THE MINISTRY AND PURPOSE OF CHRIST AS RECORDED IN MATTHEW

TYNDALE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY

Jeremee Michael Tyler





October, 2014.


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THE MINISTRY AND PURPOSE OF CHRIST AS RECORDED IN MATTHEW

INTRODUCTION

Before delving into Matthew the book, it is important to understand the author, which is in fact,
Matthew the person. Matthew was both a tax collector and a Jew; however, due to his ties in
Rome, he was disliked a great deal by those of the Jewish community who knew him.
1
In
Matthew 9:9, while near Capernaum, Jesus Christ approached Matthew and simply told him,
"Follow Me". After hearing this from Jesus, Matthew rose up from where he was, and followed
Jesus. Matthew took it upon himself to expose his fellow tax collectors to the Messiah by
inviting them to hear Him speak.
In regards to the history and time which the gospel of Matthew was written, we find that
Christ indicated the destruction of Jerusalem had yet to take place, and since that occurred in
A.D. 70, it was more than likely written around that time.
2
There are many who believe that the
book of Matthew was quite possibly written around A.D. 50, which would then in turn make it
the first out of the four gospels, while there are others on the other hand, who believe that Marks
gospel was actually the first gospel written and that Matthew was not written until sometime in
the 60s.
When reading the book of Matthew, one will find that through his writings, he provides a
substantial amount of strong evidence which all the more solidifies Jesus as the true fulfillment
of Old Testament prophecies. Matthew wrote to the Jewish people to help answer their
questions about the claims of Jesus of Nazareth to be their promised Messiah; Matthew points
out how Jesus of Nazareth did those things; therefore, Jesus is the promised Messiah. Matthew

1
Ryrie, Charles C. Ryrie's concise guide to the Bible. San Bernardino, Calif.: Here's Life Publishers, 1983, 118

2
Ibid, 119
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often shows how Jesus fulfilled Old Testament prophecies (MT. 1:22; 8:17; 12:17; 21:4; 27:9).
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In observance of such texts, we can conclude that Matthew's account of Christs life proves all
the more to us that Gods word is infallible, due to its validity and consistency of truths.

THE THEME, OUTLINE AND PURPOSE OF MATTHEWS GOSPEL
Each gospel has its own distinct uniqueness to it, while at the same time, never veering in an
opposite direction from the other three. Matthews gospel in particular, gives emphasis on Christ
as the Messiah, which in Hebrew means anointed, and Christ embodies this title being that He
is the Anointed King (Acts 10:38, 1 Timothy 6:16). Matthew gives us insight into Jesus the
teacher (MT. 4:23, 9:35) by shedding light on what He said in every sermon and the importance
of the words He spoke. When reading any of the gospels, we quickly learn that Christ, in His
wisdom, made it a point to never waste His words.
Jesus always had a reason for opening His mouth; He was always on mission and
constantly focused on why He came to earth. Let us not forget, Christ backed up His words with
His actions. Some may say that this thought I am going to present is a stretch, however I believe
it to be true, that Jesus was intentionally precise with His words, so much so, that He made it a
point to let His actions speak for themselves in order that we as believers could see the
importance of living out what we speak, rather than speaking and not living out what we claim to
believe. There is a quote I have often heard used a great deal by non-believers and believers alike
by Mahatma Gandhi which says, I like your Christ, but I do not like your Christians. Your
Christans are so unlike your Christ. Such a quote as this does not have to be so, that we do not
seek to glorify God in all we do (1 Corinthians 10:31), why? Because we (the body of Christ)

3
Ibid, 119
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have the greatest role model in Jesus, and Matthew does an incredible job of documenting His
life so that there is no confusion as to who we are to follow, or look to. Flaws are imminent, and
unintentional actions can be forgiven, however consistently being ignorant to Jesus words will
cause such beliefs as that of Gandhis; I pray that we break such a mold, by living genuine lives,
that are not merely routines out of religious duty, but instead, actions motivated by the love,
grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ.
Jesus actions were so impactful that even when He told a man who He healed of leprosy
not to tell others what took place, the man could not resist (Mark 7:36), nor could the woman at
the well (John 4:39). Seeing such instances as these cause one to wonder, how is it possible that
anyone who came into contact with Christ did not leave changed? Surely, one must intentionally
spiritually resist Him, which in turn leads to a life of pride and emptiness unto death. This is not
to say that Jesus life and teachings had any less impact, or that He lacked influence, not even
close. Even the demons knew who the Christ was (MT. 8:29), and even when seeing Him in
person, there were still those who denied Him as God in the flesh. Jesus knew that He was going
to be denied, regardless of His authority. In a world where humanism was (and still is) in full
effect, Jesus broke this disgusting point of view, by pointing His disciples and audience to the
Father, rather than themselves (MT. 5:48, 23:9). Jesus Christ was well aware that due to carnal
tendencies, man naturally trusts his own ways rather than the Fathers, He made sure He let them
know that such beliefs will only lead them further away from the truth.
Throughout each of the various sections in Matthew, there is a conversation within each
one, or, as Merrill C. Tenney states, "Matthew is the Gospel of Discourse".
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When examining the
outline for this gospel, it can be broken up into eight separate sections which are, "The

