shoomp-gospel of matthew summary

8/9/2019 SHOOMP-Gospel of Matthew Summary

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Gospel of Matthew Summary

How It All Goes Down

The life of Jesus starts out pretty well, with awesome birthday presents from some wise men who

track him down by following a star. But thanks to a jealous and murderous King Herod, Jesus andcompany have to flee from Judea to gypt until !od gives them the green light to return home.

"nfortunately, that never happens. #nd instead, Jesus and his parents make their home in the

$orthern district of !alilee.

%lash forward a few decades, and Jesus is preparing to teach his version of Jewish law and preach

all about the kingdom of heaven. %irst things first, though& he gets bapti'ed by John the Baptist (who,

by the way, has to do a double)take because John somehow already knows who Jesus is and thinks

that he himself should be the one getting bapti'ed by Jesus*. #fter spending forty days and nights in

the desert and getting tempted by the devil, Jesus is finally ready to begin his ministry.

%irst, Jesus picks out a posse of twelve to join him on his Tour de +srael. They go with him

everywhere, listening to him preach, watching him heal people, and even witnessing Jesuss battles

of wits with the -harisees and high priests. Jesus teaches in so many places and performs so many

miracles that eventually he becomes the biggest celebrity aroundgroupies included. But Jesuss

growing popularity causes the -harisees and high priests to consider him a dangerous threat. #nd

thats when they start plotting to have Jesus arrested and killed.

/ike most evil plots go, the chief priests need an inside man. nter Judas. +t only takes thirty pieces

of silver to buy a Kiss of 0eath, and Jesus begins the last days of his human life. #fter some intense

interrogation by -ilate, the 1oman governor, Jesus is handed over to be crucified2 a slow, horrible

death thats generally reserved for criminals.

%or mere mortals, death is normally the end of the story. But, not for Jesus. $ope. Three days later,

Jesus comes back for 1ound 3. 0ont worry, hes not looking for revenge on the guys who put him to

death. +nstead, Jesus immediately sends word to his posse that hes back. The !ospel ends with a

grand reunion among friends and the final marching orders given by Jesus to his disciples& to go and

4make disciples of all nations.4

5uite the re6uest, if we do say so ourselves.

Gospel of Matthew Themes

Little Words, Big Ideas

Simon Peter

Figure Analysis

Claim to fame: Jesuss right)hand man.


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7ore than any of the other gospel writers, 7atthew really digs -eter. 8e almost wonder if he drew

little hearts around -eters name while he was writing (note& 9hmoop has no historical proof of that.

+ts just a hunch*. The author gives us loads more information about Jesuss closest disciple, plus

-eter gets some pretty impressive credentials laid on him.

:kay, lets dive right in.

The Family Guy

7atthews story tells us a bit about -eter right from the beginning. %irst, he lives in !alilee and works

as a fisherman with his brother, #ndrew (family business, anyone;*. Both the brothers join Jesuss

entourage together (*, but -eter 6uickly moves to the head of the class and claims the position

of leader of the disciples. 9orry, #ndrew. +ts tough living in the shadow of a famous sibling.

The !ospel also tells us that -eter had a mother)in)law whom Jesus healed (>&=&3=)33*. +sseven good; $ope, sorry. Try seventyA.

• The time -eter gets to pay Jesuss taes with a magic coin from the mouth of a fish (=C&3


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church to shepherd the faithful. #nd whats a church without a leader; #nd who better to fill that role

than Jesuss second in command; -eter, youre it.

He's Still a Dunce Sometimes

+ts clear were supposed to like -eter and see him as a bona fide leader. 9omeone worthy of beingthe one who heads the church once Jesus dies. Fou know, the keeper of the keys. But theres

another side to -eter. Ghew on these&

• The time -eter told Jesus he wouldnt die and Jesus called him 9atan (=D&33)3@*. Harsh.

• The time -eter freaked out during the transfiguration (=C&=)D*. To be fair, so did James andJohn. -lus, things did get kind of weird.

• The time he (and the other disciples* didnt have enough faith to cast out a demon (=C&=E)3*. -eter, all you needed was a mustard)seed)si'ed amount, bro?

• The time -eter nodded off while Jesus was fretting about his impending death (3D&


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message to the world (3>&=D)3*. -eter keeps the keys to the kingdom of heaven and all is well.

%orgive and forget. +ts kind of how Jesus rolls.

In a Nutshell

9o its obvious that -eter goes through some highs and lows during his relationship with Jesus.9ometimes hes offering to pitch a tent during the transfiguration (so helpful?*, but other times, he

ends up almost drowning in the 9ea of !alilee (wear a life vest net time, dude*. :verall, the guys

heart is definitely in the right place. 9ometimes he fails, but dont we all; Jesus hits the nail on the

head when he tells -eter that 4the spirit willing, but the flesh is weak4 (3D&. The two rogue angels

can reenter Heaven because Jesus went and gave -eter (and thus the Gatholic Ghurch* authority to

make rules that !od must follow. 7ight want to think that one through a little better net time, Jesus.

