affliction of the nation.   There was first of all a light vexation, followed by a more grievous one.   God’s sense of justice is wonderful, and those who suffered most(not necessarily for their own sins), will be compensated by being the first to receive the light of Christ.   In grace He appears first to the northern provinces;
 “And leaving Nazareth, He came and dwelt at Capernaum which is upon the sea coast, in the borders of Zebulon, and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people that sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up”.
 
 Jesus calling of His disciples who would form the foundation of His work(18-22).

With one exception(Judas Iscariot), all of them came from Galilee, He chose His trusted men from Galilee; they were known, in derogatory terms, Galileans.
Galileans were despised among the elite, yet it was in Galilee Jesus announced the “acceptable year of the Lord”(Luke 4);
it was here He performed His first miracle;
it was from here He called the apostles;
it was here He did most of His mighty works.
This is what Jesus meant when He said of Capernaum, “thou art exalted to heaven”(Matthew 11 v23).   Three of these whom He called(Peter, James, and John), became the inner circle of the twelve.   The call of the King was decisive, they immediately left their careers to follow Jesus.   The nature of the call to each was to characterise their future work, Peter and Andrew, the great evangelists(casting the nets);  John and James,(called whilst mending the nets) the pastor- teachers.   When the King calls the only response is immediate.   He still calls today.

 Jesus curriculum of teaching and healing(23-25)             Note the superfluous information in these verses.  “Jesus went about all Galilee...”.
According to the historian Josephus, there were about 204
villages/towns, not one less than 15000 population; this involves approx. 3 million people.   His vision of evangelism is to visit every place(He expands this in chapter 10).
  “..teaching in their synagogues and preaching of the kingdom..”.
 He used the well known gathering centres, and preached the rule of God in their communities.
 “..healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people”. 
The kingdom not only teaches responsibility, it also brings blessing, in God’s kingdom there will be no sickness that cannot be cured, no disease that cannot be healed.   His fame went beyond the borders of Israel into Syria, and they brought unto Him all that were sick, all that were demon possessed, all that were mentally ill, and all that were paralysed, and He healed them.   This was but a taste of what the kingdom will be like, and the people responded in droves from Galilee and Decapolis(the ten-city conglomerate around the sea of Galilee), and Jerusalem, and from Judea and beyond Jordan. 
The crowds followed Him for the healing, but there was little heart repentance as chapter 11 will show.   The Sermon on the mount in the next three chapters 5, 6, and 7 will reveal that there is much more to the kingdom of heaven than bodily healing, and that entrance to it is much more than external conformity to human righteousness.      

Matthew chapter 3

Matthew 3

 

Messiah by Prophetic Confirmation          Chapter 3 v1-17

 

“In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”.

John, the last of the prophets, declares Him to be the Messiah.

 “John came” (verses 1-12)    In the first 12 verses we have the final prophetic endorsement of the last of the prophets, John the Baptist.   He begins “in those days....”, this is almost 30 years after chapter 2.   What were these days like?   They were days of apathy in Israel, days of nominal religion, days of foreign occupation of the land.   Conditions were not right in Israel and John came with a stern message.   He proclaims that the kingdom of heaven was near, for the king was here.   Because of this they must repent, change their thinking, change their ways for the kingdom of heaven is upon us.   So what is repentance?

Ø Firstly it is to admit something is wrong and needs to change.  Says John, we are not ready for the kingdom of heaven.

Ø It is not regret; regret is feeling sorry for what we have done for how it affects myself, or even how it affects others.  Repentance is more than that.  It is not feeling ashamed, it is not making an apology, although these may be involved.

Ø Repentance involves, a change of mind.  The Greek word is metanoia  which is to change the mind by changing the attitude(meta, a change; and noia the mind)

Ø Change of mind about myself....I am not fundamentally a good person, I am not the centre of the universe, I am not the king of the world or even of my own self.

Ø Change of mind about sin;  I am accountable for my actions, past hurts do not excuse present failings, my offences against others are not trivial, I fall very far short of what I should be.

Ø Change of mind about God;  God has a right to judge me for He is perfect, He alone is the arbiter of good or evil;  He is good and kind for He forgives sins at great cost to Himself.   He alone can change me.

It is hard for us to admit we are wrong and change direction, to say all my life I have been wrong, and wrong thoughts have led to wrong actions.   Yet if we would enter the kingdom of heaven, the sphere in which the will of God is paramount, this is the only way. 

These were religious people, but it was only surface.   He will go on to say that the evidence of  repentance would be seen in a change of actions, but it all starts in the mind.

John is identified as the forerunner, he was called of God, it was the voice of God through John,

 “For this is He, that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah saying, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight”.(Isaiah 40 v3);

 and he in turn identifies the Messiah(verse 11), “..He that comes after me is mightier than I....He shall baptize you in the Holy Ghost and fire”.   The one in our midst is the king, and the kingdom is near, He alone has the spiritual power to change you.

John’s mission was to “make His paths straight”, for the people of Israel were anything but straight with the Lord as his preaching will reveal.    Verse four focuses on the character of the man who was preaching.   This is important that the man pointing the finger is blameless himself.

 Attention is focused on his mode of dress.  The emphasis is on simple clothing fit for the task avoiding gaudy overdress.   John was dressed for desert conditions.   The new testament relates clothing to character, as in “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” or “put off the old man” and “put on the new man”.   The character of the individual enhances the testimony.

 Then we have his diet of locusts and wild honey; the food laws as given to Israel do not apply today for they were designed to separate Israel from other nations, by means of dietary laws.  What is relevant is our spiritual food, which should be heavenly rather than earthly.   In distinction to the “creeping things of earth” the locust is separated from the earth by it’s legs and their mode of travel is airborne.   This symbolises “heavenly things” that was the food of the Baptist.   Also the wild honey is from the flinty rock(Deuteronomy 32 v13), and as we know the rock is Christ(1^st Corinthians 10).  The word of the Lord is described as honey, and there we are to feed.  The diet is of heavenly things and of Christ, from the word, this is where we should be feeding.   Diet and dress are important in service, which is why they are highlighted here.

“Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, and were baptised of him in Jordan confessing their sins”.

In ordinary times we have to go to the people, in times of revival the people come to us, and how long has it been since we experienced this.   God moves at times in different places and when He moves the people will come.   In Malachi, the Lord promised to open the windows of heaven and pour out a blessing; there has been a 400 year gap and no blessing, but now it will come, it did come when the Spirit came in Acts chapter 2 just as John predicted.   The issue was their sins, the Lord always wants to bless but our sins must be washed away.  Forgiveness  was contingent on confession of sins.   The crossing of Jordan(of which baptism is a symbol) was a new beginning for ancient Israel, and this was to be a new beginning for the nation.

When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees(the very leaders who had led the people astray), come to the baptism, he questioned their sincerity;

  “O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance...”. 

True repentance will mean a change of behaviour as well as a change of mind, and John reminds them that they are(as are all we) on this earth to produce fruit for God. 

No more excuses, no more “ifs”, “buts”, and “maybe’s”, stop depending on past glories, repent and change your satanic ways right now or you face the wrath of God!

“..think not to say within yourselves, “We have Abraham to our father”; for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham”.

Dependence on genealogical connections means nothing to God; in behaviour they were nothing like Abraham.   God could make of stones more the children of Abraham than they were, which is saying they are actually more dead than the stones of the desert.   Your perceived heritage is nothing, your present sins are pressing, and you need to repent..

He continues; this matter is urgent, the opportunities are fast diminishing

; “And already the axe is laid to the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire”.

The Almighty is not interested in platitudes, in empty words, He will have reality, and have it now.  He turns now to the heart of his message, the proclamation of the Messiah;

 “I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but He that cometh after me is mightier than I whose shoes I am not worthy to loose....He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire”.

Says John, I am just the servant, He is the guest, and so great is He I am not worthy even to serve Him.  He comes to complete the work of God, all sin will be eradicated, God’s house will be cleansed and He will act in final judgment;

 “..whose fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His floor, and gather the wheat into the garner, but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”.

The picture is of the harvest threshing floor, where the wheat is separated from the chaff, and the One who is coming will be the thresher!, the final prophetic proof that He is the Messiah.   He was born of the virgin, He was born in Bethlehem, He was in exile in Egypt, His coming was associated with sorrow, He was raised in Nazareth, and now He is proclaimed to be judge of all! 

 

 

Messiah by Divine Approval  

 

“Jesus came”(verses 13-17).

This section presents the Divine right of Jesus as the Messiah, and the crowning evidence that places His claim beyond the shadow of any doubt.   This will be seen by the visible approval of the Holy Spirit(v16), and the audible approval of God the Father(v17).

First we have the supreme example of Jesus identifying Himself with His people.   Visualize the situation, the people are being baptized confessing their sins;  Jesus had no sins.  They were baptised unto repentance; He had no need for repentance.   Yet He had come to identify with the people in everything; we have already seen this in the flight to Egypt, now in the baptism.

 John replies,

“I have need to be baptised of thee and comest thou to me?”

 Jesus’ reply is just delightful “Suffer it to be so now, for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness.”

 He had come to put everything right, and this meant being identified with the people in everything, including their sins!  Righteousness(which is a big topic in Matthew), is that which is right according to God’s standard.   The word is well illustrated in Deuteronomy 25 v13-16, in terms of just weights and perfect measures.   There were many things of unrighteousness being practised and Christ had come to put all things right.   The people were wrong and He must take upon Himself all their wrongs.   He had no transgressions but “He was numbered with the transgressors”(Isaiah 53 v12);  He had no sins but “He bore our sins in His body on the tree”(1^st Peter 2 v24)

The response of heaven was immediate, never had there been from a human being such devotion as this.   On coming up from the waters of baptism, the heavens were opened, the Spirit descended, and the voice of the Father was heard.

”And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water; and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting upon  Him...”.     

This was the ultimate approbation of His life and fitness for service.   In the old testament, the offices of prophet priest and king were initiated by the anointing of oil.   Oil, being the symbol of the Spirit(Zechariah 4 v1-6), this event of the Spirit coming upon Him in full bodily shape is His anointing for service, having proved His fitness in the obscurity of Nazareth.   He was given the Spirit “without measure”(John 3 v34), that is the full compliment of the Divine Spirit was upon Him without limitation.  Compare this when the Spirit came on the church, it was partial, “cloven tongues of fire”.   The symbol of the dove is seen in Genesis 8 v6-12; as the waters of the flood were subsiding, Noah sent out a raven(a flesh-eating bird), who found plenty to eat in the putrefying dead flesh all around .  He then sent a dove, a most sensitive bird, who would only eat vegetation, and “the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot”.  He sent the dove out a second and third time until  it did not return, the dove found rest, and Noah knew the waters were abated.   When the symbolic dove rested on Christ, there was no flesh, no evil, nothing but purity and so “it lighted upon Him”.   That is He came upon Him, naturally, and without reservation, this was a man whose purity of life and devotion of service would allow the Spirit to move through Him in unfettered goodness and power.  This was heaven’s approval of His life, this was heaven’s commission for His service.   In chapter 4 we shall see the power of the Spirit in operation in the defeat of Satan, and then in the miracles of healing to defray the havoc Satan had wrought in the world.

“...and lo a voice from heaven saying, “this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”.

