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1 Jesus as the Messiah in the Gospel of Matthew NBST 515: New Testament Orientation I Liberty University

2 Contents Jesus as the Messiah in the Birth and Preparation Narrative (Matthew 1:1-4:16) ................. 3 Jesus as the Messiah in the Public Galilean Ministry (4:17-16:20) ........................................ 3-5 Jesus as the Messiah in the Private Galilean Ministry (16:21-18:35) .................................... 5-9 Jesus as the Messiah in the Judean Ministry (19:1-25:46) .................................................. 10-12 Jesus as the Messiah in the Passion and Resurrection (26:1-28:20) .................................. 12-13 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 14 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................. 15

3 The thesis of this paper is that Matthew purposefully depicts Jesus as the Messiah. Elwell and Yarbrough express that Matthew’s purpose for writing his book was to give a complete account of Jesus’s life and teachings, but more importantly, to emphasize that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s intention by introducing Him as the Messiah. 1 Matthew not only referred to Jesus as the Messianic King, or Davidic King, but he also connected His lineage into three groups of 14 generations, which also had a numeric connection with King David. 2 The Jewish people were very particular in maintaining their ancestral records so that they may trace their bloodline. Therefore, Matthew’s lineage proves that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham and David. 3 Genesis 12:3 states, “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:3, New International Version). In 2 Samuel 7:12, the prophet Nathan told David, “When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom” (2 Sam. 7:12, NIV). Although this promise, given initially to Abraham, took 2000 years and 42 generations to fulfill, it is evident that Jesus is the long-awaited savior of God’s people. 4 Jesus as the Messiah in the Birth and Preparation Narrative (Matthew 1:1-4:16) Matthew’s Gospel begins with Jesus introduced as the Son of David, and in Greek, the title meant “anointed one,” which is equal to “Messiah” in Hebrew. 5 Matthew describes how 1 Walter A. Elwell and Robert W. Yarbrough, Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey , 3rd ed., in Encountering Biblical Studies (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013), 67. 2 Robert Wayne Stacy, “The Four Gospels – Matthew and Mark,” course video. 3 Matthew Henry, The Gospel of Matthew - Complete Bible Commentary Verse by Verse , (Balneário Rincão: Grupo Oxigênio Ltda-ME, 2016), 3. 4 Charles L. Quarles, Matthew (Piraí: B&H Publishing Group, 2017), 19. 5 Quarles, Matthew , 19.

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4 Mary came to conceive Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit and the dream Joseph received so that he may also believe Mary conceived through the Holy Spirit. (Matt. 1:18-21, NIV). As the prophet Isaiah had spoken many years before, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14, NIV). Micah also prophesied that Bethlehem should be the land where the Messiah would be born, exactly where the magi received their sign of Jesus being born (Micah 5:2, 4). When the magi met the Christ, they were uplifted in their faith knowing, that their journey was not in vain and their sense of yearning for the Messiah. 6 Interestingly enough, although the magi came from foreign lands to find the Messiah, the Jewish leaders and elders in king Herod’s temple never chose to investigate whether or not the claim of the Messiah being born six miles away was remotely true. 7 When Herod realizes that the magi did not come back as he asked of them, he feels tricked and orders the slaughter of all children under the age of two. 8 Matthews mentions that an angel had woken up Joseph and had him take his family to Egypt in order to avoid Herod’s slaughter, which fulfills the prophecy in Hosea 11:1 (Matt. 2:13-15, NIV). When Herod died, it was time for Joseph to bring his family back to Judea but not of his own accord. Quarles mentions that God’s purpose was to return to Judea to fulfill the prophecy mentioned in Isaiah 1:11 and Jeremiah 23:5, which describes the Messiah as a “branch.” 9 Before Jesus made a public appearance, Matthew introduced John the Baptist on the Jordan river preaching repentance and the return of the Messiah (Matt. 3:1-6, NIV). As Jesus 6 D. H. Williams, Matthew (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018), 54. 7 Robert H. Mounce, Matthew (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990), 23. 8 Quarles, Matthew , 8. 9 Quarles, Matthew , 9.

