Matthew's Gospel

Perhaps it is only appropriate that the gospel records should begin with Matthew's account, just as Jesus straightly told the Samaritan woman:

You do not know what you are worshipping; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. (John 4:22)

It is an undeniable fact that God had chosen the Jewish nation to be the recipients of His oracles and revelation, and to bring forth the promised Savior of the world through the Jewish lineage. That Jesus was born a Jew is a fact; but it cannot be construed as a natural or exclusive right of the Jewish people that they are therefore entitled to God's favor unconditionally.

However, a clear understanding of the Person of Jesus Christ and what He accomplished in His lifetime cannot be divorced from the fabric of Old Testament theology and prophecies, or else we will not be able to grasp the redemptive work of God from its progression to completion, nor fully appreciate the salvation offered by Christ's ultimate sacrifice in its entirety and perfection.

Matthew, therefore, repeatedly pointed back to Old Testament prophetic text to prove his point to his Jewish readers, while at the same time provided references to the less knowledgeable or non-Jews like us, to see for ourselves firsthand his personal witness of Jesus—His life and works—that this is indeed none other than the King in His first advent to fulfill the first three of the Jewish feast days, which depicted pictorially the Messiah's role as the Passover Lamb in His sacrifice, the Unleavened Bread in His death and burial, and the First-fruits in His resurrection.

OUTLINE OF MATTHEW

1. Background of the King (1-2)

        a. Genealogy and Birth (1:1-25)

        b. Infancy and Growing Years (2:1-23)

2. Preparation of the King (3-4)

        a. His Forerunner (3:1-12)

        b. His Baptism (3:13-17)

        c. His Temptation (4:1-11)

        d. His Message and Calling (4:12-25)

3. Declaration of the King (5-7)

        Sermon on the Mount | Discourses

4. Authority of the King (8-10)

        a. His Miracles (8:1-9:38)

        b. His Delegates (10:1-42)

5. Rejection of the King (11-16)

        a. Rejected by the Common People (11:1-30)

        b. Rejected by the Religious Leaders (12:1-50)

        c. Parables of the Kingdom (13:1-58)

        d. Rejected by the Authorities (14:1-15:39)

        e. Revelation to His Disciples (16:1-28)

6. Instructions of the King (17-20)

        Faith | Taxes | Humility | Offenses | Forgiveness

        Divorce | Riches and Rewards | His Death

        Ambition

7. Suffering of the King (21-27)

        a. His Confrontation and Conflicts (21:1-23:29)

        b. His Prophecies (24:1-25:46)

        c. His Passion (26:1-27:66)

8. Triumph of the King (28)

        a. His Resurrection (28:1-17)

        b. His Commission (28:18-20)