What was Matthew's Purpose in Writing the First Gospel?

Introduction

            Matthew opens his Gospel by tracing Jesus’ lineage back to Abraham (Mt. 1:2-16). He is intentional about revealing to his reader that Jesus is of Jewish descent, but his birth occurs by supernatural means (Mt. 1:18) and Matthew unveils that Jesus is the Son of God (Mt. 16:16; 27:54). Matthew describes how Jesus was sent to the “lost sheep of Israel” (Mt. 15:24 ESV) but his interactions with Israel, and especially their leadership are often quite abrasive, and Matthew concludes his Gospel with Jesus commissioning his disciples to go out and “make disciples of all nations” (Mt. 28:18 ESV) which shows how Jesus’ mission is extended to much more than just the nation of Israel. There is an intentional thrust within Matthew; Jesus may have been Jewish, but his mission extends far beyond just the nation of Israel as He has brought about the inauguration of a new era, with a “new people of God”. This paper argues that a primary purpose of Matthew’s Gospel is an apologetic to the non-Christian Jews which exposes how Jesus is the fulfilment of Israel, which has resulted in a discontinuity between God and Israel as the “people of God.” Jesus is the inauguration of a new kingdom and a “new people of God” which are characterized by their faith in Jesus and obedience to Him.

With this thesis established, it is important to note that while this paper presents a purpose that is prominent within Matthew, it is not the only purpose that can be found within this gospel. To pinpoint one preeminent purpose within Matthew’s Gospel is a difficult task and there is little reason to suggest that Matthew had one singular purpose in mind while writing his Gospel.[1] The Gospel of Matthew contains a deep well of knowledge, and this paper can only scratch the surface.

Significance of Matthew’s Audience

To grasp Matthew’s purpose in writing his Gospel, it is beneficial to first understand the audience to whom he was writing. Due to distinctive linguistic and cultural features, the traditional belief is that Matthew was written within a Jewish Christian context.[2] For example, Matthew references different details that were a part of Jewish custom, such as handwashing at meals, sabbath travel problems and burial customs.[3] Matthew also begins with a genealogy, connecting Jesus to Israel. Typology is also frequently used by Matthew, which shows Jesus as being the “antitype” or fulfilment of different “types” of the Old Testament (OT) such as Moses.[4] These different features that connect the Gospel to the OT would suggest that Matthew was writing to an audience who understood the Scriptures of the OT, which were the Jews.

It is likely that Matthew’s church was recently divorced from the synagogue, with a congregation of primarily Jewish members who was consistently interacting with “the synagogue across the street”.[5] If this was Matthew’s audience, then it is logical to assume that Matthew’s Gospel contained “apologetic designs to try to convince non-Christian Jews of the truth of the gospel.”[6] However, the polemical nature of this Gospel against Judaism has caused some scholars to view Matthew as being “anti-Jewish” due to a display of “remarkable hostility” towards the Jews.[7]This hostility has caused some scholars to assume that Matthew was a gentile.[8] However, after taking multiple perspectives into account on this question, R.T. France concluded that,

The most plausible explanation remains that the author was writing in the painful situation of a Jew who, by following Jesus, had begun to find himself increasingly at odds with official Judaism, and to recognize that the purpose of God in fulfilment of his Old Testament promises was now to be discerned on a wider front than merely that of ethnic Israel.[9]

This succinct explanation of how Matthew can be both Jewish and at odds with Judaism supports the notion that Matthew could be a Christian Jew writing an apologetic to non-Christian Jews. It is against the backdrop of this perceived audience that this paper will discuss the nature of Matthew’s apologetic to his non-Christian Jewish counterparts.

