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
I solemnly say to you, you will never get out at all until you have paid the last penny.
Then he set Barabbas free for them, but had Jesus flogged and turned over to be crucified.
Hastings
MATTHEW, GOSPEL ACCORDING TO.
1. The First Gospel in the Early Church.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
Now all this occurred to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
he stayed there until Herod's death, so as to fulfill what the Lord had said by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my Son."
he stayed there until Herod's death, so as to fulfill what the Lord had said by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my Son."
Then the saying was fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
He went to a town called Nazareth and made his home there, so that the saying of the prophet was fulfilled: "He shall be called a Nazarene."
Now when Jesus heard that John had been arrested, He set out for Galilee.
to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
"Do not suppose that I have come to set aside the law or the prophets.
When Jesus had closed this address, the result was that the crowds were dumbfounded at His teaching,
When He got back to Capernaum, a Roman military captain came up to Him and kept begging Him,
I tell you, many will come from the east and from the west and take their seats at the feast with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, 'in the kingdom of heaven,
and so fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, "He took our sicknesses and bore away our diseases."
As Jesus was passing along from there, two blind men followed Him, shouting, "Do pity us, O Son of David!"
But at the very time they were going out, some people brought to Him a dumb man, who was under the power of a demon,
When Jesus had closed this charge to His disciples, He left there to teach and preach in their towns.
At that time Jesus walked one sabbath through the wheat fields, and His disciples became hungry, and began to pull the heads of wheat and eat them.
and in this way fulfilled the saying spoken by the prophet Isaiah:
At that time some people brought to Him a man under the power of demons, who was blind and dumb, and He cured him, so that the dumb man could talk and see.
But He answered, "Only a wicked and treacherous age is hankering for a spectacular sign, and no sign will be given it but the sign of the prophet Jonah.
to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: "I will open my mouth in stories, I will utter truths concealed since creation."
He did not do many wonder-works there, because of their lack of faith.
Peter answered Him, "Lord, if it is you, let me come to you on the water."
Then He admonished the disciples not to tell anyone that He was the Christ. It was just after that that Jesus Christ for the first time clearly taught His disciples that He had to go to Jerusalem and submit to many forms of suffering at the hands of the elders, high priests, and scribes, and be killed, but be raised to life on the third day.
Six days after this, Jesus took Peter and James and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain, by themselves. And in their presence His appearance was changed and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes turned as white as light. read more. Then Moses and Elijah appeared to them and kept talking with Him. And Peter interrupted, and said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here! If you consent, I will put up three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud cast its shadow over them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, my Beloved, in whom I am delighted. Keep on listening to Him!" When the disciples heard it, they fell upon their faces, for they were terribly frightened. Then Jesus came and touched them, and said, "Get up and do not be so afraid." They looked up and saw no one but Jesus Himself.
When they reached Capernaum, the collectors of the temple tax came to Peter and asked, "Does your Teacher pay the temple tax?"
When Jesus had finished this discourse, He left Galilee and went into the district of Judea that is on the other side of the Jordan.
"For the kingdom of heaven is like an owner of an estate who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
When they were near Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead,
Now this occurred to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
"Listen to another story. There was once an owner of an estate who planted a vineyard and built a fence around it, and hewed out a wine-vat in it, and built a tower, and rented it to tenant farmers, and then went abroad.
"This, I tell you, is why the kingdom will be taken away from you, and given to a people who will pay a fair rent for it.
And Jesus left the temple, and was going away, when His disciples came up to Him, to show Him the temple buildings.
While He was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to Him by themselves, and said, "Tell us when this is to take place, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age."
"Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten bridesmaids who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
"For it is just like a man who was going on a long journey from his homeland, who called to him his slaves and turned his property over to them.
When Jesus had ended this discourse, He said to His disciples,
In that way the words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah were fulfilled: "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been fixed by some Israelites,
Now while he was on the bench, his wife sent him this word, "Do not have anything to do with that righteous man, for I have this morning suffered excruciating pain in a dream caused by Him."
So Pilate, since he saw that he was making no headway with them, but that a riot was about to break out instead, took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, and said, "I am not responsible for this man's death; you must see to it yourselves."
they gave Him some wine mixed with gall, but when He tasted it, He would not drink it.
Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptize them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
Now John's disciples and the Pharisees were keeping a fast. So some people came and asked Him, "Why do John's disciples and the Pharisees' disciples practice fasting, but yours never do?"
So the Pharisees were saying to Him, "Just look! Why are they doing on the Sabbath what it is against the law to do?"
And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem kept saying, "He is under the spell of Beelzebub and by the help of the prince of the demons He drives out the demons."
And so the Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, "Why is it that your disciples do not practice the customs handed down from our forefathers, but eat their meals without purifying their hands?"
As He was leaving the temple, one of His disciples said to Him, "Look, Teacher! What stupendous stones, what beautiful buildings!" Jesus said to him, "Are you looking in wonder at these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another that will not be torn down."
