Although the Gospel of Matthew was not the first gospel written, it is generally regarded as the most important and was placed first in the collection of writings that constitute the New Testament. In addition to materials found in the Gospel of Mark, the Gospel of Matthew contains a large number of Jesus’ sayings and discourses and also a group of stories not found in any of the other Gospels. Matthew contains an extensive account of Jesus’ teachings and as such is considered the most authentic and fundamental doctrine of the Christian religion. Readers of the gospel are impressed with certain general characteristics that distinguish it from other writings in the New Testament, one of which is the systematic way in which the contents of the gospel have been arranged. For example, the document as a whole falls into five distinct divisions, with an introductory section preceding the first division and a concluding section following the last. Each of the five divisions is composed of a portion of the narrative concerning Jesus’ activities, together with a group of his teachings. The words “When Jesus had finished saying these things” end each division. This five-fold division of the Gospel of Matthew corresponds in a general way to the divisions found in various parts of the Old Testament.
The sayings and discourses of Jesus are apparently taken in large part from an older document known as “The Sayings of Jesus,” or the Q source, and are combined with the narrative found in Mark in the following manner: The author of Matthew uses the same sequence of events that are recorded in Mark, but at appropriate intervals he interrupts the narrative and inserts a group of sayings. One example of this kind is usually referred to as the Sermon on the Mount. The materials included in this sermon also can be found in the Gospel of Luke, but they are scattered throughout Luke instead of being grouped together. When Matthew reaches that place in the Marcan narrative where Jesus teaches the people, he inserts this group of sayings. The organization of these sayings into a single sermon thus appears to be the result of Matthew’s arrangement.
Another rather striking characteristic of the Gospel of Matthew is its high regard for the teachings of the Old Testament. There are approximately fifteen instances in which Matthew interprets some event in the life of Jesus as a fulfillment of a prophecy in the Old Testament. Evidently the author of Matthew did not think of Christianity as something that involved a definite break with the Jewish religion. Instead, he considered Christianity as a continuation and fulfillment of that which had been set forth in the literature of the Old Testament. Not for a moment did he think that Jesus changed or set aside the requirements of the Mosaic Law. Rather, Matthew supplements and interprets the requirements in a manner that accords with their original purpose. In his zeal to show a close relationship between Jesus and the Old Testament, Matthew appears at times to make references to incidents in the life of Jesus for no other reason than to document them as fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
A third characteristic of the Gospel of Matthew is its interest in ecclesiastical affairs. As the only gospel that makes a direct mention of the church, much of the instruction recorded in Matthew is especially appropriate for particular situations that arose in the Christian churches of the first century.
Matthew begins with a genealogy of Jesus that traces his ancestry as far back as Abraham. The ancestry is traced on the side of Joseph, although the author later definitively states that Joseph was not Jesus’ father. Following the genealogy is an account of the wise men’s visit to Jesus’ birth site, Herod’s attempt to destroy the newborn child, and the flight into Egypt for the child’s protection. After the death of Herod, the family returned and settled in the Galilee town of Nazareth, which, according to Matthew, fulfilled another Old Testament prophecy.
Following these introductory stories, Matthew continues his gospel by narrating the events in Jesus’ public career in the same sequence as they are found in Mark. As mentioned before, this sequence is interrupted at appropriate intervals for the insertion of discourses that Jesus delivered on various occasions. This scheme enables Matthew to combine Jesus’ teachings and events in one continuous narrative. While the author of the Gospel of Mark seems to have been impressed most of all with the wonderful deeds that Jesus performed, Matthew places the major emphasis on the marvelous things that Jesus taught. Some of the teachings were spoken directly to the inner group of disciples, but at different times and places Jesus addressed the multitudes, among whom were many who gladly heard him. Often Jesus spoke in parables, for in this way he could communicate his ideas concerning the kingdom of heaven in language that the people could understand because the parables were drawn from people’s own experiences.
