One of the four canonical gospels as well as one of three synoptic gospels, Matthew is viewed by biblical scholars as the most comprehensive manual on discipleship. More about the ministry of Jesus is recorded in Matthew than any other New Testament book.
Matthew is broken down into Five Discourses mixed in with the synoptic timeline of the life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus. The Five Discourses are:
- The Sermon on the Mount (Chapter 5-7)
- The Missionary Discourse (Chapter 10)
- The Parabolic Discourse (Chapter 13)
- The Discourse on the Church (Chapter 18)
- The Discourse on End Times (Chapter 24)
Matthew takes place almost entirely within the vicinity of Palestine. Romans rule the area but consider it on the fringe of the empire.
Matthew establishes who Jesus is in Chapter 1:1-17. He links Jesus to David through Joseph, an important indicator (not tracing His lineage through Mary) that Matthew (a former Jewish tax collector) is writing his gospel to the Jews.
In Chapter 3, Matthew records the ministry of John the Baptist preaching along the Jordan River. John is telling people... 'repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is near.' Interestingly, Jesus repeats the same message as He starts His ministry in Chapter 4 verse 17...'the Kingdom of Heaven is near.'
What is the Kingdom of Heaven?
Matthew uses the phrase Kingdom of Heaven 31 times in his book while using Kingdom 10 times and Kingdom of God only 6. This is another good indicator Matthew is writing primarily to Jews who held the very name of God as sacred and refrained from using His name directly. However, the terms are interchangeable in this context. Kingdom is referenced in the Old Testament (Psalm 103:19, Daniel 4:3) and was a term very familiar to the Jews. Jesus would 'reconfigure' their idea of God's Kingdom during His ministry.
This is where the parables in Matthew 13 pick up...next week.
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