5 made His appearance, it was evident to John that He was the Messiah and the one he had been preaching about. Quarles states, “The Messiah appears after John,” which occurs in Matthew’s Gospel. 10 John unsuccessfully attempts to deter Jesus from being baptized by him, but Jesus knows that the prophecy must be fulfilled and should be performed. 11 Quarles states that Matthew writes that Jesus is immersed in the water, while Mark’s Gospel is more of a sprinkling or pouring of water. 12 Jesus did not have to confess His sins because He had none. Them God’s voice comes from the clouds and exclaims, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17, NIV). Suddenly, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit and fasted for 40 days and 40 nights before the tempter came along to test Him (Matt. 4:1-3, NIV). Jesus easily overcomes the tempter’s tests because the Messiah had long before been promised the nations of the earth. 13 Jesus as the Messiah in the Public Galilean Ministry (4:17-16:20) Just as John the Baptist did in the third chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, now Jesus preaches, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Matt. 4:17, NIV). Carson links those words with “from that time on” as Jesus fulfilling the messianic light that shines upon the Gentiles. 14 As Jesus goes on to gather His disciples, Carson parallels how God sent fishermen to gather His people for exile. Jesus is now gathering fishermen as His disciples, which is the beginning of His messianic reign. 15 Once the Sermon on the Mount is complete, Jesus states that He will not 10 Quarles, Matthew , 10d. 11 Quarles, Matthew , 10f. 12 Quarles, Matthew , 11. 13 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 1697g. 14 D. A. Carson, Matthew (Grand Rapids: HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 2017), 183. 15 Carson, Matthew , 185.

6 abolish the law but fulfill it (Matt. 5:17-20, NIV). Henry goes on to express that Jesus had no intention of discharging the law so that the self-righteous would not be left alone with their wickedness. 16 By doing so, Jesus has prayed blessings over the poor in spirit, the Gentiles, and has rebuked the self-righteous at the beginning of His ministry. As Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, He mentions “thy kingdom” (Matt. 6:10, NIV). Henry relates “thy kingdom” to a prayer the Jews prayed daily: “…let his Messiah come and deliver his people.” 17 Jesus knew that the kingdom of God was near and wanted His disciples to understand that He was the one true Messiah. Shortly after, Jesus heals a man of leprosy, and Matthew states, “Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy” (Matt. 8:3, NIV). Quarles reports that the form in which the word “immediately” was used in this context communicated urgency and was an evident miracle because of the seriousness of the skin disease. 18 From here, Jesus performs many miracles in the eyes of His disciples and many other believers and non-believers. As the Gospel of John states, Jesus performed so many other miracles that they could not all be recorded in a book, but those that are written are so that we may believe in His works and know He is the Messiah (John 20:30-31, NIV). As Jesus performed these miracles, He would tell those healed not to tell others. Mounce expresses that He did so to decrease Roman antagonism and that the universal and sacrificial message He came to give could be done without unnecessary bloodshed. 19 That would be at the heart of His message because, in the prophecy of Isaiah about the Messiah, he states that His name would be “Prince of Peace” (Isa. 9:6, NIV). To shed blood during His ministry would be counterproductive and against His nature. 16 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 12f. 17 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 1297u. 18 Quarles, Matthew , 1k. 19 Mounce, Matthew , 65.

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7 Matthew then tells of how Jesus cured a paralytic by forgiving his sins, and the man got up and walked home (Matt. 9:2-8, NIV). Mounce explains that sicknesses, such as being paralyzed, were caused by sin, and the only way sin is forgiven is through divine intervention. 20 As Jesus is healing the paralytic by forgiving his sin, He states that the Son of Man has the capability of forgiving sin, which is a power given to the Messiah. 21 By publicly demonstrating His tremendous power to forgive sin and heal a man born paralyzed, Jesus overtly states that He is the Messiah and has authority on earth. Then Jesus gives the authority to His disciples to execute works in His name and to ensure they repent before the Messiah performs judgment (Matt. 10:1-8, NIV). The disciples were charged with performing judgment by leaving dust from their feet wherever people failed to hear His word and repent. 22 By wiping the dust off their feet in the locations where they preached, they knew that the Messiah would judge them righteously according to their hearts. John the Baptist then found himself in prison, wondering if Jesus was the Messiah (Matt. 11:2-3, NIV). This is reasonable for a man who had been performing His work but found himself locked in a cage. When Jesus responded to John’s disciples as to whether He was the Messiah, Jesus went on to encourage those around Him of John’s ministry and how he paved the way for the Messiah. 23 Jesus then goes on to express that John is the second coming of the great prophet Elijah and he too has fulfilled the law prophesied in Malachi 3:1 (Matt. 11:14, NIV). When Jesus and His disciples were charged with unlawfully plucking heads of grain on the Sabbath, Jesus 20 Mounce, Matthew , 71. 21 Carson, Matthew , 294. 22 Carson, Matthew , 332. 23 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 298c.