"When will all this take place? Tell us. And what will be the sign that it is about to be put into effect?" Jesus began to say to them: "Look out that no one misleads you about it. read more. Many will come bearing the name of Messiah, and saying, 'I am He,' and they will mislead many. But when you hear of wars and rumors of war, stop getting alarmed. They have to come, but the end is not yet. For one nation will go to war with another, and one kingdom with another. There will be earthquakes in many places; there will be famines. But this is only the beginning of the agonies. So you must be on the lookout for yourselves; they will turn you over to courts, and to synagogues where you will be beaten, and you must appear before governors and kings for my sake, to testify to them. But before the end comes, the good news must be proclaimed to all the heathen. Now when they take you to court for trial, do not be worrying beforehand about what you should say, but say whatever is given you at that time, for it is not you that will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. One brother will turn another over to death, and a father his child, and children will take a stand against their parents and have them put to death. You will be hated by everybody, because you bear my name. But whoever bears up to the end will be saved. "So when you see the destructive desecration standing where he has no right to stand" -- let the reader take notice -- "then let those who remain in Judea fly to the hills; let him who is on the roof of his house not go down and go into the house to get anything out of it; let him who is in the field not turn back to get his coat. Alas for the women who are expectant mothers and those who have nursing babies, in those days! And pray that it may not be in winter, for there will be such misery at that time as has never been since the beginning of God's creation, and never will be again. If the Lord had not cut those days short, nobody would have escaped, but for the sake of the people chosen as His own He has cut them short. "If anyone says to you at that time, 'Look! Here is the Christ,' or, 'Look! There He is,' do not believe it. For false Christs and false prophets will announce themselves, and they will do signs and wonders to mislead, if possible, even God's chosen people. So you must be on your guard. I have warned you about it all beforehand. "But in those days, after that misery, the sun will turn dark, the moon will not shed its light, the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers of the sky will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds in overwhelming power and splendor. Then He will send out His angels, and gather His chosen people from the four points of the compass, from one end of the sky to the other. "Now learn what the story of the fig tree means. Just as soon as its branches grow tender, and put forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So when you see all these things taking place, you will know that He is right at the door. I solemnly say to you, the present generation will not pass away before all this takes place. Earth and sky will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about that day or hour not a single one knows -- not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son; not a single one but the Father. Keep looking, keep alert, for you do not know when the time will be. It will be like a man who leaves his home and goes on a journey, after he has given orders to his slaves, to each his particular task, and has given orders to the watchman to keep watch. So you must keep alert, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming -- in the evening or at midnight or at daybreak or early in the morning -- so that he may not come unexpectedly and find you asleep. And so what I say to you, I say to everybody, keep alert."
While He was in Bethany, He was a guest in the home of Simon the leper, and as He was sitting at table, a woman came in with an alabaster bottle of pure nard perfume, very costly; she broke the bottle and poured the perfume on His head.
They offered Him wine flavored with myrrh, but He would not take it.
When He saw their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
When He saw their faith, He said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."
Then He fixed His eyes upon His disciples, and began to speak. "Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours! Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be completely satisfied! Blessed are you who are weeping now, for you will laugh! read more. Blessed are you when people hate you and exclude you and denounce you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Burst into joy on that day and leap for ecstasy, for your reward will be rich in heaven; for this is the way your forefathers used to treat the prophets. But a curse on you who are rich, for you are now receiving your comforts in full. A curse on you who live in luxury now, for you will be hungry. A curse on you who laugh now, for you will mourn and weep. A curse on you when everyone speaks well of you, for this is the way their forefathers used to treat the false prophets. But I say to you who listen now to me, practice loving your enemies, practice doing good to those who hate you, continue to bless those who curse you, and continue to pray for those who abuse you. To the man who strikes you on one cheek, offer him the other too; and from the man who takes away your coat, do not keep back your shirt either, Practice giving to everyone who asks of you, and stop demanding back your goods from him who takes them away. Yes, you must practice dealing with others as you would like them to deal with you. Now if you practice loving only those who love you, what credit do you get for that? Why, even notorious sinners practice loving those who love them. And if you practice doing good only to those who do good to you, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice the same. And if you ever lend to people expecting to get it back, what credit do you get for that? Even notorious sinners practice lending to one another, expecting to get it back in full.
So He said to them, "Whenever you pray, say: 'Father, Your name be revered; Your kingdom come; continue giving us day by day our daily bread, read more. and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who does us wrong, and do not let us be subjected to temptation.'"
Now as the crowds continued to throng upon Him, He began to say: "This is a wicked age. It is looking for a spectacular sign, but none will be given it but the sign of Jonah.
Then He said to His disciples: "Stop worrying, then, about life, as to what you will have to eat, or about your body, as to what you will have to wear.
For instance, when you are on the way to court with your opponent, take the utmost pains on the way to get entirely rid of him, so that he may not rush you before the judge, and the judge turn you over to the sheriff, and the sheriff put you in prison.
Then they asked Him, "Teacher, when will this be? And what is the sign that it is about to take place?"
So the Word became human and lived a little while among us, and we actually saw His glory, the glory of One who is an only Son from His Father, and He was full of spiritual blessing and truth.
The man who saw it has testified to it -- and his testimony is true, and he knows that he is telling the truth -- in order that you too may come to believe it.
I most solemnly say to you, when you were young, you used to put on your own belt and go where you pleased, but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will put a belt on you and you will go where you do not please to go."
They are great from every point of view. In the first place, the Jews are entrusted with the utterances of God.
Then He was seen by James, then by all the apostles, and finally