Matthew

About Matthew

Matthew tells the story of Jesus for readers steeped in the Old Testament, opening with a genealogy that ties Him to Abraham and David and repeatedly showing how His life fulfills the prophets. It gathers Jesus' teaching into five great blocks, including the Sermon on the Mount, and presents Him as Immanuel, God with us, and the promised King. Standing first in the New Testament, Matthew is the bridge between the two testaments, ending with the risen Jesus sending His followers to make disciples of all nations.

Written by

Early church tradition names Matthew, the tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles, as the author, though the Gospel itself is anonymous and many scholars hold the question open.

When

Most scholars date Matthew between about AD 60 and 90, with some arguing for a date before the fall of Jerusalem in AD 70 and others after.

Themes

• Jesus fulfills the Old Testament
• The kingdom of heaven
• Jesus the promised King
• The Sermon on the Mount
• Making disciples of all nations

Key verses

• Matthew 1:21-23She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel” (which means, “God with us” ).
• Matthew 5:17Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.
• Matthew 28:18-20Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”