The Sonship of Jesus: Matthew | Cross & Crescent Ministries

The Sonship of Jesus:

Matthew

Question: Does the Gospel of Matthew identify Jesus as God’s Son?

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Overview

The Sonship of Jesus is taught throughout the Gospel of Matthew. Those who refer to Jesus as the Son of God or accuse Jesus of claiming to be God's Son are as follows.

Matthew (2:13-15)

God, The Father (3:13-17 & 17:1-8)

Jesus (11:27, 21:33-46, 22:1-14, 24:36, 26:59-68 & 28:16-20)

The Disciples of Jesus (14:22-34 & 16:13-20)

Non-Jews (27:50-54)

Satan & Demons (4:1-11 & 8:28-32)

The Jewish Religious Leaders (26:59-68 & 27:38-44)

It should be noted that the Sonship of Jesus (as well as the Fatherhood of God) has nothing to do with physical, biological or sexual procreation. A Son of God, according to the Bible, is someone who represents God and acts with the authority of God, and this is applied to humans and angels. Simply put, God is a Father because God has sons and daughters, and the sons and daughters of God are those who represent God and act with the authority of God.

References to the Sonship of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew are especially significant when contrasted with the Quran. The Quran (although claiming to be a continuation of the religion of Jesus) states that it is highly inappropriate to associate Allah with Fatherhood or to suggest that Allah has children in any sense (2:116-117, 5:18, 6:100-101, 17:110-111, 19:88-95, 21:25-28, 25:1-3, 39:4, 72:1-5 & 112:1-4), and this is explicitly denied when applied to the relationship between Allah and Jesus (4:171 & 9:30). In short, the Quran denies the religion of Jesus by denying the Sonship of Jesus and the Fatherhood of God.

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Bible Passages - Matthew

Matthew 2:13-15

(13) When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

(14) So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, (15) where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”

Bible Passages - God, The Father

Matthew 3:13-17

(13) Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. (14) But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

(15) Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” Then John consented.

(16) As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. (17) And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Matthew 17:1-8

(1) After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. (2) There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. (3) Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

(4) Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters - one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

(5) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”

(6) When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. (7) But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” (8) When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.

Bible Passages - Jesus

Matthew 11:27

(27) All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

Matthew 21:33-46

(33) “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. (34) When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit.

(35) “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. (36) Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. (37) Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said.

(38) “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ (39) So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

(40) “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”

(41) “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”

(42) Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?

(43) “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. (44) Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed.”

(45) When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. (46) They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

Matthew 22:1-14

(1) Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: (2) “The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. (3) He sent his servants to those who had been invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.

(4) “Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’

(5) “But they paid no attention and went off - one to his field, another to his business. (6) The rest seized his servants, mistreated them and killed them. (7) The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

(8) “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I invited did not deserve to come. (9) So go to the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ (10) So the servants went out into the streets and gathered all the people they could find, the bad as well as the good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

(11) “But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. (12) He asked, ‘How did you get in here without wedding clothes, friend?’ The man was speechless.

(13) “Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

(14) “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Matthew 24:36

(36) But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

Matthew 26:59-68

(59) The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. (60) But they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward.

Finally two came forward (61) and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

(62) Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” (63) But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

(64) “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(65) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. (66) What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

(67) Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him (68) and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Matthew 28:16-20

(16) Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. (17) When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. (18) Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. (19) Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Bible Passages - The Disciples of Jesus

Matthew 14:22-34

(22) Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. (23) After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, (24) and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.

(25) Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. (26) When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

(27) But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

(28) “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”

(29) “Come,” he said.

Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. (30) But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”

(31) Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”

(32) And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. (33) Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

(34) When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret.

Matthew 16:13-20

(13) When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”

(14) They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

(15) “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

(16) Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.”

(17) Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. (18) 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. (19) 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.” (20) Then he ordered his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Messiah.

Bible Passages - Non-Jews

Matthew 27:50-54

(50) And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

(51) At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split (52) and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. (53) They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

(54) When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

Bible Passages - Satan & Demons

Matthew 4:1-11

(1) Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (2) After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (3) The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

(4) Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

(5) Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. (6) “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

(7) Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

(8) Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendour. (9) “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

(10) Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

(11) Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Matthew 8:28-34

(28) When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. (29) “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

(30) Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. (31) The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

(32) He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.

Bible Passages - The Jewish Religious Leaders

Matthew 26:59-68

Finally two came forward (61) and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

(62) Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” (63) But Jesus remained silent.

