Matthew

Matthew is one of the four gospels, porobably the second written out of the four.  This gospel is ascribed to the disciple Matthew(Levi). Before following Christ as a disciple Matthew was a tax collector.  He gave up the job as tax collector as soon as Jesus invited him to follow him as his disciple.  The fact that Matthew was not very religious before being a disciple is a mystery to all.  This is because his gospel is written to the Jews and is often referred to by theologians as "The Jewish Gospel."  Matthew apparently had some sort of training that familiarized him with Jewish customs.  There is even speculation that Matthew might have written the book of Hebrews.  Recent insight into the scriptures has given rise to a new theory that Matthew might actually have been one of the four brothers of Jesus.  When one reads the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1 and Luke's genealogy then they will realize that a few of the names that keep appearing have a root "Matt", others are named Joseph and others are called Levi.  Matthew is believed by many now to be Joseph the brother of Jesus.  Names were a variant in Jewish culture as any individual could have up to four or five different names by which they were called.  It makes perfect sense if such is the case with Matthew.  However, the theory can not be absolutely proven or disproven so it is unsafe and unfair to speak of one theory as absolute when there are other possibilities.  What is clear about the gospel of Matthew is that it has a strong Jewish focus.  Matthew starts off with the genealogy of Christ.  This genealogy is used to demonstrate confirmation of the Davidic Covenant which was established in the Old Testament in II Samuel 7.  This covenant stated that there in the future would be a son of David who would build a house for the Lord and that this son would reign upon the throne of Israel forever.  The covenant was thought to apply to Solomon.  If it applied to Solomon then the covenant was broken in 586 BC when Israel ceased to exist as a nation and since then there has been no monarchy in the nation of Israel.  Thus, the covenant is fulfilled in Christ.  Matthew draws on many Old Testament passages to confirm that Jesus is without a doubt the Messiah.  Matthew draws on passages like the messenger who would prepare the way for the Lord which is commonly noted in Isaiah and Malachi.  Matthew also quotes Isaiah 61.  He probably gives the most accurate and detailed depiction of the temptation of Christ as he emphasizes forty days and fortynights.  The number forty in the Old Testament for Moses is drawn into the picture here as a mere shadow of things to come.  In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus is portrayed as saying what most Rabbis would say but taking it even further and stressing the importance of love and virtue as well as sincere faith.  Matthew draws a lot of material from Jewish customs and uses some hidden humor in the text.  One example is Matthew 23:24 in which Jesus tells the Pharisees "You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel." This is in reference to the Levitical kosher laws from Leviticus 11.  Both a gnat and a camel are forbidden in the kosher.  Jesus is saying that you try to keep away from doing all the little petty sins but you commit the biggest sin of all in your pride.  Matthew starts off by presenting Herod the Great as the antagonist who tried to kill all the baby boys and thus Mary and Joseph went down to Egypt.  Whether Mary and Joseph really did go to Egypt and whether or not Herod the Great issued such a decree is in question as to whether it is symbolic or whether or not it actually happened.  There is no record of Herod the Great issuing a decree for all the babies to be killed.  However, absence of evidence does not mean evidence of abscence.  Personally, based on the hermaneutical interpretation of Matthew- I think that it did actually happen though it really does not matter as an essential as to whether or not it did happen.  That is each individual's own decision to make and a decision that it is speaking symbolically is not at all a discredit to the infallibility of the Word of God.  We know in Matthew that Jesus comes from a poor family because of the sacrifice that Mary and Joseph make.  It is listed as the prescription sacrifice for those who are poor in the book of Leviticus.  Matthew later presents a confrontation between Jesus and Herod Antipas whom Jesus calls "the fox." The statement of when two are three are gathered together in Matthew 18 is often used in reference to prayer.  However, Matthew is referring to the custom used in Jewish court disputes as a guide for disputes among believers.  Matthew presents the conforntation between Antipas and John the Baptist.  Matthew's gosepl could indeed be renamed "the Gosepl to the Jewish people" for it is obvious that Matthew was writing to inform the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah.  Matthew presents Christ as saying he did not come to abolish the law and the prophets but to fulfill them.  Churches all across the world teach that Jesus came to abolish the law and that we are no longer under law.  However, we are under the obligation to fulfill the law but we do this through sacrificing the Passover Lamb in our heart which is the Holy of Holies of our body.  Matthew also presents Jesus as refrring to a Gentile woman who wants her son healed as a dog.  Jesus says that he was sent to the Jews.  She petitions him.  Many say this was harsh of Jesus.  However, the word dog is traditionally a subsequent term used by the Jewish people to refer to the Gentiles and the woman showed Jesus in this passage that she had great faith.  Matthew 27:52 presents the Old Testament Saints as being allowed into heaven after the resurrection of Christ.  Matthew often refers to Hades.  Many people think that Hades is actually Hell.  However, it actually refers to a holding area where there is a dividing rift between good and evil.  Matthew does the best job of presenting the historical Jewish Jesus and tells of Jesus referring to himself as the temple.  The prelude to the book of Revelation is Matthew 24, and it is also known as the Little Apocalypse.  This presents the judgment seat of Christ and the sheep and the goats.  It also tells of how the return of Christ is imminent.  Matthew wrote with a Jewish perspective in mind and his gospel probably helped Luke and also had its influences on the epistle of James.  Matthew encourages everyone to ask, seek, and knock.  He also speaks of the narrow path of faith.  He tells of how Jesus called after a rich man to follow him but thr rich man refused when he was told to give his possessions to the poor.  Jesus then says that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.  The word needle in this passage is not like our needles today.  Rather, it refers to the door of the fenced in area where camels were kept.  A camel could not fit through the door with a burden of loads upon its back.  So how do you get the camel through the door- by unloading its burdens.  The same for getting the rich man through.  The little Apocaylpse in Matthew 24 tells of Jesus referring to the destruction of the temple building.  Note that Jesus refers to himself as the temple in this book.  Matthew 24 sheds light on tribulational views.  The End times are spoken of as a day when deception would reign supreme even in the church.  Matthew 24:31 clearly states that Christ will not return to take home Christians until after the tribulation.  For more on this, read my thoughts on the Left Behind Series.  Jesus then tells of how the end of time shall be as in the days of Noah.  The passage of one shall be taken and the other left is often considered to be a passage referring to when Christ takes us up in the Second Coming.  However, because it refers to the flood it is actually referring to a disaster that will sweep all those away who do not have their reservation made on the spiritual ark.  Thus, Christians though going through the tribulation will be protected by God in many ways although they will have to face the question not of whether or not they are willing to live for Christ, but rather whether or not they are willing to die for Him.  Matthew is the book that should firsthanded be recommended to Jews who are new converts to Christianity for it focuses on Jesus as the Messiah and lays out the fundamental points to argue the case that he is indeed the Messiah.