Let's Dig Into Something Meaty!

In this section, we will dive a little deeper into the Bible. I have found that a lot of theological ground can be covered if I work my way through a book of the Bible, verse-by-verse. Better stated, we will actually go passage-by-passage, bringing clarity to many of the archaic or mysterious phrases, customs, and word usages which tend to make the Bible so hard to understand.

Have you ever watched an old "Leave it to Beaver" episode and snickered at Wally or the Beave when they described something as "keen," or when June would get upset when Wally used the term, "going ape," to describe Eddie Haskell when perturbed? The language, though we understood what they meant, was a bit odd to our modern sensibilities. That is only natural because so much has changed in the 65+ years since that show was filmed. Compare that to a book like the Bible where the "newest" section is 2,000 years old! Of course it's hard to grasp what they mean, especially when reading it in the King James Version! (I actually prefer the New King James Version)

Therefore, my promise to you is this: If you follow this verse-by-verse, passage-by-passage, book-by-book study blog, you will come to a better understanding of what the Bible is actually saying. I will also make you another promise: By the time we get through the very first book (The Gospel of Matthew), you will be absolutely amazed at how relevant, timeless, true, and alive the Scriptures are!

So, while this section (above the picture of those juicy steaks) will remain as is in order to introduce this study to new readers, everything underneath the steaks will be updated and a new teaching will replace the last. However, if anyone wants to begin at the beginning (a great place to begin!), the entire teaching series will be archived in order. The first teaching will be entitled, "Introduction to Matthew." Enjoy!

Introduction to

The Gospel According to Matthew

A Brief Timeline of Events Between the Old and New Testaments

I know that many of you may already be familiar with the Bible and the way it presents the unfolding history of the Jewish nation, both good and bad. However, in an effort to get everyone on the same page, so to speak, I feel it necessary to give a very brief timeline of events leading up to the Gospel According to Matthew, also known as the Intertestamental Period. As we go through the different books of the Bible, I will address a great deal more of the details leading up to this "time between," but for our purposes here, I will merely set the stage:

~931 BC-- The nation of Israel is divided into the northern kingdom of Israel, and the southern kingdom of Judah

~720 BC-- Kingdom of Israel conquered, dispersed, and assimilated by Sargon II of Assyria

605 BC-- Babylonians invade Judah; Daniel taken to Babylon

597 BC-- Babylon captures Jerusalem; Ezekiel taken captive

586 BC-- Babylonians destroy Jerusalem and the temple; End of Judah's monarchy

539 BC-- Fall of Babylon; Rise of the Persian Empire; Cyrus II allows Jews to return to their land

~516 BC-- Jewish temple is rebuilt (Ezra); Walls of Jerusalem (Old City/Zion) rebuilt (Nehemiah)

~426 BC-- Malachi writes his prophecies, a final warning to the corrupt, empty, and unloving priests

~400 years without any word from God (the Intertestamental Period)

~6-4 BC-- John the Baptist and Jesus born; The setting for the opening chapter of the Gospel According to Matthew

What we know about the Gospel According to Matthew

"When we turn to Matthew, we turn to the book which may well be called the most important single document of the Christian faith, for in it we have the fullest and the most systematic account of the life and teachings of Jesus."

(William Barclay from The First Three Gospels, p. 197)

One more bit of clarification is in order: The word, gospel, simply means "good news." Therefore, if I were to call it the Gospel of Matthew, that would be saying, "the Good News of Matthew." But it's not about Matthew's good news, but the good news of Jesus' coming to pay for the sins of the world! And so, this is why I have been typing it all out as the "Gospel According to Matthew." But, because it's such a mouth-full, or better stated, a hand-full since I'm typing it, I will henceforth call it Matthew the way Mr. Barclay did in the quote above.