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”

(64) “You have said so,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

(65) Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. (66) What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,” they answered.

(67) Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists. Others slapped him (68) and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”

Matthew 27:38-44

(38) Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. (39) Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads (40) and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” (41) In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. (42) “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. (43) He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” (44) In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Quran Passages

The Quran 2:116-117 (Abdul Haleem)

(116) They have asserted, ‘God has a child.’ May He be exalted! No! Everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him, everything devoutly obeys His will. (117) He is the Originator of the heavens and the earth, and when He decrees something, He says only, ‘Be,’ and it is.

The Quran 2:116-117 (Sahih International)

(116) They say, "Allah has taken a son." Exalted is He! Rather, to Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and the earth. All are devoutly obedient to Him,

(117) Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is.

The Quran 4:171 (Abdul Haleem)

(171) People of the Book, do not go to excess in your religion, and do not say anything about God except the truth: the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, was nothing more than a messenger of God, His word, directed to Mary, a spirit from Him. So believe in God and His messengers and do not speak of a ‘Trinity’ - stop [this], that is better for you - God is only one God, He is far above having a son, everything in the heavens and earth belongs to Him and He is the best one to trust.

The Quran 4:171 (Sahih International)

(171) O People of the Scripture, do not commit excess in your religion or say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus, the son of Mary, was but a messenger of Allah and His word which He directed to Mary and a soul [created at a command] from Him. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say, "Three"; desist - it is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs.

The Quran 5:18 (Abdul Haleem)

(18) The Jews and the Christians say, “We are the children of God and His beloved ones.” Say, “Then why does He punish you for your sins? You are merely human beings, part of His creation: He forgives whoever He will and punishes whoever He will. Control of the heavens and earth and all that is between them belongs to Him: all journeys lead to Him.”

The Quran 5:18 (Sahih International)

(18) But the Jews and the Christians say, "We are the children of Allah and His beloved." Say, "Then why does He punish you for your sins?" Rather, you are human beings from among those He has created. He forgives whom He wills, and He punishes whom He wills. And to Allah belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and whatever is between them, and to Him is the [final] destination.

The Quran 6:100-101 (Abdul Haleem)

(100) Yet they made the jinn partners with God, though He created them, and without any true knowledge they attribute sons and daughters to Him. Glory be to Him! He is far higher than what they ascribe to Him, (101) the Creator of the heavens and earth! How could He have children when He has no spouse, when He created all things, and has full knowledge of all things?

The Quran 6:100-101 (Sahih International)

(100) But they have attributed to Allah partners - the jinn, while He has created them - and have fabricated for Him sons and daughters. Exalted is He and high above what they describe.

(101) [He is] Originator of the heavens and the earth. How could He have a son when He does not have a companion and He created all things? And He is, of all things, Knowing.

The Quran 9:30 (Abdul Haleem)

(30) The Jews said, ‘Ezra is the son of God,’ and the Christians said, ‘The Messiah is the son of God’: they said this with their own mouths, repeating what earlier disbelievers had said. May God confound them! How far astray they have been led!

The Quran 9:30 (Sahih International)

(30) The Jews say, "Ezra is the son of Allah"; and the Christians say, "The Messiah is the son of Allah." That is their statement from their mouths; they imitate the saying of those who disbelieved [before them]. May Allah destroy them; how are they deluded?

The Quran 17:110-111 (Abdul Haleem)

(110) Say [to them], ‘Call on God, or on the Lord of Mercy - whatever names you call Him, the best names belong to Him.’ [Prophet], do not be too loud in your prayer, or too quiet, but seek a middle way (111) and say, ‘Praise belongs to God, who has no child nor partner in His rule. He is not so weak as to need a protector. Proclaim His limitless greatness!’

The Quran 17:110-111 (Sahih International)

(110) Say, "Call upon Allah or call upon the Most Merciful. Whichever [name] you call - to Him belong the best names." And do not recite [too] loudly in your prayer or [too] quietly but seek between that an [intermediate] way.

(111) And say, "Praise to Allah, who has not taken a son and has had no partner in [His] dominion and has no [need of a] protector out of weakness; and glorify Him with [great] glorification."