Judas Iscariot

Figure Analysis

Claim to infamy: Betrays Jesus

#nd alternate title for the $ew Testament could be Everyone Hates Judas. 8e know, hes a creep.

He hands his friend, teacher, and messiah over to be arrested and eecuted. But is Judas really all

that bad;

9poiler alert& yes. Fes, he is.

The !ast Shall "e !ast

arly on, 7atthew doesnt seem to have much use for Judas. He doesnt even mention him until

Ghapter =, when he gives us a full account of all the disciples. #nd theres Judaslast in line, with

the helpful added descriptor, 4the one who betrayed him4 (=&


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+ts not until very late in the story that Judas gets a chance to shine. #nd by shine, we mean repulse

everyone with his villainy.

#oney$ #oney$ #oney

Gompared to the other gospels, 7atthew gives Judas some pretty terrible motivations for betrayingJesus. /uke and John are sure to tell us that 9atan entered Judas (so its not totally his fault,

right;*. 7ark just claims that Judas goes to the -harisees and offers to give Jesus up free of charge.

But 7atthew adds money to the e6uation, making cash the motive for his dastardly deed. How much

for the 7essiahs head on a cross; The going price for that is apparently thirty pieces of silver

(3D&=*, which if youre doing your ancient monetary conversions correctly is hardly anything at all. +t

certainly wouldnt have made Judas rich, though were guessing it will still make it pretty hard for him

to get into Heaven. Gamel)through)the)eye)of)a)needle hard (=E&3


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9o does 7atthews ending change our view of Judas; The !ospel says 4he repented4 and the

language seems to indicate that he truly does feel genuine sorrow (source, >>@*. 9o is Judas

forgiven; #re things cool between him and Jesus; The !ospel never says, and Ghristian tradition

usually has Judas doomed to destruction.

Didn't udas Help(

8hen you think about it, Judas played a really important role in a really important event. #fter all,

Jesus does tell us over and over again that dying is a pretty big part of this whole messiah gig. Jesus

kind of needs Judas in order to fulfill !ods plans for the world. Judas is sort of a L+- of evil.

Jesus may need Judas, but he doesnt like him much. ven though Jesus is still following through

with !ods plan, his betrayer is still going to suffer& 48oe to the one by whom the 9on of 7an is

betrayed?4 he says. 4+t would have been better for that one not to have been born4 (3D&3


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+e &re Family

#nd why are they so important to Jesus; :ther than the fact that it gives him someone to talk to

during long walks between villages, theyre also Jesuss de facto family.

8hen hes in his hometown talking to the crowds, his mom and brothers come looking for him,probably to tell him to stop all this messiah foolishness. But, Jesus tells everyone that his disciples

are his kin now. +n fact, 4whoever does the will of Ihis %ather in heaven is Ihis brother and sister and

mother4 (=3&*. #h, family.

8hy is family so important to 7atthew; Because hes helping create the bonds of the church. #fter

all, sometimes your family will let you down (by not believing you that Jesus is the 7essiah*. But, the

family of !od; Theyre always there for you.

They'%e Got the Po,er

#nd what do the disciples get for being in Jesuss inner circle; :nly the ability to eorcise demons

and to heal everyone (=&=*. -retty sweet deal, right;

Just a minute. These perks come with a price. The disciples will be persecuted, tormented, and

reviled in some of the places they go. Basically, Jesus tells them they 4will be hated by all because of

Ihis name4 (=&33*. 8onder what the return policy is on those eorcising and healing powers.

7aybe this is why, when Jesus is arrested, the disciples see the writing on the wall and get a little

scared. 7atthew tells us that when the twelve (well, eleven at this point* see Jesus on trial for his

life, 4all the disciples deserted him and fled4 (3D&D*. /oyalty; %orget that.

-%erything's &ll Right

:verall, even given their failings, 7atthew is a whole lot nicer to the disciples than the other gospel

writers. 9ure, they misunderstand Jesus and ask silly 6uestions sometimes. 7aybe they

occasionally think Jesus is a ghost (=


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• They pay tons of attention to tiny laws, but dont worry their pretty little heads about beingactual good people (3@&3@)3*.

• They claim theyd know a prophet when they see one, but theyre totally turning their backson Jesus (3@&3E)@D*. $ot cool.