Now the voice of approval from the Father, whose delight in His Son does not diminish throughout His life;  delight before He came, “Behold my servant whom I uphold; mine elect in whom my soul delighteth”(Isaiah 42 v1); delight in the prophecy of His work, “..the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand”(Isaiah 53 v10); delight in a perfect service “..I do always those things that please Him”(John 8 v29); then of course God’s delight in His finished work for He raised Him from the dead, ascended Him on high, and seated Him on the throne until the subjugation of all things.   Here is the ultimate credential, the voice of the Father, who is not only pleased, but well pleased

 

 

 

Matthew chapter 2

Matthew 2

“A ray of hope flickers in the sky; A tiny star lights up way up high
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A silent wish sails the seven seas; The winds of change whisper in the trees; And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
A rosy hue settles all around; You've got to feel you're on solid ground
For a spell or two, no-one seems forlorn; This comes to pass when a child is born.
And all of this happens because the world is waiting,
Waiting for one child
Black, white, yellow, no-one knows
But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter,
Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone's neighbour
And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.
It's all a dream, an illusion now; It must come true, sometime soon somehow
All across the land, dawns a brand new morn; This comes to pass when a child is born”.
     F. J. Zacar  sung by Johnny Mathis
The song is beautiful but gets it wrong;  the child has been born, the dream is a reality, after thousands of years of sin and misery, after 400 years of silence from heaven, the Messiah has come.
 “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea...” 
It is now a historical fact!   The construction is “Now Jesus having been born...”.    We are now sometime after the birth, according to the estimate by Herod, the child could have been up to two years old(v16).   While Luke records the response of the faithful remnant of Israel to the great event, Matthew’s account is very different.   He paints the picture  of gross indifference of the people, of consternation at the visit of the foreign Magi, and of murderous intent on the part of the King.   Indeed the only positive response, to this the greatest event in their entire history, was from Gentiles who came from afar.   Only Matthew records that King Herod is an Edomite, and therefore a usurper on the throne of Israel;  only Matthew records the exile to Egypt; only Matthew records the slaughter of the innocents; together a truly dark portrayal of the nation at a time when they should have been rejoicing.
The situation in Israel was desperate.   There was an Edomite usurper on the throne of Israel(Herod); they were ruled by an occupying force(Rome).  The chief priests and scribes could quote the scriptures but ignored them; the people were troubled, in fear of the unknown.   Into this fraught situation comes a shining star and a travelling band asking to see the child born King of the Jews.   All we are told is they were “wise men from the east”.   In contrast to the people who were “troubled”, these visitors proclaimed “We are come to worship Him, Jews worried, Gentiles worshipping—and they had come from far!

We examine the main players in this scene;  firstly Herod, he was an Edomite with no claim to be king of the Jews; historians record that he killed three of his sons he suspected of treason; he put to death his favourite wife of which he had ten; he drowned an high priest, he killed several uncles, and two cousins; he plotted to kill a stadium full of Jewish leaders-source-Josephus.   He was a thoroughly unsavoury character with no legal right, nor moral fitness to rule Israel.   This man goes down in history as the worst king ever, who slaughtered innocent children to protect his illegal position.   Caesar Augustus once quipped that he would “rather be Herod’s pig than his son”.    Matthew is clearly inferring the contrast between Herod and Jesus who has the confirmed legal right to the throne, and whose character was blameless, rather than committing sins, He  had come to save people from their sins for He had none of His own.
The Magi;  they were of the priestly castes of pagan religions in the east.   They could have come from Babylon, or Syria or were Thracians, or Parthians.   They were astronomers, astrologists, star gazers, and book worms.  They would have known Daniel the prophet, and certainly the biblical prophecies.   It is common to think of three wise men come with a small entourage, because of the three gifts, but this may be illusory.  There may have been a considerable number of them which sparked off the fears in Jerusalem.   Particularly since some of them may have been Parthians.  According to Missler, the Parthians were the one people feared by all, including Rome, for they were the only people the Romans failed to subdue.  They were known to be a brutal lot, part of the all-conquering Assyrian forces.   If these were present among them it was probably perceived they were an advance party to spy on the land.  They would be feared by both Herod and the Roman occupying forces.
“Where is He that is born King of the Jews, for we have seen His star in the east and have come to worship Him?”
They were worshippers, not warriors, but the Lord would leave the nation in a fog who had blatantly ignored His Son.   The coming of Messiah was predicted in the symbol of a star, the “bright and morning star”, signalling the dawning of a new day.  The coincidence of a celestial sign with the birth of a great king was a well-known feature in ancient culture(n.b. His star!   This was only seen by the Magi, it disappeared when they came to Jerusalem, and appeared again when they left for Bethlehem and then home. 
 The star is associated with future world dominion;  Numbers 24 v17-19
“There shall come a star out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth, and Edom shall be a possession.   Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies, and Israel shall do valiantly.   Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city”.
The N/T refers to it in 2nd Peter 1 v19, and Revelation 22 v16.  To these men it was a sign of prophecy and so they came to worship the great king. 
Here we have an interesting view on worship.  The Greek word is “proskuneo”, and literally means to kiss the hand in deference to the person kissed; it can refer to a dog licking the hand of it’s master, an act of adoration and subjection.  They came to the right place, they came for the right purpose to worship, they came prepared, they did not come empty handed, they brought gifts, “they opened their treasures”;  they gave gifts befitting a king, of gold and frankincense and myrrh.  Their only mission was to pay homage to Him, then return to their country.   In the future glorious kingdom thousands of such journeys will be made to the One who will rule the world.
This brings us to the 2nd fulfilment of scripture, the first being He would be born of a virgin;  now the place of His birth.  Herod summons the chief priests and scribes who quote Micah chapter 5 v2 saying;
 “In Bethlehem of Judea for thus it is written by the prophet, “And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a Governor shall  rule my people Israel”.
 The leaders could accurately quote scripture but failed to realise the practical implications.   Possession of privilege is no guarantee of compliance.   It was to Bethlehem they came, and found(not the babe) but the young child with Mary His mother in the house(no longer in the stable but in the house in Bethlehem).   The prophecy is fulfilled, the one who is the future world ruler was born in Bethlehem.   Bethlehem- Ephratah, a humble place for a king to be born, now raised to global fame because of Him!   The wise men, being warned of God departed to their country by another way.    Note the prophecy, though born in humble conditions yet predicted to be a ruling Governor over Israel and therefore over the world.

