Matthew

Matthew was a publican (tax collector) when Christ called him to be His disciple and then chose him to be one of the 12 apostles (Matt. 9:9; 10:1-7). He will be one of the 12 princes that will judge the 12 tribes of Israel in the Kingdom (Matt. 19:28). The book of Matthew was written by a Jewish apostle about a Jewish Christ and His Jewish Kingdom. 

There are 23 direct quotes of the OT and 76 references to it in 28 chapters. The phrase “that it might be fulfilled” occurs 10 times, “which was spoken” occurs 14 times, and there are other similar phrases. The church which is the Body of Christ was a mystery hid in God until revealed through the apostle Paul (Eph. 3) and has to do with His eternal purpose for the heavenly places. Therefore, the book of Matthew is not written to or about the Body of Christ (neither are the other 3 Gospels). The events recorded by Matthew transpired under the dispensation of the LAW (Matt. 5:17-20; 8:4; 19:17; 23:1-3; 24:20).

Matthew presents Christ as the promised King (1:1, comp. Gen. 5:1). God made an everlasting covenant with Abraham who was the father of the Hebrew people (Gen. 12, 15, 17) and confirmed it to Isaac and Jacob. He promised to make of him a great nation and to give them a land. He also made an everlasting covenant with David concerning his throne and the kingdom (2 Sam. 7). Christ came to confirm the promises that God made to the Jewish fathers (Rom. 15:8). Notice the order in v.1. 

I. Jesus Christ as the Son of David (1-12), the kingdom proclaimed

II. Jesus Christ as the Son of Abraham (13-28), the King rejected 

The word "kingdom" is used 56 times. The term “kingdom of heaven” is unique to Matthew and is found 32 times. This is not talking about God’s kingdom in heaven but the God of heaven establishing His kingdom on the EARTH (6:10; Dan. 2:44; Jer. 23:5). The gospel of the kingdom is the good news that the promised kingdom was at hand. The 12 apostles preached the gospel of the kingdom without believing in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ (Lk. 9:1-6; 18:31-34). 

 

The term “kingdom of God” is used 70 times in the NT (8 by Paul). It is found 5 times in Matthew and 50 times in the other 3 Gospels. God is an eternal King (1 Tim. 1:17) and as such he has an eternal kingdom. The kingdom of God is a general designation that could refer to the eternal and spiritual aspect of God’s kingdom. The kingdom of heaven is a specific designation that refers to the kingdom of God being established upon the earth. That is why the terms are used interchangeably (Matt. 16:27-28 with Lk. 9:27-28; 13:28-29; 14:15; 19:11; 21:31; 22:16-18; 23:51). Christ did not come to establish a spiritual kingdom like so many teachers claim because that has always existed. He came to establish His kingdom on the EARTH! Rejecting God’s commandment to rightly divide the word of truth, the covenant theologians have to “spiritualize” the literal promises that God made to the literal nation of Israel. They accuse dispensationalists of making Christ out to be failure because we teach the kingdom was postponed and will be established later. Christ did not fail, His people did. If you reject dispensational truth, you will make God out to be an unfaithful liar! 

The Right of Jesus Christ to be the King:

I. The Legal Right (1) – His royal lineage 

II. The Royal Right (2) – Born King of the Jews

III. The Prophetic Right (3) – The prophesied forerunner

IV. The Moral Right (4) – The righteous King 

V. The Legislative Right (5-7) – The law of the kingdom 

VI. The Miraculous Right (8-11) – The signs of the kingdom 

VII. The Pivotal Chapter (12) – Warning of the unpardonable sin

VIII. The Preparation of the Disciples for His Rejection (13-26)

IX. The Crucifixion of the King (27)

X. The Resurrection of the King (28)

Concerning His earthly ministry, Matthew has two clear sections:

1) From that time Jesus began (4:17)

2) From that time forth began Jesus (16:21)

Many wrongly think that Christ began to reveal the present mystery age in chapter 13. The parables were about the mysteries of the KINGDOM, i.e. further revelation about the kingdom not found in the OT prophets. When Christ declared, “I will build my church” He was not revealing a new purpose but rather confirming the fact that He would accomplish what He came to do even though He must first be rejected (Matt. 16:13-17:2). From beginning to end, Matthew is all about the KINGDOM. 

Mountain = Kingdom (Isa. 2:1-5). Significant mountains in Matthew: 

1) The charter of the kingdom (Matt. 5-7) – Pure law and religion 

2) The vision of the kingdom (Matt. 17:1-13) Suffering and then the glory 

3) The signs of His coming kingdom (Matt. 24-25) – NOT the rapture of the Church!

4) The kingdom commission (Matt. 28:16-20) – NOT our commission!