7atthew also lays a pretty serious curse on the religious authorities, along with the Jewish people

who are sympathetic to them. 8hen Jesus is being tried before -ilate, the crowd begins to call for

blood. -ilate tells them that Jesuss death is on them and they shout back, 4His blood be on us and

on our children?4 (3C&3* 9o, not only are the people who plotted to kill Jesus responsible, but so are

their children. +ts pretty tough stuff.

"ut &re They Really That "ad(

+ts clear that 7atthew has no love for the -harisees and their sympathi'ers, but maybe we can have

a little sympathy for them. Just a tiny bit; #fter all, its true theyre power hungry hypocrites, but

theyre also just trying to follow !od the best they can, right;

Theyve got all these rules that they believe can make you holy. $ow some guy comes along and

claims thats all bunk. $ot only is this making them look bad, its overturning everything they know

and hold dear. #nd do they really want to take a chance and follow this guy; #fter all, he could have

been sent from 9atan here to lead them down the wrong path (E&@=)>3*.

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+ts clear from the !ospel that no matter what conflicts these different groups had with each other,

they put them all aside to plot Jesuss downfall. Hey, no one brings people together like Jesus.

+hy Is #atthe, So Hard on Them(

9ure, there was probably some animosity between Jesus and the religious elites of his day. Thepeople in power generally dont take kindly to people who say they have no power. But 7atthew has

a lot more bad feelings towards these guys. 8hy so down, 7att;

#t the time this gospel was written, Ghristians, like 7atthew and the people who read his gospel,

would have seen themselves mainly as Jews following the Jewish messiah. %or them, Jesus was a

natural etension of Judaism. +n their opinion, every Jew in the world should be following the path

that Jesus laid out. "nfortunately for 7atthew, not every Jew in the world agreed.

This gospel was written after the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in C G. The people of

Judah were occupied by the 1oman mpire and they had risen up and tried to throw off their

oppressors. +t didnt work. #nd, since the 1omans could be pretty big jerks, they destroyed the

temple, which was the religious, social, and political center of Jewish life. +t was a huge blow to the

Jewish people.

#fter that tragedy, it was up to the religious authorities, like the -harisees, to decide just how Jews

should progress in the future. Because they emphasi'ed unity among the people, they couldnt have

all kinds of little offshoot groups saying whatever they liked about being Jewish. That means

Ghristians were outother Jews didnt consider them Jewish any more (source, >


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Figure Analysis

Claim to fame: #dopted dad of Jesus. 9tands by his woman while shes pregnant.

7atthews !ospel is Josephs time to shine. ven though his story only runs through the first two

chapters of the book, were assuming he was in there changing diapers for years afterwards. He wasa real hands)on kind of dad.

His Heritage

Joseph comes from pretty good stock. Hes a descendent of both #braham and 0avid (=&=D*, which

is pretty impressive. The fact that he comes from such a long line of Jewish patriarchs seals Jesuss

claims of messiah)ship.

He Is/Not the Father0

But, wait? Joseph isnt actually biologically related to Jesus. Before he lived with 7ary, 4she was

found to be with child from the Holy 9pirit,4 (=&=>* remember; They never 4knew4 each other in the

biblical sense (wink, wink*. 9o, how can his lineage pass down to Jesus;

8ell, it looks like 7atthew is just using that genealogy to add icing to Jesuss messianic cake. His

family descends from a long and proud line, so Jesus does, too. 1ight; -lus, Joseph took

responsibility for the child and raised him as his own, so its possible some of that good 0$# rubbed

offA.

Fou know what; Just try not to think about it too hard.

&ny Dream +ill Do

9peaking of taking responsibility, Joseph really takes charge of the situation with Jesus. 8hen his

fiancOe comes to him and says shes pregnant, Joseph doesnt want to 4epose her to public

disgrace4 (=&=E*, so he does the noble thing and plans to break it all off on the down low. 8hat 7ary

does with the baby is her own problem though, we suppose.

/uckily, an angel of the /ord appears to him to let him know that everything is cool. +n fact, dreams

and angels are Josephs primary way of making major life decisions&

• Four wife is pregnant with an illegitimate child; !od has a dream for that (=&3*.

• $eed to make a 6uick escape to gypt; !od has a dream for that (3&=@*.

• Thinking it might be time to come back to +srael; Fup, !od has a dream for that (3&3*.

!od just loves popping in during peoples 17 cycles.


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Shout*uts

Foull generally see Joseph hanging around in artwork featuring the baby Jesus. +n olden times, he

was usually portrayed as an older guy with gray hair. Kind of creepy, since 7ary looks like a teenage

girl in those same paintings. Today, its much more common to see a youthful, hands)on dad type

Joseph. Hes often got a hammer in one hand (because, as 7atthew points out, hes a carpenter*and tiny baby Jesus in the other. 8hat a multitasker. (9ource.*

+n the Gatholic Ghurch, Joseph is the patron saint of dads. #nd for some reason, there are people

who think that if you bury a statue of 9t. Joseph upside down in your front yard, youll be able to sell

your house 6uickly (source*. #pparently the guy was a real estate agent, too.

