Theme for this month: Jesus in the Four Gospels
Theme for this week: “Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew”
December 6, 2021
Matthew begins his gospel with genealogy. Genealogy is an interesting subject, but for the Jews the ancestry of the coming Messiah required that he be the descendant of King David. I am told that Luke’s account of Jesus’ ancestry is that of his mother, Mary, and Matthew’s is that of Joseph, his adoptive father. Either list of ancestors is sufficient to qualify Jesus as the Messiah. Matthew identifies Jesus as “the son of David,” therefore of royal lineage.
Matthew did not write a biography of Jesus of Nazareth; what he wrote was intended to identify Jesus as the promised Messiah and therefore the promised king of the Jews and all nations. Matthew’s primary source is the gospel of Mark; much of it is quoted directly. Matthew’s gospel is trustworthy because he was one of the Twelve Apostles, writing much from memory.
Because Matthew’s purpose is to present Jesus Christ as the King and Messiah of Israel, he quotes from the Old Testament more than any of the other three Gospel writers. Matthew quotes more than 60 times from prophetic passages of the Old Testament, demonstrating how Jesus fulfilled them. His primary purpose was to convince people like the Pharisees who had stubbornly rejected Jesus as Messiah.
The question persists: If Jesus is King, what and where is His kingdom? This question has shaped theological views of Christians, and has produced different ideas about the future as well as the present. Some say Jesus is King in the heart of the individual Christian, while others say that all promises of a kingdom in the New Testament relate to a future time when Jesus returns to earth and rules the world. Others say that both ideas are true. A study of these views reveals many variations of belief held by sincere Christians. The blogs this week will examine these ideas as we explore the idea of Jesus as King.
Jesus is King, performed by Ingrid DuMosch and Scott Shallenberger:
JESUS IS KING
Author, Wendy Crowther Churchill
1982
Jesus Is King And I Will Extol Him
Give Him The Glory, And Honor His Name
He Reigns On High, Enthroned In The Heavens
Word Of The Father, Exalted For Us
We Have A Hope That Is Steadfast And Certain
Gone Through The Curtain And Touching The Throne
We Have A Priest Who Is There Interceding
Pouring His Grace On Our Lives Day By Day
We Come To Him, Our Priest And Apostle
Clothed In His Glory And Bearing His Name
Laying Our Lives With Gladness Before Him
Filled With His Spirit We Worship The King
Oh Holy One, Our Hearts Do Adore You
Thrilled With Your Goodness We Give You Our Praise
Angels In Light With Worship Surround Him
Jesus, Our Savior, Forever The Same