An Overview of Matthew (Sermon)

INTRODUCTION 

Thank you, worship team. Exploring the book of Matthew has been quite a journey—it may have been too long for some. We began on July 17, 2022. Today, we wrap up with an overview sermon. It is an interesting feeling to conclude a series. I have grown to know and love the book more and more as time has passed. Have you? 

SHC - S. V. A.

I learned that S.V.A. enjoys writing poetry as she spends time in God’s Word. I asked her to write a poem summarizing the book of Matthew in her own words. Shannin, would you please come up here now and share with us? I think this exercise can help catalyze the value of Matthew for us. [POEM] Thank you, Shannin. 

How would you summarize the book? Last week, Mike Bowden explored the metaphor of running in the Bible. Sometimes, metaphors can capture the heart of Scripture. 

I thought of running as a metaphor for our journey in Matthew, specifically running in the dark. That is how I run. I run between 5 and 6 AM. Sometimes, my routes take me on wooded trails that can be disorienting but exhilarating. 

The trail disappears, 

And roots grab your feet. 

Running at night, my imagination drives my heart to beat faster and faster. The sound of a snap of a twig in the woods or the rustling of the grass can be spooky. The adrenaline rises, and so does pace, as long as one doesn’t trip because of the twisting, turning, and ducking tree branches. In the end, my routes bring me back to my starting point. 

I am exhausted but grateful, like trying to grapple with Matthew and understand the subtle meaning of the text. 

Jogging before daylight is an adventure, and so is Matthew. 

Running at night can be confusing, and so can the book of Matthew. 

How would you capture the experience of reading Matthew? How would you summarize it? What is it about? Why was it written? How does it change the way we live, think, and speak? Those are questions I want to answer this morning. 

We pastors summed up the book with a phrase. Do you remember what it is? There is an insert in your bulletin with some questions to follow along and a place to put your answer. Take a moment to write down in your bulletin the phrase we pastors came up with for Matthew. If you don’t have a bulletin or insert ushers, please hand them out as people raise their hands. If you are new or don’t recall, that is fine. You can guess or wait. Here is the answer, in seven words: Follow the Promised King into His Kingdom.

Structural Complications 

Matthew is unlike a book you pick up off the shelf, with a regular author and table of contents. The book was written 2000 years ago in the Middle East by an unnamed person. Early on, people recognized Matthew as the tax collector and disciple of Jesus. He followed Jesus for three years of ministry. How did he structure his book? You may recall that the chapters and verses came hundreds of years after the Bible was written. Indeed, the book has a beginning and end, themes, settings, familiar individuals, and a flow of thought. 

• Some have seen the book organized based on five talks Jesus gave called “discourses.”

• Others have broken it down based on geography, with Jesus beginning in Nazareth, going to Bethlehem, migrating to Egypt, and then returning to Nazareth. From the region of Galilee, he traveled to Jerusalem. 

• Some see chapter 13 as the turning point, while others see 16 verse 21, which states:

From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. (Matthew 16:21, ESV)

• Yet, scholars debate the structure. 

We can be sure of some things, like the highlights. If we were to make a highlight reel, what would it include? 

HIGHLIGHTS 

Take a moment to write one memorable moment in your insert about the book. Matthew has many. Maybe you wrote down:

• The Lord’s Prayer, 

• The Golden Rule, 

• Or the Sermon on the Mount. 

Perhaps key themes came to mind like: 

• Prophetic fulfillment,

• Following Jesus, 

• Or the Kingdom of Heaven.  

Moral concerns might be what you remember, like, 

• Hypocrisy, 

• Humility, 

• Repentance, 

• Marriage, 

• Money, 

• Sexuality, 

• Forgiveness, 

• Love, 

• Anxiety, 

• Anger,

• Honesty,

• Or faith. 

CLOSER LOOK 

You might think of Jesus’s life. The book is about Jesus. It documents his: 

• Virgin Birth, 

• Satan’s temptation, 

• His baptism by John the Baptist, 

• His calling of the first disciples, 

• His teaching, healing, and miracles 

• His Triumphal entry into Jerusalem, 

• The Last Supper, 

• His prayer in Gethsemane, 

• His trial, 

• Crucifixion, 

• Burial, 

• Or resurrection.

