The Gospels
The Book of Matthew: Summary
Matthew stands first in the New Testament as a bridge from the old covenant to the new, written, by tradition, by the tax collector Jesus called from his booth. Its great concern is to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the fulfillment of everything Israel awaited. Again and again Matthew pauses to say that this happened to fulfill what the prophet spoke, weaving the life of Jesus into the long expectation of Scripture. He opens with a genealogy tracing Jesus to David and Abraham, the true King of the Jews and the seed in whom all nations are blessed.
From the beginning Matthew presents Jesus as Immanuel, God with us, born of a virgin in Bethlehem, worshiped by wise men from the east, and hunted by a jealous king. The infancy narrative is threaded with fulfillment and shadowed by opposition, as though Matthew wants us to know from the first pages that this King will be both adored and rejected. When Jesus is baptized and the heavens open, and when He resists temptation in the wilderness by wielding Scripture, He is revealed as the faithful Son that Israel never managed to be.
Matthew organizes the teaching of Jesus into five great blocks, the most famous of which is the Sermon on the Mount. There Jesus ascends a mountain like a new Moses and delivers the constitution of the kingdom of heaven, the Beatitudes, the call to be salt and light, the deepening of the law from outward act to inward heart, the Lord's Prayer, and the summons to seek first the kingdom. This is not the abolition of the law but its fulfillment, a righteousness that surpasses mere rule-keeping and flows from a transformed heart.
The middle of the Gospel shows the King at work, healing the sick, cleansing lepers, stilling storms, forgiving sinners, and teaching in parables about a kingdom that starts small like a mustard seed and grows to fill the earth. Opposition hardens as religious leaders reject Him, and Jesus begins to speak plainly of the cross. Peter confesses Him as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and from that turning point Jesus sets His face toward Jerusalem, teaching His disciples that the path of the King runs through suffering and death.
The final chapters bring the King to His throne, which turns out to be a cross. Matthew narrates the last supper, the agony in Gethsemane, the betrayal, the trials, the crucifixion, and the earthquake of resurrection morning, when an angel rolls back the stone and the women meet the risen Lord. The Gospel ends on a mountain in Galilee with the Great Commission, where the risen Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth and sends His followers to make disciples of all nations, promising to be with them always, to the end of the age.
How the book unfolds
The King is born and revealed (chapters 1 to 4)
Matthew opens with a genealogy anchoring Jesus in David and Abraham, then narrates His virgin birth as Immanuel, the visit of the magi, the flight to Egypt, and the return to Nazareth, each fulfilling prophecy. John the Baptist prepares the way, Jesus is baptized as the Father's beloved Son, and He overcomes temptation in the wilderness by trusting God's word.
He then begins His public ministry in Galilee, calling His first disciples and preaching that the kingdom of heaven is at hand.
The Sermon and the ministry of the kingdom (chapters 5 to 18)
Jesus ascends a mountain like a new Moses and delivers the Sermon on the Mount, unveiling the character and righteousness of the kingdom. Matthew then gathers His mighty works, healings, exorcisms, the calming of the storm, the raising of the dead, and further teaching blocks, including the parables of the kingdom.
Opposition grows, yet Peter confesses Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God, and Jesus begins preparing His disciples for the cross and for life together in the community He is forming.
The cross, the empty tomb, and the commission (chapters 19 to 28)
Jesus enters Jerusalem as the humble King, cleanses the temple, confronts the religious leaders, and teaches about the end of the age. He shares the last supper, prays in Gethsemane, is betrayed, tried, and crucified, and dies as the ransom for many. On the third day He rises, meeting the women and then the disciples.
The Gospel closes on a Galilean mountain with the Great Commission, where the risen Christ claims all authority and sends His people to disciple the nations, promising His presence to the end of the age.
Great themes
Verses to carry from Matthew
“Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”
Matthew 11:28
“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:”
Matthew 28:19
“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.”
Matthew 5:16
What Matthew asks of you
Matthew hands you the constitution of a new kingdom and asks whether you will live in it. Begin with the Sermon on the Mount, and resist the urge to admire it from a distance. Jesus deepens every command from the outward act to the inner heart, so that anger is measured against murder and lust against adultery, and no one leaves it feeling self-righteous. That is the point, to drive you to the mercy of the King who alone can give the righteousness He requires. Take up His invitation for the weary and heavy laden to come to Him for rest, exchanging the crushing yoke of self-justification for His easy yoke.
Learn to seek first the kingdom, letting your anxieties about provision give way to trust in a Father who feeds the birds and clothes the fields. And do not read Matthew as a private book. It ends with a commission, so let your following of Jesus overflow into making disciples and living as salt and light, always in the company of the Immanuel who promised to be with you always.
How Matthew points to Christ
Matthew's whole Gospel is a portrait of Jesus as the King who is also God with us. He is the son of David, heir to the throne promised forever, and the son of Abraham, in whom all nations are blessed, so that the Gospel that opens with a Jewish genealogy closes by sending disciples to every people. He is the new Moses who ascends the mountain to give a greater law, yet He does not merely command righteousness, He supplies it, fulfilling the law and the prophets in His own person. He is the true Israel who passes the wilderness test that the nation failed, the beloved Son in whom the Father delights.
Above all He is the King whose throne is a cross, who came not to be served but to serve and to give His life a ransom for many, dying under the very charge that named His identity, King of the Jews. Raised in power, He claims all authority in heaven and on earth, no longer a hunted infant but the reigning Lord of the nations. And He remains what His first name declared Him to be, Immanuel, God with us, present with His people to the very end of the age.
Come and see
Jesus opens Matthew with a promise that He is God with us, and He closes it promising to be with His people always. In between He calls the weary and heavy laden to come to Him and find rest for their souls. Perhaps you are tired of carrying yourself, striving to be good enough, anxious about tomorrow. The King invites you to trade your heavy yoke for His, to enter the kingdom not by your record but by His mercy.
You can come to Him today, just as you are. At The Living Bread you will find others learning to live under this King, seeking first His kingdom and helping one another follow Him, discovering that the God with us is nearer than we dared to hope.
Questions people ask about Matthew
Who wrote the Gospel of Matthew and why?
Christian tradition attributes the first Gospel to Matthew, the tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him. It was written especially with Jewish readers in mind, which is why it so frequently shows Jesus fulfilling Old Testament prophecy and traces His lineage back to David and Abraham. Its purpose is to demonstrate that Jesus is the promised Messiah and King, the fulfillment of Israel's hope, and to gather His teaching so that His followers might learn to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven.
What is the Sermon on the Mount?
The Sermon on the Mount is the first and most famous of Jesus' teaching blocks in Matthew, spanning three chapters. Delivered on a mountainside like a new Moses, it opens with the Beatitudes and describes the character and righteousness of the kingdom of heaven. Jesus calls His followers salt and light, deepens the law from outward act to inner heart, teaches the Lord's Prayer, and urges trust in the Father and seeking first His kingdom. It is the constitution of the life Jesus calls His people to live.
What is the Great Commission?
The Great Commission is Jesus' final charge at the end of Matthew, given on a mountain in Galilee after His resurrection. Declaring that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, He sends His followers to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything He commanded. He seals it with the promise to be with them always, to the end of the age. It defines the church's mission and grounds it in the presence and authority of the risen Christ.
Read Matthew chapter by chapter
All 28 chapters of Matthew, each with the King James text, a short guide, and a prayer.