4
Tenney, Merrill C... New Testament survey. [Rev. ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961, 158

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Prophecies Realized (1:1-4:11), The Principles Announced (4:12-7:29), The Power Revealed
(8:1-11:1), The Program Explained (11:2-13:53), The Purpose Declared (13:54-19:2), The
Problems Presented (19:3-26:2), The Passion Accomplished (26:3-28:10) and The Epilogue
(28:11-20)".
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When reading the gospel of Matthew, it is imperative that as believers we
understand who Jesus Christ was, who He is and why Hes so important to the Christian faith,
whats more, why Hes so important to this world. Jesus is the pinnacle of hope (Titus 2:13), the
King of the Jews (Matthew, 27:37, Mark 15:2, Luke 23:3, John 19:9) and the Answer to
salvation (1 John 4:14, John 3:16) which man could never grant himself.
In Matthew, we find that Jesus is many great things (hope, grace, mercy, love, etc.), but
one thing that He is not, is many gods. As mentioned previously, He is God in the flesh. And
though some may be confused or may even say this is not possible, it is, it is fact and it must
never be distorted. To say that Christ was one of many gods is a false doctrine and is not biblical
in any way, shape or form. Christ is part of the Trinity, also known as the Father, the Son and the
Holy Spirit, in other words, three in one, not one of many. This further proves the complexity of
trying to understand God entirely, and just how feeble man is in comparison. We can get to know
Him more and grow in our relationship, but our human minds will never comprehend His
greatness. Knowing that God is so great should only cause one to be all the more in love and
astounded by such awesomeness. From Genesis to Revelation, the scriptures remain consistent
and point back to the gospels. And although the Old Testament is filled with Prophecies leading
up to, and in direct correspondence with, the arrival of Christ (as recorded in the synoptic
Gospels), there is no question that the New Testament (aside from the synoptic gospels) is
flooded with verses pointing back to, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as well. And again, this is

5
Ibid.
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in the sense of referring to, versus prophecies pointing towards Christs (first) arrival via birth
and introduction to the world as Messiah (MT. 16:16).
Being that He is indeed the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ fills the void, the
astronomically wide gap between both God and man as our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), the
sacrificial Lamb (Romans 3:25), the solidified Savior (2 Peter 3:18), and lastly, the Author and
Finisher of the Christian faith (Hebrews 12:2). Granted, there a thousands more names one could
use to try and define Jesus (as mentioned on page 2), however, to attempt to lock Christ down to
one definition would be in vain, for there are no words to describe His majesty.
As believers, it is very important that we realize Christs arrival and sacrifice was an
absolute necessity, due to the fall (Genesis 3:1-24), and based upon the fact that, in Adam all
die (1 Corinthians 15:22), meaning that, due to the sin Adam brought into this world, death was
the result. However, the second half of that verse cannot be ignored, which says, In Christ all
will be made alive. After reading such a beautiful and factual verse, it would in fact be perfectly
correct for one to make the following claim, In Christ is life and freedom from sin, for He is
the personification of sacrificial redemption! Although the primary focus of this study is on
Matthew, those previously mentioned verses help us to see, that throughout all of Scripture, there
are verses which add to Matthews perspective of Christ; furthermore, they show us that
Matthews various accounts of Jesus works are spot on, and they cannot be discredited nor
shrugged off as mere gossip or hearsay. Though many try to discredit Christs claims and the
validity of the gospels, there is just too much factual support to prove He was who He said He
was when He walked the earth.
It goes without saying; however I shall say it regardless, there is no one else that Matthew
centers on besides Jesus, He is absolutely, positively, the primary purpose, subject, and crux of
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all that we read in the beautifully constructed first gospel. From the very first words of his
Gospel, Matthew recorded his central theme and character. Jesus Christ is the main character in
Matthews presentation, and the opening verse connected Him back to two great covenants in
Jewish history: the Davidic (2 Samuel 7) and the Abrahamic (Genesis 12; 15).
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The origin of
Christs birth is given, along with those whom Christ genealogically descended from, or as we
would call it in our current day and age, His family tree.
Mary, who was married to Joseph, became pregnant with Jesus at a very young age. What
makes this pregnancy one of a kind (literally), is that Mary was a virgin at the time, which means
that up to this point, she had never once slept with any other man, including Joseph. Mary was
faithful, and she remained so during her entire life. Naturally, when Joseph discovered his wifes
pregnancy he was more than likely affected mentally with a heavy heart; we can draw such a
conclusion from Matthew 1: 19, where out of respect for his wife, Joseph planned on sending
Mary away quietly so that she would not become embarrassed due to an assumed sexual act of
adultery, which of course was not true by any means.
Mary being sent away by Joseph never took place because the Lord (in His sovereignty)
sent an angel to appear in Josephs dream and notify him of the true reason behind his wifes
pregnancy, which was not done by a male being, but instead caused by the Holy Spirit (MT.
1:20). In Josephs dream, he was instructed by the angel of the Lord to name his son Jesus (MT.
1:21), which when transliterated to the Hebrew language means, Yahweh Saves, Lord Saves,
or, Yahweh Salvation. No other name in all the history of the world has been so fitting for
another being, especially when it comes to actually living out the names meaning, and Christ
does so flawlessly. Christs miraculous birth was without question of great significance, and as

