The Gospel of Matthew

"The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth but the soul must revere it cherish it love it as a priceless gem." (Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine p. 269)

Gospel Portraits of the Messiah[1]
Lee L. Donaldson, Editorial Consultant for
The New Testament for Latter-day Saint Families,
Bookcraft, 1998

The testimony of each gospel author provides a different perspective of the Savior's personality and teachings.

There are many books which "harmonize" the gospels, and they can be very helpful in one's study of Jesus Christ. However, our understanding of the Savior can take on new meaning and depth when we examine each gospel testimony separately. Each testimony is unique and has its own emphasis. We can best appreciate the individual nature of each gospel if we become familiar with each author's purpose and audience.

Viewing the gospels from within requires that we stop trying to harmonize and take each account as an independent witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "It appears that Matthew was directing his gospel to the Jews. He presents Christ as the promised Messiah and Christianity as the fulfillment of Judaism. Mark apparently wrote with the aim of appealing to the Roman or Gentile mind. Luke's gospel presents the Master to the Greeks, to those of culture and refinement. And the gospel of John is the account for the Saints; it is preeminently the gospel for the Church, for those who understand the scriptures and their symbolism and who are concerned with spiritual and eternal things". (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary 1:65).

Viewing each testimony from within provides a context to understand their unique perspectives. For instance, Matthew portrayed Christ as the heavenly king and his genealogy followed the royal pattern of a descending lineage, beginning with Abraham and ending with Christ. Luke, on the other hand portrayed Christ and His relationship to all mankind. Luke's genealogical account is ascending. He began with Christ and ended with Adam.

Matthew - "The Five Sermons of the King."

Matthew proclaimed that Jesus was the heavenly monarch to his people, the Jews. He skillfully crafted his testimony around five key sermons of the new King and law-giver. Matthew ended each of his five sermons by making a concluding statement such as: "when Jesus had ended these sayings" or "when Jesus had made an end" ( see Matthew 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).

The First Sermon: The New Law (Matthew 5:1-7:29)

The mountain is the setting for the first sermon of the King. Matthew's construction of the event leaves no doubt that this is the King who came from heaven to give the new law and establish His kingdom. The mountain is where the Lord gave the law to Moses and it is where Jesus gave the new law to Israel.

The Second Sermon: The Calling of the Twelve (Matthew 9:35-11:1)

As the true priesthood monarch, Jesus established His government with twelve apostles. This second sermon outlined the design of the Master's kingdom. The word goes first to Israel, then to the world.

The Third Sermon: The Ship Sermon (13:1-58)

Jesus delivered the third sermon from a ship. The Messiah gave the law on both land and water. All of the elements of this world are under his rule and dominion.

The Fourth Sermon: The Door to Discipleship (18:1-19:2)

In this sermon, Matthew outlined the Savior's teachings on church discipline.

The Fifth Sermon: Hope in a Dark World (24:1-26:1)

The temple was the setting and the focal point of the final sermon. The disciples wanted to know the signs of the Messiah's return. The Lord contrasted the bright hope of the temple with the darkness of the great destruction which is described in chapter twenty-five. Matthew's testimony concludes by describing the great atoning sacrifice of the Lord.

Mark - "The Ten Journeys of the Perfect Servant."

John Mark, Peter's interpreter, painted his gospel portrait with the bright colors of action to gain the attention of the Roman reader. The Romans were people of action. Unlike the Jews and the Greeks who treasured thought, the Romans admired action and decisiveness. After all, the Romans built their empire on acts, not words.

There is internal textual evidence that Mark wrote his letter for the Roman reader. First, there are very few Old Testament quotations in this gospel. Second, he explained many Aramaic expressions (Mark 5:41) and Jewish customs (Mark 7:3,11). Finally, he used Latin words for coins and military terms.

