The Purpose of the People of God
The Purpose of the People of God - Matthew • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 49:44
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The Purpose of the People of God
The Purpose of the People of God
I’m Excited about several things right now!
Introduction to how and why we Practice the Lord’s Table
Night of Intergenerational Worship
We’re finally starting Matthew!
Overview:
Textual Background
Cultural Background
Organization
Thematic Overview of Matthew
Let’s Pray!
Textual Background
Author: Matthew
External Evidence: Writing of the Early Church Fathers
Clement of Rome (??-100)
Polycarp (69-155 - Pupil of John)
Justin Martyr (81-165 - Pupil of Polycarp)
Clement of Alexandria (150-215)
Tertullian (160-220)
Origen (185-254 - Pupil of Clement of Alexandria)
Internal Evidence:
Pieces of Currency and Taxes
Two Drachma Tax
Poll Tax
Shekel
Talent
Denarius
Silver
Gold
Copper
Record Keeping - Ability to write the account
“Matthew the tax collector”
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who betrayed Him.
Matthew is the only one whose profession is listed.
Perception of Tax Collectors
In his humility, Matthew doesn’t include anything that portrays tax collectors in a positive frame.
Author: Matthew
Date:
Dating of Matthew has fluctuated over time
Dates of Matthew range from 37AD to 85AD
Date: 45-60AD - This is an early date, most would place it from 55-65
Audience:
Audience: Jewish Believers
This requires some clarification and explanatio
Old Testament Citations and Quotations
Matthew contains 74 Quotation and Citations to the Old Testament
Does not include Allusions or Echos
Luke follows closely with 59, but this fits with Luke’s desire to buttress believers’ faith by illustrating fulfilled prophecy
Mark - 28
John - 16
Jewish Customs are not explained - meaning the audience understands them
Emphasis on the Pharisees and Sadducees
Significantly more than any other Gospel
Second, ALL the gospels are Jewish
A Jewish Man
In Jewish Culture
Participating in Jewish Customs
This doesn’t mean they don’t have a specified audience, but we cannot remove the Jewishness of any gospel.
LC
Matthew - Jews (Early)
Mark - Romans
Luke - Greeks
John - Broad (Late)
Third, we need to understand that Matthew being written to Jewish Believers is not a constraint.
At the establishment of the church, it is almost exclusively Jews, either by heritage or conversion (proselytes). This is expressed in Acts 2.
As time progresses, the church expands, and an exclusively Jewish audience makes less sense. This expansion happens rapidly after 70AD with the destruction of the temple and reconquering of Jerusalem that once again disperses the Jews into Gentile territories.
Being that when the church started it was almost exclusively Jewish, it makes sense that a letter sent to the early church would be exceedingly Jewish, as that is what comprises the church at that time.
Jewish Believers = Church
Audience: Jewish Believers (Church)
Do not exclude yourself from Matthew’s Audience
Recursion
Thematic Order, not Chronological
Cultural Background
Old Testament
Torah would have been memorized by age 12
At a minimum there has been a ton of exposure to the OT
Historical Understanding
They know the story - Next week, we will begin walking through this history that Matthew opens the gospel with.
They are looking for the kingdom
10 And His disciples asked Him, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
5 “Behold, I am going to send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and terrible day of the Lord.
They are looking for a Messiah (King)
19 This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent to him priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” 20 And he confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
Honor & Shame
All cultures seem to hold some system of Honor and Shame
What designates that honorable from the shameful?
Honor & Shame is based off of culture, or as we would define culture “shared values”
Shared Values
What are the shared values of the Jews?
Covenants - Identity is born and maintained in the Covenants with God
All of the Covenants point to or clarify some aspect of the Kingdom
Being a Covenant oriented people is being a Kingdom oriented people
Outcome conflated with Purpose, and the Law became the focus.
