Matthew was a tax collector before coming to know Jesus. He was very meticulous in his accounting and record-keeping. He would have known a form of shorthand. His accounts would be very accurate. 60% of Matthew is the words spoken by Jesus.
Matthew was written to a Jewish audience 400 years after Malachi. Matthew, an eyewitness and disciple of Jesus, focuses on the teachings of Jesus with more than 70 allusions to and 50 quotations from the OT. The theme to Matthew would be that Jesus is their long awaited King! Jesus is the Messiah!
Matthew 1:1-17 – Jesus is a descendant of Abraham and David.
Matthew 1:23 – Jesus is born of a virgin and named Immanuel or “God with us!” Isaiah 7:14
What does this mean for us?
1. We can rejoice because Jesus is the promised King.
We can look at Matthew 1 and see the lineage of the promised King from Abraham to David. Talk about our trust in politicians.
2. We can know that Jesus is the prophesied Messiah.
We can look at passages in Genesis 3, Psalm 22 and Isaiah 53, Micah 5:2, Malachi 3:1 and more…
3. We can follow the teachings of Jesus, the Rabbi.
He led by example using Scripture to resist the Devil in Matthew 4. He preached His Sermon on the Mount and our heart condition in Matthew 5. He taught how to give, pray, fast, and seek what matters most in Matthew 6. He spoke parables about the Kingdom in Matthew 13. He answered questions in Matthew 19. He commissioned his disciples and us in Matthew 28.
4. We can tell others about this “child” named Jesus!
