Reference: Matthew, Gospel According To
Easton
The author of this book was beyond a doubt the Matthew, an apostle of our Lord, whose name it bears. He wrote the Gospel of Christ according to his own plans and aims, and from his own point of view, as did also the other "evangelists."
As to the time of its composition, there is little in the Gospel itself to indicate. It was evidently written before the destruction of Jerusalem (MT 24), and some time after the events it records. The probability is that it was written between the years A.D. 60 and 65.
The cast of thought and the forms of expression employed by the writer show that this Gospel was written for Jewish Christians of Palestine. His great object is to prove that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah, and that in him the ancient prophecies had their fulfilment. The Gospel is full of allusions to those passages of the Old Testament in which Christ is predicted and foreshadowed. The one aim prevading the whole book is to show that Jesus is he "of whom Moses in the law and the prophets did write." This Gospel contains no fewer than sixty-five references to the Old Testament, forty-three of these being direct verbal citations, thus greatly outnumbering those found in the other Gospels. The main feature of this Gospel may be expressed in the motto, "I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil."
As to the language in which this Gospel was written there is much controversy. Many hold, in accordance with old tradition, that it was originally written in Hebrew (i.e., the Aramaic or Syro-Chaldee dialect, then the vernacular of the inhabitants of Palestine), and afterwards translated into Greek, either by Matthew himself or by some person unknown. This theory, though earnestly maintained by able critics, we cannot see any ground for adopting. From the first this Gospel in Greek was received as of authority in the Church. There is nothing in it to show that it is a translation. Though Matthew wrote mainly for the Jews, yet they were everywhere familiar with the Greek language. The same reasons which would have suggested the necessity of a translation into Greek would have led the evangelist to write in Greek at first. It is confessed that this Gospel has never been found in any other form than that in which we now possess it.
The leading characteristic of this Gospel is that it sets forth the kingly glory of Christ, and shows him to be the true heir to David's throne. It is the Gospel of the kingdom. Matthew uses the expression "kingdom of heaven" (thirty-two times), while Luke uses the expression "kingdom of God" (thirty-three times). Some Latinized forms occur in this Gospel, as kodrantes (Mt 5:26), for the Latin quadrans, and phragello (Mt 27:26), for the Latin flagello. It must be remembered that Matthew was a tax-gatherer for the Roman government, and hence in contact with those using the Latin language.
As to the relation of the Gospels to each other, we must maintain that each writer of the synoptics (the first three) wrote independently of the other two, Matthew being probably first in point of time.
Out of a total of 1071 verses, Matthew has 387 in common with Mark and Luke, 130 with Mark, 184 with Luke; only 387 being peculiar to itself. (See Mark; Luke; Gospels.)
The book is fitly divided into these four parts: (1.) Containing the genealogy, the birth, and the infancy of Jesus (1; 2).
(2.) The discourses and actions of John the Baptist preparatory to Christ's public ministry (3; 4:11).
(3.) The discourses and actions of Christ in Galilee (4:12-20:16).
(4.) The sufferings, death and resurrection of our Lord (20:17-28).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Hastings
MATTHEW, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO.
1. The First Gospel in the Early Church.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
They gave me poison for my food; and bitter wine for my drink.
When Israel was a child he was dear to me; and I took my son out of Egypt.
Be full of joy, O daughter of Zion; give a glad cry, O daughter of Jerusalem: see, your king comes to you: he is upright and has overcome; gentle and seated on an ass, on a young ass.
Now all this took place so that the word of the Lord by the prophet might come true,
And was there till the death of Herod; so that the word of the Lord through the prophet might come true, Out of Egypt have I sent for my son.
And was there till the death of Herod; so that the word of the Lord through the prophet might come true, Out of Egypt have I sent for my son.
And he came and was living in a town named Nazareth: so that the word of the prophets might come true, He will be named a Nazarene.
Now when it came to his ears that John had been put in prison, he went away to Galilee;
So that the word of the prophet Isaiah might come true,
Let there be no thought that I have come to put an end to the law or the prophets. I have not come for destruction, but to make complete.
And it came about, when Jesus had come to the end of these words, that the people were surprised at his teaching,
And when Jesus was come into Capernaum, a certain captain came to him with a request,
And I say to you that numbers will come from the east and the west, and will take their seats with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:
So that the word of Isaiah the prophet might come true: He himself took our pains and our diseases.
And when Jesus went on from there, two blind men came after him, crying out, Have mercy on us, you Son of David.
And while they were going away, there came to him a man without the power of talking, and with an evil spirit.
And it came about that when Jesus had come to the end of giving these orders to his twelve disciples, he went away from there, teaching and preaching in their towns.
