Description
The Gospel of Matthew
Provide 5 facts from the lecture on the gospel of Matthew. Use full sentences and proofread. attached 2 powerpoints and links
Bible Readings: Genealogies; Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 1 Link Links to an external site.The Gospel of LUKE, chapter 3.23-38 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 2 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 3 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 4 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 5 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 6 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 7 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9 LinkLinks to an external site.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10 LinkLinks to an external site.
There are 28 chapters in the Gospel of Matthew. You can continue reading this online.
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The Gospel according to
Matthew
Read Ehrman’s chapter on Matthew first
The gospel was originally untitled and anonymous.
This is according to Textual Analysis (checking the earliest manuscripts of the gospel).
The title, the gospel according to Matthew,
was added beginning in the late 2nd century.
Both Protestant and Catholics scholars agree on this.
Who was Matthew?
The reason later scribes called it “the gospel according to Matthew”
is because in this gospel the tax collector
who becomes a follower of Jesus is called Matthew.
In the other gospels the tax collector is called Levi.
If you are thinking that this is not a good reason to call it Matthew’s gospel
you are correct. The name was chosen to give the gospel authority.
We will investigate how “Matthew” changes Mark’s gospel.
Doing this will highlight Matthew’s emphasis
and help us answer the question –
Who is Jesus according to (the anonymous writer we call) Matthew.
In Mark’s gospel, we did not find out his answer until the very end of the book.
By contrast, in Matthew we are told right from the beginning.
Jesus is the expected Jewish messiah
because he fulfills the prophecies in the Old Testament scriptures.
This is theme #1 in the gospel of Matthew.
14 times Matthew quotes the Old Testament
to show Jesus is the messiah.
1st fulfillment of an old testament prophecy out of 14, according to Matthew:
The genealogy in Matthew chapter 1 shows that Jesus is the son of David,
a descendant of David.
Matthew quotes Isaiah 11.
In Matthew’s genealogy in chapter 1
he lists each ancestor from Abraham to Joseph,
showing there are
14 generations from Abraham to David
14 generations from David to King Josiah
14 generations from King Josiah to Joseph.
The Significance of #14 is that
David’s name equals 14 in Hebrew
D=4 V=6 D=4
Originally Hebrew did not include vowels, so
4 + 6 + 4 = 14
But there are Problems with Matthew’s genealogy.
There are significant differences
when comparing Luke and Matthew’s genealogies.
Compare Matt 1.1-17 to Luke 3.23-38
Who’s genealogy is right?
There is another genealogy: 1 Chronicles 3
and it agrees with Luke’s.
Therefore, Luke is right.
Matthew adjusts his genealogy to incorporate the #14 scheme.
Matthew’s point about Jesus being a descendant of David is correct
but he nullifies his point by introducing the virgin birth,
saying that Jesus’s genetic father is the Holy Spirit and not Joseph.
2nd fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy according to Matthew.
Matthew changes Mark’s story by adding the virgin birth.
In Matthew 1.18-25 Mary is with child from the holy spirit.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream about this:
Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is
conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit, she will bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus (the name means savior) for he will save his people from their sins.
“All of this took place to fulfill what the lord had spoken by the prophet.
Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and his name shall be
called Emmanuel, which means, God with us.”
Compare Matthew’s quote with the original Old Testament quote
from Isaiah 7.10-17 that he is quoting from.
The historical setting for Isaiah 7 is the 8th century BCE.
Judah is being attacked by Aram and Israel.
Ahaz, king of Judah, is worried and wants to go to Egypt for help.
God tells the prophet Isaiah to give King Ahaz this message:
.Have faith, stand firm (do not go to Egypt for help).
But King Ahaz is not convinced.
Isaiah 7:10
Again the Lord spoke to Ahaz, saying,
Ask a sign of the Lord your God; let it be deep as Sheol or high as heaven.
But Ahaz said, I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test.
Hear then, o house of David!
Is it too little for you to weary mortals, that you weary my God also?
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign.
Look, the young woman (alamah) is with child
and shall bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.
He shall eat curds and honey
by the time he knows how to refuse the evil
and choose the good. For before the child knows how to
refuse the evil and choose the good, the land before
whose two kings you are in dread will be deserted.
The Lord will bring on the king of Assyria.
The prophet Isaiah and King Ahaz of Judah
are standing out in public overlooking a water conduit.
A pregnant woman happens to be there as well.
The prophet Isaiah uses the pregnant woman as a sign
saying she will have a son. And by the time her son is a certain age,
the two nations who are attacking Judah will be deserted.
Assyria will come and attack those two nations.
So don’t go back to Egypt for help.
