1. Introduction to the Gospel of Matthew

2. Author The author is not named in the Gospel, but there are certain clues that lead us to the name Matthew

3. Clues to the name Matthew External Evidence – Many early church fathers cited Matthew as the author in spite of the fact that he was not one of the more prominent apostles

4. Clues to the name Matthew Internal Evidence – There are more references to coins or money in this Gospel than any of the other Gospels. Matthew was a tax collector – Matthew’s hometown is Capernaum. When Capernaum is mentioned in the Gospel, it is given special attention with a description attached to it – The Gospel of Mathew leaves out stories that show tax collectors in a bad light

5. Date of Writing The actual date is unknown but we are given several clues to give us an idea of what the range is – The Gospel of Matthew was written before A.D. 70 because the Gospel did not make any reference to the destruction of Jerusalem and he referred to it as the “holy city” in a way that applied it was still in existence

6. Date of Writing He also makes some references that imply that some time had passed since the crucifixion of Jesus A range of dates from A.D 50-60 is very likely

7. Recipients Who was this Gospel written for? – All evidence indicates that Matthew was writing to Jews in particular. No other Gospel places such a great stress upon the restoration of the glories of David’s kingdom He uses the Jewish royal title “Son of David” nine times in his Gospel He calls Jerusalem “The Holy City” There are a few more as well

8. Recipients All of this evidence does not mean that Matthew restricts his Gospel to Jews He also records the coming of the Magi (non- Jews) to worship the infant Jesus

9. Major Theme To prove to Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah and the promised king – Proof: The magi, looking for a king, worship Him John the Baptist declares, “Repent, for the kingdom of Heaven is near” Genealogy in chapter 1 emphasizes Jesus’ Davidic lineage and His local claim in the throne This is to name just a few

10. Secondary Theme To explain God’s kingdom program to his Jewish readership and explain how it related not to Israel and to the Gentiles – Distinguishing characteristics of the spiritual life of the believer in the kingdom – Parables relating to the Kingdom in response to opposition – The Kingdom is presented as at hand to the Jew and rejected – Promises are made relative to the Kingdom that will be fulfilled by Christ at His Second Coming (2 nd Advent)