Mary

Figure Analysis

Claim to fame: !ives birth to Jesus and keeps her virginity, to boot

The lady is the mother of !od. /iterally. +ts not every day that a woman can be a mother and a virgin

(at least not at the same time*, but thats just what 7ary does. How does she juggle it all;

& Passi%e Play

Gompared to Joseph, 7ary doesnt really get much attention in 7atthews !ospel. 9hes just the one

who births the living !od into the world. $o big deal, right; 8e can see why 7atthew would have

overlooked her.

+n fact, 7ary is totally passive in this gospel. 9he doesnt get to say anything. 9he doesnt even get

to do anything. 9he has things done to her . $otice the language&

• 47ary had been engaged to Joseph4 (=&=>*.

• 49he was found to be with child from the Holy 9pirit4 (=&=>*.

• Joseph 4took her as his wife4 (=&3


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There's Something &1out #ary

Because of the way shes portrayed in 7atthews !ospel, 7ary may even be considered by some to

be 4the ideal woman.4 9he never speaks. 9he never complains. 9he never resists. 9he represents

both 4perfect4 statuses of womanhood at the same time& virgin and mother. 9hes 6uite the package.

(To misogynists, that is.*

But 7ary is also an impossibility. 8omen speak and complain and resist. 8omen cannot be both

virgins and mothers. 7ary is often held up as the ideal woman, but she is also an ideal that no

woman can ever achieve. 9orry, 7ary. 7aybe youre not all youre cracked up to be.

Shout*uts

7ary is kind of everywhere. #side from Jesus, shes probably one of the most well)known and

popular figures from the $ew Testament. Gatholics adore her. /iterally. 7arian adoration and

reverence are central to the Gatholic faith. Hey, its nice to see the ladies getting their due.

7ary is so prolific, she even made an appearance on a grilled cheese sandwich once. But, wait. The

best part is that someone managed to sell it on eBay for P3>,. 8e told you she was popular.

#in $erod

Figure Analysis

Claim to fame: Tries to kill baby Jesus. %ails. (Hu''ah?*

Jealousy, thy name is Herod. This guy is so insecure, even the birth of a baby makes him freak out.

To be fair, he is told by three pretty wise)looking men that the kid is gonna grow up to be King of the

Jews (3&3*. That might put a little crimp in Herods retirement plans.

Rage &gainst the "a1y

7atthews !ospel tells us that after hearing about the birth of Jesus, Herod 4was frightened4 (3&@*.

Babies dont usually strike fear into peoples hearts, so whats up;

Herod understands that this child is going to be a new ruler for the Jewish people. 9ince Herod has

already been set up by 1ome as the Jewish leader in Judah, that is not something that hes

welcoming. 9ee, Herods got the power and no one, definitely not some drooling infant, is going to

take it from him.

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4034787.stmhttp://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15464b.htmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/4034787.stm


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Claim to fame: Has the power to pardon Jesus. /ike Herod, also fails.

ven though -ilate is actually the one who sentences Jesus to die, he tends to get off pretty light in

all the gospel accounts. 7atthew mainly puts the blame on Judas and the blood)thirsty crowd thats

egged on by the religious authorities. Fet somehow, the guy actually ordering the crucifying gets off

scot)free. Thats kind of weirdA.

He's the Decider

+n 7atthews !ospel, the religious authorities hand Jesus over to -ilate to seal the deal. The trouble

is, -ilate cant 6uite figure out what Jesus has done wrong. +n fact, he seems a lot more impressed

with Jesus than the Jewish people do&

• 4The governor was greatly ama'ed4 (3C&=


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-ilate managed to keep rule over the Judean province for ten years, but his relationship with the

Jewish people was often strained. The Jewish historian, Josephus, tells us that -ilate repeatedly

tried to put 1oman emblems in the temple(a violation of Jewish law because they commemorated

other gods*. That didnt make for very happy subjects.

#nother Jewish historian, -hilo, wrote that -ilate 4was a man of a very infleible disposition, and verymerciless as well as very obstinate4 (n the Emassy to -aius, @>&@=*. $ot eactly a ray of

sunshine. He was ultimately removed from Judea by the 1oman mperor after he ordered some

powerful 9amaritans to be killed.

8ould the real -ilate have given a second thought about sentencing Jesus to death; 7aybe. +f his

relationship with the Jewish authorities was hostile, he might have refused to play a part in their little

game. He does what he does because he can see that the crowd isnt going to give up and that they

might even turn violent. #fter all, they outnumber him and his job is to keep the peace. 8hy not just

eecute this guy and get it over with; -ilate takes the easy way out.

