J. Deering, AncientPath.net

I.  "Characteristics of Matthew" [1]
        Hendricksen

M - Methodical; i.e., characterized by orderliness.
          The author goes to work according to a definite plan, setting forth that Jesus is, indeed, the Christ.

A - Appealing.
          This Gospel has been called "the most important book in the world" (Renan), "the most successful book ever written" (Goodspeed).  Besides being important and successful it is also truly beautiful.  Reading it from beginning to end at one sitting is a thrilling experience.  The book is simply irresistible.

T - Turned toward the Past.
          Turned toward the past; i.e., toward the Old Testament, with its many Messianic predictions, and proclaiming their fulfillment in the present, namely, in Jesus Christ.

T - Turned toward the Present.
          Turned toward the present, and revealing God's will for the here and now; and toward the future:  His own (suffering, death, resurrection, etc.), that of His people, and that of the world.  In Matthew not only is Jesus the fulfillment of prophecy; he is also himself very definitely the prophet.

H - Hebraistic.
          Hebraistic, that is, characterized by the thought patterns and spirit of the Hebrews.

E - Evangelistic, that is having a broad missionary purpose.
          Matthew makes it very clear that this Messiah of prophecy stands related to the entire world.  In His family tree not only a good many direct descendants of Abraham are mentioned but also such "foreigners" as Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth.  It is Christ Himself who said, "The kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a nation bringing forth its fruits" (21:43).

W - Written.
          Written by a man whose qualifications correspond with these characteristics.

II. Information on the Book of Matthew[2]
        Hendricksen

Matthew, Gospel of:
          The first book of the N.T.  It was undoubtedly placed first in the category of the four gospels because at an early date it was received as authentic and presented the life of Jesus Christ particularly as it affected Jews converted to Christianity.

1.        The Theme:
          The subject of the book is outlined in the first verse.  The gospel of Matthew is "the book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1).

2.        The Outline:
           Part I.    The King, the Son of David, offered to Israel, 1:1-25:46
           A.    The genealogy and birth of the King, 1:1-25
           B.    The infancy and concealment of the King, 2:1-23
           C.    The Kingdom presented to Israel and rejected, 3:1-11:1
           D.    The revelation of the King's new program, 11:2-13:52
           E.    The ministry of the rejected King, 14:1-23:39
           F.    The rejected King's promise to return in power and glory, 24:1-25:46
          Part II.    The King, the Son of Abraham, put to death and raised again, 26:1-28:8
          Part III.   The King, in resurrection ministry to His disciples, 28:9-20

3.        The Author:
          This gospel was incontestably written by the Apostle Matthew, whose original name was Levi.  He was a Jew whose father's name was Alphaeus.  As he was a tax collector under the Romans at Capernaum and thus a hated publican, it is unthinkable that his name would have been attached to the first gospel had he not been the actual writer of it.  Moreover, seventeen independent witnesses of the first four centuries attest its genuineness.

4.        Original Language:
          Despite the critical claim that Matthew originally wrote the gospel in Aramaic, this contention has never been proved.  If there was an Aramaic original, it disappeared at a very early age.  The Greek gospel, which is now the Church's heritage, was almost beyond doubt written in Matthew's lifetime.  (The Jewish historian Josephus furnishes an illustration of the fate of the Hebrew original of Matthew, if such ever existed.  The celebrated historian himself tells us that he penned his great work, "The History of the Jews' Wars" originally in Aramaic, his native tongue, for the benefit of his own nation, and that he subsequently rendered it in Greek).

5.        Date:
          The Book of Matthew, like the other synoptics and the Book of Acts, does not report the fall of Jerusalem and the temple but describes these events as still future.  These books have been written before this tragedy or a long time after it.  It would be indeed audacious to put them long after 70 A.D.  Therefore, they must have been penned before that date.  Since Luke's gospel is earlier than Acts, it seems entirely probable that if he wrote an Aramaic original he did so probably around 40-45 A.D.  This would place the Greek Matthew around the middle of the first century A.D.

5.        The Purpose:
          Matthew seems definitely to have written to confirm persecuted Jewish believers in their faith and to reconcile them in their thinking that the gospel was not a rejection of O.T. prophecies but rather an outworking of the great promises of the Abrahamic and Davidic Covenants.  The Jews needed clear demonstration of the Messiah's Person and work and to have objections removed which hindered unbelieving Jews.  The writer accomplishes this purpose by proving the Kingship of the predicted divine-human Messiah; that He fulfilled O.T. predictions in His Person and work were rejected by the nation; that he announced a new program; His death, resurrection and Second Advent, and that after this present age of His building the Church, He will return to set up His kingdom.  It is thus uniquely the gospel for the Jews.

"INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW" [3]
Dr. Clarence E. Mason, Jr.
COMPARISON OF THE FOUR GOSPELS

Properly there is no such thing as a gospel BY Matthew, or Luke, or John.  There is only one GOSPEL.  Various aspects of that gospel, as embodied in the Lord Jesus, are portrayed in the writings of the Evangelists (as the writers of the four gospel narratives are called).  So actually we have before us what might be described as the SPIRIT-breathed Gospel THROUGH Matthew.

Old testament prophecies pointed toward a Coming one.  There were innumerable prophecies made as to what He would be and do, but all of these come under the general heads of:  Christ as a KING, a SERVANT, a MAN, and GOD.  This is the purpose of the Evangelists.  They present Christ in these aspects of His life and death and subsequent events.  For this reason seeming discrepancies disturb those who look at the Gospels as merely four Lives of Christ.

But this same situation would be presented if one read books about Dwight Eisenhower in the aspects of Statesman, Traveler, Soldier, Golfer.  There would be seemingly glaring contradictions between the view of him as the dignified statesman in full dress and as a rough and ready infantry major, etc.  Or take, for instance any well known building.  If a different man or woman were to describe its appearance from each of four positions -- north, south, east, and west sides -- when these descriptions were compared, there would seem to be ample ground for concluding that they did not refer to the same building, although there would be some points in common.  so it is with the Gospels.  These books give us the complete view of Christ that the Holy Spirit intended.

Some very significant words in Old Testament prophecies indicate the distinctive viewpoint from which each gospel writer foresaw Christ's person and ministry:

MATTHEW: "Behold THY KING," Zechariah 9:9
MARK: "Behold MY SERVANT," Isaiah 42:1
LUKE: "Behold THE MAN," Zechariah 6:12
JOHN: "Behold YOUR GOD," Isaiah 40:9

Matthew - the Zechariah passage does not say "Behold THE king, or the king of the ROMANS" or of anything of the kind, because He is King of the Jews, to whom the passage was spoken:  "Behold THY King."  Matthew is not writing a life of Christ.  He is merely setting down those things which set forth Christ as Israel's long-promised Messiah-King.

Mark - "Behold MY SERVANT."  God is speaking.  Christ is not man's servant but GOD's.  He served FOR God at HIS bidding.  Christ could have healed all at the pool of Bethesda, but He healed only one; for some inscrutable reason God gave orders that way; He was not the servant of man.  That's where these humanitarians go wrong; they think Christ served man primarily.  He served God primarily; man incidentally and secondarily.

Luke - "Behold THE MAN."  Christ is THE SECOND MAN; He has no connection with Adam, THE FIRST MAN.  His supernatural birth affirms this.  He is the Head of a new creation of man.  It is the only way He could redeem man.

John - "Behold YOUR GOD."  His deity is emphasized throughout.  "The Word was God" (1:1).

For the simple reason that the books are not LIVES of Christ, there can be no such thing as a complete chronological harmony of the Gospels.

Each Gospel might be compared to a painting.  On the canvas of Matthew we have the striking face and carriage of Christ as King, with flashes in the background of Christ as Man, God, Servant.  So correspondingly with others.  The characteristic of the particular book dominates the painting, but other phases can be seen at times.

Some peculiarities of each Gospel may be noted:

Book:  MATTHEW   Theme:  Jesus The KING   Written to: The Jews   Key question:  Who are Jesus' ancestors?

1.    Genealogy:  Abraham - David
       In Abraham they have the LAND
       In David they have the THRONE

2.    "Kingdom of Heaven":  Phrase peculiar to Matthew
Used 32 times here and nowhere else in the New Testament. It is not a Kingdom IN heaven, but the Kingdom OF heaven ON earth with One as King who is Himself ruled BY heaven.

3.    "City of the Great King,"  5:35

4.    As King He asserts Authority.
Our Lord says:  "Ye have heard ... but I say unto you."  He does not abrogate what has gone before, but assumes higher authority.

5.    As King He exercises His authority.
Sending forth disciples; performing miracles.

6.    He was "Born King of the Jews,"  2:2
(Herod was not; he was only an Idumean).

7.    In Matthew He is recorded to have been crucified because He said He was King of the Jews, but in John, because He said He was the Son of God.

Book:  MARK   Theme:  Jesus The SERVANT   Written to: The ROMANS   Key question:  What can the man DO?