At that time Jesus went through the fields on the Sabbath day; and his disciples, being in need of food, were taking the heads of grain.
So that what was said by Isaiah the prophet might come true,
Then they took to him one with an evil spirit, who was blind and had no power of talking: and he made him well so that he had the power of talking and seeing.
But he, answering, said to them, An evil and false generation is looking for a sign; and no sign will be given to it but the sign of the prophet Jonah:
That it might come true which was said by the prophet, Opening my mouth, I will give out stories; I will give knowledge of things kept secret from before all time.
And the works of power which he did there were small in number because they had no faith.
And Peter, answering, said to him, Lord, if it is you, give me the order to come to you on the water.
Then he gave orders to the disciples to give no man word that he was the Christ. From that time Jesus went on to make clear to his disciples how he would have to go up to Jerusalem, and undergo much at the hands of those in authority and the chief priests and scribes, and be put to death, and the third day come again from the dead.
And after six days Jesus takes with him Peter, and James, and John, his brother, and makes them go up with him into a high mountain by themselves. And he was changed in form before them; and his face was shining like the sun, and his clothing became white as light. read more. And Moses and Elijah came before their eyes, talking with him. And Peter made answer and said to Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if you will let me, I will make here three tents, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah. While he was still talking, a bright cloud came over them: and a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased; give ear to him. And at these words the disciples went down on their faces in great fear. And Jesus came and put his hand on them and said, Get up and have no fear. And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one, but Jesus only.
And when they had come to Capernaum, those who took the Temple tax came to Peter and said, Does not your master make payment of the Temple tax?
And it came about that after saying these words, Jesus went away from Galilee, and came into the parts of Judaea on the other side of Jordan.
For the kingdom of heaven is like the master of a house, who went out early in the morning to get workers into his vine-garden.
And when they were near Jerusalem, and had come to Beth-phage, to the Mountain of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
Now this took place so that these words of the prophet might come true,
Give ear to another story. A master of a house made a vine garden, and put a wall round it, and made a place for crushing out the wine, and made a tower, and let it out to field-workers, and went into another country.
For this reason I say to you, The kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation producing the fruits of it.
And Jesus went out of the Temple, and on the way his disciples came to him, pointing out the buildings of the Temple.
And while he was seated on the Mountain of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, Make clear to us, when will these things be? and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?
Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins, the friends of the bride, who took their lights, and went out with the purpose of meeting the husband.
For it is as when a man, about to take a journey, got his servants together, and gave them his property.
Then came true that which was said by Jeremiah the prophet, And they took the thirty bits of silver, the price of him who was valued by the children of Israel;
And while he was on the judge's seat, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that upright man, for I have had much trouble this day in a dream because of him.
So when Pilate saw that he was able to do nothing, but that trouble was working up, he took water and, washing his hands before the people, said, The blood of this upright man is not on my hands: you are responsible.
They gave him wine mixed with bitter drink: and after tasting it, he took no more.
Go then, and make disciples of all the nations, giving them baptism in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
And John's disciples and the Pharisees were taking no food: and they came and said to him, Why do John's disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees go without food, but your disciples do not?
And the Pharisees said to him, Why are they doing what it is not right to do on the Sabbath?
And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem, said, He has Beelzebub, and, By the ruler of evil spirits he sends evil spirits out of men.
And the Pharisees and the scribes put the question to him, Why do your disciples not keep the rules of the fathers, but take their bread with unwashed hands?
And when he was going out of the Temple, one of his disciples said to him, Master, see, what stones and what buildings! And Jesus said to him, Do you see these great buildings? there is not one stone here resting on another which will not be overturned.