ZOOM IN 

You can summarize it in various ways. What if you made headlines for parts of the book? I am a headline reader. They draw me in. This week, I read,  

• La Nina winter is coming, 

• Walgreens is closing 1,200 stores,

• Giant ‘runaway’ pumpkin blocks road in Ohio,

If I summarize Matthew with headlines, I would say this:   

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Section 5 Chapter 14–18 - Miracles in Galilee

Section 6 Chapter 19–26 - Journey to Jerusalem and Confrontation 

Section 7 Chapter 27–28 - Death and Resurrection

Let’s look at each briefly and dive into the text.  

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Matthew begins, like Genesis, with genealogy. We read of his birth. It was unlike any in all of history. God was his Father. Mary carried him until his birth. This miracle moved quickly to infanticide. King Herod sought to kill him. But God warned Mary and Joseph in a dream, and they escaped while other babies died. Years later, when Herod passed away, God told his parents in another dream to return to Israel from Egypt. Jesus went to live in his parent’s hometown of Nazareth. At thirty, John the Baptist baptized him in the Jordan River. After that, the Holy Spirit sent Jesus into the wilderness for forty days, where he fasted, and Satan tempted him. He successfully resisted it and began his public ministry of teaching and healing. Jesus was a new type of Moses out from Egypt, out of the wilderness, caring for God’s people in the Promised Land. The Jews sought a new prophet, leader, and miracle worker. In Deuteronomy 18, God promised one: 

“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him” (Deuteronomy 18:18, ESV).

God’s people were slaves to sin. And Jesus was going to bring his people out of that slavery. And we arrive at chapter 4, verse 17, and our second section: Disciples and discipleship.  

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Let’s look at chapter 4, verse 17. 

“From that time Jesus began to preach, saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand’ ” (Matthew 4:17, ESV).

He preached repentance. This is a theme of Matthew. What is repentance? You will see a blank in your handout for answering. Take a stab at it. My answer? A changing or a turning around from sin to God. The reality is we are born with a bent toward self away from God. It is a deadly curse called sin. Though our nature doesn’t seem dark in infancy, as one develops, so does selfishness, pride, discontentment, ingratitude, gossip, slander, lust, lying, and all forms of evil. Consequently, it destroys relationships with self, others, and God. We need God’s salvation, which Jesus came to bring. Jesus not only taught about repentance, he called disciples to himself. In this section, we read what discipleship is. Jesus taught, unlike the teaching of the day. He would say, “You have heard that it was said,” quote the Old Testament, and then say, “But I say to you.” He had authority unlike any other. He could talk about discipleship with conviction and clarity. Chapter 7 ends: 

“And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, for he was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes” (Matthew 7:28–29, ESV).

Hearing him must have been like the feeling I get when I compare myself to others. I work hard on writing and speaking, but then I come across a pro, thinking, “Wow, I will never be that good.” The people were astonished by Jesus. Even two millennia later, people, including non-Christians, are still talking about his teachings. 

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

If the second section zooms in to describe Jesus’s teaching, chapters 8 through 10 show us his miraculous power with greater clarity. We see nine miracles and Jesus’s teaching on following him. 

FOLLOWING 

Following involves doing and imitating. He sent out his disciples to share the message of repentance and the kingdom. He told them to go from town to town to share his message. The focus was on his people, but the non-Jewish people also benefited.  

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

In chapters 11-13, the fourth section, we learn more about this kingdom that Jesus was preaching about. He used parables. What is a parable? You will find the question on your handout. They were ordinary stories with a punchy spiritual point. They might have been only a couple of sentences. It veiled truth in one way and revealed it in another. Some would see what Jesus was getting at, others not. Here is an example: 

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44, ESV). 

We learn from this that the Kingdom of heaven is valuable and worth everything we own. Consider liquidating all you have for something; that would certainly be priceless. Heaven or God’s kingdom is. Jesus teaches with authority and has remarkable power. But not everyone saw that. Some doubted, and some disbelieved. 

