Matthew
The Promised King
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
— Matthew 1:1 (ESV)
Matthew opens the New Testament by introducing Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah promised throughout the Old Testament. The covenants God made with Abraham and David, the words of the prophets, and the hope that sustained Israel all find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. From the opening genealogy, Matthew reminds us that God has not forgotten His promises. The story that began in Genesis reaches its long-awaited fulfillment in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of God's Son.
Throughout his Gospel, Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King who came to establish God's kingdom. Again and again, he pauses to show that Jesus fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophets, reminding us that the New Testament is not a new story but the continuation and fulfillment of the one God had been unfolding from the very beginning.
Beginning in chapter 5, Jesus teaches with remarkable authority in the Sermon on the Mount, revealing what life in God's kingdom looks like. Later, through a collection of parables in chapter 13, He explains how the kingdom begins, grows, and will one day reach its fulfillment. Throughout the Gospel, Matthew also records many miracles that reveal Jesus' authority over sickness, nature, evil spirits, and even death. Yet His greatest victory comes not through earthly power but through humble obedience to the Father. By the time we reach the final three chapters, Jesus willingly gives His life on the cross, rises from the dead, and commissions His followers to carry the good news to every nation.
Matthew serves as a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. Readers who have journeyed through the Law, the Historical Books, the Wisdom Books, and the Prophets now see God's promises fulfilled in one person—Jesus Christ. What was anticipated for centuries is now revealed in the promised Messiah.
The Gospel also teaches what it means to live as citizens of God's kingdom. Jesus calls His followers to pursue humility, mercy, righteousness, forgiveness, faithfulness, and wholehearted love for God and their neighbors. His words continue to challenge, encourage, and transform those who choose to follow Him.
More than any other Gospel writer, Matthew emphasizes Jesus as the promised Messiah and King. He is the Son of David who inherits the everlasting kingdom, the Son of Abraham through whom all nations are blessed, the greater Moses who teaches God's people with divine authority, and Emmanuel—"God with us"—who has come to dwell among His people.
Matthew also shows Jesus succeeding where Israel failed. He remained faithful to the Father in every circumstance and lived the life of perfect obedience that humanity could not. Through His death and resurrection, He established the New Covenant and opened the way for all people to be reconciled to God.
From the earliest days of the Church, believers recognized Matthew as one of the four authoritative Gospels. Early Christian writers consistently identified its author as Matthew, the former tax collector whom Jesus called to become one of His twelve apostles. Because of its strong connection to the Old Testament and its careful record of Jesus' teachings, Matthew quickly became one of the most widely read books among the early churches.
Today, thousands of ancient Greek manuscripts, from early papyrus fragments to nearly complete copies of the New Testament, demonstrate how faithfully Matthew has been preserved through the centuries. They give us confidence that the Gospel we read today faithfully communicates the message first written nearly two thousand years ago.
Matthew invites every reader to recognize Jesus as the promised King and to become His disciple. His kingdom is not built on political power or human ambition but on hearts that trust and obey God. From its opening pages to its closing commission, Matthew declares that God's long-awaited King has come and invites people everywhere to follow Him.
As you read Matthew, notice how often the author reminds us that events in Jesus' life happened "to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet." That recurring theme is one of the Gospel's defining characteristics. Matthew wants us to see that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's promises, not the beginning of a different story.
Read this Gospel with the Old Testament still fresh in your mind. Listen for the echoes of Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and the prophets. As you do, you will discover that the promises you encountered throughout the Old Testament Companion find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. Matthew is the bridge between promise and fulfillment, inviting us to know the King, trust Him, and faithfully follow Him.
Matthew in God's Plan
Creation → Fall → Covenant → Christ → Grace → New Heaven & Earth
Matthew at a Glance
Author: Traditionally, Matthew (also called Levi), one of the twelve apostles and a former tax collector.
Purpose: To present Jesus as the promised Messiah and King, demonstrating that He fulfills the Old Testament Scriptures and calling people to become His disciples.
Date Written: Approximately AD 55–70.
Historical Setting: Judea and Galilee during the ministry of Jesus (approximately 4 BC–AD 30), with the Gospel likely written during the early decades of the Church.
Original Audience: Primarily Jewish believers and seekers, while inviting all people to recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah.
Original Language: Greek
Literary Style: Gospel narrative, biography, teaching discourse, parables, and historical narrative.
Chapters: 28
Key People: Jesus, Mary, Joseph, John the Baptist, Peter, the twelve apostles, the Pharisees, Pontius Pilate, Mary Magdalene.
Key Places: Bethlehem (Jesus' birthplace), Nazareth (where He was raised), Galilee (the region where much of His ministry took place), Capernaum (the center of His Galilean ministry), the Sea of Galilee (where Jesus called several of His disciples and performed many miracles), Jerusalem (the location of His final week, crucifixion, and resurrection), the Mount of Olives (where Jesus taught about His return and later ascended into heaven), Golgotha (the place of His crucifixion).
Earliest Biblical Manuscripts: Early portions of Matthew are preserved in papyrus manuscripts from the second and third centuries AD, including Papyrus 64/67 and Papyrus 104. The oldest nearly complete Greek text is found in Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus (4th century AD).