Say when these things will be, and what will be the sign when these things are all about to be done. And Jesus said to them, Take care that you are not tricked by anyone. read more. People will come in my name, saying, I am he; and a number will be turned from the true way. And when you have news of wars and talk of wars, do not be troubled; these things have to be, but it is still not the end. Nation will go to war with nation, and kingdom with kingdom: there will be earth-shocks in different places; there will be times when there is no food; these things are the first of the troubles. But take care: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins; and in Synagogues you will be whipped; and you will be taken before rulers and kings because of me, for a sign to them. And the good news has first to be given to all the nations. And when you are taken and given up to be judged, do not be troubled about what to say: but whatever is given to you in that hour, say: because it is not you who say it, but the Holy Spirit. And brother will give up brother to death, and the father his child; and children will go against their fathers and mothers, and put them to death. And you will be hated by all men, because of my name; but he who goes through to the end will have salvation. But when you see the unclean thing which makes destruction, in the place where it has no right to be (let this be clear to the reader), then let those who are in Judaea go quickly to the mountains: And let him who is on the house-top not go down, or go in, to take anything out of his house: And let not him who is in the field go back to take his coat. And it will be hard for women who are with child and for her who has a baby at the breast in those days. And say a prayer that it may not be in the winter. For in those days there will be sorrow, such as there has not been from the time when God made the world till now, and will not ever be again. And if the Lord had not made the time short, no flesh would have been kept from destruction; but because of the saints he has made the time short. And then if any man says to you, See, here is Christ; or, See, there; have no faith in it: Because there will be false Christs and false prophets, and they will give signs and wonders in the hope of turning even the saints from the true way. But take care; see, I have made all things clear to you before the time. But in those days, after that time of trouble, the sun will be made dark and the moon will not give her light, And the stars will be falling from heaven, and the powers which are in the heavens will be moved. And then they will see the Son of man coming in clouds with great power and glory. And then he will send out the angels, and will get together his saints from the four winds, from the farthest part of the earth to the farthest part of heaven. Take an example from the fig-tree: when its branches become soft and put out their leaves, you see that the summer is near; Even so, when you see these things taking place, you may be certain that he is near, even at the doors. Truly, I say to you, This generation will not come to an end till all these things are complete. Heaven and earth will come to an end, but my words will not come to an end. But of that day or that hour no one has knowledge, not even the angels in heaven, or the Son, but the Father. Take care, keep watch with prayer: for you are not certain when the time will be. It is as when a man who is in another country for a time, having gone away from his house, and given authority to his servants and to everyone his work, gives the porter an order to keep watch. So you are to keep watch: because you are not certain when the master of the house is coming, in the evening, or in the middle of the night, or at the cock's cry, or in the morning; For fear that, coming suddenly, he sees you sleeping. And what I say to you, I say to all, Keep watch.
And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, seated at table, there came a woman with a bottle of perfumed oil of great price; and when the bottle was broken she put the perfume on his head.
And they gave him wine mixed with myrrh; but he did not take it.
And seeing their faith he said, Man, you have forgiveness for your sins.
And seeing their faith he said, Man, you have forgiveness for your sins.
And turning his eyes to his disciples he said, Happy are you who are poor: for the kingdom of God is yours. Happy are you who are in need of food now: for you will be made full. Happy are you who are weeping now; for you will be glad. read more. Happy are you, when men have hate for you, and put you away from among them and say angry words to you, turning away in disgust at your name, because of the Son of man. Be glad in that day, and be lifted up for joy, for your reward in heaven will be great: for their fathers did these same things to the prophets. But unhappy are you who have wealth: for you have been comforted now. Unhappy are you who are full of food now: for you will be in need. Unhappy are you who are laughing now: for you will be crying in sorrow. Unhappy are you when all men give you their approval: for so their fathers did to the false prophets. But I say to you who give ear to me, Have love for those who are against you, do good to those who have hate for you, Give blessing to those who give you curses, say prayers for those who are cruel to you. If a man gives you a blow on one side of your face, then let the other side be turned to him; from him who takes away your coat, do not keep back your robe. Give to everyone who comes with a request, and if a man takes away your property, make no attempt to get it back again. Do to others as you would have them do to you. If you have love for those who have love for you, what credit is it to you? for even sinners have love for those who have love for them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is it to you? for even sinners do the same. And if you let those have the use of your money, from whom you are hoping to get it back, what credit is it to you? even sinners do so to sinners, hoping to get back as much as they gave.
And he said to them, When you say your prayers, say, Father, may your name be kept holy and your kingdom come. Give us every day bread for our needs. read more. May we have forgiveness for our sins, as we make free all those who are in debt to us. And let us not be put to the test.
And when a great number of people came together to him, he said, This generation is an evil generation: it is looking for a sign and no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah.
And he said to his disciples, For this reason I say to you, Take no thought for your life, about what food you will take, or for your body, how it may be clothed.
For if anyone has a cause at law against you, and you are going with him before the ruler, make an attempt, on the way, to come to an agreement with him, for if you do not, he may take you before the judge and the judge will give you up to the police, and they will put you in prison.
And they said to him, Master, when will these things be? and what sign will there be when these events are to take place?
And so the Word became flesh and took a place among us for a time; and we saw his glory--such glory as is given to an only son by his father--saw it to be true and full of grace.
And he who saw it has given witness (and his witness is true; he is certain that what he says is true) so that you may have belief.
Truly I say to you, When you were young, you made yourself ready and went wherever you had a desire to go: but when you are old, you will put out your hands and another will make you ready, and you will be taken where you have no desire to go.
Much in every way: first of all because the words of God were given to them.