Details about the Gospel of Matthew

1. As an example of the theme, the Gospel of Matthew contains the phrase "kingdom of Heaven" 32 times. This phrase is not found anywhere else in the New Testament. This shows the emphasis of Matthew on Jesus being a spiritual Messiah. Matthew explaines that Jesus did not come to create a kingdom on earth which is what many Jews expected), but to show that the "kingdom of Heaven" (meaning the presence of God) is with all those who follow Jesus.

2. Two of the four Gospels discuss the birth and infancy of Jesus: Matthew and Luke. The birth story of Jesus includes stories about shepherds and the Magi/3 wise men. Matthew discussed the Magi and Luke discussed the shepherds. The reason for this is that Matthew is trying to show that Jesus was a leader (a spiritual Messiah) and so includes the story about leaders (Magi) coming to see a new-born leader (Jesus). Luke is writing to the common person and so describes how common people (shepherds) came to see Jesus.

• Extra: Why do we think there were 3 Magi/wise men? Because they brought three gifts.

3. The Gospel of Matthew can be divided into five sections:

1. The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7)
2. Miracles Jesus performed (8-9)
3. Parables (12-13)
4. Questions and answers (15-20)
5. Triumphal Entry, the last week of his life, and his resurrection (20-28)

While this five-section division was not important to Gentiles, it was significant to Jews.

This is the Jewish connection: The first 5 books of the Old Testament (which Jews refer to as th "Torah" and Christians refer to as the "Pentateuch") are the most significant books in the Bible for Jews. Those books contain stories from creation up thourgh Moses and the Law of Moses. (Remember it is one of the cornerstones of the Old Testament.) By arranging his Gospel into 5 parts, Matthew shows a parallel between the first five books in the Old Testament (or Hebrew Bible) and the life and teachings of Jesus (since his Gospel can be divided into 5 sections). This helps to show Jews that Jesus fulfilled the Law of Moses. Jews would make this connection between Matthew and the first five books of the OT.

4. In the Sermon on the Mount, the first sermon of Jesus in Matthew, he used these two phrases frequently: "you have heard that it was said" and "but I tell you." For example, Matthew 5:27, 28: "You have heard that it was said, 'Do not commit adultery.' But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart." The first phrase ("You have heard that it was said") refers to something that is in the Law (Do not commit adultery, which is one of the 10 Commandments.) and in the second phrase ("but I tell you") Jesus replaced it with a new teaching (do not even think about adultery). In this way, Jesus shows that God gave the Law to Moses, and God, in the form of Jesus, can fulfill it. In each case Jesus takes an idea from the Law of Moses (do not kill; do not commit adultery) and "raises the bar" or raises the expectation (do not even get angry; do not even think about committing adultery). So Jesus did not come to destroy the Jewish faith, but to "fulfill" it. [More on this when we discuss Paul's ideas.]

5. Another point about the Sermon on the Mount: Matthew and Luke contain a similar sermon. In Matthew, Jesus gives this sermon at the beginning of his ministry and while on top of a mountain. In Luke, Jesus gives these teachings in a plain or flat area and about halfway through Jesus' ministry. So, almost the same teachings, but the two Gospels give two different times and two different places for them. This helps to show another aspect of "Gospels": they were not necessarily written in chronological order. The Synoptic Gospels contained many of the same stories and teachings, but the authors put the stories in different places. So why did Matthew put this sermon on a mountain and at the beginning of Jesus' ministry? Jews would have understood the reason: This is supposed to cause Jews to think back to Moses: Moses received the Law while on a mountain and at the beginning of the voyage through the desert. Matthew chose to put this teaching both at the beginning of Jesus' ministry and while Jesus was on a mountain to help show that Jesus would fulfill the Law, which Moses received on a mountain.

• This does not mean that one Gospel is right and another wrong. Instead, Jesus probably gave the same teaching in many places. Today that is unneccesary because of the internet: a leader says something one time, and it is repeat on the web. But in those days, leaders frequently repeated their message to different audiences. For example, in the late 1800s in the USA, a traveling evangelist gave the same sermon (called "Acres of Diamonds) over 6000 times. Jesus, no doubt, told the same parables, speeches, and sermons throughout his ministry because he often had new audiences.

6. Matthew includes the verses often used by Catholics to prove that Peter was the first Pope: 16:13-19.

The key verses are 18 and 19: "And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

• For Catholics, this means that Jesus gave Peter authority to make all spiritual decisions on the earth. After Peter, Catholics believe that the next pope inherited this authority, and it has passed down to the present pope.
• For Protestants, these verses mean that God will bless people who have faith like Peter, so we all have a part in this promise.