ELM GROVE BAPTIST CHURCH

August 8, 2010

Matthew

Pathways of Discipleship Bible Survey

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Matthew

Pathways of Discipleship Bible Survey

Title, Author, and Date

Named for its author, Matthew; means “gift of the Lord”; also known as Levi

He was a tax collector who left everything to follow Jesus; one of the Twelve Apostles

Date: somewhere before 70 AD; prior to the destruction of the temple

Matthew wrote as a firsthand witness to many of the events he described

Background and Setting

Intertestamental History

Over 400 years between final events and prophecy of OT and the opening of the NT

Control of the land of Israel passed from Medo-Persian empire to Greece and then to Rome

When Alexander the Great (Greek) defeated the Persians, he sought to bring Greek culture, Hellenism, into

all parts of his empire (focused on human reason, sophisticated, humanly appealing, but ungodly)

After Alexander’s death, the Ptolemies of Egypt took control of Israel and assigned it to the Seleucids of

Syria

Toleration of Jewish religion ended with the Seleucid ruler Antiochus IV Epiphanes (175-164 BC); he

desecrated the temple of Jerusalem and ordered the Jews to abandon the law, Sabbath, festivals, sacrifices,

and circumcision of children; copies of Torah were destroyed; Jews commanded to offer unclean sacrifices

and eat swine

A Jewish revolt (Maccabean Revolt) ensued (166-142 BC) and the Jews gained independence from Syria;

Greek influence continued, however, as the new leaders followed Hellenistic ways

In 63 BC, Pompey, a Roman general, secured control of the land after a dispute among the priests

The Romans put Herod the Great in charge to control the continuing unrest among the Jews (he was a

Jewish convert); He ruled from 37 BC-4 BC and was the “king of the Jews” when Jesus was born

Diaspora: dispersion of Israelites due to exiles in OT; majority of Israelites did not return; when NT opened,

the majority of Israelites lives outside Palestine

Scribes and Rabbis: many believed Exile had occurred because of a drifting from knowledge and obedience to

the Law; exiles devoted themselves to studying the OT; scribes were experts and considered authorities on the

interpretation of the Scriptures; rabbis were teachers who taught what the scribes interpreted

Synagogue: with the destruction of the temple (586 BC) and the scattering of the Jews, local places of

worshiped were constructed; a synagogue was to be established where there were at least 10 Jewish men; typical

service included recitation of the Shema (“The Lord our God, the Lord is One”), prayers, reading of Scripture

(Law and Prophets), sermon, and benediction

Septuagint: because most Jews in the Diaspora spoke Greek, the LXX (named for the number of scholars who

worked on it) was the most important and widely used Greek translation

Pharisees: group of “holy ones” who tried to rid the land of Hellenistic influence; interpreted the law strictly

and along with a developing oral tradition; found favor with most people in Palestine

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Sadducees: Hellenized, aristocratic Jews (from the high priestly line) became the guardians of temple policy

and practices; rejected the OT as Scripture (except for the Torah), as well as any teaching not founded on the

Torah (resurrection from the dead)

Gospels: Greek word meaning “good news”; gospels are not biographies in a modern sense; they do not present

a complete story of the life of Jesus; they are historically accurate, but their primary purpose is to provide

theological and apologetic history; authoritative answers about the life and ministry of Jesus and strengthen the

faith of believers

Matthew, Mark, and Luke together form what are called the Synoptic Gospels (“to see together”); John

provides a unique and complementary account

Key People

Jesus: promised Messiah and King of the Jews

Mary: the mother of Jesus

Joseph: husband of Mary and descendant of David; carried the royal line to Jesus

John the Baptist: prophet and forerunner who announced the coming of Christ

The Twelve Disciples: Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, James (son of Alphaeus),

Thomas, Thaddeus, Simon, Matthew, Judas Iscariot

Religious leaders: Pharisees and Sadducees; joined together in their hatred of Jesus

Caiaphas: high priest and leader of Sadducees; held illegal trial that led to Jesus’ death

Pilate: Roman governor who ordered the crucifixion of Jesus in place of Barabbas

Mary Magdalene: devoted follower of Jesus; first person to see Him after His resurrection

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Themes/Features/Characteristics of Matthew

Purpose: to demonstrate that Jesus is the Jewish nation’s long-awaited Messiah

Five discourses (teaching/sermon sections); basic structure of the book is set between alternating discourses

and narratives

Each discourse ends with the formula, “And it came to pass when Jesus had finished...”; each narrative begins

with something like, “From then on Jesus began to...”

Jewishness

Written largely for a Jewish audience

Opening genealogy is designed to present Jesus’ credentials as Israel’s king

In Sermon on the Mount, Matthew deliberately sets Jesus apart from and in contrast to Moses, implying that

Jesus is greater than Moses; even the discourse/narrative structure highlights the connection to and

surpassing of Moses (5 discourses; 5 books in Pentateuch)

Fulfillment of OT prophecy

This would attract the interest of a Jewish audience; shows the tie between Jesus and the promise of the

Messiah in history; these are proofs of Jesus’ messianic claims

Cites Jewish customs without explaining them (in contrast with the other gospels)

Refers to Jesus as “the Son of David”

Maintains Jewish sensitivity about speaking the name of God by using “Kingdom of heaven” instead of

“Kingdom of God”

Indicates that Matthew is trying to evangelize the Jews and confirm their faith in Jesus as the Messiah

He also wants to strengthen them in the face of possible persecution; warning against laxity and apostasy;

telling them to evangelize all nations (use their persecution as a catalyst for that)

Conflict between Jesus and the Pharisees

Matthew shows the error of the Pharisees to his Jewish audience

Rejection of the Messiah

No other gospel highlights the attacks against Jesus more clearly

Timeline

Matthew freely places things out of order, presenting a topical/thematic approach to the life of Christ

Uses five discourses to do this; he is dealing with broad themes, not strict chronology

Outline I. The Birth of the Messiah (1:1-2:23)

a. Genealogy and birth (1:1-25)

b. The worship, flight, and return of the Messiah (2:1-23)

II. The Words and Works of the Messiah (3:1-18:35)

a. Preparation for the Messiah’s ministry (3:1-4:25)

i. The ministry of John the Baptist (3:1-12)

ii. The baptism of Jesus (3:13-17)

iii. The temptation of Jesus (4:1-11)

iv. Initial ministry of the Messiah in Galilee (4:12-25)

b. First discourse: Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)

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c. Proofs of Jesus’ messiahship by word and deed (8:1-9:38)

d. Second discourse: the commission to the Twelve (10:1-11:1)

e. Opposition to Jesus’ messiahship (11:2-12:50)

f. Third discourse: the parables of the kingdom (13:1-52)

g. Critical events in Jesus’ messiahship (13:53-17:27)

h. Fourth discourse: instructions about humility and forgiveness (18:1-35)

III. The Commitment of the Messiah to the Divine Task (19:1-20:34)

IV. The Passion of the Messiah (21:1-28:20)

a. Opponents of the Messiah (21:1-23:39)

b. Fifth discourse: preparation for the persecution and Christ’s return (24:1-25:46)

c. Death and resurrection of the Messiah (26:1-28:20)

Resources

John MacArthur: The MacArthur Bible Handbook Zondervan Handbook to the Bible Lea and Black: The New Testament: Its Background and Message Carson and Moo: An Introduction to the New Testament Lecture Notes from Liberty Theological Seminary, Dr. Donald Fowler Holman Illustrated Study Bible John MacArthur: The MacArthur Bible Commentary Robert H. Gundry: A Survey of the New Testament Rose Publishing: Deluxe Then and Now Bible Maps