Mark isolated ten vivid action "snapshots" of the Savior. Each snapshot picture revolved around a journey of the Lord. This portrayal painted the Lord as the epic hero of the greatest journeys of all time. The settings for these journeys also tell much of the story. The settings were never neutral. This a hostile world. Mark used the Jordan River, the desert, the Sea of Galilee, and the mountains to frame the journeys. The Jordan River typifies the crossing into the promised land, the desert as the place of preparation, the sea as the place of chaos, and the mountains as places of refuge.

The journeys are:

¨       The First Galilee Journey (1:14-4:34)

¨       Decapolis Journey (4:35-5:43)

¨       The second Journey of Galilee (6:1-29)

¨       Desert Journey (6:30-52)

¨       Third Galilee Journey (6:53-7:23)

¨       North Country Journey (7:24-9:29)

¨       Galilee Journey (9:30-50)

¨       Perea and Judea Journey (10:1-54)

¨       Jerusalem Journey (11:1-13:37)

¨       The Final Journey (14:1 - 16:20)

The final two journeys recorded in Mark were the crowning events of Jesus' life: the triumphal entry and Christ's ascension to heaven. Mark spent over one-third of his gospel describing these two final journeys which occupied a single week- the last week of the Savior's life. The suffering of God's own Son came to the center of Mark's literary portrait. The compassion and love of the Savior dominated the last two journeys of the Savior's life. The Lord of action and decisiveness became the suffering servant in the final Marcan scenes.

Luke - "Seven Acts in the Drama of the Son of Man."

Luke, the physician, portrayed the Savior as the perfect man. He presented this portrait to the reader as the great drama of all mankind. All of this drama is in harmony with the great plan of God. God, the author of the plan, sent his son to work out the plan. This episode began and ended in the Temple. There are seven acts in this drama, each one of them carefully crafted to sweep the reader into the greatest drama of all time.

In a general sense, Luke is directed to the Greek mind. Specifically, it is a letter addressed to Theophilus, who had a Greek background.

The First Act -Infancy Narrative (1:5 - 2:52)

The drama of the Son of Man is unfolded in a world context with the mention of Caesar Augustus. The Savior's birth was surrounded by fanfare and divine signs. Luke focused a great deal of time and attention on women and children. These accounts were given in great detail. This portrayal of the Savior is for everyone. Luke wasted no time in bringing women to center stage. Angels communicated with women throughout his account. Where Matthew used royal trappings, Luke employed the elements of the common man in his drama; the family that cannot find room in the inn, swaddling clothes, a manger, and shepherds. True to the Greek tradition of the epic hero, Luke tells how divine messengers announced the Lord's birth.

Preparation for the Public Ministry (3:1-4:13)

The Galilean Ministry (4:14-9:50)

The first Galilean act opens with Luke's description of the Lord being rejected by his own. This rejection is followed by seven quick events. The first three are miracles in which the Savior is popularly received. These are followed by four events in which Jesus clashed with the Pharisees. The celestial doctrines of the Lord and the telestial teachings of the Pharisees clash throughout the Lucan portrait of the Messiah.

The Perean Ministry (9:51 - 19:27)

This act is filled with the teachings of the Savior and accounts of His conflicts with the local religious leaders.

The Jerusalem Ministry (19:28 -21:38)

This act opened with a grand procession - the triumphal entry of the Messiah into Jerusalem. Luke moves the Master from the accolades in the streets to the cleansing of the Temple.

The Atonement (22:1-23:56)

This is the greatest act of the drama and it culminated in the death and resurrection of the Son of Man. Luke closed his account with they "were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God" (Luke 24:53).

John: "The Signs and Atonement of God's Son."

John the Beloved used symbolism and typology to portray Jesus as the Son of God. He structured his testimony in two majors areas; the seven signs of the Son of God and the five final events of glory. Each sign and event was carefully described to lead the reader to view Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Each sign also frames the Savior's teaching moments. John's audience is the mature gospel reader.