1.    No genealogy.
      "I don't care who my servant's grandfather was."

2.    "Straightway!"
      Forty of the eighty times the word is used in the N.T. are in Mark.

3.    No record of His birth.
      Would be out of place in Mark; nor is childhood recorded.

4.    Four parables.
      Each is a parable of SERVICE.

5.    He is not called "Lord" in Mark until after resurrection.

6.    Continual action.
      All chapters begin with "And" except 7 and 8, which tell of His rejection BY Israel, and 14, which tells of His rejection OF Israel.  He was always on the go!

7.    No Sermon on the Mount.
      A servant has no business telling people what to do.

      No "Our Father" in Mark.

Book:  LUKE   Theme:  Jesus The MAN   Written to:  The GREEKS   Key question:  What is the IDEAL MAN?

1.    Genealogy -- goes back to Adam, the first man, head of the race.  He is our Kinsman-Redeemer.

2.    Dependent -- prayer prominent; sign of TRUE humanity.

3.    "Everywhere" (9:6).  The twelve and the Seventy are not sent to Jews only.

      Contrast Matthew 10:5-6.

4.    Parables -- no need of thinking Christ spoke them only once.

      Parables similar to Matthew, but adapted to the object of this book.  The "King" in Matthew is made "a certain man" in Luke.

5.    Humanity -- here dominant.

      Weeps over Jerusalem; heals Malchus's ear.  There is the tender incident of the repentant their on the cross.  There is more emphasis on women in Luke than in the other three Gospels.

6.    Sermon on the Mount.  No allusions to old times. prophets, laws, etc.; these things were peculiarly Jewish and did not belong to the whole race.

7.    Garden of Gethsemane -- unique experience as man.

Book:  JOHN   Jesus is GOD   Written to:  The CHURCH   Key question:  What is Jesus' nature?

1.    No human genealogy.  Deity BECAME flesh when He came into the world.
Not MADE flesh.

2.    Garden (John 18) -- no bloody sweat here; when He says "I AM," they fall back.

3.    All shows deity:
      a.Unique signs -- heals at a distance; heals eyes of man Born blind; raises man four days dead; etc.
      b.Unique words -- "Ye must be born again,"  Chapter 3; "I that speak unto thee am He,"  Chapter 4;  His address on His own deity, Chapter 5.

4.    ONLY here is life.  See 20:31.
The way of LIFE is made clear.  We don't get eternal life by obeying the King, nor serving after the manner of the Servant, nor by following in the footsteps of the perfect Man, but by believing and receiving the Son of God.

---

"Outline of Matthew"[4]
Dr. Paul S. Karleen

I. Introduction of the King (1:4-4:25)

A. Genealogy  1:1-17
B. Birth 1:18-25
C. Early Life 2:1-23
D. Ministry of John the Baptist 3:1-12
E. Baptism of Jesus 3:13-17
F. Temptation of Jesus 4:1-11
G. Early Ministry of Jesus 4:12-25

II. The Principles of the King's Rule: (5:1-7:29)

The Sermon on the Mount 5:1-7:29

III. The King's Authority Manifested and Rejected (8:1-12:50)

IV. The Mysteries of the Kingdom: (13:1-58)

The Period Between the Two Advents 13:1-58

V. The Ministry of the Rejected King (14:1-23:39)

VI. The Predicted Return of the King: (24:1-25:46)

The Olivet Discourse 24:1-25:46

VII. The Death and Resurrection of the King 26:1-28:20

"Introduction to The Gospel According to Matthew"[5]
Dr. Charles Caldwell Ryrie

AUTHORSHIP

Matthew, who was surnamed Levi (Mark 2:14), was a Jewish tax collector (publican) for the Roman government (Matthew 9:9).  Because he collaborated with the Romans, who were hated by the Jews as overlords of their country, Matthew (and all publicans) was despised by fellow Jews.  Nevertheless, Matthew responded to Christ's simple call to follow Him.  After the account of the banquet he gave for his colleagues so they too could meet Jesus, he is not mentioned again except in the list of the Twelve (Matthew 10:3; see also Acts 1:13).  Tradition says that he preached in Palestine for a dozen years after the resurrection of Christ and then went to other lands, but there is no certainty of this.

DISTINCTIVE APPROACH OF MATTHEW

Matthew was written to Jews to answer their questions about Jesus of Nazareth who claimed to be their Messiah.  Was He in fact the Messiah predicted in the Old Testament?  If He was, why did He fail to establish the promised kingdom?  Will it ever be established?  What is God's purpose in the meantime?  Thus, in this Gospel, Jesus is often spoken of as the Son of David and the One who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of Messiah; and the kingdom of heaven is the subject of much of His recorded teaching.