Gospel of Matthew %nalysis

Literary Devices in Gospel of Matthew

Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

Gospel of Matthew Genre

Gospel

The !reek word for 4gospel4 is evangellion, which roughly means 4good news.4 #nd thats what all

four of the gospels claim to share& the good news that !od has sent Jesus into the world.

# gospel is different from a standard biography because it isnt just a record of a someones life.

$ope, a gospel has a clear purpose& it wants to make you believe. +f you walk away after reading

one of the gospels and your life hasnt been changed, then the gospels will hang their papery heads

in sadness because theyve failed to do their jobs.

The early Ghristians invented the idea of a gospel2 up until then, nothing like it had ever been written.

#nd their invention worked. Big time. +n the last 3, years, the gospels have helped convince

billions of people all over the world that Jesus is someone worth putting your faith in. (9ource.*

&hat's (p &ith the Title)

http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Awhiston+chapter%3D9%3Awhiston+section%3D2http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Awhiston+chapter%3D9%3Awhiston+section%3D2http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book40.htmlhttp://www.shmoop.com/matthew-gospel/symbolism-imagery.htmlhttp://www.shmoop.com/literature-glossary/biography.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books/about/The_Oxford_Bible_Commentary.html?id=3surkLVdw3UChttp://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Awhiston+chapter%3D9%3Awhiston+section%3D2http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0148%3Abook%3D2%3Awhiston+chapter%3D9%3Awhiston+section%3D2http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/yonge/book40.htmlhttp://www.shmoop.com/matthew-gospel/symbolism-imagery.htmlhttp://www.shmoop.com/literature-glossary/biography.htmlhttp://books.google.com/books/about/The_Oxford_Bible_Commentary.html?id=3surkLVdw3UC


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This ones pretty easy to wrap our minds around. The title lets us know that the story were about to

read is a gospel (see 4!enre4* and that it was written by someone named 7atthew. Ta)da?

Ghristian tradition has always regarded this 7atthew as one of the twelve disciples (check him out in

E&E*. :f course, this theory doesnt really make much sense. 8hy would one of the original disciples,

an eyewitness to the life of Jesus, have copied nearly EN of his stories from 7ark and othersources (source*; Foud think hed have tales of his own to tell. #nd that theyd be pretty good ones.

8hats clear at least is that the author was a Jewish Ghristian. He 6uotes from the Hebrew Bible all

over the place, knows his Torah inside and out, and has really specific thoughts about different

Jewish groups. But well probably never know eactly who he was, how he became Ghristian, or

what his relationship to Jesus was (source*.

/ooks like the 47atthew4 of our title is a bit of a mystery.

&hat's (p &ith the *ndin)

He came. He saw. He died and rose again. $ow Jesus is planning on heading home to his %ather in

heaven, where were guessing hell get a pretty sweet welcome party. But before he bounces, Jesus

has one more thing to do& pass the ministry torch onto his disciples.

#ll throughout the !ospel, Jesus says that he came mainly for the Jewish people. +ts like he tells the

Ganaanite woman, 4+ was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of +srael4 (=&3&=E*.

Thats all nations. +ncluding the !entiles. Thats 7atthew setting the stage for the future growth of the

church right there.

The way Jesus presents himself here is also pretty interesting. He comes right out and says, 4#ll

authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me4 (3>&=>*. Thats a lot of responsibility. +ts

6uite different from the Jesus who dodges the messiah 6uestions from high priests (3D&D


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Gospel of Matthew Tri+ia

Brain nac!s" #asty #id$its of %nowledge

Thanks to a prophecy (=&3@*, 7atthew sometimes calls Jesus 4+mmanuel.4 +n Hebrew, that

means 4!od with us.4 #nd hey, remember how some of Jesuss final words to his disciples were 4+am with you always4; Feah, we have a feeling Jesus did that on purpose.

%ive women (including Jesuss mother, 7ary* are included in 7atthews genealogy of Jesus& Tamar,

1ahab, 1uth, and the wife of "riah. Head on back to the Hebrew Bible to get the full scoop on these

ladies. (9ource.*

ach gospel author has a traditional symbol attached to it (commonly attributed to 'ekiel =&=

and 1evelation


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8ait, not so fast. 7ost scholars dont think the !ospel was written by the disciple 7atthew, let alone

by someone who actually knew Jesus. #fter all, if a member of Jesuss inner circle wrote this book

down, why would he have included the same stories as the other gospel writers; Foud think hed

have his own material and that he wouldnt be copying from 7ark so much (source, >*. But, dont worry. +ts only plagiarism if !od doesnt give you

permission. (0ont try that ecuse at school, though.*

The trouble is, there are some stories and sayings that dont appear in 7ark, but that do show up in

both 7atthew and /uke (such as 4ask, seek, knock4 IC&C*. That makes scholars think both 7atthew

and /uke used another source. They call it 5.