(The Hebrews had been enslaved by Egypt previously
and God led them out.) So don’t go back to your
former captors for help.
So how did Matthew get “virgin” when Isaiah’s passage has a pregnant woman?
• Hebrew has 7 categories of women; Greek only has 3
• Matthew had the Greek translation of the Old Testament
• In Greek, the word for woman in the Isaiah passage is “Parthenos”
• Parthenos means, young woman/virgin
• But the Hebrew word was “alamah” which means young married woman.
• (The Hebrew word for virgin = bitulah)
• The woman in Isaiah 7 is not a virgin, she is an “alamah,” married and pregnant.
• The “virgin” birth is a mistranslation
• from the Hebrew “alamah” to the Greek “parthenos.”
#3 fulfillment of Old Testament scriptures according to Matthew
• The messiah will be born in Bethlehem (Matt 2.5-6)
• This is to fulfill Micah 5.1
But Micah 5 mentions the Assyrians.
The Assyrians were a dominant power in the 8th century BCE,
but taken over by the Babylonians in the 6th century BCE.
This passage is about King Hezekiah saving his people (Judah)
from the Assyrians in the 8th century by being humble towards them.
King Hezekiah is the savior in question according to the literary context of the text.
#4 fulfillment of Old Testament scriptures according to Matthew:
In Matt 2.15 Matthew includes a story
(that Mark doesn’t have)
about Joseph and Mary fleeing to Egypt from Herod.
Matthew says this is to fulfill the scripture of Hosea 11.1
Hosea 11 states,
“Out of Egypt, I have called my son.”
The prophet Hosea was referring to the Exodus
when God called the nation Israel out of Egyptian slavery.
The nation of Israel is referred to as God’s son several times in the Bible.
Hosea’s words were not a prophecy.
They are a remembrance of what God did.
#5 Old Testament fulfillment Matt 2.17-18 and Jeremiah 31.15
Matthew 2.17-18 describes
the slaying of the male Hebrew children by Herod.
Matthew says,
This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah.
What Jeremiah said:
A voice was heard in Ramah, wailing and loud lamentation.
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be consoled because they were no more.
Jeremiah
is writing in the time of the Babylonian Exile in the 6th century BCE.
He is referring to the people of Judah being taken into captivity to Babylon.
They walked past Rachel’s grave.
So, metaphorically, Jeremiah is saying that Rachel is weeping.
Jeremiah was not talking about the slaying of children by Herod.
#6 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matt 2.23:
According to Matthew, the messiah will be a Nazarene.
There is no Old Testament passage that indicates this.
#7 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matt 3
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness . . .
This is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
“the voice of one crying in the wilderness:
prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
But in Isaiah 40.3, it is referring to God calling the people
out of Babylonian captivity in the 6th century BCE.,
saying their paths will be straight to go home.
#8 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matt 4.14-16
And leaving Nazareth he went and dwelt in Capernaum by the sea …
that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled.
But, according to the footnotes of Isaiah 9.1-2
this passage refers to the coronation of the
savior King Hezekiah in Galilee which is by the sea.
Concerning #9 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matt 8.17,
the messiah is one who heals others through his wounds.
He sees this as a fulfillment of Isaiah 53.4.
Isaiah 53
is about the nation of Israel as a whole who suffers in Babylon,
and by their suffering they are healed,
while others watch and learn.
Concerning #10 Old Testament fulfillment Matt 12.17-21 quotes Isaiah 42.1-4
Behold my servant whom I have chosen
. . . he brings justice to victory.
If one reads the full chapter in Isaiah, it can be seen
that God is referring to the nation of Israel as a whole,
who teaches justice to the nations by enduring suffering.
Both Isaiah 42 and 53 are called the “Suffering servant passages.”
They can be resignified to refer to Jesus,
but first should be understood that the prophet
was speaking about Israel as a whole.
Concerning #11 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matthew
Matt 13.13-15 quotes Isaiah 6.9-10
which concerns teaching in parables to those with hardened hearts.
Both Isaiah and Jesus experienced the internal conflict of wanting to help people,
but the people were not spiritually ready to accept the information.
By teaching in parables, the message can slowly sink in.
The Isaiah passage just has God saying to Isaiah –
you will teach in parables, but they will not listen.
Concerning #12 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matt 13.35,
Matthew states that there is an Old Testament prophecy
that the messiah will teach in parables.
In Psalm 78.2 the psalmist says he (the psalmist) will teach in a parable
and then he goes on to do so.
It is not a prophecy.
Concerning #13 Old Testament fulfillment according to Matthew,
Matt 21.4-5 points to Jesus’s entry into Jerusalem riding on a donkey
quoting from Zechariah 9.9.