The exile(13-16)   Warned in a dream Joseph and Mary flee into Egypt.   This is the second of four dreams by the angel to Joseph.   These were momentous times, angels were active as they always are at such times.   Such a journey must have been arduous, especially since it started at night, and very costly for a poor family.   Yet the Lord provided resources for the time of their exile which may have been up to a full year,  and He provides from the most unexpected source, from Gentiles from hundreds of miles away!   Matthew makes an astonishing quotation from the prophet Hosea 11 v1,
 “..that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet saying, “Out of Egypt have I called my Son”.
This is a notable reference for the prophecy is clearly stated to be for Israel!, yet now Matthew ascribes it to Christ.   This links Christ to all aspects of the suffering of His people Israel, which is a fact the rest of scripture unfolds.   They suffered in Egypt, and were called out, as with Israel so with their Messiah, what a wonderful truth!   We can categorically say from this use by the Spirit through Matthew, that everything experienced by Israel, Christ would emulate.   There is not one aspect of suffering, He will not also suffer.   This is mirrored in Hebrews describing His priestly work “He was in all points tempted(put to the test) as we are, yet sin apart”.
They escaped just in time as the brutal Herod added to his huge list of sins the most heinous of all, the slaughter of innocent children.   This goes down as one of the most callous of all crimes in history, on a par with the brutal Pharoah in the Exodus.  The edict to murder all the male children in Bethlehem and surrounding borders under two was pure evil.  What makes Herod’s crime worse was the they were the children under his own guardianship.   A king, sworn to protect children by his institution, ordering the murder of innocent children.   Yet again the circumstances around His infancy was the same as Israel;  this is the fulfilment of Jeremiah 31 v15,
 “In Ramah was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted , because they are not”.
Rachel was a long time dead and was buried in Bethlehem, but her name lived on and she became synonymous with the village and the surrounding areas.   Bethlehem had thus, in it’s history, it’s share in grievous suffering.   The rabbis say that Rachel was buried on the very road in which the northern tribes were taken into exile by Assyria in 722 b.c. and that this is behind the reference here.    Matthew applies it to the deep sorrow felt here, yet another event of sadness for Bethlehem.   Rachel, in her death in childbirth, named the child “Benoni “son of my sorrow.”   This remote prophecy finds it’s fulfilment in the persecution of Christ and further enhances the claim to be Messiah. 
Nothing is said of their stay in Egypt, but the angel reveals it is safe to return to Israel for “they are dead that sought the young child’s life”.   Whether that means more than just Herod was dead, we don’t know;  whether this was a natural death or a Divine intervention we don’t know, all we know is that the way was clear for them to return.   They heard that Archelaus, the son of Herod, reigned in his stead.   Archelaus had three brothers all senior to him so that he had no succession right to the throne, and according to history, he had been appointed at the last minute.   In all this we see the sovereign hand of God, for this change of leadership caused them to avoid Jerusalem district and settle in Nazareth, which fulfilled another prophecy, though an indirect one.
 Nowhere in scripture do we find by any one prophet “He shall be called a Nazarene”;  rather is it a general prophecy of a number of prophets.    The term “Nazarene” became synonymous with low morals, and was a derogatory term, the city being subject to all kinds of immorality and violence, being a regular haunt of Roman soldiers.   The question from Nathaniel was “can any good thing come out of Nazareth?” reveals the reputation many years later.   On the contrary it is perhaps linked to the Hebrew word “netser” meaning branch, which is a title applied to the Messiah by Isaiah(4 v2; 11 v1), Jeremiah(33 v15), and Zechariah(3 v8; 6 v12).
 If this is correct then in these references we have the branch the king relating to Matthew(out of Jesse-Isaiah 11 v1);
the branch my servant, relating to Mark(Zechariah 3 v8);
the branch the man, relating to Luke(Zechariah 6 v12);
and the branch of the Lord, relating to John(Isaiah 4 v2). 
These titles would depict the four offices of king, servant, man and God, and further enhances the claim to be the Messiah.  This second view seems more likely to fit the plan of Matthew in his assertion of Jesus as Messiah.  
The context of Isaiah 10 v33-11 v1,  is of the nation as a tree whose bough has been lopped, leaving a stump producing no fruit.   The branch(netser) is  a shoot from a lifeless tree that will grow until the tree itself grows and that shoot, that branch, will be out of Jesse.   It may be that the name Nazareth was derived from this and if so what a fitting picture of Matthew 2 v23, that there was living in Nazareth the branch that would restore the nation.   It was at Nazareth He “grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground”(Isaiah 53 v2).   In a dry fruitless wilderness He grew to perfection before the Lord.  He was called the Nazarene, a term of reproach, yet He wore it with pride like a badge of honour.   No less than 20 times He is called this in the New Testament and His followers were called “Nazarenes”(Acts 24 v5).    From the glory of heaven, Jesus acknowledged this to Paul on the Damascus road “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom thou persecutest..”(Acts 22 v8).   What humility!, in heaven, seated on the throne, His work accomplished, He was not ashamed of His days in lowly Nazareth for it was there He grew to be approved of God to continue the work of salvation.

