The Gospel According to Matthew Written between 70-85 ad In antioch By a jewish christian Utilized the ‘Q’ document

Overview of the Gospel The Gospel according to Matthew is a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. It was written for Jewish-Christians , but also welcomed Gentiles. The author describes Jesus as the culmination of God’s plan of creation and salvation.

Theological Themes in Matthew Jesus as ‘anointed one’ - Christ in Greek, Messiah in Hebrew Jesus as ‘rabbi,’ or teacher – the new Moses with a law of love Through Jesus, the Jewish people found a spiritual home after the destruction of the temple. More than any other Gospel, Matthew includes prophecies proclaiming Jesus as Messiah.

Structure of the Gospel Readers of the Gospel of Matthew likely made a connection between Jesus’ five major teachings and the five books of the Torah.

Jesus’ Birth & Infancy Narratives Gospel writers wrote the stories of Jesus’ birth— infancy narratives— knowing that Jesus was the Messiah. Matthew includes four gentile women in his genealogy of Jesus, indicating that Jesus came for Jews and Gentiles.* The name Jesus, given by the angel Gabriel, means “God saves.” *Why would Matthew have included Rahab, a harlot who aided Joshua’s spies? Compare the genealogies of Matthew 1:1-17 and Luke 3:23-38.

Jesus’ Birth & Infancy Narratives The Infancy Narratives’ stories of the Magi and King Herod foreshadowed the fact that some people would accept Jesus; others would reject him. The tradition of the creche, or nativity scene, is from St. Francis of Assisi.

Incarnation save us show us God’s love be our model of holiness The mystery of God ‘becoming man,’ or the Incarnation, reveals that Jesus is both fully human and divine. God became man to: save us show us God’s love be our model of holiness make us sharers of the divine nature

Jesus’ Temptation Jesus’ temptation was aimed at three things: material, miraculous, and political power. The temptation in the desert contrasted the time the Israelites were in the desert and failed to follow God’s commandments. When we choose to resist temptation, we are strengthened against future trials, as Jesus was.

Jesus’ Public Ministry Jesus’ message included a note of urgency and called for people to renounce whatever would keep them from fully responding to Christ’s call. This call is the call for the kingdom of heaven, or the gift of salvation and eternal life and God’s rule of justice, peace, & love. Matthew uses the term YHWH, the Hebrew name for God, because Jews tended not to use the word God. “Turn the other cheek…” When Jesus told his disciples to turn the other cheek instead of follow the ‘Eye for an eye’ mentality, was he simply telling them to be submissive to the Roman authorities?

The Coming of the Kingdom The full and perfect realization of the kingdom is still in the future, as affirmed by Jesus in the prayer he gave us: The Our Father.