Matthew is also characterized by its inclusion of people outside of Judaism.  The closing verses record the commission to go into all the world, and only in Matthew does the word church appear in the Gospels (16:18; 18:17).  Jesus is also designated as the Son of Abraham (1:1), for in Abraham all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Gen. 12:3).

DATE

Although the Gospel has sometimes been dated in the 80's or 90's, the fact that the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 is view as an event yet future (24:2) seems to require an earlier date.  Some feel that this was the first of the Gospels to be written (about 50), while others think it was not the first and that it was written in the 60's.

 

 "The Holy Scriptures Analyzed and Annotated"[7]
Arno C. Gaebelein

I.        The King and the Offer of the Kingdom.  Chapters 1-11
          1.    The King, His Genealogy and His Birth.  Chapter 1
          2.    The King, Worshipped by Gentiles; Jerusalem in Ignorance of Him; the Child Persecuted.  Chapter 2
          3.    The Herald of the King:  The King enters upon His public Ministry.  Chapter 3
          4.    The Testing of the King and His Testimony.  Chapter 4
          5.    The Proclamation of the King.  Chapters 5-7
          6.    The King Manifested by Signs of Divine Power.  Chapters 8-9
          7.    The Messengers of the King.  Chapter 10
          8.    The Forerunner in Prison and the Rejection of the Kingdom.  Chapter 11
          9.    The Rejection Consummated and the Broken Relationship.  Chapter 12

II.       The Rejected Kingdom and the Rejection of the King; His Death and Resurrection.  Chapters 13-28
          1.    The King at the Seashore.  the Mysteries of the Kingdom.  Chapter 13
          2.    John's Martyrdom and the Fourfold Attitude of the Rejected King.  Chapter 14
          3.    The Corruption of the Scribes and Pharisees.  the Canaanitish Woman.  Multitudes Healed.  Chapter 15
          4.    The Predictions of the Rejected King Concerning Himself.  Chapter 16
          5.    The Coming Glory.  The Helpless Disciples and the Power of the King.  Chapter 17
          6.    Instructions to His Disciples.  Concerning Forgiveness.  Chapter 18
          7.    Departure from Galilee.  Concerning Divorce.  The Little Children Blessed.  The Rich Young Man.  Chapter 19
          8.    The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard.  The Healing of the Two Blind Men.  Chapter 20
          9    The King's Entry into Jerusalem.  The Parables of the Two Sons and the Householders.  Chapter 21
        10.    The Parable of the Marriage Feast.  Questions Answered.  The Unanswered Question.  Chapter 22
        11.    The Woes of the King and the Lamentation over Jerusalem.  Chapter 23
        12.    The Olivet Discourse.  Chapters 24-25
        13.    The Passion of the King.  Chapters 26-27
        14.    The Resurrection and the Great Commission.  Chapter 28

---

 "Matthew" from The Expositor's Bible[8]
George Eldon Ladd

Birth and Infancy of Messiah 1:1-2:23
Genealogy  1:1-17
Birth Narratives  1:18-2:18
Removal to Nazareth  2:19-23
Prelude to the Messianic Ministry  3:1-4:25
Preparatory Ministry of John the Baptist  3:2-12
Baptism of Jesus  3:13-17
Temptation of Jesus  4:1-11
Summary of Galilean Ministry  4:12-25

Discourse I:  Righteousness of the Kingdom  5:1-7:29
The Beatitudes  5:1-16
The Character of Kingdom Righteousness  5:17-48
The Practice of Kingdom Righteousness  6:1-7:12
The Choice of the Kingdom  7:13-27
The Manner of Jesus' Teaching 7:28, 29

Narrative I:  Mighty Deeds of the Kingdom  8:1-9:38
A series of Miracles  8:1-9:8
The Kingdom and the Old Order  9:9-17
More Miracles  9:18-38

Discourse II:  Proclamation of the Kingdom  10:1-42
The Preachers and their Mission  10:1-15
The Response to be Expected  10:16-42

Narrative II:  The Presence of the Kingdom  11:1-12:50
The Kingdom and John the Baptist 11:1-15
The Challenge to the Present Generation  11:16-30
Opposition to the Kingdom  12:1-45
Fellowship in the Kingdom  12:46-50

Discourse III:  Mystery of the Kingdom  13:1-58
The Parable of the Sower  13:1-9
Parabolic Method Explained  13:10-23
Other Parables  13:24-52
The Response to Jesus' Parables  13:53-58

