Gospel of Matthew: Jesus the Teacher

1
Gospel of Matthew Jesus the Teacher
2
Background
- Known as the first gospel Not
the first gospel composed Matthews
gospel was the first book listed in the
New Testament Canon Placed
first of the four gospels - Doubts about the
authorship 1.) Contains about 80 of Marks
Gospel 2.) Was originally written
in Greek
3
Background
Why was it printed as the first gospel? -
Christians believed it was composed by one of
Jesus own apostles - Well ordered - Contains
detailed teaching lessons Especially in
Christian ethics - Emphasis on fulfillment of Old
Testament prophesy Great link between Old
and New Testament
4
Background
- Written after the gospel of Mark - Composed by
a Jewish-Christian for a predominantly
Jewish-Christian audience - The author assumes
that his audience knows Jewish customs
Number symbolism Uses Hebrew terms without
explanation
5
Background
Themes in Matthews Gospel -Judgement -Jesus
is Emmanuel -Discipleship -Church -Right
Instruction
6
Comparing Mark Matthew
Mark - Begins with Jesus public ministry
-
Jesus reluctantly accepted Peters confession of
him as the Christ
- Apostles are slow to
understand Jesus is the Messiah
- Ends with no
resurrection appearance by Jesus
Matthew - Begins with genealogy of Jesus, tracing
him to David and Abraham - Next is the
infancy narratives - Peter identifies Jesus as
Messiah and Son of God. Jesus praises Peter
- Apostles understand after walking on water

- Concludes with two resurrection appearances
7
Jesus the Teacher
- Matthew portrays Jesus as Sole teacher
worthy of our obedience A new Moses who brings
a new law to Gods people - Gospel arranged into
five discourses 1.) Love and forgiveness 2.)
Standing up to ridicule 3.) Pursuing Gods
kingdom with single-minded devotion 4.) Trusting
God 5.) Prayer and sharing with the needy
8
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse One - Sermon on the Mount - First and
most important of the five discourses in
gospel - Summarizes the New Law of the gospel
A law of love, grace, and freedom - Collects
Jesus ethical teachings in one place - Directed
towards Christians and those who have accepted
the gospel
9
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse One - Sermon on the Mount, Cont. - Six
examples to show importance of a changed heart
(an interior attitude for love of God and
neighbors)
1.) We must not murder
2.) We must not commit adultery
3.) We must not take idle oaths or swear
4.) We must not seek revenge
5.) We must have a right attitude
6.) We must not judge others/ pray in trust
10
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse Two - Sharing the Faith with Others -
Jesus instructs his apostles to imitate his
ministry To preach the kingdom to the Chosen
People in a spirit of poverty - Apostles are
promised Holy Spirit will help them stand
firm and testify courageously God will watch
over them with love and tenderness -We should
never forget that belonging to Jesus means that
we will inevitably suffer for him
11
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse Three - Parables about the Kingdom -
Parable short story drawn from ordinary life
that makes a comparison with a religious message
Discourse contains seven parables that
reveal the nature of the kingdom of
heaven - Allegory sustained comparison where
many story elements correspond to some reality
outside the story (Parable of Sower)
12
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse Three - Parables about the Kingdom,
Cont. - Parables found in Matthews Gospel
Parable of the mustard seed Parable of the
yeast Parables of the treasure in the field
and the pearl of great price Parables
of the weeds among the wheat Parable of the
Sower
13
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse Four - Jesus Founds and Instructs the
Church - Jesus is the head of the Church its
guide and model He continues to rule, guide,
teach, and sanctify it through his appointed
leaders - Matthew 1618-19 Jesus instituted
the Catholic Church Appoints Peter as its
earthly leader - Christs clear intent was to
establish a hierarchical Church - Today, the Holy
Father is the successor to Peter
14
Jesus the Teacher
Discourse Five - The Final Judgement -
Eschatological discourse Means end time
Theme of discourse involves the end of the
Temple, end of the world, and judgement on
the Last Day -We should always be ready for the
Lords return -Parable of the talents Make
good use of the time the Lord has given
us -Concludes with famous parable of judgement at
the end of time, unique to Matthew
15
Challenging Judaism
- Mathew has the most references to the Old
Testament and Judaism Critical of Judaism in
several places -Anti-Semitism is a form of
prejudice Pope John Paul II made it clear that
to be anti-Semitic is to be
anti-Christian -Matthew 23 reflects the religious
turmoil within Judaism Matthew is trying to
win over his fellow Jews to the view that
Jesus fulfills the promises made to Israel