Matthew chapter 1

Matthew 1

The authentication of the King        Chapters 1-4

By Genealogy                      chapter 1 v1-17

In these opening 4 chapters, Matthew proves beyond doubt that Jesus, the man who was born of a virgin, is the Christ, the anointed of God.
Genealogies were really important to the Jews, for pedigree was everything, and they kept accurate records; the temple contained an archive that was meticulously documented.  These were legal proofs of inheritance;
they were used to settle disputes of land and property;
they authenticated a Levites claim to be kept on the tithing register;
they were consulted to verify levirate marriage in the event of death.
In this genealogy, Matthew makes the legal claim of Jesus as Messiah, that is, He must be directly descended from the royal line of David.   In effect, Matthew is saying, “Go to the temple, check the records for yourselves, it is in the public domain”.   It is interesting to note that no Rabbi has ever questioned Matthew’s account of this genealogy.   The leaders of the day obviously didn’t bother, otherwise they might have acted differently. 
“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, son of David, son of Abraham”.  
Jesus, Jehovah Saviour;  Christ, the anointed of God in three offices of prophet priest and king;  Matthew majors on the aspect of the King
Son of David, heir to the royal throne by covenant;
Son of Abraham, linked to the seed of Israel and the land of Israel by covenant.
Matthew summarises the genealogy in three sections,
a) Abraham to David-14 generations;
b) David to the exile in Babylon-14 generations;
c) The exile to Jesus-14 generations. 
Why does Matthew put it this way? for there are some generations missing.   Firstly it was probably for ease of memorisation; then he would have wanted to apply the Hebrew “Gematria”, which was a system of numbering, where each consonant had a numerical value;  His primary focus on David meant that the number to the fore was 14 since DVD= 4+6+4=14.  
This is the 14th  list of   generations in scripture, the others being eleven in Genesis, one in Numbers, one in Ruth, and now the final one here in Matthew 1.  
Also, David is the 14th from Abraham, so for the sake of uniformity, he worked it out using 14, equivalent to David’s name.   Also the generations often overlapped so this is quite normal, and no irregularities have been pointed out since it was written.   Matthew’s point is that no one seemed to pay any attention to such an important event.   Indeed, according to Matthew, the only people looking for the Messiah when He came were Gentiles from afar!
That this is the Royal line, makes the genealogy interesting.  First we note that Jesus was born into the royal family, also that His earthly parents who were exceedingly poor and were reduced to working class, had through the years fallen on hard times.   There are also many aspects of truth in the list of names; 
• Included in this royal , most privileged, lineage, are the names of people of great faith in God.   The most famous in this connection is Abraham, whose faith in God is so outstanding he has become the “father of all who believe”.  Who can forget the incredible faith and devotion of the Gentile Ruth, who said, when given a choice “Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest I will go, and where thou lodgest I will lodge; thy people shall be my people, and thy God, my God, where thou diest will I die, and there will I be buried!”.    Then there is the great King David, who survived 24 attempts on his life, yet maintained his spirit to achieve the notable accolade that he was “a man after God’s own heart”, and many more.
• They were all sinners, they were all failures, and some of these traits are highlighted;  indeed it reads more like a rogues gallery than a royal godly line!   Abraham lied about his wife, Jacob was a deceiver, Judah was treacherous, David committed adultery and sent a brave man to his death to cover it up, Solomon committed bigamy 700 times and had harems on the side;  Rehoboam divided the nation by listening to the advice of young men, a situation of division that lasts until this day.  Manasseh was the most idolatrous of all the kings of Judah, far worse than Ahab the evil king of Israel who worshipped Baal.  Yet Manasseh repented and God forgave Him, which only shows there is no sinner so bad God cannot save them.   Jechoniah though only 8 years old brought evil to the throne and developed into the most covetous and violent person in the history of Israel such that God cursed his seed, that no one born in his house would ever sit in the throne of Judah(Jeremiah 22).   Indeed the whole point of the coming of Messiah was to save His people from their sins(chapter 1 v21).   These are but a few examples, and if we were to trace the whole history we would understand the extent of the grace of God in Christ the Messiah.   God is not limited by human imperfections! 
• There are four women included in the lineage, a thing most unusual in Hebrew genealogies, so God’s salvation in Christ includes women.   There are Gentiles in the list, namely Rahab, Ruth, and the husband of Bathsheba, Uriah the Hittite, so Gentiles have a place in the royal line leading to Christ.   The grace of God is seen in the four women and each of them represents a different aspect of His grace.
In Tamar the illustration is of the grace of God based on righteousness, not of Tamar but of God(Genesis 38).
In Rahab we see a harlot woman living in a city under the curse of God, delivered by her faith in God on the basis of redemption(Joshua 2-especially verses 11&18).
In Ruth we see a Moabitess(all Moabites were barred from the congregation of the Lord for ten generations) brought near to God on the basis of Divine reconciliation(Ruth 1).  In Bathsheba(though she is referred to as the wife of Uriah the Hittite), we see the grace of God in forgiveness and association with royalty in king David and her son Solomon.    All this beautifully summarises the grace of God in Christ:  it is based on righteousness,  and on redemption; it brings reconciliation, it leads to royalty in association with the King
• In the royal lineage we see the sovereignty of God in the names listed.
Isaac was chosen instead of Ishmael;
Jacob instead of Esau;
Judah was one of twelve, and not firstborn, yet he was chosen as the royal progeny;
Phares was chosen instead of Zara of the twins born to Tamar;
David was the eighth and youngest of the sons of Jesse yet he was anointed as king;
Solomon was the tenth son of David conceived out of wedlock, yet chosen as king;
Rehoboam, who divided the nation by listening to the advice of the young men was the son of an Ammonitess, one of Solomon’s concubines(1st Kings 14 v31), yet he was in the lineage;
Abijah, the son of Rehoboam was evil as king, yet for David’s sake he was forgiven(1st Kings 15).
Josiah was one of four sons, and he was not the firstborn;  Salathiel was second born of 8 yet promoted to be king.

