BACKGROUND NOTES ON THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW

Author Although the author is not named in the original document, the Church, since earliest times, has credited this gospel to the disciple Matthew (also known as Levi). He was a tax collector in Capernaum (hence his fondness for numbers), who left everything to follow Jesus. He had Jesus over for dinner, so his colleagues and friends could meet and eat with Jesus — greatly upsetting the Pharisees! (Matthew 9:9-13)
The early Church Father Papias, a student of the apostle John, specifically credits Matthew as the author of the first Gospel.
 
Why was it written?
Matthew wrote for new believers, of whom a large proportion was converted Jews, which explains his many references to the Old Testament and prophecy fulfilled in and by Jesus. At the same time Matthew clearly present the gospel as something for all nations, as seen in the final words of Jesus to the disciples, commanding them to make disciples of "all nations" and to teach them. His Gospel presents the proclamation and teaching of Jesus systematically, and was used as a discipleship manual by the early Church. That's also the reason why it ended up being the first book of the New Testament.
 
How and when was it written?
Most scholars believe that Matthew used the content and general structure of Mark's Gospel as his starting point. To this he added material shared with Luke (scholars refer to this as the "Q" source) as well as his own unique material.
Matthew quotes Jesus' prophecy of the destruction of the temple without mentioning that it has happened, which implies that he wrote before AD 70, but after Mark wrote his Gospel. Conservative scholars put AD 55-65 as the most probable time of writing.
 
First audience and destination:
Matthew wrote for a largely Jewish Christian audience, but his Gospel was soon used all through the Church. The first known quotation from the Matthew's Gospel comes from the Church father Ignatius of Antioch, around AD 110; so our best guess is that the first audience was the significant number of Jewish Christians living in Antioch in Syria.
There is strong evidence suggesting that the early church used Matthew's Gospel as a handbook for teaching new believers.
 
Literary style:
The Gospels are quite different from other literary genres, both ancient and modern, and should rather be called "proclamation history": they proclaim the good news of Jesus in written form, just as it was done orally by the apostles and others. Also, they are not full biographies; like other historians, the authors selected and ordered their material to tell the history according to their own purposes.
Matthew wrote in ordinary (Koine) Greek, spoken throughout the first century Roman world. He writes more concise and polished than Mark, but less precise and sophisticated than Luke. Some traditions say that Matthew first wrote his Gospel in Aramaic, but the text doesn't seem to be a translated document. If he did write first in Aramaic, Matthew completely rewrote it in Greek rather than simply translating.
 
Themes:
· Jesus is the expected Messiah of the Jews. Matthews backs this up with Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Jesus.
· The kingdom of heaven. Matthew organises the teaching of Jesus around living in the kingdom. (To accomodate his Jewish audience's reluctance to use the name of God, or even the word "God", Matthew refers to the "kingdom of heaven", but it means the same as "kingdom of God"in the other Gospels.)
 
Special features
· Interest in Jews : Genealogy, terminology, Old Teatement usage, Messiah, the Law.
· Interest in Gentiles : (Quotes Isaiah's reference to "Galilee of the nations", Great Commission to "all nations", etc)
· Interest in all Christians, Jewish and Gentile. As said, Matthew writes to teach disciples by teaching them what Jesus taught.
· The Church : Only Matthew records the words of Jesus about the Church.
· The kingdom : More prominent than in the other Gospels.
· Faith : Not only as the starting point of the Christian life, but a continuing faith.
· Righteousness : Not as the basis of salvation, but as a lifestyle resulting from salvation.
· Judgement : Most of the warnings about hell were given to followers of Jesus, only two to the Pharisees. Jesus, through Matthew, is warning believers not to become complacent.
 
General structure:
Matthew uses Mark's basic framework, with Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi ("You are the Christ, the Son of the living God") as the watershed moment in Jesus'ministry. But within this general plan, says David Pawson, Matthew builds his own unique structure, alternating five blocks ("sermons") of the teachings of Jesus with four blocks of His deeds (actions) and interactions with others, focusing on living in "the kingdom of heaven" here and now.
 

Introduction - Chapters 1-4: The birth, baptism and temptation of Jesus
Sermon 1 - Chapters 5-7: The kingdom lifestyle
Actions - Chapters 8-9
Sermon 2 - Chapters 9:35 - 10: The kingdom mission
Actions - Chapters 11-12
Sermon 3 - Chapter 13: The growth of the kingdom
Actions - 14-17 (includes Peter's confession - 16:13-20)
Sermon 4 - Chapter 18: The kingdom community
Actions - Chapters 19-23
Sermon 5 - Chapter 24-25: The kingdom future
Conclusion - Chapters 26-28: The death and resurrection of Jesus, and the Great Commission
 
 

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