4 is )or the Stu5 6ou Don't Copy )rom #ar.

5 stands for 46uelle,4 which is the !erman word for 4source4 (and since !erman biblical scholars

came up with it, they got naming rights. Try harder net time, nglish)speaking scholars*. Basically,

the thought is that there was once another document that was just a collection of things Jesus said

and did. 9adly, if this ever eisted, it is lost to us now. -apyrus just isnt meant to stand the test of

time.

9o what did 7atthew do; He took some stories from 7ark, some stories from 5 added them all

together, spiced it up with a bit of his own commentary, andvoilQa biblical masterpiece was born

(source, >=D*.

9o 7arks !ospel wasnt good enough for 7atthew, was it; #nd why not; 8ell, he does make some

changes from the original.

High Holy "oo.

7atthew is writing mainly for a Jewish)Ghristian audience in transition. These folks embraced Jesus

as the messiah, but still wanted to hold onto their Jewish roots. However, many Jews didnt think that

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the followers of Jesus were properly Jewish anymore. 7atthews community had probably been

kicked out of the synagogue and called heretics by their fellow Jews. 9o, they were pretty down

about that.

Because 7atthew still sees himself as Jewish, hes very focused on making a case for Jesus as the

Jewish messiah (source, >D>*. Hes got Jesus fulfilling biblical prophecies, 6uoting the Torah,arguing the law with the -harisees, and living a fully Jewish life. +f only thered been some mat'o ball

soup at the /ast 9upper, hed have been all set.

Churching It Up

#t the same time that 7atthew is looking at his the past and his roots, hes also moving toward the

future. His gospel is the only one that goes into detail about the emerging Ghristian church. He gives

rules for being in a Ghristian community with others. !ood stuff like, 4+f another member of the

church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone4 (=>&=*. +ts clear

that the people needed a little instruction in these areas.

His stories are also chock full of encouragement for the early church (source, >C*. 9ure, there are

tough times ahead. 9ure, everyone in the church 4will be hated by all because of IJesuss name4

(=&33*. But, fear not. Their reward in heaven in coming. Just hold on for the end of time, guys.

7atthew is branching out a bit past the Jewish community. :ther Jews have rejected him and his

friends, so now theyre beginning to look to !entiles to spread the good word about Jesus (source,

>DE*.

7atthew also turns up the volume on the characters 6uite a bit. The good guys, like Jesus, -eter,

and the disciples, get a whole lot more awesome. Jesus is much more dignified and authoritative,

and -eter gets added responsibility (though 7atthew cant completely ignore important things, like

the time he denied knowing Jesus. 8hoops*. 7eanwhile, the bad guys, like the -harisees, get a

whole lot worse. Think of the curse they place on themselves at Jesuss trial. 7atthews not so muchfor leaving in shades of gray.

Gospel of Matthew Perspecti+es -rom -aith Communities In Practice

Getting Bi$lical in Daily Life

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The !ospel of 7atthew is primarily embraced by Ghristians. But does that mean that people of other

faiths have nothing to say about it; $o way.

e,ish Perspecti%e

Though contemporary Jewish people dont accept 7atthews main propositionthat Jesus is theJewish messiahJudaism is still front and center in this gospel. #s Jewish $ew Testament scholar

#my)Jill /evine puts it, 4+ think Jews need to know this material, because IA much of the $ew

Testament is actually Jewish literature4 (source*.

1eading 7atthews !ospel is like peeking through a window into the state of =st)century Judaism.

Fou have a picture of a community that was once part of Judaism, but is slowly breaking off. Fou

also have a portrayal of a popular Jewish groupthe -hariseesfrom an entirely different

perspective. -retty fascinating stuff.

The one big negative about 7atthews !ospel is the way its been used against the Jewish

community over the years. %or eample, the moment during Jesuss trial when 7atthew portrays the

religious authorities and the other Jews in the crowd calling out, 4His blood be on us and on our

children?4 (3C&3* has been used by anti)9emites throughout history. +t not only lets them label =st)

century Jews as 4Ghrist killers,4 but they think it gives them license to blame all Jews (past, present,

and future* for the crime.

"m, were gonna go out on a limb and say theyre wrong.

+f you think that 7atthews !ospel is anti)Jewish, then youre forgetting one tiny little fact& 7atthew,

Jesus, and his followers were Jewish. Foull see Jesus miing with other Jews, teaching in the

temple, 6uoting the Torah, debating Jewish law, and even celebrating -assover. 9o, yeah, werepretty sure that 7atthew was not intending to lump all Jews for all time in with the mean group at

Jesuss trial.