The God who knows all chooses sovereignly and wisely, and we can only wonder and worship.   These are a few outstanding examples of the sovereign hand of God in the royal line.

• There are the names of three kings missing(four if we count Athaliah the daughter of the Baal-worshippers Ahab and Jezebel).    All three were associated with Athaliah who, when her son Amaziah died, attempted to destroy all the royal seed, and secure the dynasty to her family.   God takes a dim view of those who attack the seed that will lead to Christ, the same as He opposes those who invade His land, also as He is angry with those who spoil the types that describe Christ.   Those who attempt to frustrate the purposes of God in Christ have no place in the royal line.  There are other aspects of Divine government in the list that can be followed through with painstaking diligence, e.g.  David was denied the right to build the temple;  king Uzziah became a leper to the end of his days because of pride;  association with this privileged dynasty brings responsibility.
• We have seen in the list facets of the grace of God; of the sovereignty of God; of the government of God.  Finally we trace elements of the faithfulness of God in the face of unfaithfulness of the people.   Isaac tried to manipulate the blessing on Esau, but God overlooked it and overrode it;  God forgave the heinous sins of David and remained by His covenant;  true to His word, He brought the people back from Babylon.  His faithfulness is independent of ours, when He covenants He will perform.

We trace the magnificence of God in weaving into His plans, many of the beautiful characteristics of Himself, as He subdues human excesses, and out of this unlikely genealogy, a Son who would reflect Himself in every aspect, “God with us!”   Note the change in emphasis when we come to His descent from Joseph in verse 16;  every other generation is  marked by the word “begat”, not so Joseph to Christ,
 “Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ”.
Joseph was the legal guardian, not the biological father.  Therefore the royal line was genetically through Mary His natural mother.   Thus He qualifies to sit on the throne of Judah bypassing the curse on Jechoniah.   The genealogy of the royal line leads to Christ, and all the history from Abraham down pointed to Him, He was “the coming one”, and now He is come.  All attempts to frustrate the purposes of God all came to nothing.  He is the Christ, the Messiah, the anointed of God.

By Angelic Announcement           Chapter 1 v18-21

This is the most amazing event in all of time, it has divided history BC to AD!   Every time we write the date, we are acknowledging the epoch-making birth of Christ the Messiah.  Isaiah sums it up in chapter 9 v6 “Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given”.   The birth of a child is a wonderful event for all concerned, yet in reality it is commonplace in the bigger picture.   Currently there are 360,000 born every day, 15,000 every hour, 250 every minute, 4 every second!    Isaiah points out this birth would be unique, because it was “a son given”, that is the entry into humanity of one who pre-existed all time.   Luke 1 v78 “..the dayspring from on high hath visited us”.  This is no ordinary birth, this is a Divine miracle.   
“..for when as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit”.
In the account of Matthew, Joseph is prominent as the focus is on the legal claim, whereas in Luke it is Mary to the fore as he is presenting His humanity.   He was espoused to Mary, that is in our terms “engaged to be married”, but with a difference, for Jewish culture viewed an espoused couple as “technically married”, a union that only divorce could sever.   The reasons for divorce involving a betrothed couple had to be stringent and usually involved unfaithfulness of the female partner-- Deuteronomy 24 has the details.    Mary was with child, but not to Joseph.   The dilemma was great as she could have been excommunicated from the synagogue, or even stoned, and Joseph would have to act swiftly.   Joseph faced extreme embarrassment and emotion for his espoused wife is with child.   Attention is drawn to his character,
“..he was a just man, yet not willing to make her a public example, intended to put her away privately”.
Joseph wanted to do the right thing, but did not wish a public scandal, he was torn between his heart and his head.   The angel appears in a dream and calms his fears;
“Joseph thou son of David fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save his people from their sins”.
This must have been a lot to take in, but these people were reared in the scriptures and they would know such things even if they were astonished it was happening to them!   God chose a humble, God-fearing couple to bring His Son into the world.  Joseph, son of David, would rear the Christ child, whom his wife bore in majestic dignity, and through much misunderstanding on the part of the wider public.   That son would be proclaimed “Son of David”, seven times in the Gospel(1v1,9 v27, 12 v23, 15 v22, 20 v30, 21 v9, 21 v15, 22 v41).   His name Jesus, Jehovah Saviour, for His mission is to save the people, that is the people of Israel, though He would also save the wider world.   The angel gives heaven’s acclaim of His coming.

By Holy Scriptures                   Chapter 1 v22-chapter2 v23

 “Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying “Behold the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is “God with us”.
This is the first of five references to holy scripture, four directly and one indirectly.   Anyone who claims to be Messiah-King must fulfil the predictions of holy writ.
He is born of a virgin, He is unique amongst billions of births in the world.   There are only four ways to enter the world; by creation(as in Adam); by formation(as in Eve); by generation(as in the rest of us); and by incarnation, as in Christ.   No male had any part in his conception, He was the product of the union of the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary.   His names are significant, Jesus the Saviour from sins, as God cannot dwell with us until our sins are removed; and Emmanuel, God with us.    Because our sins will be removed, God can be with us.   His entry into the world was to bring God and man together.   The name Emmanuel is made up of two parts;
El, the singular and most powerful name for God, it means “strong”, “first”, as in the first great cause of all, and the strength involving all His attributes.
Emmanu means to dwell with human beings, it is the opposite of God’s eminence(greater than us), it is His immanence(near to us). 
The name Emmanuel means therefore the concentrated might of God, all His power, all His resources, made available to us in the birth of this child.
This wonderful truth is found in the context of Isaiah 7 from where the quotation comes;  God gave this prediction as a sign, through the prophet Isaiah to king Ahaz of Judah when he was under threat of extinction by his hostile neighbours.   The conspiracy was “Let us go up against Judah and vex it, and let us make a breach therein for us and set a king in the midst of it....”(Isaiah 7 v6).   This would have meant the royal line to Messiah would become extinct.   The message to Ahaz was “Thus saith the Lord God, it shall not stand, neither shall it come to pass...."(v7);  the sign given was of the virgin birth(v14) some 700 years into the future, that would guarantee the continuance of Judah and the royal throne, and therefore the safety of Judah in the present.   This prophecy, now fulfilled, sets a seal on all the purposes of God in Christ, which is the very message Matthew wishes to convey.    It is interesting to read in chapter 28 v20 “I am with you always, even to the end of the age”.   This was no normal birth, there is only one Messiah, only one born of a virgin, He alone is the Messiah, Matthew’s has proved in the first prophecy He is the Messiah!   Such a birth, such an event is announced by the angel giving Heaven’s credentials to the new born
He was born, the virgin brought forth her firstborn son, Joseph called His name Jesus, Jehovah Saviour, Saviour of all His people from their sins.

