Im going to try to summarize Matthew. There is a lot in that one gospel tho. The gospel of Matthew was written as a message of encouragement and strength for Jewish Christians. Despite Jesus being killed by Jews, Matthew's first message is to strengthen Jewish Christian's faith in the knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah. To prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament, Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other writer of the Gospels.
First off he taught us the geneology of Jesus and where he came from. Right from Adam and Eve down to John the Baptist being his cousin. John the Baptist was older than Jesus and his main purpose in life was to prepare the way for Jesus. Matthew tells of Jesus going on to have this big sermon on the Mount. He addresses the blessed life we have, the law, prayer, the Golden Rule, living righteously, true versus false teaching, entering the kingdom and the importance of people listening to his words.
Matthew then goes on to tell us about the Miracles that Jesus performed like healing a leper, a hot shots servant, one of his disciples (Peter), well he healed his mother in law. He also calmed the sea, forgave and healed a paralytic, healed a rulers daughter, healed two blind men and delivered a man who was a mute and demon possessed. these are the some of many, that Jesus performed. Matthew also talks about how Jesus chose and trained 12 disciples (A disciple is a believer, a learning pupil, and a faithful follower of Christ), their job would be to spread the good news and tell everyone about the kingdom. He then gave them healing powers and warned them about the kind of reception they would likely receive.
At this point John the Baptist is being rejected, Jesus is being rejected, mostly from the Pharisees. They just plain ol didn’t like his interference in there lives, so Jesus delayed His kingdom program until the second coming, which will come. Jesus speaks in parables to help people understand what is coming. Some understand, most don’t. Of course just like the Old Testament, they just don’t get it. Matthew then goes on to tell his disciples things they need to know following his death. He taught them about the church (the people) total commitment, the second coming, faith, humility, evangelism, offence, forgiveness, rich people, how the last will be first and the danger of ambition. Read it.. its all there.. how we are suppose to be living in this world.
Jesus then enters Jerusalem as people shout Hosanna. He cleans out the temple of all the wrong that was going on there, condemns fruitless living and noted how Israel’s religious leaders had all gone astray. They just plain ol don’t like this man interfering with their control! So they plot to kill him and you know the story. Judas betrays him big time. So Jesus celebrates Passover with His disciples and that is where the last supper was. He leaves them to pray and he goes to the garden of Gethsemane to prepare for his end. Its there that he is arrested and falsely accused, denied by Peter and delivered to Pilate, tried, scorged and led to Golgotha were He was crucified and died. Gloriously, three days later, Jesus is resurrected from the dead. The tomb is empty and then Jesus appears to the women who come there to prepare him. He also appears to the disciples. Before Jesus ascends to heaven he gave His disciples the Great Commission. Which was this in the bible.
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Jesus gave this command to the apostles shortly before He ascended into heaven, and it essentially outlines what Jesus expected the apostles, and those who followed them, to do in His absence. So the way I look at it is .. I'm a disciple, which is a believer, I want to learn and I want to faithfully follow what Jesus taught us. Teaching someone is telling someone that wants to listen and learn. And in the process gain the true knowledge of the Word of God.. yeah.. that is me..
So, in the scriptures, an apostle is someone sent out on a mission-specifically to start churches in other cultures. A disciple, on the other hand, is someone who chooses to be a follower or a student of Jesus. Matthew was a disciple, he saw everything first hand.. he is a witness to it all.
Ok.. enough here.. that is Matthew and how I feel about things in the bible..
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