Devotions in Matthew # 1

It is considered common historical knowledge that only two of the four Gospels were written by the apostles; Matthew being one, John the other. Though the writer of Matthew does not clearly identify himself at any point, we gather his identity through a combination of revealed fact (within the Gospel itself) and largely undisputed tradition. But while in modern times some scholars may debate whether the writer is the apostle Matthew (some date this Gospel past Matthew’s lifetime), one cannot doubt that the writer is a Jew, speaking to other Jews in the first century AD. Matthew 1:1 says,  “A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:”  ^[1] In this single sentence the writer discloses that it is of primary importance to firstly understand the genealogy of Christ.  More than that, that in so doing we will find Jesus to be directly from the line of David, and directly the descendant of Abraham - a more Jewish history cannot be considered.  To put this first and foremost in his book, the writer must have been addressing Jews (who would grasp the significance of that fact). 

But there is much more in this first sentence than we see at first glance. For to summarize Jesus as the son of David and also the son of Abraham, the writer (we’ll call him Matthew from here on) is making it clear that Jesus is in some way the embodiment of Jewish history. So while we might read Matthew as a Jewish book for Jewish people, we further understand that “Matthew also wrote as a Christian for Christians.”^[2] As the Baker encyclopedia of the Bibles notes, “Matthew takes the form of a theological textbook, a handbook for the church, to instruct the people of God concerning the person and work of Jesus. That these teachings may be more readily and firmly grasped, Matthew presents them in a highly organized and memorable way.”^[3]  Speaking of the great theologian, the same authors state, “According to Wright, Matthew is a revision of the story of Israel as understood in contemporary Judaism.^[4]

Wow.  “A revision of the story of Israel as understood in contemporary Judaism!”  In other words, Matthew wrote his Gospel to purposefully reframe his people’s history so they might understand the significance of Jesus.  He contextualized the Gospel of Jesus to his own people group, so that they might ‘get’ Jesus!  A more significant lesson for us in our time could not be gained, most especially when you consider that this Gospel was written (at the earliest) ~60AD. Matthew (if we take him as the author) would have been an elder among his people. He therefore needed to write this down if his message was ever to transcend the limitations of his own physical age. From that we can gain that either we successfully communicate Jesus Christ to the next generation in our part of the world, or God’s Kingdom advance is slowed because of us. May the Lord give us insight, wisdom and ability to do exactly that!

·      How are you communicating the Gospel to others?

·      In what way is the Lord asking you to frame His message?

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^[1] The Holy Bible: New International Version. (1984). (Mt 1:1). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
^[2] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (p. 1417). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
^[3] Elwell, W. A., & Beitzel, B. J. (1988). In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (p. 1417). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.
^[4] Elwell, W. A., & Elwell, W. A. (1996). In Evangelical dictionary of biblical theology (electronic ed.). Grand Rapids: Baker Book House.