Overview of the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew overview...the Kingdom of heaven

The importance of Matthew in the grand scheme of things
The Gospel of Matthew forms a very important bridge between the old and new testaments.   It is distinctly Jewish, and there are 54 direct citations from the old testament as well as 262 allusions or verbal parallels.   The genealogy goes back to Abraham, and the book contains discourses and narratives and parables and miracles and prophecies just as in the old testament.    In the period between the testaments, the voice of God had been silent for almost 400 years, no prophet having been sent since Malachi until the coming of John the Baptist.
 It has been said that the old testament scriptures could be described as:
 A history of unexplained ceremonies, with millions of animals slain, and rivers of blood shed, yet to what end?;
 A history of unachieved objectives, Moses failed to enter the land, Joshua failed to oust the enemies,  David failed to build the temple, the promised land was evacuated into exile, the return from exile was patchy and half-hearted;
 A history of unappeased yearnings;  the hope and ambition of Israel was to be the head of nations, to be world rulers, instead they were dispersed throughout the nations;
 A history of unfulfilled prophecies, hundreds of prophesies as yet unfulfilled.
The old testament ends with the threat of a curse on the earth!  It all amounts to unfinished business and this gospel advances the narrative to fulfil all these aspects.
 Particularly noteworthy in Matthew is the prevalence of the word “fulfilment,” or “fulfilled”, in different forms occurring 82 times, and Matthew is the gospel of finished business, with the Messiah, at the end, in total control in all heaven and earth(28 v18-20).   This fulfilment comes in Jesus the Christ(Messiah).   In Matthew 1 v1 it is “the book of the generation of Jesus Christ;  in Revelation 1 v1 it is the “Revelation of Jesus Christ”, thus this Gospel advances the grand theme of the bible.   In Him the prophecies are fulfilled, the purposes are achieved, the longings are realised, and the ceremonies are understood.

The setting of Matthew in the four gospels and in scripture
The four Gospels are a fourfold view of Jesus Christ the Messiah from every conceivable angle.   Much has been made by scholars of the “Synoptic” Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, due to the similarities in them, with John’s Gospel being very different.   However, each presents it’s own view of this glorious person who would save the world, exalt Israel and glorify God in His life and work.   Taken separately and considered in the breadth of sacred writings, these four distinct cameos of a truly unique person present us with a study, at the outset, of superior quality to which nothing else can be compared in all literature.   The nuances of the Gospel writers have been well documented, and there is no need to repeat them here, save to say that;

 Matthew presents Him as King;
 Mark as the Servant of Jehovah;
 Luke as the Son of Man;
John as God in flesh.
 This fourfold depiction of Christ is enshrined in holy scripture in symbolic form.   The lion represents Him as the King; The ox as the Servant; The man, His humanity;The eagle, His Deity.
 These symbols first appear in connection with the ensigns of the twelve tribes in the tabernacle in Numbers; Judah the lion, Reuben the man, Ephraim the ox, and Dan the eagle.   Then again in Ezekiel 1 v10 in the faces of the cherubim; yet again in the living creatures of Revelation 4 v7.   These symbols, when studied closely represent the presence of God with His people, His provision for them on their wilderness journey, His protection of them all the way, and now they are materialised in the Gospels in the person of Christ.   We whet our appetites, as Matthew sets us off on a magnificent study beginning with his presentation of the lion of the tribe of Judah, which is associated with kingly rule(Genesis 49 v10).
The arrangement of the Gospels could not be better placed, side by side in glorious contrast
Matthew/Mark..........The King who was also a Servant!!
Luke/John................The Man who was also God!!
In Matthew we have His authority as King
In Mark we have His availability as Servant
In Luke we have His empathy as Man
In John we have His credibility as God
 

The writer Matthew and the culture he lived in
The scriptures were written in Hebrew and Greek and the usage of words reflects the culture of the day.   We must take account of that when attempting to understand scripture, and nowhere is that more relevant than in the Gospel of Matthew.  Matthew was a “publican”, that is a collector of taxes for the occupying Roman Empire which had been in Israel now for 60 years.   A characteristic of Rome was it’s heavy taxation called “tribute”.   There were two main taxes; the toll tax(income), and property/land tax.   The elite(who would be Roman senators or rich Jews supplied by Herod), could bid at public auction the right to collect the toll tax in a specified area, for a fixed rate, for a period of 5 years.   Whatever was collected beyond the fixed rate was for personal profit.   The practise was abused and became a goldmine for the collectors whose tax demands were enforced by the might of the Roman army.   Any such collector would not be popular with the people, and mostly they were despised, of whom Matthew was one.   They were seen on the same level as harlots and Gentiles; they were refused entry to the synagogues, and all Rabbis disassociated from them.   They were considered traitors and outcasts; all Matthew’s friends were “publicans and sinners”, for whom He laid on regular lavish meals in his posh house.   Why does Jesus call such a man to be His disciple, which call would bring criticism upon Him?   Apart from the fact that Jesus calls all men regardless of their state, He called Matthew the despised Jew, to write about a despised Messiah, a trait that comes out very clearly in the Gospel.   He writes of a King, but a despised and rejected, and crucified King, and we shall pick up the details as we proceed. 
There is little doubt that Matthew was a rich man before he entered the bidding for publican status, for, according to the historians, the bidders had to pay the tribute money at auction in advance, then recoup their losses through long term collection.   No doubt Matthew was motivated by greed for money.   The fact that Jesus calls him gives the lie to the popular myth that Jesus only called poor people.   Even Peter, and Andrew, and James and John were prosperous businessmen when they were called.   What they did, however, was abandon their careers, for they could not serve God and continue their business.   The call of Matthew in chapter 8 v9-10; Mark 2 v14-17; and Luke 5 v27-29, is therefore all the more remarkable, for his response was immediate, and permanent, and costly, but what a blessing it has been to us, we now have the wonderful Gospel of Matthew!