Jesus as the Fulfilment of Israel

            Matthew makes great effort to reveal how Jesus is the fulfilment of the OT Scriptures. Reference to Jesus fulfilling OT prophecy can be seen intentionally interwoven throughout the entirety of the Gospel (i.e., Mt. 1:22-23; 4:14-16; 12:17-21; 21:4-5). The correlations between Jesus and the OT can also be observed within Matthew’s unveiling of Jesus as the true Israel.[10] In Mt. 1:15, Jesus is shown as fulfilling the words of the prophet who said, “out of Egypt I called my son”. When these words were first spoken by Hosea, they were spoken of the nation of Israel (Hos. 11:1). Matthew’s use of this prophecy in relation to Jesus shows how there is a comparison being drawn between Jesus and Israel. God is calling his son (Jesus) out of Egypt just as he did with Israel.[11] Matthew’s genealogy is also of significance in this discussion. Within this genealogy, Jesus is shown as being descended from David (Mt. 1:6-16) and Jesus is frequently described as being the “Son of David” (i.e., Mt. 9:27; 21:9). Brandon Crowe clearly conveys how this connection between David and Jesus supports the notion that Jesus is the fulfillment of Israel.

It is clear for Matthew that Jesus must be the Davidic king to lead his people to the lasting kingdom that was anticipated. Further, this king must deal with the downward spiral that so often characterized Israel as a stiff-necked people. Part of Matthew’s answer to this is the way Jesus fulfills – or consummately reverses the all too often tragic history of Israel by taking the story of Israel on himself, reliving it, and perfecting it. Jesus, as the τέλος of Israel, leads the nation toward and fulfills the prophetic hopes. This explains the prominence of Jesus obedience in Matthew, particularly as illustrated by the fulfillment formulae: Jesus is the true, obedient Israel who fulfills Scripture and reverses past failures.[12]

Jesus is revealed as the “Davidic king” who fulfills the Scriptures to lead his people towards a lasting kingdom. However, a crucial caveat to Jesus being the fulfilment of Israel is that fulfillment implies both a continuity and discontinuity.[13]There remain a people of God (continuity) but it is a newly constituted community which is not purely Jewish (discontinuity) which calls into question the status of the existing Israel who were originally the “people of God”.[14]

This continuity/discontinuity may be further observed within the genealogy of Jesus. Specifically, within Jesus supernatural birth. It is of significance that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and not by a Jewish father. While Matthew shows continuity from the Old Testament up until Jesus, there is a discontinuity in his bloodline in that he is not conceived from the seed of Joseph, which would have connected his bloodline to Abraham. While Jesus is “formally” of the lineage of Abraham, Jesus is “biologically” conceived of the Holy Spirit, which enables a correlation to be drawn between Jesus and Adam, who was the first to be “born of God.” Some scholars have suggested that by opening his Gospel narrative with “Book of Genesis (γένεσις)” (Mt. 1:1), Matthew was intending to set up the story of Jesus as a counterpart to the story of Genesis.[15] If this is true, then it is not impossible to assume that Matthew intended for his readers to recognize a type-antitype connection between the birth of Jesus by the work of the Holy Spirit and the creation of Adam by the hand of God. In this way, Jesus can be both the fulfillment of Israel because he is “formally” of the lineage of Abraham, and simultaneously as an antitype of Adam, bring about the inauguration of a new era in redemptive history for all of humanity. An era in which all peoples, Gentiles included, can be welcome within the “people of God.” This is supported by Crowe’s perspective on the work of Jesus, who observes that “the fulfillment of the Scriptures in Jesus to indicate not only the τέλος of Israel’s history, but also a reversal that entails the beginning of a new era in redemptive history in which the Messiah reigns.”[16] This analysis of the beginning of Matthew’s genealogy helps to illustrate the continuity/discontinuity between Jesus and Israel.

