Matthew, The Promised Messiah

Imagine, if you will, living as a Jewish Christian in the first century. You grew up following the Mosaic Law and have studied the Old Testament backwards and forwards. The life of the synagogue, that shared community of faith, is precious to you. It was, for the longest time, the cohesive core of your walk of faith. You grew up waiting on the promises of God to be fulfilled.

Now you've heard the good news you've been waiting for; the news the entire Jewish people have been waiting for. God has acted decisively! The covenant promises made to Abraham have at last been fulfilled! The Messiah has come!

Eagerly you listen to those proclaiming the Messiah, a man named Jesus from the town of Nazareth. You listen and are astounded at his life and teaching. Truly this man was a great prophet, just as Moses promised. You listen in awe as your entire concept of royalty is turned on its head, as this Jesus assumed the throne as the promised king of Israel not by war or riches but by a cross and death. You stand amazed as his death isn't the end of the story, as God raised Jesus from the dead and granted him all authority on heaven and on earth.

The story of Jesus moves you to surrender your life to the Messiah. You become a Christian, one who proclaims that the Messiah has indeed come and is in fact Jesus of Nazareth. While this is an incredible time for you, not everything is so positive. Many of your fellow Jews, who have been waiting just like you for the Messiah, reject the message and anyone who accepts it. They despise how the Christians welcome the Gentiles into the people of God. They turn on the Christians, including you, cutting you off from the community of faith and life of the synagogue that has been a foundation in your life for years.

This is the situation Matthew writes to. Jewish Christians have been cut off from their heritage for the sake of Christ. Many of them are probably questioning their decision to follow Jesus. They are, after all, being persecuted by the very people who should be the first to respond. What if Jesus isn't the promised one?

Background

The book of Matthew was written by the apostle Matthew. We aren't entirely sure on the date of composition, but evidence points to it being after Mark but before AD 70. So around AD 60 is a good guess. The book was probably written to Jewish Christians, with some even thinking that it was originally written in Aramaic and not Greek. 

Like with the other gospel accounts, the book of Matthew is a biography with a purpose. It isn't a simple recollection of what Jesus said and did for the sake of posterity. Matthew wrote this book about Jesus to make a point; to encourage the Jewish Christians that Jesus was indeed the one that was promised.

Themes

While there are definitely many themes running through the book of Matthew, there is one that underpins the whole thing; that Jesus is the one who was promised. He is the Messiah, the Son of David, the prophet like Moses, the new Passover, the fulfillment of Abraham, and the end of the Exile. He is the fulfillment of the Law; the very reason it was given. 

A key chapter that emphasizes this very point is one that we typically skip; chapter one. Matthew opens with a genealogy running from Abraham to David, David to the Exile, and the Exile to Jesus. We usually gloss over this as a simple genealogy. After all those kind of things don't matter nearly as much to us as they did to those in the first century, but this is a very important piece of the book.

This genealogy is a declaration to the importance of who Jesus is. He is the finale to the succession of Abraham, David, and the Exile; three of the most important people/events in Israel's history. Matthew deliberately draws out parallels between Jesus and Old Testament people and events. It is no accident that in chapter five Jesus goes up on a "mountain" to teach, like how Moses went up on a mountain to receive the Law. 

There are many other such parallels but we don't have the time to draw them out. The point is that Jesus is the Messiah who was promised. He is the fulfillment of the covenant in every aspect. The only remaining question is what did Jesus accomplish?

Theological Point

Jesus is the fulfillment of all of the promises of God. He is the fulfillment of the Law. He is the fulfillment of the Passover. He sit he fulfillment of the Day of Atonement. He is the fulfillment of the prophets. Jesus fulfilled God's promises, proving once and for all that he was the one who would accomplish God's purposes.

Conclusion

This is what it means to be the Messiah. At a later date we will discuss what exactly Jesus accomplished, as I think we only ever emphasize a piece of the puzzle. For now we must remember that Jesus wasn't something God decided to try when the whole Law thing didn't work out. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of God.