6
Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible knowledge commentary. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 18
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we read on, we find that it was when He was a young adult, that a great deal of what He is
known for today took place.
There are certain aspects to Gods Kingdom, which manifest themselves during Christs
adult years. Dr. Stanley Toussaint provides great insight into such aspects in regards to Jesus
ministry by making the following statements, Matthew presented three aspects to God's
kingdom program. First, Jesus presented Himself to the Jews as the king that God had promised
in the Old Testament. Second, Israel's leaders rejected Jesus as their king. This resulted in the
postponement, not the cancellation, of the messianic kingdom that God had promised Israel.
Third, because of Israel's rejection, Jesus is now building His church in anticipation of His return
to establish the promised messianic kingdom on the earth.
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Dr. Toussaint points out, that even
though Christ was rejected; this did not cause the Lord to cancel the Kingdom, but instead, place
it on hold, which is in and of itself an incredible testament to Gods goodness. Every synoptic
gospel reiterates an interesting and consistent theme, which is, that Christ came to the people,
they heard all of His declarations, and then soon afterwards, they rejected him and ultimately,
there were repercussions because of such rejections.
Matthew really helps us to understand what it would have been like to see Christ in the
flesh. And although all of the accounts Matthew mentions took place more than a millennium
ago, they still put the amazing imagery in our minds, challenging us to imagine how it must have
been to be a disciple or student of Matthews time, and witness all that they had the benefit of
witnessing firsthand. Matthew passed over Jesus' childhood quickly to relate His preparation for
presentation to Israel as her King. He recorded three events that prepared Jesus for His ministry:
the ministry of Jesus' forerunner, John the Baptist (3:1-12), Jesus' baptism (3:13-17), and Jesus'

7
Constable, Thomas. "Notes on Matthew." www.soniclight.org.ww.soniclight.org/constable/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf
(accessed October 2, 2014), 5
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temptation (4:1-11).
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It appears as though Matthew was extremely eager to share every
incredible experiential event he had with Jesus, and because so much happened, he wanted to be
sure he documented as much as he possibly could in regards to what he learned from the
Messiah. So it would be very hard for us to say that Matthew recorded every single bit and piece
of each encounter the Messiah had, being that, Christ never went anywhere without leaving a
mark in some way.
There is so much passion, so much gratitude, and love in Matthews gospel; you can see
that He was left awestruck by our Savior, and in complete astonishment of what came out of
Jesus mouth every time He spoke. Assumptions are hardly ever wise, if at all, but in this
instance I believe that it would be safe to assume, that this is perhaps why so much of Matthew is
focused on Jesus as a teacher. For those who loved to learn, Jesus most definitely provided a lot
for such people, the beauty is that, what He taught, far exceeded natural knowledge, being that it
was godly wisdom, rather than humanistic, philosophical ideals that the people of Matthew and
Jesus time were so accustomed to. Christ comes in with something so refreshing and so vital, at
a time when it was so desperately needed, at a time when so many people, such as the Pharisees
tried so hard to put on a show, here comes Jesus in full transparency, bearing his heart and
eventually sacrificing His life.

THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST, AS RECORDED BY MATTHEW
As we read through Matthews gospel, we find that there is a wide array of important
matters and events that took place during the time of Christs ministry. We also find that while
on this earth, He did so much in so little time which is another testament to Jesus ability to

8
Ibid., 48
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consistently and constantly, remain proactive in keeping a Kingdom mindset without
compromise, hence, why He is to be our prime example of a biblical role model.
When our hearts are in direct alignment with Gods word and we seek to model our lives
after Jesus without compromising, we can rest assured, that He will be pleased with our actions.
It is important to remember, that as long as Christ is at the center of our lives and we believe in
Him, propitiation will in fact be applied to us personally, and we should never fear that if we
mess up, God is going to let us go, even when our actions dont line up perfectly, though not
excused without consequence, He still loves us to an unexplainable degree, His grace is never
ending. Although there were times He was alone with His disciples and taught only them, Jesus
still made it a point to teach those of His day the truths of the Father. Below are examples of
such truths, chapter by chapter, with an intentional exclusion of Jesus divine birth, due to
previous mentioning of this time in history (please refer to page 6).

MOVING THROUGH MATTHEW
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(CHAPTER BY CHAPTER)


3 John the Baptist, forerunner of King, announces kingdom and baptizes
Jesus, the King
4 Testing of the King in wilderness begins public ministry at Capernaum
calls disciples
5, 6, 7 Sermon on the Mount
(1) Relationship of subjects of kingdom to self, 5:1-16
(2) Relationship of subjects of kingdom to Law, 5:17-48
(3) Relationship of subjects of kingdom to God, 6
(4) Relationship of children of King to each other, 7
8 Six miracles of King demonstrate His dynamic to enforce ethics of
Sermon on the Mount
9 Performs six more miracles calls Matthew contends with Pharisees
10 Jesus commissions twelve to preach gospel of the kingdom to nation
Israel
11 Quizzed by disciples of John rejects unrepentant cities issues
new invitation to individuals

9
Ibid., 4-5
10

12 Conflict and final break of Jesus with religious rulers
13 Mystery parables of kingdom of heaven
14 John the Baptist beheaded Jesus feeds 5,000 sends disciples into
storm at sea walks on water to them
15 Jesus denounces scribes and Pharisees heals daughter of Syrophoenician
woman and multitudes feeds 4,000
16 Conflict with Pharisees and Sadducees confession from disciples,
Peter spokesman Jesus first confronts them with church, His death
and resurrection
17 Transfiguration demon-possessed boy tax money provided by
miracle
18 Little child lost sheep conduct in coming church parable on
Forgiveness.
19 Gods standard for marriage and divorce little children blessed
rich young ruler apostles position in coming kingdom
20 Parable of laborers in vineyard Jesus makes 4th and 5th announcements
of His approaching death mother requests places of honor for
James and John Jesus restores sight to two men
21 King offers Himself publicly and finally to nation cleanses temple
curses fig tree condemns religious rulers with parables of two
sons and householder
22 Parable of marriage feast for kings son Jesus answers and silences
Herodians, Sadducees, Pharisees
23 Jesus warns against and pronounces woes upon scribes and Pharisees
weeps over Jerusalem
24, 25 Olivet Discourse:
Jesus answers questions about sign of end of age and sign of His coming
Parable of ten virgins parable of eight talents judgment of
sheep and goat nations
26 Jesus plotted against anointed by Mary of Bethany sold by Judas
observes last Passover and first Lords Supper agonizes in
Gethsemane arrested and tried by religious rulers disowned by
Peter
27 Trial, death and burial of the King
28 Resurrection of the King His great commission
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Looking at all of these aforementioned accounts by the Apostle Matthew, it is evident
that Jesus was on a relentless pursuit for the hearts of the lost. Jesus engaged the culture, and saw
them as His ministry; He did not exclude anyone from His teachings, or only preach the truths of
the Kingdom to one specific race and social class. Jesus was always open to everyone coming to