8 expressed that the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath. 24 Carson makes the point that the temple could supersede the law, which is why Jesus claims that something greater than the temple is present. 25 As mentioned earlier, Jesus claimed to have come to fulfill the law, not abolish it. Carson then goes on to express why Jesus would typically retreat after such challenging encounters, and it was so that Jesus could fulfill the prophecies of a coming Suffering Servant. 26 In many instances, Jesus was almost stoned to death prematurely because His words and actions were so provocative that the Pharisees and elders felt they needed to kill Him. Indeed, He knew that all of the turmoil and disorder caused by His ministry would lead down the path of suffering on the cross. As we see throughout the following couple of chapters in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is preparing for the passion. First, He claims that those not with Him must be against Him, and there can be no apathy towards His messianic claim. 27 Jesus knows that the Jewish leaders and elders will do their best to convince others that regardless of what they have seen Him do, there is no way He can be the Messiah. Then, Jesus speaks in a parable about the mustard seed, a comparison of His small ministry to the size of the world. 28 Even though the mustard seed is one of the smallest, Jesus knows it can produce good fruit, just as His apostles can. Lastly, when Simon Peter is asked by Jesus whom he says He is, Simon responds with, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:15-16, NIV). This claim came from the special revelation 24 Matthew 12:1-8. 25 Carson, Matthew , 373-374. 26 Carson, Matthew , 377. 27 Carson, Matthew , 382. 28 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 28c.

9 provided to believers of Christ. At this point, Jesus will use Peter’s claim to build His church and teach His disciples that the Messiah must first die before being glorified. 29 Jesus as the Messiah in the Private Galilean Ministry (16:21-18:35) Shortly after referring to Jesus as the Messiah Simon tells Him there is no way he would allow Him to suffer before being put to death. 30 Carson states that although Simon knew that He was indeed the Messiah wholeheartedly, he could not fathom Him dying, believing that he knew better than the will of God. 31 It is evident that having the Son of Man as their Rabbi for multiple years and then having to lose Him would be a worrisome predicament. Fortunately for Simon, Jesus knew the will of God and knew that it had to be fulfilled through Him. At the transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain, Simon, James, and John were able to come face to face with Elijah and Moses and hear the voice of God. 32 This event comforted those disciples that the Suffering Servant would return upon His death just as He had predicted. One can imagine that being in the presence of such holy beings would be amazing yet, scary. Nevertheless, the disciples had not yet understood what was to come, so they debated on silly things, such as who was the greatest amongst themselves and Jesus continued teaching through parables. Jesus as the Messiah in the Judean Ministry (19:1-25:46) Carson relates Jesus’ ministry in Galilee to that of Judea and states that due to the various discourses throughout this gospel, Jesus may be known as a prophet, but it was all for the illumination of the Messiah’s ministry. 33 Throughout His Judean ministry, Jesus continued to 29 Mounce, Matthew , 123. 30 Matthew 16:22. 31 Carson, Matthew , 482. 32 Matthew 17:2-5. 33 Carson, Matthew , 516.

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10 minister in parables, perform miracles that healed the lame, speak of His coming death, and contend with the Pharisees and elders of the Jews. Although continued to gain followers, the hearts of the self-righteous only continued to harden and hate the Messiah. As Jesus entered Judea, He rode in on a donkey, not only to fulfill the prophecy of Zechariah but so that it would be seen as a sign of goodwill and not of hostility. 34 As Jesus rode in on the donkey, the people shouted “Hosanna to the son of David”, demonstrating that even the people in Jerusalem knew who He truly was (Matt. 21:9, NIV). While Jesus was fulfilling prophecy and did so through humble means, the Pharisees and elders just could not accept that the Messiah would be someone of such low status. If He is from the genealogy of David and Abraham, then He should be sitting on a throne, or preparing Israel to go to war with the Romans. As Jesus hungered, He went out to a fig tree with leaves but found no figs. Therefore, Jesus said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” (Matt. 21:19, NIV). By this incident, Jesus demonstrated that He not only came to give life to believers but also to judge righteously those that do not bear fruit. 35 Righteous judgement is what the disciples had hoped the Messiah would come to do with the Romans, where Jesus would right the wrongs and bring Israel back into good standing with the Father. Unfortunately, they did know that His judgment would come upon the Jewish elders just as it had come to the fig tree. Then His authority is questioned by the chief priests and elders as to who gave Jesus the authority to teach. Without missing a beat, Jesus rebuts their question with a question of John the Baptist that He knows they will not be able to answer truthfully because of their hardened hearts. At this point, Jesus could have told them what the people already knew, that He is the Messiah, but they would not have accepted it and attempted to murder Him for it on the spot. 34 Mounce, Matthew , 149. 35 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 717.

