Back-to-Basics: MATTHEW'S EVIDENCE

 Notice just how Jewish this gospel account of Matthew’s is, from the  evidence...

Jesus Christ – Messiah

·        is the hero, from Gk: Christos, Heb: Mashiyach – the Messiah!         1:1

He is son of Abraham, son of David – real Jewish royalty!

·        is “born KING of the JEWS” (unlike Herod)          2:2

·        is born in Bethlehem to be ruler of Israel (2:5) fulfilling Micah 5:2 – the home town of king David too!

·        escaped from where Rachel died in childbirth.  Jer 31:15

·        was a refugee in Egypt (2:14) just like His Hebrew ancestors, until it was time for Hosea 11:1 to be fulfilled.

·        came to fulfil the Law & the Prophets        5:17

·        is heading for Jerusalem - the City of the Great King     5:35

·        is the Man of Isaiah 53 – taboo for Jews to read!           8:17

·        ministry was to the lost sheep of the House of Israel - not Gentiles                                                                    10:6   15:24

·        works as Messiah were heard of by John in prison        11:2

·        was recognised even by the blind as ‘Son of David’      20:31

·        was seen by Jews as the prophet from Nazareth (21:11) but...

·        he rode into Jerusalem as the King             21:5  

·        was welcomed by children with “Hosanna to the Son of David”   21:15

·        claimed: “One is your Master, even Christ (Messiah)    23:10

·        gave the Olivet Discourse to 4 Jewish disciples while seated where He will one day stand as victor – Zech 14:4

·        warned those IN JUDAEA who live to see the Abomination of Desolation set up in ‘the holy place’          24:15-16

·        cursed ‘the fig-tree’ that morning (21:19) which would one day revive 24:32

·        agreed He is the Christ (Messiah) the Son of God           26:63

·        agreed He was ‘King of the Jews’    27:11

·        was mocked as ‘King of the Jews’   27:29

·        waits in Galilee as rejected                28:16-20

Jesus the Messiah has come in peace as King to His city Jerusalem but been rejected by His people, been led out to be crucified by Gentiles, and stripped of everything including clothes - even His blood – just as angel Gabriel predicted to Daniel: “cut off, with nothing”.

This is not Mark’s presentation of the lowly Servant, nor of Luke’s Son of Man, or John’s Son of God ascended to heaven.                      

This is the rejected King of the Jews, waiting among the Gentiles of Galilee.