The Matthew Series, Intro

Back ground info (from the Reformation Study Bible)

Whoever wrote the book of Matthew forgot to write their name on it (or didn’t think it necessary). However, tradition claims it was Matthew, the former tax collector who became one of the 12 disciples of Jesus. The book was written in both Hebrew and Greek, perhaps in Antioch where it was first quoted by Ignatius in A.D. 110, (his congregation was made up of both Jews and Gentiles). Most scholars believe it was written to Jews (the context focuses much on Old Testament fulfillment) around A.D. 60-70.

The book of Matthew is one of the four Gospels in today’s Bible. The Gospel message is about Jesus the Christ, His life, His teachings and His identity as the Messiah (the One who would bring ultimate reconciliation between God and His people.) The word Christ comes from the Greek Christos, which means “anointed,” as does the Hebrew word Messiah. In Hebrew culture, one was anointed with oil as a prophet, priest, or king. God promised “the coming of the righteous Servant of the Lord (Is 42:1-9), who will be a prophet like Moses (Deut.18:18-19), a priest like Melchizedek (Ps 110:4), and a king like David, the Lord’s anointed (Is 55:3-5; Jer 30:9; Ezek 34:24; Hos 3:5; Zech 12:8).” Jesus became all three and fulfilled Old Testament prophecy.