Matthew thinks there should be both a donkey and a colt.
Zechariah 9.9 predicts Judah’s leader will ride a donkey, rather than a horse.
He means that Judah is moving towards humbleness and away from pride.
By Jesus choosing to ride a donkey,
he personally symbolizes Zechariah’s vision of humility.
Concerning #14 Old Testament fulfillment,
when Judas returned the 30 pieces of silver to the chief priests for betraying Jesus.
Matt 27.9-10 states “then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet
Jeremiah, saying “And they took the 30 pieces of silver, the price of him on whom
a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel. And they gave them for the
potter’s field.”
This saying is found in Zechariah 11.12-13 not Jeremiah. In Zechariah the prophet
throws down his wages of 30 pieces of silver into the treasury in the house of the
Lord. He is fed up with being shepherd of the people.
In Jeremiah 18, Jeremiah goes to a potter’s field and watches while the vessel the
potter made was spoiled. It does not have 30 pieces of silver.
Neither one is a prophecy to be fulfilled.
So these are the 14 ways that Matthew says
point to Jesus as the messiah who fulfills scripture.
Most are not prophecies.
2 passages point to Jesus as a resignification of passages
which were referring to the nation of Israel as God’s son.
Lecture continues in next power point.
Lecture by Prof. J. Corey, Ph.D., Victor Valley College
The Gospel of
Matthew
(continued)
We will continue to investigate how Matthew changes Mark’s gospel.
Doing this will highlight Matthew’s emphasis
and help us answer the question –
Who is Jesus according to (the anonymous writer we call) Matthew.
How Matthew changes Mark’s presentation of the baptism of Jesus:
1. Mathew includes a more critical view of the Jewish authorities.
Compare Matthew 3 to Mark 1.9-11.
2nd change in baptism scene:
Matthew includes a dialogue between John and Jesus.
John feels Jesus should baptize him
not the other way around.
3rd change in baptism scene: The voice from heaven
In the gospel of Mark, the Voice said “You are my beloved son.”
In the gospel of Matthew, the Voice said “This is my beloved son.”
With this change, Matthew is saying everyone should have known who Jesus was.
His 14 “prophecies” also seek to show that everyone should have known
that Jesus was the expected messiah.
These are examples of a gospel writer making multiple changes
in their own gospel in a similar way.
Changes between Mark and Matthew’s Temptation scene in the desert:
Mark 1.12-13 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
And he was in the wilderness 40 days tempted by Satan,
and he was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to him.
Matt 4 The Temptation Scene in the Desert
Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the
devil. He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was
famished. The tempter came and said to him: “If you are the Son of God,
command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is
written, ‘One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes
from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed
him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God,
throw yourself down for it is written, He will command his angels concerning
you, and on their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your
foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, Do not put the
Lord your God to the test.” Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor, and he
said to him, “All these I will give you,* if you will fall down and worship me.”
Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord
your God, and serve only him.” Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels
came and waited on him.
* Just because he says he will give Jesus the kingdoms of the world, doesn’t necessarily mean he owns them,
because he is a liar.
In Matthew’s temptation scene
Matthew includes “it is written” several times throughout this scene.
This change is similar to Matthew’s theme of Old Testament fulfillment.
Both point to the Old Testament.
Compare Mark to Matthew on the topic of miracles.
Matthew does not present the miracles chronologically,
as in Mark’s gospel,
but instead puts the miracles into a group of 10.
Tradition criticism:
Who in the Old Testament performed a set of 10 miracles?
Moses
performed the 10 miracles of plagues upon Egypt.
This begins the 2nd theme in the gospel of Matthew:
Jesus is the New Moses
Like Moses,
1. Jesus performs a group of 10 miracles.
2. The structure and content of Matthew’s first 5 chapters
present Jesus’s early life like Moses’s life:
A tyrant is out to get him – pharaoh for Moses, Herod for Jesus.
He is protected from harm in Egypt – Moses was raised in Egypt,
Jesus and his parents flee to Egypt to get away from Herod.
Then comes a Water scene – Moses crosses the Red Sea, Jesus’s baptism.
Then a Wilderness scene 40 years desert wandering for Moses, 40 days in the desert for Jesus.
Then up the mountain for laws 10 commandments for Moses, sermon on the mount for Jesus.
The 3rd way Moses and Jesus are similar:
Matthew presents the teachings of Jesus in 5 sections
to parallel the 5 books of Moses which is the Torah
1) Matt 5.1-7.27 sermon on the mount
2) Matt 10.5-42 missionary discourse
3) Matt 13.1 – 5.2 teaching in parables
4) Matt 18.1 -35 community regulations
5) Matt 24.3 – 25.46 apocalyptic discourse
The 4th change Matthew makes to have Jesus look like Moses:
Matthew changes the sequence of events.