To conclude this section on Jesus as the fulfilment Israel, it is worthwhile to examine Jesus words of judgment against Israel and its leadership and how it may have affected Matthew’s Jewish audience. In Mt. 22:7, Matthew communicates to his readers that the Jewish leaders’ rejection of God’s invitation (in the person of Jesus) will result in the burning of their city. The coming judgment on Jerusalem is tied up with the failures of Jerusalem’s leadership.[17]Throughout the Gospel, Matthew reveals Jesus as mounting an intentional polemic against the leaders of Israel. However, there is a much more favourable representation of the crowds, who are presented as having been misled by their leaders but remain open to Jesus’ message.[18] It is ironic how blind men were able to recognize Jesus as being the “Son of David” (Mt. 20:29-34) while the Pharisees accused Jesus of casting out demons by the prince of demons (Mt. 12:24). It was the blind men who could truly see Jesus for who He was and the Pharisees who were blind to His true identity. On this basis, France postulates “that if Matthew has no concept of the failure and judgment of Israel, but only of its unworthy leaders? Must we then speak not of a ‘rejection of Israel’ but rather of the imposition of a new leadership on the continuing people of God?”[19] It would seem that Matthew is trying to show his readers from the “synagogue across the street” that they are in need of new leadership, and that they can no longer trust in being a “son of Abraham” for their salvation (Mt. 3:7-10). Matthew is revealing how there are new requirements to being included within the “people of God”, a discussion to which we now turn.

Who are the People of God?

            One of Matthew’s aims as a storyteller is to demonstrate through Jesus words and deeds, how the eschatological reign of God has begun transforming the realm of human affairs.[20] One of the effects of this transformation is the discontinuation of Israel as the “people of God”.[21] Resulting from this discontinuation is evidence within Mathew’s Gospel of a growing openness to the Gentiles.[22] With this welcoming attitude towards the Gentiles, a non-Christian Jew may wonder what is required to be a part of this new “people of God”. This section will show how the “people of God” are those who have found their salvation by responding to Jesus by repentance and faithful obedience.

            When John the Baptist came preparing the way for Jesus, he mounted a direct assault against Jewish theology in denying that being a “son of Abraham” was a guarantee of salvation.[23] This was a radical shift to the idea of what it meant to be “the people of God”. Drawing a conclusion from Jesus’ interaction with the centurion, France says, “it is faith which has taken the place of racial descent as the basis of membership to the messianic banquet; and that faith has been presented in the centurion’s story as a practical reliance on the authority and compassion of Jesus.”[24] The necessity of faith in Jesus can also be drawn from Jesus’ discourse in the Sermon on the Mount, but it also reveals a need for action.

            The thesis of Mathew 5:17-28 can be seen as “greater righteousness”.[25] In these passages Jesus raises the standard for righteousness to an impossible level, declaring to His Jewish audience that “unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt. 5:20 ESV) For the average Jew, this would have been an impossible demand, as the pharisees were “a paradigm of the greatest righteousness imaginable within Judaism.”[26] Why would Jesus impose this “impossible level” of righteousness on His audience? When read in conjunction with Jesus preaching in Mt. 4:17, it is evident that Jesus is desiring repentance in response to his impossible standard of righteousness. By acknowledging how spiritually powerless one is to attain Jesus’ standard of righteousness, there is a concomitant adoption a heart posture which is “poor in Spirit” (Mt. 5:3 ESV).[27]

In this discourse, Matthew describes how those who seek to rely on their own “righteous” works are rejected by Jesus, where He will say “I never knew you” (Mt. 7:21-23 ESV). It is curious in this passage to note how prophecy, exorcisms, and miracles (Mt. 7:22) tend to “substitute enthusiasm and the spectacular for more unglamorous obedience in the midst of suffering.”[28] Jesus is looking for faithful obedience to all his teaching (Mt. 7:24-27)[29], not just an enthusiasm for the spectacular. These teachings by Jesus in his discourse on the Sermon on the Mount in conjunction with His interaction with the centurion reveal the new requirements for the “people of God”. Matthew shows his Jewish audience that it is those who respond to Jesus by faith through repentance and faithful obedience that are the new “people of God”, not those who are simply the “sons of Abraham”.

             It is worthwhile to highlight the importance of responding to Jesus in faithful obedience and “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mt. 3:8; 12:33-37; 21:43 ESV). France provided a warning when he described how Israel’s failure arose from an unwillingness to respond to God’s initiative in Jesus, and he somberly stated that, “such unresponsiveness could happen again.”[30] France’s words are an echo of Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s, who said, “Cheap grace is the deadly enemy of the church. We are fighting today for costly grace.[31] Both these great minds have recognized the danger of succumbing to a “cheap grace” and unresponsiveness to the call of Jesus… A call which Bonhoeffer viewed as “a call to obedience”.[32] Therefore, while Matthew’s Gospel was likely written as an apologetic to a non-Christian Jewish audience, perhaps the present-day Christian also needs to receive Matthew’s challenge to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” by following the call of Jesus to “take up our cross and follow Him” (Mt. 16:24). It is a call avoid “cheap grace” and a numb unresponsive posture towards Jesus.

Conclusion

            The Gospel of Matthew was written within a Jewish Christian context and was likely an apologetic to “the synagogue across the street”.[33] Matthew revealed how in Jesus, Israel has found its fulfilment. The result of this fulfilment was a discontinuation of Israel being the “people of God”.[34] Matthew destroyed the Jewish paradigm for salvation which would view being a “son of Abraham” as one of the primary modalities for salvation. The Sermon on the Mount and Jesus’ interaction with the centurion reveal how it is those who respond to Jesus by faith through repentance and faithful obedience that are the new “people of God.” This new paradigm for salvation would have been challenging to Matthew’s Jewish audience. It can also serve as a challenge to the present-day Christian to not get comfortable hanging onto “cheap grace”, but to continue faithfully following Jesus by “bearing fruit in keeping with repentance” (Mt. 3:8 ESV). Perhaps this is why the Apostle Paul admonished the Philippian church to “walk out their salvation with fear and trembling” (Phil. 2:12 ESV). If those who were God’s chosen people had the kingdom taken away from them for not bearing fruit (Mt. 21:43), how much more could it be taken away from the Gentiles?

Notes

[1] Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. (The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, 1992), 34.

[2] France, R.T. Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher. (Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1989), 97.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Westerholm, Stephen. Understanding Matthew: The Early Christian Worldview of the First Gospel, (Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2006), 68-69.

[5] Blomberg, Matthew, 35.

[6] Ibid., 34.

[7] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 102.

[8] Ibid., 70.

[9] Ibid., 108.

[10] Crowe, Brandon D. “Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal.” (The Westminster Theological Journal 75, 2013), 11.

[11] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 208.

[12] Crowe, “Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal”, 123-124.

[13] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 213.

[14] Ibid.

[15] Thomas R. Hatina. Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels: Volume 2: The Gospel of Matthew. (Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels. London: T&T Clark), 2008, 66.

[16] Crowe, “Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal”, 127.

[17] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 224.

[18] Ibid., 219.

[19] Ibid., 223.

[20] Walter T. Wilson. The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1: Matthew 1–13. (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2022), 21.

[21] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 213.

[22] Wilson, The Gospel of Matthew, 22.

[23] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 228.

[24] Ibid.

[25] Blomberg, Matthew, 103.

[26] Ibid., 105.

[27] Ibid., 97.

[28] Ibid., 133.

[29] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 231.

[30] Ibid., 230.

[31] Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship, (New York: Simon and Schuster Inc, 1937), 43.

[32] Ibid., 57.

[33] Blomberg, Matthew, 35.

[34] France, Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher, 213.

References

1. Blomberg, Craig L. Matthew: An Exegetical and Theological Exposition of Holy Scripture. The New American Commentary, B&H Publishing Group, 1992.

2. Bonhoeffer, Dietrich. The Cost of Discipleship, New York: Simon and Schuster Inc, 1937.

3. Crowe, Brandon D. “Fulfillment in Matthew as Eschatological Reversal.” The Westminster Theological Journal 75, 2013.

4. France, R.T. Matthew: Evangelist and Teacher. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 1989.

5. Thomas R. Hatina. Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels: Volume 2: The Gospel of Matthew. Biblical Interpretation in Early Christian Gospels. London: T&T Clark, 2008.

6. Walter T. Wilson. The Gospel of Matthew, Vol. 1: Matthew 1–13. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2022.

7. Westerholm, Stephen. Understanding Matthew: The Early Christian Worldview of the First Gospel. Grand Rapids: Baker Publishing Group, 2006.