Shared Values (LAW)
Honorable = Lawful
Societal Stability
The Honorable
Judges - Administers of Law
Wealthy - Funding of Civil/Cultural Projects
Promotion of shared values is rewarded with honor
Remember this when we come to passages like Mt 5.20
20 “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Or in the context of the Rich Young Ruler:
25 When the disciples heard this, they were very astonished and said, “Then who can be saved?”
These are the most honorable in Jewish Society. Jesus is flipping their perspective of the kingdom upside down.
The Shameful
Accused
Guilty
Poor - they had nothing to offer towards the Societal Stability
Opposition to shared values
Christians
Before Whom?
Recognizing this, we need to understand that Matthew is writing to persuade believers to discipleship which would be considered shameful to a Jewish society, but honored before God.
Summation of Cultural Background
Organization/Structure of Matthew
Discourse Boundaries
Discourse and Narrative
Segmentation of Sections (1 & 2)
37 Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 38 “Therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest.”
1 Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every kind of disease and every kind of sickness.
Segmentation of Sections (2 & 3)
1 When Jesus had finished these words, He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan;
16 But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated.
Summation of each Section
Thematic Elements of Matthew
Forgiveness and Faith
Jesus Ministry - we cannot avoid the narrative Matthew is using
21 “She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Acceptance and Rejection
Authority
Enter the Kingdom <> Enter Discipleship
Thematic Progression of Matthew
Faith and Forgiveness
Act One (Introduction)
Lord’s Prayer - Forgiveness before God and Men
Healings by Faith
Paralytic - Sins forgiven by faith
Act Two (Discipleship)
Faith of the Disciples - Little
Forgiveness is Required among Disciples
Act Three (Culmination)
Rewards for Discipleship (Continuing, Growing Faith)
Last Supper - Crucifixion/Resurrection Narrative
28 for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.
Acceptance and Rejection
In this theme, Matthew paints a dichotomous picture, either you accept Jesus or you reject Him. There is no in between.
Act One (Introduction)
Herod - Rejects
Magi - Accept
John the Baptist - Accepts
Pharisees - Reject
Act Two (Amplification)
Pharisees Questioning intensifies and becomes more accusatory
Peter’s Confession of Christ
Act Three (Culmination)
Palm Sunday - The Masses Accept
Trials and Crucifixion - The Masses Reject
54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
Authority
Act One (Introduction)
Herod - Named King of the Jews by the Romans in Alexandria
Jesus’ Baptism - the pronouncement of Jesus’ preexistent authority
Jesus and Satan - the Temptation
Pharisees - Assign Jesus’ authority to Satan
Act Two (Amplification)
Pharisees - Again assign Jesus’ authority to Satan
John the Baptist - Questions Jesus’ Messiahship
Caesar - Questions of Taxes - Coins are a marker of regional authority
Demons - Jesus exercises authority over demons (House Divided)
Transfiguration - Picture of Jesus’ glory and authority
Act Three (Culmination)
Pharisees - Plot against Jesus
Judgment - Jesus’ authority as judge
Resurrection - Ultimate example of authority
The Great Comment
And having approached, Jesus spoke to them saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on the earth.
Enter the Kingdom <> Enter Discipleship
Remember from our study of the Kingdom, The Kingdom is about living in fellowship with God.
Act One (Introduction)
“at hand” - John the Baptist (3:2) and Jesus (4:17)
The Kingdom Past - “You have heard it said”
The correction of past application
Introduction to Discipleship - These are the characteristics of Discipleship
Gospel of the Kingdom - Discipleship
Act Two (Amplification)
“at hand” - Message of the Disciples
Matthew 10:7 “7 “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
“has come upon you” - regarding His authority
The Kingdom Present -
Endure Persecution - Chapter 10
“The kingdom of Heaven is like” (13:31, 33, 44, 45, 47, 52)
This is kingdom living - discipleship - Chapter 18
Act Three (Culmination)
The Kingdom Future - Evaluation of the Kingdom Life (Discipleship)
Gospel of the Kingdom - Matthew 24:14 “14 “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”
The Command to Disciple - The culminating purpose of the book
Everything in Matthew drives towards this point
Therefore, having gone, disciple all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to keep all I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always until the completion of the age.
The Purpose of the People of God
