Bitesize Bible Commentary:
Matthew
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Matthew 1:1-17
The Gospel of Matthew begins with Matthew identifying Jesus as the promised Messiah (Christ) descended from David and Abraham. More specifically, Jesus is the Son of David who will rule all nations and the Son of Abraham who will bless/save all nations in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy. Matthew’s purpose is to tell the story of Jesus from the perspective of Jesus as God’s Messianic King and Priest, and both Solomon (David's Royal Son - 2 Samuel 7) and Isaac (Abraham's Sacrificial Son - Genesis 22) foreshadow and point to Jesus. See Psalm 110 for where the Messiah (Matthew 22:41-46) is described as King and Priest. It is important to note that a King within Israel represented God to the people by ruling according to God’s law whereas a Priest represented the people to God by offering sacrifices to God for sin. In summary, Matthew is telling us through the genealogy of Jesus (and in what follows) that Jesus will conquer and rule all peoples as the Son of David (King) and Jesus will suffer and bless/save all peoples as the Son of Abraham (Priest). See Matthew 28:16-20 for the climax of this theme.
Matthew divides the genealogy of Jesus into three sections of fourteen generations. The first section is from Abraham to King David, the second is from King David to the deportation to Babylon and the third is from the deportation to Babylon to the coming of the Messiah. The last section contains only thirteen names, with the implication that the Christian Church (Jews and Gentiles) are the final generation and the fulfilment of God’s plans and purposes in Christ (Isaiah 53:10).
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Matthew 1:18-25
The circumstances that surrounded the birth of Jesus were unusual and Matthew describes the Messiah’s birth with an emphasis on Joseph. After contracting marriage with Mary but before they had come together, Joseph discovered that Mary was pregnant. However, before divorcing Mary, Joseph was visited by an angel and told to do the following. First, Joseph (a Jew descended from King David) was to complete his marriage with Mary and take her into his home because Mary had conceived (become pregnant) through the Holy Spirit. Second, Joseph was to be the legal father/guardian of the child and give him the name ‘Jesus’ because ‘he will save his people from their sins’ (Psalm 130:7-8). The name Jesus (Yeshua) means Yahweh (God) is salvation or Yahweh saves. Joseph did as the angel commanded and Mary gave birth to Jesus at the appointed time.
Matthew also links the birth of Jesus to Isaiah 7:14, which describes a virgin or young woman giving birth to a child known as Emmanuel (God with us). Both Psalm 130:7-8 (cited by the angel) and Isaiah 7:14 (cited by Matthew), as well as the two names or designations given to the Messiah from these passages, are therefore used to highlight what Jesus will do (save) and who Jesus is (God). In short, the Messiah is the God who saves (hence the name Jesus - Psalm 130:7-8) and the God who becomes man (human) to save (hence the name Emmanuel - Isaiah 7:14).
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Matthew 6:16-18
Jesus continues his denunciation of hypocritical religion and focuses on fasting. According to Jesus, the hypocrites fast publicly and disfigure their appearance to draw attention to themselves, whereas the people of God fast privately and without anyone knowing it. The hypocrites fast to be seen by others and to be recognised for their piety, whereas the people of God fast knowing that they are seen by God and to glorify God. The hypocrites have their reward with people on earth (human approval), whereas the people of God have their reward with God in heaven (God’s approval). In summary, fasting should be a sincere and somewhat secret act that moves a person deeper into God’s will and purposes.
As well as sincere and secret, Jesus also taught that fasting should be sustained and synchronised with a person’s wider lifestyle and devotion to God. In Matthew 17:14-21, the disciples were unable to cast out a demon and Jesus responded by stating that some demons come out only through prayer and fasting. In other words, the disciples were unable to access the power of God to eliminate the demon because their lives were not filled with prayer and fasting. This shows that by neglecting prayer and fasting as well as other important spiritual disciplines, and when prayer and fasting are not coupled with repentance (the abandonment of sin), the visible manifestation of God’s power will be limited and at times unavailable for us. Fasting is therefore a gateway to great spiritual power when it is done regularly and with the intent to please God in all aspects of life. It is important to note that although Jesus expects Christians to fast, Jesus does not outline how or when a person should fast. This means that Christians have the freedom to determine the method and duration of their fasting.
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Matthew 28:1-10
Matthew describes the first resurrection appearance of Jesus to a group of female disciples. After his crucifixion and quick burial in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (Matthew 27:57-61), two female disciples arrived at the tomb early on Sunday (after the Sabbath had ended and at first light) to mourn for Jesus and complete his burial rites. However, upon arriving, they discovered an angel sitting on the stone that had been used to cover the entrance to the tomb and the tomb empty. Matthew tells us that the angel had arrived with a tremendous earthquake, had scared the guards assigned to protect the tomb (Matthew 27:62-66) and had rolled away the heavy stone. The angel told the women that Jesus had risen from the dead and instructed them to tell the disciples that Jesus would go ahead of them into Galilee and there they would see him. The female disciples who witnessed these events and carried the news were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, and both were intercepted by Jesus on the way and worshipped him. Jesus then instructed the women to carry the news of his resurrection to the other disciples.
It is significant that the Gospel of Matthew ends how it began. In Matthew 1:18-25, Matthew describes an angel announcing the birth of Jesus and Jesus exiting a virgin womb. In Matthew 28:1-10, Matthew describes an angel announcing the resurrection of Jesus and Jesus exiting a virgin (unused) tomb. In both accounts, a man named Joseph lays aside what is rightfully his and Jesus enters and then exits (womb and tomb) to give life to those he came to save. It is significant too that just as creation began on the first day of the week (Genesis 1:3-4), so too does the new creation in Christ (initiated by the resurrection of Jesus and the victory of Jesus over sin and death - 2 Corinthians 5:17-21) begin on the first day of the week. This is why Christians have traditionally gathered for worship on Sunday.
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Matthew 28:16-20
The second resurrection appearance of Jesus that Matthew describes was to the eleven apostles on a mountain in Galilee. Jesus appeared to them, received worship and calmed their lingering doubts. Since Jesus had received all authority in heaven and earth, the eleven were then given their assigned task to make disciples (followers) of all nations, to baptise in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and to teach others all that Jesus had taught them. They were to be the representatives of Jesus to all peoples (Jews and Gentiles) and Jesus promised to be with them always until their work was completed. The work of making Jesus known continues today and so does the promise of Jesus.
The instruction to baptise in the name (singular) of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is significant and joins the Three Persons of the Trinity under a singular and unifying authority. In short, the name of God is Yahweh, and this name is shared equally and fully between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit according to Jesus. This shows that (despite what some wrongly claim) Jesus taught the Trinity and included himself within it (Jesus is the Son or the Second Person). An additional point to mention is that the Gospel of Matthew began in Matthew 1:1-17 with Jesus identified as the promised Son of David (the Messianic King to rule all nations) and the promised Son of Abraham (the Messianic Priest to bless/save all nations), and this is how the gospel also ends. Jesus receives authority (as a man) over all nations and peoples (King) and all are commanded to be baptised into the death and resurrection of Jesus for salvation (Priest). Matthew has therefore finished his task (guided by the Holy Spirit) to tell others in writing that Jesus is God’s Messiah (as well as God the Messiah) in fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.