#uslim Perspecti%e

7ost Ghristians probably dont know how much 7uslims dig Jesus. +n true name)dropping form, the

5uran mentions him about 3 times, as +esa, a prophet and messenger. 7uslims claim that the

gospels actually lay the groundwork for 7uhammad to introduce +slam to the world (@&@* and that all

7uslims must believe in what Jesus has revealed (@&>


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Basically, 7uslims think Jesus is far too cool to have been eecuted. +nstead, +slamic tradition

teaches that #llah just made it loo" like Jesus died on the cross, even though he actually ascended

into heaven unharmed. The whole crucifiion story means that someone faithful would be allowed to

suffer and die, and 7uslims dont think !od would let that fly.

:ne other thing. Fou know the %ather, 9on, and Holy 9pirit situation that the !ospel of John goes onabout; 7uslims dont agree with that tenet of Ghristian faith either. They tend to be pretty firm about

there being only one !od&

Do not say, 1'hree,1 desist4It is etter for you$ Indeed, 0llah is ut one -od$ E5alted is He aove

having a son$ (


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:n top of that, Gatholics believe that 7ary is 4ever)virginal.4 The basic idea is that, even after she

had Jesus, and even after she married Joseph, 7ary never, ever (even once in her life as a married

woman* had se. #s the Ghurch puts it, 4The deepening of faith in the virginal motherhood led the

Ghurch to confess 7arys real and perpetual virginity even in the act of giving birth to the 9on of !od

made man.4 9o there you go.

Protestant Perspecti%e

-rotestants have 6uite a bit to say about the Gatholic interpretation of these passages.

9ure, -rotestants are down with the virgin birth, but they dont think that 7ary abstained from se for

the rest of her life. 8ere guessing Joseph wouldnt have liked that so much. 7atthews !ospel is

probably on their side for this one, too.

7atthew says that Joseph 4had no marital relations with I7ary until she had borne a son4 (=&3*.

7ost -rotestants would say 4until4 is the key word there. He also mentions Jesuss brothers by name

James, Joseph, 9imon, and Judas (=@&*. "nless those were virgin births, too, thats some pretty

tough evidence to refute.

7any -rotestants also point to this passage, uni6ue to 7atthew& 4Gall no one your father on earth,

for you have one %atherthe one in heaven4 (3@&E*. They believe this contradicts the Gatholic

tradition of calling priests 4%ather.4 :f course, -rotestants still call their male parent a 4father,4 too, so

theyre slacking a bit on this one.

-rotestants also find some support for the idea of (big theological idea alert?* !ustification y faith in

7atthews !ospel. This just basically means that -rotestant Ghristians (like /utherans* tend to

believe that all you have to do is put your faith in Jesus, and !od will be happy. Gatholics, on theother hand, think you need to believe and do lots of good stuff here on earth. Just being faithful wont

cut it.

7atthews pretty divided on the issue. #t times, he seems to support the idea that good deeds alone

wont get you to the pearly gates& 47any will say to me, /ord, /ord, did we not IA do many deeds of

power in your name; Then + will declare to them, + never knew you2 go away from me, you

evildoers4 (C&33)3@*. Theres also the parable of the workers in the vineyard, where the landowner

gives generously to those who havent worked as hard (3&=)=D*.

:n the other hand, 7atthew also emphasi'es our actions a whole lot. 4/et your light shine before

others, so that they may see your good works4 (&=D*. Theres also this gem& 4The 9on of 7an is tocome with his angels in the glory of his %ather, and then he will repay everyone for what has been

done4 (=D&3C*.

8hos right; 8hos wrong; :nly the Big !uy knows for sure.

"aha'i Perspecti%e

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Bahai places Jesus in a group alongside some other huge names in the business like 7oses,

Buddha, and 7uhammad. 9ome real heavy)hitters. #nd they all get to be part of a pretty eclusive

club& manifestations of !od. This basically means theyre divine messengers who have a little

something etra that regular human being dont.

But Bahai makes a point to note the difference between the spirit of Jesus and the humanity ofJesus. #nd as for the divinity of Jesus, Bahai is pretty much on board with that, too.

The oneness of religion is a huge concept in the Bahai faith. 9o it makes sense that the sacred tets

of the world religions would also be important in Bahai. :ne of their sacred scriptures, The Kitab)i)

+6an, even talks about the second coming of Jesus as described in The !ospel of 7atthew (The

Kitab)i)+6an, 3


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But there is some wiggle room with this rule. Jesus says not to divorce your wife, 4ecept on the

grounds of unchastity4 (&@3, =E&E*. 9o theres a loophole. +f you catch your lady cheating, feel free to

throw her to the curb. This seems to make sense even in the case of Joseph and 7ary. 8hen

Joseph finds out that 7ary is pregnant, he plans to break off their engagement because shes been

unfaithfulAor so he thinks (=&=E*.

