NEW TESTAMENT SURVEY
Lesson 1. Matthew: The Book Of The King

(Audio Clip)

I. THE THEME OF THE BOOK

A. The primary message, repeated in various ways throughout the book, is the message of Christ's kingship. He was:

1. The MESSIAH, predicted by the prophets.
2. He was the KING.
3. He was the one on whom the GOVERNMENT of God should rest, to fulfill the prophecies in the Old Testament.
4. He was the fulfillment of the Melchizedekian priesthood, a priesthood of KINGS.

Genealogies are printed to prove the heritage of an individual. They establish his importance and his credibility as to whether he is eligible to enter into a position of prominence and power.

B. His kingship is established through the genealogy of Matthew 1.

1. The genealogy is built around two men: ABRAHAM and DAVID.

a. In the Abrahamic covenant God promised Abraham that KINGS would come out of his loins (Gen.12:1-3). David was a fulfillment of that promise.
b. In the Davidic covenant God promised that his seed would sit upon the THRONE of Israel forever (II Samuel 7:5-17).
c. Both covenants were fulfilled in the life of JESUS CHRIST.

2. The genealogy establishes God's unique method of preserving the purity of the lineage.

a. Joseph was a descendent of JECONIAH, a cursed king of Israel. God said none of his descendants would ever sit on the throne of Israel.
b. If Jesus had been the physical son of Joseph, Jeconiah's curse would have been passed on tohim.
c. Jesus is in the kingly line but is not under the curse of Jeconiah and is therefore eligible to rule.

Although the visit of the Magi was a well-known, historical fact, only Matthew--the book of the king--records it.

C. His kingship is also established through the visit of the Magi.

1. The Magi are a unique, powerful force.

a. They were a religious, POLITICAL party in the Persian empire.
b. They were men who believed they had the ability to INTERPRET dreams and to understand the wisdom of the UNIVERSE.
c. Because the state religion of Persia was the religion of the Magi, they were given the political authority to approve or disapprove of KINGS. They were king-makers.
d. When Herod saw the Magi coming, he saw the potential of a MILITARY invasion.
e. The Magi were coming to APPROVE Jesus of his kingship.
f. The gifts they gave Jesus were gifts honoring the eligibility of Jesus to be the king of the Jews.

II. THE AUTHOR OF THE BOOK

A. Matthew's Hebrew name was LEVI, the same name as the ancient tribe of Israel.

B. By vocation Matthew was a tax collector.

1. He was an EDUCATED man, as he was hired by Rome to collect taxes and thus must have been knowledgeable in accounting practices.
2. In the Jewish mind, tax collectors were TRAITORS. Jews hated the tax collectors for extracting the taxes of the day (in addition to any illegitimate profit) from them and sending it to Gentile rulers in Rome. They were outcasts among their own people. So hated were they that they were avoided in the street, they were not allowed to enter the temple, nor were they allowed to offer sacrifices.
3. Jesus' choice of Matthew to be one of the twelve disciples must have seemed strange to the common Jew.
4. Despite his reputation as a tax collector, Matthew desired to take the Gospel of peace back to his fellow Jew. What he heard Jesus say, he believed and he wrote.

"Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:44-45

III. THE PURPOSE OF THE BOOK

A. Matthew shows the Jews, by prophecy and fulfillment, that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised kingly Messiah by the TRIUMPHANT ENTRY, when the people shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David."

B. Matthew shows that the Jews were looking for a king to rule a natural kingdom. Jesus wanted to establish Himself as the ruler of a greater kingdom--a kingdom that would extend to all nations.

C. God's people are called to a greater calling than to perfect this planet.

 

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