The Gospel of Matthew It is the first book of the New Testament and consists of 28 chapters. It is said that it was written around the year 80-90 AD in the city of Antioch. In the same way as the Gospels of Mark and Luke, the Gospel of Matthew is part of the group of Synoptic Gospels, because they relate very similar events and are structured in a very similar way.
We invite you to discover below this key book of the Bible that allows us to know life and words of Jesus.
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Structure of the Gospel of Matthew
Genealogy of Jesus
“GENEALOGY OF JESUS, CHRIST, son of David, son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1). From the first verses of his gospel, Matthew presents 3 groups of 14 generations that narrate the events that occurred from Abraham to David, then from David to the deportation to Babylon, and finally from the deportation to Babylon to the birth of Jesus.
the sermon on the mount
After being baptized and spending 40 days in the desert, Jesus began his public ministry by speaking the famous Sermon on the Mount, in which the Beatitudes are found. In fact, the sermon on the mount was also the longest speech of Jesus (it goes from chapter 5 to 7), and there we see him teaching the crowd and delving into some principles of the Old Testament such as fasting, prayer, interpersonal relationships, etc.
The 12 apostles who were sent
In chapter 10, we can see the names of the 12 apostles of Jesus: Simon, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James son of Alphaeus, Thaddeus, Simon the Canaanite or Zealot, and Judas the Iscariot.
This passage also shows us that Jesus sent his twelve apostles to preach the kingdom of heaven and ordered them only to do so among the people of Israel: “To these Twelve, Jesus sent them with the following instructions: «Do not go to pagan regions, nor enter any city of the Samaritans. Go, instead, to the lost sheep of the people of Israel” (Matthew 10:5-6).
The parables of Jesus
From chapter 13 to the end of the book of Matthew, we see that Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of heaven using images that corresponded to observations of life and nature, which are known as parables.
The ecclesiastical discourse or how a church lives
Beginning in chapter 18, Jesus speaks to the disciples about the demands of ecclesiastical life. The two main ones are prayer and forgiveness.
Eschatological discourse: on the end of time
After hearing a comment from his disciples about the construction of the temple in Jerusalem, Jesus began to prophesy about the catastrophes and circumstances that will precede his return and called on his disciples to be alert and prepared.
Death and resurrection of Christ
Beginning in chapter 26, Matthew presents Jesus’ last supper with his disciples, his prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, his death on the cross, and subsequent resurrection on the third day. It should be noted that the Gospel of Matthew ends with the episode of Jesus giving the command to go and make disciples of all nations.
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Who is Matthew, the evangelist?
Matthew, also called Levi, was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus, and is traditionally recognized as the author of this Gospel. His call began when one day Jesus saw him sitting at his tax collection booth and told him: “Follow me” (Matthew 9:9).
How does Matthew introduce us to Jesus?
Matthew presents Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, whose presence among us would be the fulfillment of the promises made to Abraham, David and all the people of Israel. On the other hand, the evangelist lets us see that, on many occasions, Jesus quoted passages from the Old Testament in his daily life, for example, in the episode of the temptation.
Who is it addressed to?
It seems that this gospel is addressed mainly to the Jews and the rabbis of the synagogue who knew the Scriptures and the promises of God about the Messiah. His purpose was to convince them that Jesus was really the Messiah and Emmanuel who had been prophesied so much about. In addition, the words of this book are also addressed to the Jews who had converted to Christianity, in order to strengthen their faith, and of course all of us who today have access to this Good News of salvation.
5 beautiful biblical passages from the Gospel of Matthew
You are the light of the world
“You are the light of the world. You can’t hide a city on top of a mountain. And a lamp is not lit to put it under a drawer, but it is put on the candlestick so that it illuminates all who are in the house. In this way the light that is in you should shine before the eyes of men, so that they may see your good works and glorify the Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5, 14-16)
The Our Father Prayer
“Pray this way: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be your Name, may your Kingdom come, may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive our offenses, as we forgive those who have offended us. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6: 9-13)
Come to me
“Come to me all you who are afflicted and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, because I am patient and humble of heart, and in this way you will find relief. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)
You shall love the Lord your God
“Jesus replied, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your spirit. This is the greatest and first commandment. The second is similar to the first: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22: 37-40).
Make disciples of all nations
“Go and make all nations my disciples, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to do everything I have commanded you. And I will always be with you until the end of the world” (Matthew 28:19-20)
We invite you to discover a series of verses from the Gospel of Matthew commentedsuch as Matthew 6:33, Matthew 19:26, Matthew 4:17, Matthew 5:14-16, Matthew 6:9, Matthew 11:28, Matthew 19:30, among others
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