In Mark, the grain field scene comes before the mountain scene.
In Matthew, the mountain scene comes before grain field scene.
Matthew changes this to better parallel the life of Moses.
Why Jesus goes up the mountain the first time:
In Mark, it is to appoint the 12 disciples.
In Matthew, it is to deliver the sermon on the mount.
With all these changes
Matthew shows Jesus is like Moses.
In The Sermon on the Mount,
Matthew portrays Jesus as a new improved Moses.
We will look at the main part of the sermon when we get to the gospel of Luke.
In the last part of the sermon Matt 5.21-48,
Jesus teaches in the form:
You have heard it said X, but I say to you Y . . .
X = what Moses taught
Only Matthew presents Jesus as like Moses,
and then improving Moses’s teachings.
Summary of the theme: Jesus is the New Moses
1. Miracles put into a group of 10
2. structure and content change in chapters 1-5
3. grain field and mountain change
4. 5 groups of teachings
5. you have heard it said X, but I say to you Y
The 3rd theme is the Change from Mark to Matthew
concerning the number 2:
• Matt 8.28 vs. Mark 5.2 two vs. one demoniac
• Matt 9. 27 vs. Mark 10.46 two vs. one blind man
• Matt 21.2 vs. Mark 11.2 colt and donkey vs. one donkey
Why the number 2?
In a court of Jewish law, at least 2 witnesses make the case.
Matt 18.20 “Where 2 or 3 are gathered in my name, there am I.”
For a Jewish prayer meeting, 10 must be present.
Is Matthew saying only 2 are required?
At any rate, the theme of 2 is not that important.
The 4th theme is the concept of “Church” in the gospel of Matthew.
We will compare the scene of Peter’s Confession
• Matt 16.13-20
• Mark 8.29
• Luke 9.20
(See next slides)
Matthew 16.13-20
Jesus asks Peter, who do you say that I am?
Peter says, the Christ, the son of the Living God.
Jesus says, Blessed are you… My Father in heaven has revealed this to you.
And I tell you, you are Peter (Petros) and on this rock (petra)
I will build my Church.
Compare Matthew to Mark and Luke
• In the gospel of Mark,
Peter’s answer is you are the Christ, and then there is no mention of church.
• In the gospel of Luke, Peter’s answer is you are the Christ of God,
and again there is no mention of church.
• Matthew is the only one of the gospels that has the establishment of the
Church by Jesus.
Look at what precedes Peter’s confession
In Mark, the blind man slowly starts to see,
symbolizing that the disciples slowly start to see who Jesus is.
In Matthew, there is the warning of false teachings
put forth by scribes and Pharisees.
Since the scene just before Peter’s confession
illuminates who Jesus is for each writer
Matthew’s placement of warnings of false teachings
implies that Jesus is the one who brings the right teachings
and in the Church is where to find these teachings.
The theme of church also includes the idea that
Jesus is to be worshipped according to Matthew.
Matthew has many passages that point to Jesus being worshipped.
Matt 2.2 wise men pay homage
Matt 2.8 Herod . . . pays homage
Matt 8.2 the leper knelt before Jesus vs. Mark 1.40 the leper does not kneel
(only in later manuscripts the text is changed to be similar to Matthew’s).
Matt 9.18 the leader of the synagogue kneels before Jesus
vs. Mark 6 where the leader falls at Jesus’ feet
Jesus worshipped (cont.)
• Matt 14.32 When Jesus walks on water the disciples are said to worship Jesus
vs. Mark 6.51, the disciples are said to be utterly astounded
• Matt 28.9-17 the women are at the tomb and then the disciples are said to
worship the resurrected Jesus. This scene is not in Mark.
Therefore, in Matthew’s gospel,
there is the theme of worshipping Jesus (theme #5)
Mark, Luke, and Paul never have the disciples worshipping Jesus.
One worships God, one follows Jesus.
Summary:
By looking at the changes from the gospel of Mark to Matthew
(as well as comparing Matt and Luke),
we find Matthew’s answer to the question
Who is Jesus according to Matthew.
Who is Jesus according to Matthew:
Jesus is the Jewish messiah because he fulfills the Jewish scriptures.
Jesus is the New Moses who brings the new teachings
Jesus begins a new religion, the Christian Church,
in which one learns the new teachings,
worships Jesus,
and follows the law to the letter
(we will discuss the law when we get to the Gospel of Luke)
Lecture by Prof. J. Corey, Ph.D., Victor Valley College
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