Matthew - GodWords: Theology and Other Good Stuff

Articles about Matthew

The biblical Gospel of Matthew is the first of the New Testament’s four gospels. Major themes include Israel’s rejection of the awaited Messiah, criticism of self-righteous Jewish leaders, and the “Kingdom of Heaven.” Jesus is shown to be the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah, describing Him as the Son of David, the Son of Man, and the Son of God.

Much of Matthew is drawn from the earliest gospel, Mark. It also shares some sayings with Luke, which suggests a shared but unknown source known as Q.

Authorship of the Gospel of Matthew

Who wrote the Gospel of Matthew? Was it originally written in Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew? Can these two lines of evidence be reconciled? Look at evidence from the early church, including Papias, Tertullian, Eusebius, and more.

The Sons Are Exempt from the Law

We who follow Jesus take part in the new covenant, but some are confused about whether Christians are included in the old. Here we see in Matthew 17 that Jesus' followers are exempt from the Law because we are children of the King.

External References to the Gospel of Matthew

References to the Gospel of Matthew from the first 400 years of Christian history, including Papias, Clement, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp, and the Didache. These references are an important part of establishing the historicity of the Bible.

Kingdom of Heaven or Kingdom of God?

Is the Kingdom of Heaven the same as the Kingdom of God? Are they different? If they're the same, why do different books of the Bible use different words to describe the same thing? What does each phrase mean? The Bible is complicated. While it looks like a single book, it's really a group of 66 unique books.

Love One Another

Sounds simple, right? That sounds good to me… if everybody loved everybody else, our world would be far, far better. There would be no crime. No slavery. No prostitution. No abortion. Nobody would go hungry. Nobody would take advantage of another’s generosity. There would be no need for soldiers, or courts, or lawyers, or police. There would no metal detectors at airports, or security guards at the mall.

The Parable of the Two Sons

A friend asked about the Parable of the Two Sons. This parable was given by Jesus, and recorded in Matthew 21:28-32. He was speaking to Jerusalem's chief priests and elders (v23). There was a man who had two sons.