Unlocking The New Testament
Matthew 1
David begins by speaking about how God meant us to read the Bible. He says that somebody has damaged our Bibles by adding chapter and verse numbers and we have become ‘text people’. The gospels are not strictly biographies as more than one-third of the text describes the death of Jesus. David says that they are more like extended news bulletins. The writers had witnessed events and they reported on them. Why are there 4 gospels? David compares them. He looks at this book from two angles: who was Matthew hoping to reach and what was his intention. Matthew presents Jesus as the king of the Jews, particularly recording what Jesus said. Jesus was popular in the north of Israel but unpopular in the south where he was eventually killed. Matthew uses Mark as his framework but adds much more, beginning with the conception and birth of Jesus. He has 5 sermons included, collected under 5 themes, interspersed with Jesus’ deeds which illustrated his sermons. Matthew aimed toward Jewish readers, referring often to how Jesus’ life fulfilled Old Testament scriptures, but it is for gentiles as well. David believes this gospel brings Jew and Christian together.
Matthew 2
Two of the 4 gospels were written for sinners (Mark & Luke) and two for Christians. Matthew is a manual of discipleship, the best book of the New Testament to take a new convert through. “You disciple someone by teaching them how to live in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.” The expectations of Jew and Christian regarding the Messiah and the Kingdom differ. We are living in the overlap of the “present evil age” and the establishment of the Kingdom on earth. David says that all 5 sermons of Jesus recorded in Matthew are important, and are all about how to be subjects of the kingdom. The Kingdom needs not only the good Sovereign but also good subjects. The 5 sermons: No.1 The Sermon on the Mount – the lifestyle of the Kingdom. No.2 The Mission of the Kingdom: we have a mission to bring others into the kingdom by demonstrating and then declaring the Kingdom. No.3 What to Expect: Don’t be disappointed that not every seed sown yields a harvest. No.4 The Community of the Kingdom: Church discipline is included. No.5 The Future of the Kingdom: 4 clear signs of Jesus’ second coming given. God is both King and Father. Faith, Righteousness and Judgment are themes of Matthew. We must never forget what Jesus has done for us.
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"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
