Author: Not stated but traditionally attributed to Matthew, a tax collector (9:9)
Date: Approximately AD 70, when Romans destroyed the temple in Jerusalem.
In Ten Words or Less: Jesus fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah.
Details: The first of the four Gospels (meaning “good news”), the book of Matthew ties what follows in the New Testament to what came before in the Old. The book, written primarily to a Jewish audience, uses numerous Old Testament references to prove that Jesus is the promised Messiah the Jews have been anticipating for centuries. Beginning with a genealogy that shows Jesus’ ancestry through King David and the patriarch Abraham, Matthew then details the angelic announcement of Jesus’ conception and the visit of the “wise men” with their gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Matthew introduces the character of John the Baptist, relative and forerunner of Jesus, and describes the calling of key disciples Peter, Andrew, James, and John. Jesus’ teachings are emphasized, with long passages covering His Sermon on the Mount (Chapters 5–7), including the Beatitudes (“Blessed are they…”) and the Lord’s Prayer (“Our Father, which art in heaven…”). As with all four Gospels, Matthew also details the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and is the only biographer of Jesus to mention several miracles—the tearing of the temple curtain, an earthquake, the breaking open of tombs, and the raising to life of dead saints—that[…]
From Know Your Bible, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.
Lessons on the Resurrection
While the denarius coin bore the resemblance of Caesar, believers are to be the image bearers of Christ. We know that at the last trump we shall all be changed. Jesus challenges the Sadducee’s views of the resurrection. He brings to their attention the fact that God is the God of the Living and those who believe will never die.
Jesus tells this last parable which implies what will happen to those who hate Him and kill His prophets. In this parable He speaks of the marriage of the King’s son and His armies that will come to destroy the wicked. All are invited to the wedding feast but those who will not receive His “garments” are rejected.
Vinedressers and The Cornerstone
Jesus tells another parable which compares the religious leaders to the wicked vinedressers who kill the master’s son. Jesus compares himself to the chief cornerstone and the church is to align with His standards . He also foretells of coming judgement.
Jesus wreaks havoc upon the profiteers of the temple and because of their hypocrisy. The chief priests are unable to tolerate Jesus’s praises that are sung by the children. He then curses the fig tree, a picture of Israel, but promises that the prayer of the disciples will be answered.