The Gospel of Matthew

1
The Gospel of Matthew
Knowing the Messiah
2
Review

• A tax collectors perspective
• To prove that Jesus is the Messiah
• Jewish meaning of the Gospel in a non Jewish 21st
  century mind
• The genealogy of Jesus contained the names of men
  and women, Jew and Gentile, all of them people of
  faith.
• Jesus is from the tribe of Judah the ruling
  tribe.
• He is the anointed one or Messiah
• Anointed as a
• Prophet
• Priest
• King
• He has come as a
• prophet
• a priest,
• and now he will return as The King

3
The Birth Story

• Matthew 118-25
• 18Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows
  After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
  before they came together, she was found with
  child of the Holy Spirit. 19Then Joseph her
  husband, being a just man, and not wanting to
  make her a public example, was minded to put her
  away secretly. 20But while he thought about these
  things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to
  him in a dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do
  not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for
  that which is conceived in her is of the Holy
  Spirit. 21And she will bring forth a Son, and you
  shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His
  people from their sins.
• 22So all this was done that it might be fulfilled
  which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet,
  saying
• 23Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and
  bear a Son, and they shall call His name
  Immanuel, which is translated, God with us.
• 24Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as
  the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to
  him his wife, 25and did not know her till she had
  brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called
  His name Jesus.

4
Malachi 31

• Behold, I send My messenger,
• And he will prepare the way before Me.
• And the Lord, whom you seek,
• Will suddenly come to His temple,
• Even the Messenger of the covenant,
• In whom you delight.
• Behold, He is coming,
• Says the Lord of hosts.

5
Setting the Stage

• The last book of the Old Testament, Malachi,
  represents the end of prophetic messages from God
  for more than 430 years. Gods message to those
  coming after is that they should expect the
  Messiah. He would send someone ahead to prepare
  the way, and then He would come.
• The coming of the Messiah was pictured by the
  coming of Moses. Christ would be a prophet like
  Moses who lead His people out of captivity.
• See Acts 322
• 22For Moses truly said to the fathers, The Lord
  your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me
  from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all
  things, whatever He says to you.

6
Comparison

• Moses
• A Man
• Saw and spoke to God
• Verified by God
• Could perform signs from God
• Life preserved as an infant from Pharoah
• Led Gods people to freedom after 430 years in
  bondage in Egypt and prophetic silence.

• Jesus
• A man
• Saw and spoke to the Father
• Verified by God at Baptism
• Could perform signs from God
• Life preserved from Herod
• Delivers Gods people after 430 years of bondage
  to the world and prophetic silence

7
The Stage Is Set

• In the years immediately before the birth
• People had a sense that great events were about
  to unfold
• The Jews were at their lowest
• Pharaseic formalism
• Sadducean unbelief
• Fanatical Zealotry
• Herodian immorality
• Roman Oppression
• Last Sparks of Spiritual religion crushed nearly
  crushed out
• Small pockets of faithful Jews held out even in
  remote places like Galilee waiting for the the
  promises to be fulfilled. Among those was a
  priest, his wife, and her kinswoman, Mary.

8
Mary

• Mary- Name means Rebellious/Bitter
• Related to Elizabeth, the mother of John The
  Baptist, and wife of Zechariah the priest.
  Zecheriah was from a priestly line and so was
  Elizabeth (Luke 136-kinswoman).Mary has
  both the kingly line of David and priestly line
  of Levi so that Jesus would be able to fit the
  criteria of being a priest- king.
• She obviously was noted for her pure character
  and her sincere faith.
• She was most likely around 13 years of age, when
  many young women were married, the year after her
  Bat Mitzvah
• She was betrothed to a carpenter from Nazareth,
  named Joseph.
• She had never known a man which means she was a
  virgin
• (Some scholars try to refute this other try to
  make her virginity eternal.
• See Matthew 1355..normal relations after the
  birth
• 125 no union until she gave birth.
• Maryolatry and eternal immaculency.
• Jesus had brothers and sisters
• Matthew 1246

9
Joseph

• -A carpenter (lucrative trade)
• A descendant of David (Good family)
• Small town life (Nazareth) well known and
  respected
• One of those waiting for the promises of God
• Somewhat focused inward initially
• Older man (older than 33)

10
What a Predicament!

• Betrothal marriage without living together. The
  commitment was implied.. Had to be divorced to
  end the betrothal.
• Mary treasured the information from the angel in
  her heart but had not shared it with others
  except Elizabeth and her immediate family That is
  why it says that She was found to be with
  child.
• She would have been reluctant to tell for a few
  reasons
• )She would have been considered guilty of
  adultery and could have been stoned to death,
  thereby destroying the baby as well.
• )Any claims that she would have made that God had
  done this to her would have been considered
  blasphemous and would end up in stoning as well.

11
Surrounding Issues

• Mary is pregnant (Sure God did it!)
• Wedding not yet concluded (Who is guilty?)
• Law was harsh on adultery (What will be the
  outcome)
• Mary was known to be truthful (Who do you trust?)
• Joseph had a good name and a business to protect
  (How will it effect me?)

12
God Delivers

• When God leads you into the wilderness, He will
  part your Red Sea!
• Both Joseph and Mary were in distress
• (Did God intend this?)
• Gabriel
• The needed message
• 20But while he thought about these things,
  behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
  dream, saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be
  afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that
  which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
  21And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall
  call His name Jesus, for He will save His people
  from their sins.