DOUBTERS

In these chapters, we see John the Baptist wondering who Jesus was. John was in prison for speaking out against immorality, and Jesus was not rising to power and fixing everything as fast or the way people expected. He would challenge the established power structures. Was he the Messiah? Some didn’t think so. The chapter concludes with Jesus saying he didn’t do mighty works in his hometown because of unbelief. Opposition to him was rising. 

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Section 5 Chapter 14–18 - Miracles in Galilee

Section 5 Chapter 14–18 - - Miracles in Galilee

In Chapters 14 through 18, section 5, Jesus moved around and did many more miracles, like controlling the weather with a word and magically making food for tens of thousands of people through prayer and exorcism. He focused his ministry near the Sea of Galilee, a seven-day journey north of Jerusalem. In this section, he predicted that he would be killed and rise again. 

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Section 5 Chapter 14–18 - Miracles in Galilee

Section 6 Chapter 19–26 - Journey to Jerusalem and 

Confrontation 

Section 6 Chapter 19–26 - Journey to Jerusalem and Confrontation 

Then, in chapters 19 through 26, we read Jesus’s arrival in Jerusalem at the Passover. He was taking on the Pharisees and religious leaders. They tried to trap him with words, but he escaped. He taught who would listen about the future. He predicted that his followers would face persecution, the temple in Jerusalem would be destroyed, and he would come back to judge and reward people at the end of time.

Section 1 Chapter 1–4:16 - Jesus’s Origin Story

Section 2 Chapter 4:17–7 - Disciples and Discipleship 

Section 3 Chapter 8–10 - Nine Miracles and Matthew 

Section 4 Chapter 11–13 - Parables and the Kingdom of Heaven

Section 5 Chapter 14–18 - Miracles in Galilee

Section 6 Chapter 19–26 - Journey to Jerusalem and Confrontation 

Section 7 Chapter 27–28 - Death and Resurrection

Section 7 Chapter 27–28 - Death and Resurrection

The final section, from chapters 27 to 28, concludes with Jesus’s death, burial, resurrection, and great commission. The last four verses tell Jesus’s followers to share his teaching with the world. They are to make disciples of all nations. So, there you have it. It is a story about Jesus, his life, death, and resurrection. Yet, who was he? 

TURKEY RUN 

At Turkey Run this last week, I got to know some of you a bit more. I heard about people’s work, family, and life. It was nice to slow down and connect. As we have taken this journey with Jesus, we slowed down to look closely at who he was. On your paper, take a moment to reflect a bit about what you recall Matthew telling you about him. Describe Jesus in a word. What were some of his names? Here is a list, though not exhaustive, that I compiled. 

WHO WAS JESUS 

He was: 

1. Jewish,

2. Brother,

3. Son of a carpenter, Joseph and Mary

4. Nazarene, 

5. Royalty,

6. God’s Servant, 

7. God’s Pleasure, 

8. Recipient of the Holy Spirit, 

9. King of the Jews/Israel,

10. Son of Man, 

11. Christ,

12. Shepherd,

13. Cornerstone, 

14. Immanuel, 

15. Greater than the temple, 

16. Son of God,

17. God’s Messenger, 

18. Prophet, 

19. Instructor/Teacher/Rabbi,

20. Authority, 

21. Healer/Miracle worker/ Exorcist, 

22. Forgiver, 

23. Bridegroom, 

24. Master, 

25. Lord/Lord of the Sabbath,

26. Gentle, 

27. Lowly.

1. Jewish - The son of Abraham (1:1).

2. A brother of James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 13:55).

3. A son of Mary and the carpenter, Joseph (12:50).

4. He was a Nazarene, although he was born in Bethlehem. He escaped to Egypt, and as a young boy, he moved back to live in Nazareth, making him a Nazarene, kind of like we call people from Michigan Michiganders or those from Minnesota Minnesotans (2:23).