0oes this mean that Jesus would recogni'e other eceptions to this no divorce rule; 8hat if your

spouse is physically abusive; Lerbally abusive; #n addict; # criminal; :r what if, after lots of trying,

you just cant get along anymore; 9hould Ghristian couples be released from their marriage bonds if,

like adultery, something else crops up that harms the relationship;

Ho, Do Christians Sort &ll This ut(

Though most Ghristian denominations frown upon divorce today, many of them also accept the view

that sometimes stuff just happens. Gatholics, for one, dont allow divorce and regard remarriage after

divorce as adultery. But you can also be awarded an annulment which means that, according to

Ghurch law, 4a marriage was invalid from the beginning.4 Though this is not considered 4divorce4 per

se, it does show that many denominations are willing to bend the rules past what Jesus said.

Sla%ery

This one seems like a no)brainer. How could anyone think slavery is a good idea; +ts not something

Jesus could have supported, what with his love for the poor and downtrodden, right; 8ell, lets take

a look.

esus Said +hat(

Jesus actually talks 6uite a bit about slavery in 7atthews !ospel.

• He tells several parables that feature slaves and their masters. :ne involves a slave who ispunished by his master for being unforgiving (=>&3@)@*. #nother features a whole bunch ofslaves who are killed, and no one bats an eye (3=&@@)


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:kay, but there is one verse where Jesus compares himself to a slave. $ow were getting

somewhere. He says, 4the 9on of 7an came not to be served but to serve4 (3&3>*. Here Jesus

seems to be saying that a life of servitude is laudable and that slaves have a Ghrist)like 6uality. 9ure,

its not the same thing as abolishing slavery, but its a start.

Ho, Christians Ha%e Handled It

9adly, these verses from 7atthew and elsewhere in the Bible have been used to defend slavery in

the past. Jefferson 0avis, the -resident of the Gonfederate 9tates of #merica said, 4I9lavery was

established by decree of #lmighty !od I... it is sanctioned in the Bible, in both Testaments, from

!enesis to 1evelation4 (source*. Hes right that slavery was around in biblical times, but you know

what; Too bad.

There were also Ghristians who used the Bible to support abolition efforts (source*. ventually, the

majority of Ghristian churches would come out against slavery as well&

• +n =DED, 5uakers in -ennsylvania stood in opposition to the slave trade (source*.

• John 8esley, the founder of 7ethodism and life)long opponent of slavery, declared that4liberty is the right of every human creature4 (source*.

• +n =>@E, -ope !regory RL+ issued a statement saying that slavery was 4contrary to the lawsof justice and humanity4 (source*.

• $orthern and 9outhern Baptists even severed ties with each other over the issue of slavery(source*.

Thought slavery is more or less a thing of the past in developed countries around the world, thereare still places wherethe institution lives on. ven in the "nited 9tates, human trafficking, a type of

slavery, is still a terrible problem. 8ere guessing Jesus wouldnt have been down with it.

Gospel of Matthew 0uestions

Bring on the tough stu& ' there(s not )ust one right answer*

=. +f The !ospel #ccording to 7atthew wasnt the earliest !ospel written, why does it appearfirst in the Bible;

3. 7atthew =D&=@)3@ shows -eter flip)flopping from faithfully proclaiming Jesus as the 7essiahto then rebuking Jesuss prediction of his death and crucifiion. Because of this, Jesus goesfrom promising -eter the keys of heaven to calling him 9atan and a stumbling block. 8hyare these two very different stories placed one right after the other in the !ospel;

@. 8hy does Jesus use his power to curse the fig tree so that it dies instead of just causing it tobear fruit (3=&=>)33*;

http://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_bibl.htmhttp://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1992/issue33/3321.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/slavery_1.shtmlhttp://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/2c/texts/1743WesleyAntiSlavery.htmhttp://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/POPSLAVE.HTMhttp://www.baptisthistory.org/sbaptistbeginnings.htmhttp://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights/trafficking-women-and-girlshttp://www.religioustolerance.org/sla_bibl.htmhttp://www.ctlibrary.com/ch/1992/issue33/3321.htmlhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/christianity/history/slavery_1.shtmlhttp://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/classes/2c/texts/1743WesleyAntiSlavery.htmhttp://www.ewtn.com/library/ANSWERS/POPSLAVE.HTMhttp://www.baptisthistory.org/sbaptistbeginnings.htmhttp://www.hrw.org/topic/womens-rights/trafficking-women-and-girls


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. 8hich of Jesuss miracles seems most, well, miraculous;

E. 8hat do you think would be included in the !ospel according to Jesus;

shoomp-gospel of matthew summary

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