Of the four Gospels that open the New Testament (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), the first 3 are known as the "Synoptic Gospels," synoptic being 2 Greek-rooted words (syn: together; and optic; see), which mean "seen together." In plain language, they are simply telling the story of Jesus' time on earth as a sort of play-by-play account. John, while it effectively tells many of the same stories as the others, has a special purpose in its formulation, but that is a discussion for another day.

An interesting fact about those four Gospels is that none of them are signed, so the authorship of those accounts have been argued over for almost as long as they have been in existence. However, several clues within the accounts themselves have either cemented their authorship (such is the case for Luke and John), or at least made a very convincing case for their writers (such is the case for Matthew and Mark). This is also a discussion for another day. Suffice it to say, though it really wouldn't matter if it was named incorrectly due to the gravity of the book's content, we can be pretty confident that the book was named properly.

One thing of which there is no doubt, Matthew (a decidedly Hebrew name) was definitely written by a Jew, and for Jewish consumption. We know this because the other 2 synoptic Gospels go through the effort of defining several Hebrew words and customs. Matthew, however, doesn't even bother, assuming that his target audience inherently understands what he is saying. In fact, most scholars agree that Matthew seems to have been written for the sole purpose of refuting every Jewish objection to Jesus' Messiahship. (not sure if that's a real word, but it is now!)

There are several other proofs for the Jewishness of Matthew, but the main proof is also what makes Matthew a beautifully evangelistic (soul-winning) and apologetically oriented (truth-arguing) book: The sheer number of Old Testament quotes. An amazing fact is, Matthew contains direct quotes from, or inferences to, almost every Old Testament book; and for the volume of these, more than all the writings of the Apostle Paul, who wrote nearly 2/3rds of the New Testament! There can be no doubt, then, that Matthew was written as a direct and heartfelt plea for Jewish souls.

For Matthew's readers, during the early days of the Church, the possession of such an account must have been a blessing beyond compare! Outside of oral accounts from eye-witnesses, they would have been stumbling in the dark to follow Jesus' teachings. For those fortunate enough to have a hand-copied edition, it would have served as the whole of their New Testament. How blessed we are today to have access to the entire Bible in such a convenient format to read at our leisure--or too often, to sit unread and dusty upon a shelf.

The Highlights and Format of Matthew

Matthew (or, Levi, as he was known when Jesus called him to service), had turned his back on his Jewish kin and was working for the Roman invaders as a small-time, corrupt, and less-than-dirt tax collector (at least in the eyes of his fellow Jews), chasing after the money and comfort that his lucrative and notoriously dishonest profession offered. However, when Jesus said, "Follow Me" (9:9), Matthew dropped everything, all the comforts of the world, and followed Jesus without looking back! This in mind, it is interesting that, of all the Gospels, Matthew, more than any other, calls out the scribes' and pharisees' corruption and hypocrisy, while also shining a spotlight on the power of faith and the gift of the Savior's grace.

As for the structure of Matthew, there are several methods which can be used. However, due to our verse-by-verse format of study, we can dispense with most of those and focus on the overall theme, which is clear from the book as a whole: Jesus is King! In fact, Matthew references His kingdom no less than 33 times! Here is a short list of Matthew's references to Jesus' kingship:

• His lineage traced back to King David

• The Magi (wise men) asked for the "King of the Jews"

• Several characters, and even crowds, call Him "Son of David"

• Pontius Pilate asks if He is "King of the Jews"

• His Cross is adorned with a sign reading, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews"

• And the final passage of the Gospel quotes the risen Jesus as proclaiming, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth." (28:18b)

All that said (and I know I spent a lot of time introducing it!), we are now fully up to speed and a foundation is laid, onto which we can build our knowledge of this first Gospel. I promised you some meat, and I understand if you think I've been picking at our salad while our steak gets cold, but I did that to be sure that students (if you're reading this, it means you want to learn something, making you a student) of all levels can start our study at the same place. Hopefully, I've done that.

In the next installment, we will start our study at Chapter 1: verse 1! I'll see you then!