5. He was royalty, a descendant of King David (9:27). 

6. Matthew says that he fulfilled Isaiah 42:1–3 (12:18) that made him 

1. God’s Servant, 

7. God’s pleasure, 

8. And the Holy Spirit recipient, which happened at his baptism.

9. He was the “King of the Jews,” AKA the “King of Israel” (2:1; 21:5; Zech, 9:9; 27:29, 37. 42). 

1. Jesus said concerning himself that someone greater than King Solomon was present (12:42). That is quite a claim since the Old Testament tells us that there was no one wiser than Solomon. 

10. Not only that, Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man, a reference to the particular person predicted in Daniel chapter 7 (9:6). God would give this person a kingship over the entire world forever.  

11. He was the Christ - (20:30 Blind men, 21:9 crowd, kids 21:15). Christ is the Greek word for anointed one. The Hebrew word is Messiah (16:16, 20).

12. The Chief priests and scribes believed that the Messiah would be a “ruler of Judah” and “shepherd” of God’s people (2:6) based on Micah 5:2 and Ezekiel 34:23. They were right to call the Messiah a shepherd and ruler. Yet, they did not believe Jesus was he. Instead, they called him an “Imposter” (27:63).

13. Jesus tells us that although he was the stone the builders rejected, he would become the cornerstone (21:42). The builders were the spiritual leaders who rejected him and had him crucified.  

14. Chapter 1, we read that he was God with us, namely Immanuel (1:24).

15. This title fits his declaration that …[he] was greater than the temple. The temple was holy, valuable, and the center of religious life (12:6). Now, Jesus was the spiritual center and the incarnation of God on the planet, greater than every holy site. 

16. He was the Son of God (2:13 fulfilling Hosea 11:1). God the Father called him Son (3:17; 17:5), and Jesus called him Father. 

17. He was God’s Messenger (11:10; Malachi 3:1). 

18. Another word for messenger would be a prophet. Jesus said he was greater than the prophet Jonah and, not only that, more than a prophet (11:9; 12:41; 21:11; 13:57).

19. He was the instructor, the teacher, and the Rabbi (23:8, 23:10, 26:25, 49). He even said people should not call anyone “instructor, teacher, or Rabbi” because he alone takes that place.    

20. Jesus was an authority, 

1. He had such authority that he could say his words will last forever. For example, in Matthew 24, he said: 

“Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away” (Matthew 24:34–35, ESV).

2. Jesus had control over sickness, demons, weather, and death itself. 

3. God the Father gave him all authority in heaven and on earth.

21. Jesus was a healer (9:35), miracle worker, and exorcist (9:33).

22. He was a forgiver. 

23. The Bridegroom (9:15).

24. The Master (10:24–25).

25. And Lord. Jesus said he was even the Lord of the Sabbath (12:8). Jesus is our spiritual rest. 

26. Finally, Jesus described himself as “gentle,” 

27. And “lowly.” 

That was and is Jesus. He was not ordinary. He was and is more significant than Genghis Khan, Caesar, and George Washington. He is more important than any man, woman, and child that has or will ever exist. There never was a person like him. Wouldn’t it have been wonderful to meet him? Won’t it be great to meet him one day? We can, in part, right now through the book of Matthew. The book is about Jesus.

What was his purpose 

But this raises a related question. Why did he come to earth? What was his purpose on the planet? We have already seen this in part. Take another moment to write down on your paper what you think were the reasons why he came to earth. You can continue to think about that this week. Let me share five I found. He came to earth to: 

1. SAVE

2. RANSOM 

3. BRING JUSTICE

4. BRING GRACE

5. BRING HOPE

1. First, he came to save. Our sins don’t have to have the last word. He is the Savior. He came to save us from our sins, Matthew 1:21. 

1. SAVE

2. RANSOM 

3. JUSTICE

4. GRACE

5. HOPE

2. Secondly, he came to be our ransom. Look at Matthew chapter 20, verse 28. Jesus said, 

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” Matthew 20:28 (ESV).

He paid the debt we owe to God, the Father. Jesus satisfied God’s wrath. 

3. In Matthew chapter 12, verses 18 through 21 we see three more reasons Jesus came. 

            “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, 

      my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. 

