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MATTHEW: AN OVERVIEW
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(Part III) (Chapters 3-7)
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Jim Laws
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After the reader has finished the introduction
to the book of Matthew (chs. 1 and 2), he enters
into the first of five sections found in the book. In section one, which
covers chapters three through seven, one is introduced to the work of one of
the great men of the Bible, John the Baptist (Matt. 3). He is the only one
who ever baptized to the extent that he was called "John, the one who
baptizes." The New Testament tells of his greatness in a number of ways.
He was great because his birth was divinely announced (Luke 1:11-14). The text says that John was
miraculously conceived (Luke 1:7; 24, 25). His greatness is explicitly
declared by the Lord himself (Matt. 11:7-11). John was a prophet, called by
God to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah. Matthew stresses
that this John was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. John says that
Jesus is mightier than he and that he baptizes with water; however, Jesus
will baptize in the Holy Spirit and in fire which was a way of saying that
Jesus is the Messiah. In this section the reader sees Jesus being baptized by
John in the Jordan.
We should keep in mind that John’s baptism related to salvation (Luke 1:77),
it demanded faith (Acts 19:4), it demanded repentance (Mark 1:4), it involved
confession of sins (Mark 1:5), and it is said that John’s baptism was for
(unto) remission of sins (Mark 1:4). One can safely conclude that Jesus did
not come to receive John’s baptism. Jesus comes to John to be baptized of him
"to fulfill all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15). Jesus is baptized not because he needed remission
of sins for he did not, but to comply perfectly with the divine will of God,
which he did in all things. Further, it was in this way, the act of Jesus
being baptized, that God as well as the Holy Spirit attested to the fact that
this Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah. John seeing this sign identifies Jesus
as such (John 1:28-34).
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The reader will, also, find in this section of
Matthew the temptations of Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11). "Then was Jesus led up
of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Matt.
4:1). Luke says that Jesus was "full of the Holy Spirit" (Luke 4:1)
and that it was by his influence that he was led into the wilderness. The
point is made then that Jesus was both subject to temptation and was led into
it for some divine purpose (McGarvey, Commentary on
Matthew - Mark, p. 40). The temptations of Jesus demonstrate the cunning of
Satan in knowing the exact area in which to tempt Jesus as well as how to
best go about it. However, with each clever temptation Jesus is victorious.
The first Adam faced temptation and failed, bringing sin and death into the
world, however, the second Adam faced temptation and defeated Satan, making
eternal life possible for all who will obey him (Heb. 5:8-9). Jesus has
overcome the temptation to sin, where as every other
man has failed (Rom. 3:23). He did
so by relying upon the strength offered through the Scriptures, a resource
that is available to everyone.
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It is also in this chapter that Matthew
presents Jesus starting his public ministry. Jesus learns that John has been
cast into prison and he begins to preach, "Repent: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand" (Matt. 4:17).
Matthew tells us that this is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophesy
coming from Isaiah. The prophet had predicted the coming of a great light and
that Jesus was that great light (Matt. 4:14-16).
With Jesus coming men would leave all they had to follow him, multitudes
would come to hear him teach, and to see the miracles he performed, leaving
no doubt in our minds that Jesus was that great light prophesied from Isaiah
(Isa.9:1,2; 42:6,7). Jesus and his preaching about the kingdom were received
with a great deal of popularity. Matthew states, "And Jesus went about
all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom" (Matt. 4:24). He goes on to say that the fame of Jesus went
throughout all Syria
(vs. 24), and that great multitudes of people followed him from Galilee, and Decapolis and from Jerusalem
and from Judaea and from
beyond Jordan
(vs. 25). It is at this point that Matthew presents the greatest sermon ever
preached, which we have come to call, "The Sermon on The Mount"
(Matt. 5-7). In it Jesus tells us what life is to be like in the kingdom
of God. Matthew has proven a
number of times and in a number of different ways that Jesus is the promised
Messiah, the King of Israel, now he tells us what the king is teaching. Much
of Matthew’s point in presenting this material is seen at the end of the
section (Matt. 7:28, 29). When
Jesus brings this message to an end the people are astonished at his doctrine.
He taught them as one "having authority, and not as the scribes"
(vs. 29). To speak in such a fashion is in keeping with his divine nature,
the Son of God.
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What did Jesus say that filled the great
multitudes with such wonder and awe? The teaching of Christ included the
Beatitudes; the spiritual joy and satisfaction that one may gain by living
life acceptably before God (Matt. 5:1-12). Jesus taught that his disciples
are to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Matt. 5:13-18). We need to live so as to "let
our light shine and glorify our father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16). We need to understand that Christ
came to "fulfill the law," that is, bring it to its intended end or
completion and that God takes his law seriously; so should we if we are to be
pleasing in his sight (Matt. 5:17-20). He taught that the religious leaders
of his day had perverted the law, twisting it to make it mean what they
wanted. Jesus, on the other hand, taught the old law accurately and applied
it as God intended. He taught them about God’s will in their lives regarding
anger, marriage, divorce, making promises, and taking revenge. He told us
that we must do better than the scribes and Pharisees in avoiding such sins
of the heart as adultery, murder, and hypocrisy. In chapter six he mentioned
the matter of our giving, may it not be done for show but sincerely (vs.
1-4), likewise in praying, may it not be an open display, but rather a means
of honoring God as it was intended (vs. 5-8). He instructed us about prayer
even further by giving a model prayer by which we may pattern ours (vs.
9-15). He taught against the sin of worry saying that it is worthless in
helping to solve our problems and indicates a lack of faith and trust in God
on our part. By chapter seven Jesus admonishes each one against wrongfully
judging another (vs. 1-6); he speaks of prayer as a means of receiving from
him what we need (vs. 7-11); he says that we must choose the righteous way of
life to be pleasing to God and to live eternally (vs. 12-14); he warns
against false prophets (vs. 15-20), and that a mere outward display of
religion will not be accepted of God, but rather a faithful obedience to what
God has said is required of all (vs. 21-29). This great sermon ends with a
parable about two builders, which is designed to teach us the importance of
faithful obedience. So ends section one of Matthew: a section of scripture
designed to teach that the king has come.
 MATTHEW continued
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