Narrative III:  Crisis of the Kingdom  14:1-17:27
Crisis of Opposition  14:1-15:20
Withdrawal to the North  15:21-39
Further Conflict  16:1-12
Crisis of Faith  16:13-20
Preparation of Jesus' Disciples for His Death  16:21-17:27

Discourse IV:  Fellowship of the Kingdom  18:1-35
Humility  18:1-20
Forgiveness  18:21-35

Narrative IV:  Conflict Caused by the Kingdom  19:1-23:39
Teachings on the Way to Jerusalem  19:1-20:28
Healing at Jericho  20:29-34
Events in Jerusalem  21:1-22
Controversies with the Jews 21:23-22:46
Denunciations of the Scribes and Pharisees  23:1-39

Discourse V:  Future of the Kingdom  24:1-25:46
Prophecy of the Coming of the Kingdom  24:1-36
Warnings to Readiness  24:37-25:30
The Judgment of the Nations  25:31-46

 Passion of the King  26:1-27:66
The Plot to Betray Jesus  26:1-16
The Last Supper  26:1-16
Events in Gethsemane  26:31-56
The Trials  26:57-27:26
Crucifixion  27:27-56
Burial  27:57-66

The Resurrection  28:1-20
The Women and the Angel  28:1-10
False Witness of the Guards  28:11-15
The Ascension 28:16-20

 

 "MATTHEW - JESUS CHRIST THE KING" [9]
G. Campbell Morgan

A.        His Person  1:1-4:16
    I.His Relation to Earth  1:1-3:12
        i.Genealoby.  1:1-17
        ii.Brith.  1:18-2:23
        iii.Herald.  3:1-12
    II.His Relation to Heaven  3:13-17
        i.Attestation.
        ii.Anointing.
    III.His Relation to Hell  4:1-11
        i.Testing.
        ii.Triumph.
 

(IV.4:12-16 Connecting 3:17 with 11:2)
 

B.        His Propaganda  4:17-16:20
    I.His Enunciation of Laws  4:17-7:29
        i.A Nucleus Gathered.  4:17-25
        ii.The Manifesto.  5-7
            a.The Nature - Character.  5:3-12
            b.The Purpose - Influence.  5:13-16
            c.The Laws.  5:17-6:34
            d.The Dynamic.  7:1-12
            e.The Final Words.  7:13-29
    II.His Exhibition of Benefits.  8:1-9:34
        i.First Manifestation and Result.  8:1-22
        ii.Second Manifestation and Result.  8:23-9:17
        iii.Third Manifestation and Result.  9:18:34
    III.His Enforcement of Claims.  9:35-16:20
        i.The Twelve.  9:35-11:30
        ii.Conflict with Rulers.  12
        iii.Parables of the Kingdom.  13:1-52
        iv.Increasing Opposition.  13:53-16:12
        v.The Confession of Peter.  16:13-20
 

C.        His Passion  16:12-28:20
    I.His Cross and His Subjects.  16:21-20:34
        i.The Cross and the Glory.  16:21-28
        ii.The Glory and the Cross.  17:1-21
        iii.The Cross and the Resurrection.  17:22-23
        iv.Instructions to His Disciples.  17:24-18:35
           (The Multitudes.  19:1-22)
        v.Instructions to His Disciples.  19:23-20:28
    II.His Rejection of the Hebrew Nation.  21:1-23:39
        i.The Entry.  21:1-17
        ii.Opposition and Parabolic Denunciation  21:18-22:46
        iii.The Final Woes.  23:1-36
        iv.Withdrawal.  23:37-39
    III.His Predictions to His Subjects.  24:1-25:51
        i.the Disciples' Questions.  24:3
        ii.The Detailed Answers.
    IV.His Passion.  26:1-28:20
        i.Preliminary.  26:1-30
        ii.The Suffering.  26:31-27:66
        iii.The Triumph.  28
 

Quick Links

1.  Hendricksen's Characteristics of Matthew

2.  Hendricksen's Information on the Book of Matthew

3. Mason's Introduction to Matthew

4. Mason's Synopsis of The Gospel of Matthew

4. Mason's New Testament Cronology

5. Karleen's Outline of Matthew

6. Ryrie's Introduction to The Gospel According to Matthew

7. Ryrie's Outline of The Gospel of Matthew

8. Gaebelein's Introduction to Matthew

9. Gaebelein's Notes on Matthew

10. Ladd's Matthew

11. G. Campbell Morgan's Matthew - Jesus Christ the King

 

---

References: