The book of Matthew was written and by one of Jesus’ apostles. Matthew
was a tax collector before he was called by
Jesus to be a disciple. The
pedigree and ancestry of ‘Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of
Abraham’, was outlined from the generation of Abraham to David and then
to Jesus, who is called Christ. The angel of God appeared to Joseph in
a dream, urging him to take his virgin-wife’s
conception
because ‘that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost’. The
intrigue and suspense that was created by King Herod’s sheer jealousy
after the revelation of Jesus’ birth to him by the wise men, was
highlighted. Jesus had to go on exile in Egypt because of Herod’s
dangerous desperation. Though Bethlehem was the city of his birth,
Jesus returned to Nazareth due to a divine warning handed down to
Joseph in a dream. The ministry of John the Baptist
characterized by exhortations to repentance and baptism with water at
the River Jordan, was the forerunner for Jesus’ ministry. Jesus was
baptized by John and led by the spirit into the wilderness to be
tempted of the devil after fasting for forty days and forty nights.
Jesus started preaching repentance, he healed many, his fame escalated
consequently, and he gave a long authority and kingdom-based sermon on
the mount. Jesus healed many more, stilled the tempest, gave his twelve
disciples power of healing and deliverance. He sends out his disciples
to preach the gospel, heal the sick and ‘give freely’ but not to the
Gentiles. John’s incarceration by Herod made him doubt Jesus as the
Messiah. Jesus rebuked him and revealed as the Elijah which was to
come. The Pharisees sought to rubbish and disprove Jesus based on the
laws of Moses but Jesus reproved them. The parable of the sower and the
seed, the parable of the tares, the parable of the mustard seed, the
parable of the leaven, the parables of the hidden treasure and the
pearl of great price and the parable of the drag net were parables that
portrayed Jesus’ teachings. John was beheaded, Jesus continued, doing
wondrous things everywhere. Peter confessed Christ just before the
transfiguration on the mount. Jesus healed more people giving more
teachings and parables. At a point, Jesus came down heavily on the
Scribes and the Pharisees. The destruction of Jerusalem and the signs
of the last days were foretold. The Lord’s Supper, Peter’s denial,
Christ’s appearance before Pilate, Christ’s crucifixion and
resurrection were the highly significant events that concluded the book
of Matthew.