The Quran 19:88-95 (Abdul Haleem)

(88) The disbelievers say, “The Lord of Mercy has offspring.” (89) How terrible is this thing you assert: (90) it almost causes the heavens to be torn apart, the earth to split asunder, the mountains to crumble to pieces, (91) that they attribute offspring to the Lord of Mercy. (92) It does not befit the Lord of Mercy [to have offspring]: (93) there is no one in the heavens or earth who will not come to the Lord of Mercy as a servant - (94) He has counted them all: He has numbered them exactly - (95) and they will each return to Him on the Day of Resurrection all alone.

The Quran 19:88-95 (Sahih International)

(88) And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken [for Himself] a son."

(89) You have done an atrocious thing.

(90) The heavens almost rupture therefrom and the earth splits open and the mountains collapse in devastation

(91) That they attribute to the Most Merciful a son.

(92) And it is not appropriate for the Most Merciful that He should take a son.

(93) There is no one in the heavens and earth but that he comes to the Most Merciful as a servant.

(94) He has enumerated them and counted them a [full] counting.

(95) And all of them are coming to Him on the Day of Resurrection alone.

The Quran 21:25-28 (Abdul Haleem)

(25) We never sent any messenger before you [Muhammad] without revealing to him: ‘There is no god but Me, so serve Me.’ (26) And they say, ‘The Lord of Mercy has taken offspring for Himself.’ May He be exalted! No! They are only His honoured servants: (27) they do not speak before He speaks and they act by His command. (28) He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and they cannot intercede without His permission - indeed they themselves stand in awe of Him.

The Quran 21:25-28 (Sahih International)

(25) And We sent not before you any messenger except that We revealed to him that, "There is no deity except Me, so worship Me."

(26) And they say, "The Most Merciful has taken a son." Exalted is He! Rather, they are [but] honored servants.

(27) They cannot precede Him in word, and they act by His command.

(28) He knows what is [presently] before them and what will be after them, and they cannot intercede except on behalf of one whom He approves. And they, from fear of Him, are apprehensive.

The Quran 25:1-3 (Abdul Haleem)

(1) Exalted is He who has sent the Differentiator down to His servant so that it may be a warning to all people. (2) It is He who has control over the heavens and earth and has no offspring - no one shares control with Him - and who created all things and made them to an exact measure. (3) Yet the disbelievers take as their gods things beneath Him that create nothing, and are themselves created, that can neither harm nor help themselves, and have no control over death, life, or resurrection.

The Quran 25:1-3 (Sahih International)

(1) Blessed is He who sent down the Criterion upon His Servant that he may be to the worlds a warner -

(2) He to whom belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth and who has not taken a son and has not had a partner in dominion and has created each thing and determined it with [precise] determination.

(3) But they have taken besides Him gods which create nothing, while they are created, and possess not for themselves any harm or benefit and possess not [power to cause] death or life or resurrection.

The Quran 39:4 (Abdul Haleem)

(4) God could have chosen any of His creation He willed for offspring, but He is far above this! He is the One, the Almighty.

The Quran 39:4 (Sahih International)

(4) If Allah had intended to take a son, He could have chosen from what He creates whatever He willed. Exalted is He; He is Allah, the One, the Prevailing.

The Quran 72:1-5 (Abdul Haleem)

(1) Say [Prophet], ‘It has been revealed to me that a group of jinn once listened in and said, “We have heard a wondrous Quran, (2) that gives guidance to the right path, and we have come to believe it - We shall never set up partners with our Lord - (3) and that He - exalted be the glory of our Lord! - has neither spouse nor child. (4) Outrageous things have been said about God by the foolish among us, (5) although we had thought that no man or jinn would [dare to] tell a lie about Him.

The Quran 72:1-5 (Sahih International)

(1) Say, [O Muhammad], "It has been revealed to me that a group of the jinn listened and said, 'Indeed, we have heard an amazing Qur'an.

(2) It guides to the right course, and we have believed in it. And we will never associate with our Lord anyone.

(3) And [it teaches] that exalted is the nobleness of our Lord; He has not taken a wife or a son

(4) And that our foolish one has been saying about Allah an excessive transgression.

(5) And we had thought that mankind and the jinn would never speak about Allah a lie.

The Quran 112:1-4 (Abdul Haleem)

(1) Say, ‘He is God the One, (2) God the eternal. (3) He begot no one nor was He begotten. (4) No one is comparable to Him.

The Quran 112:1-4 (Sahih International)

(1) Say, "He is Allah, [who is] One,

(2) Allah, the Eternal Refuge.

(3) He neither begets nor is born,

(4) Nor is there to Him any equivalent."