Matthew’s style and consequent pattern of writing
Not only was Matthew a rich man, he was an intelligent man, and, despite being ostracised by the temple, he had a grasp of the Old Testament scriptures to which he refers no less than 35 times.   There is a work to do for outcasts, particularly in a time when the temple is in failure.   To what extent can the Lord override past failures in a man?  The answer is to the extent he devotes himself to the task, and Matthew is an outstanding example.   For this man to go from the selfish pursuit of money, to a rigorous commitment to the things of the Lord in such an orderly way is nothing short of miraculous.   Another observation is that the Lord seems to use the human personality in the work, for the style of Matthew is unique.   He was an accountant, used to dealing with masses of information and tabulating them in an orderly way.   No doubt he used his expertise in shorthand(or tachygraphy), to write in one discourse, the Sermon on the Mount.   Others referred to it but not in such detail and not verbatim.   Indeed he arranges the whole Gospel around five great discourses, each one ending with the same formula to leave us in no doubt, “When Jesus had ended(or finished) these sayings” -----refer chapters 7 v28; 11 v1; 13 v53; 19 v1; 26 v1.    His subject matter is Jesus as King, thus emphasising the authority of His words, and so he arranges the material around these discourses, which is presented didactically, intended for instruction.
 

The message of Matthew

In Matthew there are ten major themes;  Christology; Prophecy; Law; Church; Eschatology; Leadership; Mission; Miracles; Ethics; Discipleship.
The Gospel was written for two main reasons;
a) To prove that Jesus is the Messiah;
b) To outline God’s kingdom programme.
The predominant thought is that Jesus is King and will rule over a kingdom on earth.   This is evident from the beginning; in verse 1 of chapter 1 he reverses the chronological order when he says “son of David, son of Abraham”.   Thus he is emphasising His royalty.   Furthermore, in a genealogy containing the names of many kings, he twice underlines “David the king”(v6), thus the kingship is that of David.
This is the kingship that will never end(2nd Samuel 7 v16).
What does the bible mean by a king?  It is not our modern conception of it; we think mostly of a rich, stately, figurehead who enhances image but who has no real power.   Biblical kingship is vastly different, it envisages a monarch with absolute power and authority, in every sphere of his realm.  One of the greatest examples is King Ahasuerus in the book of Esther, who ruled in 127 provinces, whose word was law in every single one.   This is the Kingship of Jesus as presented by Matthew in Chapter 28 v18 “All authority is given unto me in heaven and on earth, go ye therefore and make disciples of all nations...”.   There is no sphere in all heaven and earth where Jesus is not King in the biblical sense.   This total and eternal kingdom is not visible yet, but it is coming, in which, according to Matthew chapter 6 v10, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”. 
The King and the Kingdom dominate the Gospel;  one way of summarising this amazing book is as follows:

 The authentication of the king                    Chapters 1-4.
By genealogy(1v1-17)
By angelic revelation(1v18-21)
By holy scripture(1v22-2v23)
By prophetic confirmation(3v1-12)
By divine approval(3v13-17)
By victory over Satan(4v1-25)

 The authority of the king                            Chapters 5-10

His authority declared in His teaching(5-7)
His authority demonstrated in His miracles(8-9)
His authority delegated to His apostles(10)

 The apathy of the nation                           Chapters 11-12
Opposition from the people    11
Opposition from the leaders   12

 The abeyance of the kingdom                   Chapters 13-23

Withdraws from the nation and initiates the programme to evangelise the world.   A common note in these chapters is “Jesus departed”.    In this section He announces the Church(16&18) and disowns Judaism in it’s corrupt state(23).

 The advent of the King                              Chapters 24-25

The future unveiled as God sets His King on the Holy Hill of Zion as predicted in Psalm 2v6.

 The arraignment of the King                     Chapters 26-27

Indictment, accusation, denunciation, charge, prosecution, condemnation.   Matthew in graphic language declares the atrocity and treachery of the crucifixion of Jesus Messiah-King.

 The annunciation of the King                      Chapter 28

Appears to the faithful only, individually and collectively instructs them, encourages them, and commissions them for the mission to all nations.   His final words “Go....and lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the age”.

To all readers......This is the start of a new series in new testament commentary.   You might be interested in books I have published on Amazon along similar lines, that of chapter to chapter expository notes on the New Testament.   The following are on the Amazon bookshelf under my name George Mitchell Neilly and are titled as follows:

The second coming of Christ

God's administration

God's final word to the world

From Simon to Peter

True religion The true God Most holy faith

The Apocalypse

All these are available now and are also on kindle e-book format.  It is the plan to publish from Matthew to Colossians as time permits.   Meanwhile thank you for your interest in the word of the Lord.

                         

A couple of visual samples of the books