13
121 (The name of Jesus)

• Yehoshua (God will save His people)
• Yeshua (Gods salvation)
• Psalm 1308
• He himself will redeem Israel from all their
  sins.
• There were 2 other prominent persons in the Old
  Testament named Joshua. Both were types of
  Christ. They were the shadow of what was to come,
  and Jesus was the reality. (Colossians 217
  Hebrews 101)

14
Joshua

• Joshua (Leader of the Israelites)-led them out of
  the wilderness into the inheritance of the
  Promised Land.
• (Hebrews 48)
• 8For if Joshua had given them rest, then He would
  not afterward have spoken of another day. 9There
  remains therefore a rest for the people of God.
  10For he who has entered His rest has himself
  also ceased from his works as God did from His.
• (There was another rest to come- a more real one)

15
Joshua-The Branch

• Joshua (High Priest at the time of Zerubabbel)
  The branch who will build Gods Temple.
• (Zecheriah 611-13)
• Take the silver and gold, make an elaborate
  crown, and set it on the head of Joshua the son
  of Jehozadak, the high priest. 12Then speak to
  him, saying, Thus says the Lord of hosts,
  saying
• Behold, the Man whose name is the BRANCH!
• From His place He shall branch out,
• And He shall build the temple of the Lord
• 13 Yes, He shall build the temple of the Lord.
• He shall bear the glory,
• And shall sit and rule on His throne
• So He shall be a priest on His throne,
• And the counsel of peace shall be between them
  both.
• Picture of Jesus, A priest-king (Same name) who
  will also be a branch

16
The Branch that Built a Temple

• Jesus fulfills the picture of building the true
  Temple of God.
• Ephesians 219-22
• 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners
  and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people
  and members of God's household,
• 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and
  prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief
  cornerstone.
• 21 In him the whole building is joined together
  and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
• 22 And in him you too are being built together
  to become a dwelling in which God lives by his
  Spirit.

17
Power of the Name (Ha Shem)

• Acts 412
• 12Nor is there salvation in any other, for there
  is no other name under heaven given among men by
  which we must be saved.
• (No other name) ..because there is no other
  person.
• (No Unitarianism) Not all Gods are the same.
• Wagon Wheel illustration

18
Sacred Name Theory

• Belief that a person MUST always and only refer
  to God as YHVH and never Jesus
• Iousus-Greek equivalent of Joshua
• Claim.Pictures of Jesus based on an image of
  Zeus.
• (Power derived not from the name, But the Person
  behind the Name.)

19
Prophetic fulfillment of Isaiah 7 14

• 14Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a
  sign Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear
  a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel
• Matthew 123-Emmanuel God with is (a descriptive
  name)

20
Isaiah 91-7

• In Galilee of the Gentiles.
• 2 The people who walked in darkness Have seen a
  great light
• Those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of
  death, Upon them a light has shined.
• 3 You have multiplied the nation And increased
  its joy
• They rejoice before You According to the joy of
  harvest,
• As men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
• 4 For You have broken the yoke of his burden And
  the staff of his shoulder,
• The rod of his oppressor, As in the day of
  Midian.
• 5 For every warriors sandal from the noisy
  battle, And garments rolled in blood,
• Will be used for burning and fuel of fire.
• 6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is
  given
• And the government will be upon His shoulder.
• And His name will be called Wonderful,
  Counselor, Mighty God,
• Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
• 7 Of the increase of His government and peace
  There will be no end,
• Upon the throne of David and over His kingdom,
  To order it and establish it with judgment and
  justice
• From that time forward, even forever.
• The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this.

21
What is the Point?

• Matthew features the birth story in such a way as
  to hint at the importance of the virgin birth-a
  central tenant of faith. If this is true, then
  the rest can be accepted easily

22
The Virgin Birth

• The virgin birth is a key in Bible Doctrine when
  it comes to the person of Jesus.
• Jesus asked Who do you say that I am?
• The answer of that question is the basis of our
  relationship with Jesus.
• Options
• Liar (Why die for a lie)
• Lunatic (Most sound crazy person in history)
• Lord (CS LEWIS)
• Mere man-no virgin birth or myth
• Gnostic Heresy Not a man at all-He only appears
  as a human to interact with us on our level

23
1 John 41-3

• 1Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test
  the spirits, whether they are of God because
  many false prophets have gone out into the world.
  2By this you know the Spirit of God Every spirit
  that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the
  flesh is of God, 3and every spirit that does not
  confess
• that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not
  of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist,
  which you have heard was coming, and is now
  already in the world.

24
Biblical stance

• He is both Human and Divine
• -fully God knows all,has all power, can move
  beyond the natural physical laws
• -fully man- has real flesh, can suffer in truth,
  can be tempted, can fail.
• Only as both can Jesus fill the need.
• )He must be fully man to pay for the sins of
  mankind.
• )He must be God to pay the price that is
  required-perfection and holiness

25
Conclusion

• Christ is God in the Flesh
• Come as a man to deliver man from the darkness of
  the world
• He is the Prophet like Moses who leads us out of
  captivity
• And the Priest-King who will rule all eternity in
  the appearance of a baby