            I will put my Spirit upon him, 

      and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 

            He will not quarrel or cry aloud, 

      nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; 

            a bruised reed he will not break, 

      and a smoldering wick he will not quench, 

            until he brings justice to victory; 

Jesus brings justice to earth and will one day judge everyone for what they have done and not done, said and not said, thought and not thought. Do you read the news and long for justice? Do you suffer hurts and pains from others? Jesus will bring justice. 

1. SAVE

2. RANSOM 

3. JUSTICE

4. GRACE

5. HOPE 

4. Fourth, in this same passage we see he came to bring grace. 

            a bruised reed he will not break, 

      and a smoldering wick he will not quench, 

            until he brings justice to victory; 

What does that mean? He didn’t break a broken or bent read. Our lives are like grass; we grow up and die. If we are bent and broken, he is gentle. He won’t snuff out if we are like a little spark in a fire. He is good and kind. He loved the little children and had compassion for the masses of society. He was not obnoxious, arrogant, boastful, proud, rude, or mean. He did not pander to the powerful, beautiful, or privileged. He didn’t virtue signal to gain control. He didn’t tell people what they wanted to hear to collect followers or money. He challenged people to change and brought grace. He saw the people who were overlooked. He touched the untouchable people. He listened. He loved. 

1. SAVE

2. RANSOM 

3. JUSTICE

4. GRACE

5. HOPE

5. Finally, the last part of this prophecy that I didn’t read is verse 21:

            and in his name the Gentiles will hope.” (Matthew 12:21, ESV)

Jesus came to bring hope. The Bible describes the Jews as God’s chosen people. Jesus came to save them from their sins. However, way back in the Old Testament, God promised the Gentiles, the nations, and those who were not Jewish would find their blessing through Abraham, the father of God’s people. Remember, Jesus was a son of Abraham. And for those of us who are not Jewish, Jesus was and is our hope.

SUMMARY

So, Jesus is the judge who will save us from our sins, our ransom, justice, grace, and hope. 

What does that mean for us?

So what? What difference does this make? How does reading and thinking about Matthew change us? How should we respond? Let’s take Jesus’s words again. 

1. We read this in Matthew 11:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11:28–30, ESV)

Let us rest in him. When we think of our favorite part of Matthew, it might be this invitation. Do you rest in Jesus? What does it look like to rest in someone who died 2000 years ago, rose victoriously, and ascended into heaven? We need to rest in him. Maybe you need to think about that this week. 

2. Secondly, church, let us follow him. Matthew 16 states: 

If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? (Matthew 16:24–26, ESV)

Will you follow Jesus? 

• Maybe that means studying his life. 

• Perhaps that means emulating his life. 

• Maybe that means reading his commands and trying them on for size.

Let’s become little Christians in our little circles, bringing little light and salt to a dark and bland world. A little can go a long way. 

3. Next, let us love. We see this in Jesus’s instruction to the wealthy young man in Matthew 22: 

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets. (Matthew 22:37–40, ESV)

How are you at loving others? 1 John 4:7 through 8 states, 

“Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:7 8, ESV). 

Love is more than a feeling. It is an action. It can be demonstrated in the sacrificial parent giving up time, money, and energy for kids. It can be singing in the quiet of your car as the radio plays Christian music, worshiping God. Love can send an encouraging text to a friend down in the dumps. Will you love others?    

4. Finally, we are to share Jesus. In Matthew 28, verses 18 through 20 state:  

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19–20, ESV)

How are you at sharing Jesus with others? What does it look like to make disciples? Our Mycircle Workshop in November will help. But we can start today. 

CONCLUSION

On a scale of 1 to 10, 1 being horrible and 10 being excellent, rate yourself on: 

• Resting in Jesus, 

• Following Jesus,

• Loving others, 

• And sharing Jesus. 

Honestly, I can improve. Another question for us is, “Where do we want to be?” Rate yourself realistically right now. Finally, “What will it take to move in that direction this week?” Let prayerfully and thoughtfully rest in Jesus, follow him, love him, and share him. And when we come up short, let’s pray for grace as we follow our promised King into his kingdom. 

Let’s pray

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