Although Matthew appears as the first book in the Gospels, it was not the first book written.
It does, however, contain some beloved stories:
The Sermon on the Mount, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Golden Rule (treat others as you want them to treat you) are all in this book.
It is perhaps the best known and most quoted of all the books. It is written about Jesus. That is probably the reason Matthew was placed first amongst the four books about Jesus called the Gospels.
One of the most important ideas found here is that God expects God’s people to be obedient and that is what is meant by the Greek word that appears in many translations as “righteousness”. It is used seven times by Matthew (but only once by Luke and not at all by Mark). This is an important clue as to what Matthew wants his readers to understanding about the teaching of Jesus.
Jesus first uses this word at his own baptism when he tells John the Baptist “for now this is how it should be because we must do all that God wants us to do” (3:15)
During the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus speaks five more times of what God’s people must do to obey God. (5: 6, 10, 20, 6: 1, 33)
Finally, Jesus reminds the chief priests and leaders of the people “John the Baptist showed you how to do it right” (21: 32)
The writer of Matthew wanted to provide for the people of his time a record of Jesus’ message and ministry. It is clear that the Old Testament Scriptures were very important to these people and Matthew never failed to show when these texts pointed to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah sent from God.
Matthew wrote this book to make sure the followers of Jesus (later called Christians) knew that their faith in Jesus as the Messiah was well anchored in the Old Testament Scriptures and to help them grow in faith.
Matthew ends his story with the words of Jesus to his followers, which tell what they are to do after he leaves them.
“I have given you all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world.”
(Matthew 28: 18b-20)
Pastor Beryl