INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW

The writer and his readers

Matthew’s Gospel does not record the name of its author or the purpose for which he wrote the book. The title ‘Matthew’, given to it in the second century, reflects the early church’s belief that the author was the apostle Matthew. There was, however, some uncertainty concerning the stages of development that the book went through before the final version appeared. Whether or not Matthew himself actually

produced the finished product, it seems clear that his writings (referred to in second century documents) must have at least provided a major source of material for the book.

Like the rest of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek. It seems to have been written for Greek-speaking Jewish Christians of Syria and Palestine, to reassure them that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and he fulfilled the purposes for which God chose Israel. The Jewish Christians, as the people of the Messiah, were not to fail in evangelizing the Gentiles as Israel of Old Testament times had failed, but were to be energetic in spreading the gospel to all nations (Matt 28:19-20; cf. 8:11-12; 11:20-24; 24:14).

A likely place for the writing of such a book is Antioch in Syria, which was closely connected with the Jewish churches of the region and the mission to the Gentile nations (Acts 11:19-22,27-29; 13:1-4; 15:1-3,22). (For further details on the writing of Matthew’s Gospel see previous section, ‘The Writing of the Gospels’.)

Matthew the tax collector

Evidence within the Gospel supports the view that the writer was Matthew the tax collector, who later became one of the twelve apostles. When Mark and Luke list the twelve apostles, they name Matthew but do not record his occupation (Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15). When they mention the tax collector who became a follower of Jesus, they call him not Matthew but Levi, which was his other name (Mark 2:14-17; Luke 5:27-32). They seem, out of kindness to Matthew, to avoid mentioning that he was once a tax collector, for the Jews despised those of their own people who collected taxes on behalf of the oppressor Rome.

Matthew, far from hiding the fact that he was once a tax collector, states it clearly. He uses the name Matthew, not Levi, in speaking of his response to Jesus’ call (Matt 9:9-13), and when listing the twelve apostles he states his previous occupation (Matt 10:3). The book reflects the gratitude that a tax collector would feel in being chosen by Jesus to be an apostle. Stories about the dangers of money reflect the lessons learnt by one whose life was once dominated by greed (Matt 18:23-35; 20:1-16; 27:3-10; 28:12- 13).

The place where Matthew worked as a tax collector was Capernaum, on the shore of Lake Galilee (Mark 2:1,13-14). He had a good income and owned a house large enough to entertain a large number of people (Luke 5:29). He seems to have enjoyed a secure and stable lifestyle, but he left all this for the risky business of following Jesus and spreading the good news of his kingdom (Matt 10:5-23). He was involved in the establishment of the early church (Acts 1:13), but the Bible gives no details of his later ministry.

Arrangement of Matthew’s material

Matthew’s Gospel may contain much that is in Mark and Luke, but the treatment of the material is different. Luke, for example, has usually grouped together stories that are exclusive to him, and kept them separate from stories that he has taken from Mark. But Matthew has adjusted and rearranged all his material, regardless of its source. He has made each part fit into the plan of his book in a way that makes it inseparable from the rest. He records more teaching and less action in comparison with Mark and Luke, and his material is not always in chronological order.

In Matthew the material is arranged according to subject matter rather than chronology. It is built around five main teaching sections where Jesus instructs his followers in what he requires of those who enter his kingdom. Each of the five sections concludes with a statement such as ‘When Jesus had finished these sayings . . .’ (Matt 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). The five sections concern the personal behaviour of those in Christ’s kingdom (Chapters 5-7), proclamation of the message of the kingdom (Chapter 10), parables of the kingdom (Chapter 13), attitudes to others within the kingdom (Chapters 18) and the climax of the kingdom at the return of Christ (Chapters 24-25).

A teaching purpose

The characteristic flavour of the Gospel of Matthew comes mainly from the material that is found only in Matthew. Included in this are many quotations from the Old Testament. Matthew often introduces these quotations by a statement showing how the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus (Matt 1:22; 4:14; 8:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9).

In particular Matthew shows that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the son of David, the fulfilment of God’s purposes for Israel (Matt 1:1,17; 2:6; 9:27; 11:2-6; 16:16; 21:9; 26:63-64). The kingdom of God was the rule of God, and in Jesus that kingdom had entered the world (Matt 4:17,23; 5:3; 12:28; 18:1-4; 24:14). Jesus was the king, though he was not the sort of king that most people had expected (Matt 4:8- 10; 21:5,9-11; 25:31,34; 26:52-53; 27:11). (For further discussion on the kingdom of God and the Messiah see the section ‘Jesus and the Kingdom’ that follows.)

Jewish Christians were often persecuted by unbelieving Jews for forsaking the religion of their ancestors. Matthew reassured these Christians by pointing out that they were not the ones who had wandered away from the Old Testament religion. Rather they had found the true fulfilment of it. Jesus did not contradict the law, but brought out its full meaning (Matt 5:17).

Matthew not only taught the Jewish Christians the high standards of behaviour required of them, but urged them to be energetic in spreading the good news of the kingdom to others (Matt 5:13-16; 10:5-8; 24:14; 28:19-20). The unbelieving Jews, who zealously kept the traditions, were consistently condemned (Matt 15:1-9; 23:1-36). They missed out on the promised kingdom, with the result that the gospel was sent to the Gentiles, and many believed (Matt 3:7-9; 8:11-12; 12:21,38-42; 21:43). Jesus had laid the foundation of his church, and no opposition, whether from the Jews or the Romans, could overpower it (Matt 16:18).