The Seven Signs:

The New Wine (2:1 - 4:45)

Healing the Official's Son (4:46 - 54)

Pool of Bethseda (5:1 - 47)

Loaves and Fish (6:1 - 6:15)

Walk on the Water (6:16 - 8:59)

Curing the Blind Man (9:1 - 10:42)

Raising Lazarus from the Dead (11:1 - 12:50)

The last half of John's testimony describes the five final events of the atoning sacrifice. They are

the Last Supper (13:1-30)

the Garden Prayer (13:31-17:26)

the arrest and trial (18:1-19:16)

the crucifixion and burial (19:17-42)

and the resurrection (20:1-31)

John concluded with an epilogue (21:1-25) to take the gospel to all the world.

Conclusion

In this brief survey, we see the gospel authors painting unique portraits of the Messiah. New insights and perspectives await those who search each testimony as a separate witness. These witnesses all bear record of Jesus as the long awaited Messiah. A careful study of each author's volume of scripture will enable readers to come to a greater appreciation of the Savior and those who know Him.

Copyright 1998, LDS-Gems - distributed on the Internet via the LDS-Gems mailing list. Messages may be forwarded to individuals if this trailer is included, but may *not* be re-posted publicly without permission. For further information see the LDS-Gems webpage: http://www.lds-gems.com/. To subscribe to LDS-Gems, send a message to majordomo@xmission.com with the words subscribe lds-gems in the message body; or to leave the list, say unsubscribe lds-gems

Matthew's Genealogy of Jesus Christ[2]
Thomas R. Valletta, General Editor for The New Testament for Latter-day Saint Families, Bookcraft, 1998

Although modern readers frequently falter when faced with such Biblical "beget" sections, Jews of the first century a.d. expected and even joyfully received such lists. Genealogies had long been important to the tribal identity and individual status of the Jews. The Old Testament contains several notable genealogical lists (see, for example, Genesis 2:4; 5:1; 6:7; 10:1; 11:10 and 11:27).

Latter-day Saints who research and compile their own family histories are sometimes confused when confronted with the Biblical lists such as Matthew's genealogy of Jesus Christ. The genealogies of Jesus Christ are an example of this frustration. Raymond Brown observed that "too often the genealogies of Jesus have been read with the same expectations with which one reads the list of grandparents and great-grandparents constituting the frontispiece of the family Bible." He explained, however, that "only rarely and to a limited depth do ancient Semitic genealogies afford us a list of strictly biological ancestry -- a factor that does not necessarily make them inaccurate since the intention of those who preserve them was not strictly biological" (The Birth of the Messiah, 65).

The purposes of Biblical genealogies include establishment and provision of the following: 1) a tribal identity, 2) a lineage of succession for office holders, 3) a basis of support for office of King or Priest, 4) a structural framework to history, and 5) a "collective personality," which has a tendency to ascribe traits and characteristics of ancestors to a descendant, suggesting that one's character and personality is a product of their genealogy (see Raymond Brown, The Birth of the Messiah, 65; see also R. R. Wilson, "Old Testament Genealogies," JBL 94 [1975] 180-1).

Knowing these purposes does not completely clarify the role of Matthew's genealogy. A commonly asked question pertains to how Matthew's genealogy of the Lord differs from Luke's. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: "Scholars are unable to unravel or bring into harmony the accounts here involved, and we have not been told by revelation the specifics of our Lord's ancestry. There is no way from a historical standpoint to search out the generation of Christ. One of the Biblical accounts may be the genealogy of Mary, the other of Joseph; one may assay to set forth kingly descent, the other give the lineal ancestry. We do not know." (Promised Messiah, 471).

Although the debate over the differences in the genealogical lists continues, there remains a consensus, as there was in the days of Elder James E. Talmage "that Matthew's account is that of the royal lineage, establishing the order of sequence among the legal successors to the throne of David" (Jesus the Christ, 86). This genealogy is more than a biological family tree. It is a declaration of who Jesus Christ is: His mission and position in the Eternal Plan of God. And, as Robert L. Millet stated: "It is evidence and demonstration of God's providence, a reflection of the Almighty working out his great and wondrous plan of salvation" ("The Birth and Childhood of the Messiah," in Studies in Scripture, Volume 5, The Gospels, 141).