10
Ibid., 4-5
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the saving knowledge of Him as their Messiah. Jesus passion for people is undeniable, just as
His goal to reach everyone He met was. It burned within Christ to change those who met Him
forever; and it should be so in the hearts of every Christian as well. Knowing all of this, the only
way one can keep the same mindset, is to completely, wholeheartedly, surrender our will to
Gods, depending solely on Christ, and being lead by His Spirit on a daily basis. To depend on
our carnality will only further push us away from Gods primary purpose and reason for our
existence, which is in fact, to reach a culture who opposes His word, and glorify Him in the
process. The beauty of such devotion is that when surrendering to Gods will, this will in turn
bring Him the glory. As we humble ourselves, God is lifted up in true glorification, because
instead of fighting for the spotlight, we are pledging allegiance to Him, rather than the enemy.
And anyone who says that they believe in Jesus, but they do not believe they are to share the
gospel is gravely mistaken. Although there a times we may not say His name in a public setting,
the opportunities to reach the lost are endless. If our hearts are still beating revealing were alive,
then so are our opportunities. As Christians, we have a sense of urgency to share the gospel, for
we know that there are many people in this world on sinking ships. However, we know the One
who is greater than a life-vest, we know the life-giver Himself, Jesus Christ!

CONCLUSION
You must know Matthew to understand the Bible. You can no more understand the Bible
without understanding the Gospel of Matthew than you can write without an Alphabet.
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Once
the believer gets a grasp on the book of Matthew, only then can they begin to understand who
Jesus was and why He means so much to us. While it remains true that understanding the price

11
McGee, J. Vernon. "Notes and Outlines MATTHEW." Discipleship Library.
http://www.discipleshiplibrary.com/pdfs/40001MAT.pdf (accessed October 2, 2014), 4.
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Jesus paid in the atonement for sins is far beyond human comprehension, this does not mean that
we should ever stop seeking to know Him more. And if there be anything to learn from the
Apostle Matthew, it would be to simply, follow Jesus.
The moment Jesus Christ told Matthew to follow Him, he did so without hesitance, and
may we who believe do the same in all that we do, from here unto eternity. The final mandate
given by Jesus Christ was, Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I
commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (MT.28:19-20). The
word, lo in Greek, simply means, Behold, and as I mentioned before, Jesus is very
intentional with every word He ever used. Therefore, it is imperative that we behold all that He
said, all that He did, and all that He represents, understanding that there was always a reason for
each and every action, word, or deed done by Him.
We have been given a mandate, in a sense, a Christian Mission Statement, and it was
given by our King, the Christ. The live as a Christian is not a job requirement filled with to-do
lists meant to be checked off on a daily basis. To be a Christian, is to refuse to live as the world
does, to rebel against the culture (in a biblical manner) and to surrender to a lifestyle which does
not contradict the Holy Scriptures. To take bits and pieces of the Bibles verses for the benefit of
self, would be to water down, and take lightly what Jesus had to say, and would be extremely
disrespectful to our Creator, who time and time again, has protected His people.
In Revelation 3:16, the term lukewarm is mentioned, it is important to note, that
nowhere afterwards are the terms Christian or follower of Christ, which should cause all of
us to be wary of ever assuming that a lukewarm mindset is a reasonable approach to following
Jesus, because it never will be. God receives glory regardless of our actions, but I find that the
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sweetest joy when I see the Lord face to face would be to fall at His feet in reverence and awe
while hearing Him say, Well done. For on that day, I can finally rest, knowing that in
complete confidence, I gave it my all in this life for Gods glory and the advancement of His
Kingdom, by sharing the Gospel as requested by His Son, our promised Messiah. For all of us,
until that day comes, I pray that the mission remains the same, to live like Jesus, and share His
love.

















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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Constable, Thomas. "Notes on Matthew." www.soniclight.org.
http://www.soniclight.org/constable/notes/pdf/matthew.pdf (accessed October 2,
2014).

McGee, J. Vernon. "Notes and Outlines MATTHEW." Discipleship Library.
http://www.discipleshiplibrary.com/pdfs/40001MAT.pdf (accessed October 2,
2014).

Ryrie, Charles Caldwell. Ryrie's Concise guide to the Bible. San Bernardino, Calif.:
Here's Life Publishers, 1983.

Tenney, Merrill C.. New Testament survey. [Rev. Ed. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1961.

Walvoord, John F.. Matthew: thy kingdom come. Chicago: Moody Press, 1974.

Walvoord, John F., and Roy B. Zuck. The Bible knowledge commentary: an exposition of
the scriptures. Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 19831985.