11 After debating with the religious leaders in the temple, Jesus then a question to the Pharisees that they could again not answer. He asked if David’s son was to be the Messiah, then why did David call him Lord? (Matt. 22:42-43, NIV). Because of passages in the OT, the Pharisees came to believe that the Messiah would perform military conquests that would restore Israel and give them worldly distinction. 36 However, they did not comprehend that the Messiah would have to perform a more exalted role. Jesus came into this world as the Suffering Servant so Jews and Gentiles alike could know that the Messiah is Lord. In 1 Corinthians 15:12-15, Paul states that his preaching would be useless if Jesus had not died, resurrected, and ascended to heaven. Fortunately, Jesus’s life was at the forefront of the Jewish community at this point, and now the time for the passion and resurrection was set. Jesus as the Messiah in the Passion and Resurrection (26:1-28:20) Matthew begins the passion with Jesus telling of His imminent betrayal, death, and anointing. As the disciples squabbled over what she had done and the amount of money wasted, they had not realized that the woman had just anointed the Messiah before His death. 37 Jesus stated, “…she did it to prepare me for burial” (Matt. 26:12, NIV). Failing to realize the significance of her enactment allows Judas to betray Jesus. Mounce mentions that the intentions of Judas and his betrayal are not clear but could have been due to his expectations and feelings of the Messiah’s lack of military fulfillment. 38 Regardless of the reason, Satan had entered Judas, and he turned his back on the Messiah over 30 silver coins, which was negligible in those days. 36 Mounce, Matthew , 161. 37 Henry, The Gospel of Matthew , 755, 757. 38 Mounce, Matthew , 181.

12 For Jesus to seal His new covenant with the church, He knew there must be bloodshed. Before that, He shares one last meal with the disciples where the wine is representative of the blood of the lamb that was spread over the doors in the times of exile in Egypt so that God’s angels would know that they are His people. So now, Jesus’ blood resembles the lamb’s and will wipe away their sins and bring the church into this new covenant with the Messiah. As they arrested Jesus, Mounce mentions He could have called on the angels of heaven to help Him, but for the Scriptures to be fulfilled, the Messiah must die. 39 Due to the chief priests and elders’ persistence and arrogance, Pilate has no choice but to listen to the crowd. Although Pilate does not directly condemn Him to death, he allows the Jews to convict Him of blaspheming for calling Himself the Son of Man. When Pilate handed Him over, the inscription on the cross read: THIS IS JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS, which prepared the way for Christianity. 40 The Jewish leaders solicited requests from Pilate to remove the inscription because the “King of the Jews” title was reserved for the Messiah. Throughout His flogging, crucifixion, and humiliation, Matthew continuously portrays Jesus as the Messiah, fulfilling prophecies, the sacrificial lamb that will wipe away our sins, and the Son of Man. As Jesus takes His last breaths on the cross, He cries out to God. For the prophecy to be fulfilled, Jesus must resurrect and ascend to heaven. The chief priests and Pharisees were terrified that Jesus was the Messiah and had the tomb secured by having Pilate place a guard at the entrance. 41 Regardless, there is a great earthquake, and Jesus reveals Himself upon being resurrected. The first eyewitnesses of His resurrection are two Marys and the mother of Zebedee’s sons, to whom He tells to have His disciples meet in Galilee. 39 Mounce, Matthew , 187. 40 Carson, Matthew , 516. 41 Mounce, Matthew , 197.

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13 Carson mentions that the Messiah originally appeared in a place of low status, but that is precisely where Jesus said He would be, those poor in spirit. 42 Jesus was undoubtedly the Messiah, but not the one envisioned by those who assumed He would come to destroy their enemies and exalt the Jewish people far above all others. Contrarily, He came to judge those with evil thoughts and hearts righteously so His name could be exalted above everyone else’s. Conclusion As books of the Old Testament prophesied, such as Genesis, Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Daniel, and many others, Jesus was the coming Messiah and established His kingdom on earth for Jews and Gentiles alike. Matthew conveys the words in Jesus’ narrative, the miracles He performed, and the establishment of the kingdom of heaven on earth so that we may know He was the coming Messiah. His death, resurrection, and ascension to heaven were the fulfillment of His messianic kingship. 42 Carson, Matthew , 727.

14 Bibliography Carson, D. A., Matthew . Grand Rapids: HarperCollins Christian Publishing, 2017. Accessed October 5, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central. Elwell, Walter A., and Robert W. Yarbrough. Encountering the New Testament: A Historical and Theological Survey . Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2013. Henry, Matthew. The Gospel of Matthew - Complete Bible Commentary Verse by Verse. Balneário Rincão: Grupo Oxigênio Ltda-ME, 2016. Accessed October 1, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central. Mounce, Robert H., Matthew . Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1990. Accessed October 5, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central. Quarles, Charles L., Matthew . Piraí: B&H Publishing Group, 2017. Accessed October 3, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central. Stacy, Wayne Robert, “The Four Gospels – Matthew and Mark”, Course Video. Williams, D. H., Matthew . Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2018. Accessed October 5, 2022. ProQuest Ebook Central.

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