The Testimony of St. Matthew begins with the phrase "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham . . . ." Matthew then gives a genealogy from Abraham down to "Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."

This first verse reveals a primary purpose of Matthew's genealogy. Jesus is identified as "Christ," the "son of David," and "the son of Abraham." These names and titles became basic themes of Matthew's Testimony. "Christ" is a Greek word meaning "the Anointed One" and the Hebrew word with the same meaning is "Messiah"(see The New Testament for Latter-day Saint Families, 1). David, Israel's great king, received a covenant that the promised Messiah would be among his seed (see Ps. 132; Isaiah 11; and Jeremiah 23:5). "The name 'Jesus Christ' binds the title 'Messiah' indivisibly to Jesus and serves as a good preparation for a genealogy and a narrative both of which stress that Jesus is the fulfillment of Jewish messianic hopes" ( The Birth of the Messiah, 67). But Jesus Christ is far more than the Messiah the Jews. He is the "son of Abraham," who had received the personal promise that "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed" (Genesis 22:18; see also Genesis 12:3).

After listing the names of Jesus Christ's genealogy, Matthew draws the reader's attention to the fact that "all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations" (Matthew 1:17). In other words, Matthew gives a genealogy that consists of three sets of fourteen names.

Biblical scholars suggest various reasons for the symmetrical pattern and the emphasis of the number fourteen in the genealogy that Matthew presents (see The Birth of the Messiah, 57-95). One possibility involves the name "David." In Hebrew this name has the numerical equivalent of fourteen. "Because the heading of the list is 'Son of David' (v. 1), Matthew may have been calling attention to the Davidic emphasis in these names. In the first group, the Davidic throne is established; in the second group, the throne is cast down and deported to Babylon, in the third group, the throne is confirmed in the coming of the Messiah" (Nelson Study Bible, 1575-6). Matthew may be showing that "God planned from the beginning and with precision the Messiah's origins" ( The Birth of the Messiah, 80).

One of the most surprising elements of the Matthew's genealogical account are the names of the women it contains. It is unusual to find the names of any women in Jewish genealogies. Moreover, the thought of these particular women, in this distinctive genealogy, is considered by some to be outright astonishing. Consider the following:

1) Rachab, thought by most scholars to be the Old Testament harlot, Rahab, who saved the spies of Israel (Joshua 2).

2) Ruth the Moabitess who entreated her mother-in-law, Naomi to make "thy God my God" ultimately married with redeemer-kinsman, Boaz (Ruth 1-4).

3) Thamar, or Tamar, the daughter-in-law of Judah, who played the harlot in Genesis 38 in order to "raise up seed" to her husband, thus continuing the posterity of Judah.

4) Bathsheba, adulterously seduced by King David, later became the mother of King Solomon (2 Samuel 11-12; 1 Kings 1, 2).

Why would the names of these women be included in the Savior's genealogy? Again, various scholars have advanced many intriguing possibilities (see, for example, William Barclay, , Volume 1, 16-18; also see The Birth of the Messiah, 74). For example, writers note the Gentile backgrounds of some of these women and suggested that they may symbolize "that God's activity is not limited to men or the people of Israel" (NIV Study Bible, 1436). Whatever else the similarities in their lives and experiences, all of these women played a crucial role and showed tremendous initiative in saving and continuing the lineage of the covenant, and ultimately of the Savior. In that sense, they foreshadow Mary.

In conclusion, there are many insights waiting to be culled from Matthew's and Luke's accounts of the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote that "it is self-evident that we have received no useless and unneeded revelations. All that the Lord does has a purpose and serves a need. He expects us to treasure up his word, to ponder in our hearts its deep and hidden meanings, and to understand its full import" ("Christ and the Creation," Ensign, June 1982, 13). Such is certainly the case with Matthew 1:1-17.

Copyright 1998, LDS-Gems - distributed on the Internet via the LDS-Gems mailing list. Messages may be forwarded to individuals if this trailer is included, but may *not* be re-posted publicly without permission.
For further information see the LDS-Gems webpage: http://www.lds-gems.com/
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