Introduction
Who doesn’t know that the first gospel, the first book of the whole New Testament canon (that is, authorized Scripture for Christians), is the Gospel According to Matthew. It is true that Matthew is not thought to be the first gospel that was written; that privilege belongs to the Gospel According to Mark.[1] So, why is Matthew ‘first’ and what does ‘first’ mean?
The early church fathers, Papias (c.60-c.130) and Irenaeus (c.120-c.200), along with Jerome (c.347–c.419),[2] all claim that Matthew was originally composed in Aramaic.[3] That would make our Greek text a copy of an earlier text. However, no written evidence has come down to us of an Aramaic text, and the earliest Greek texts do not look like a wooden translation. Still, the claim affirms the priority of the stories in this gospel account.
Who wrote the gospel? The title, Kata Matthaion, does not exist in the oldest Greek texts. The attribution to Matthew appears during the Second Century (around 150 AD), probably to distinguish it from other gospels that had been written by then. The tradition is strong then that these are the stories that Matthew collected, even if he did not write the final version.
How do we know that? Is the Apostle Matthew’s point of view disclosed in the text? Yes. For example, Mark and Luke both say that Jesus met Levi sitting at a tax booth, and then Levi held a banquet for Jesus at his house. However, in the Gospel According to Matthew, the parallel text with the same story, calls the disciple ‘Matthew’ instead of ‘Levi’, and only here is his profession identified as ‘a tax-collector’. In all three stories, the dinner party leads to the Pharisees complaining that Jesus was eating with ‘tax-collectors’. The nuanced differences in these accounts suggest that Matthew is the story-teller behind this gospel. In addition, this particular story suggests that Matthew knew how to write and how to keep accounts because he was a tax-collector.[4] He seems to be acting as a scribe who records stories about Jesus.
Perhaps the strongest reason for Matthew being ‘first’ is the fact that the early church fathers most often quoted from this gospel in their letters, they used this gospel more than the others for the readings during worship services, and they also used this gospel as a textbook for teaching or catechism.[5] The church fathers affirmed Matthew’s priority by using this gospel more than other New Testament books, and thus this gospel is foundational to the formation of the early church. That is significant, because it is this gospel that gave the church its shape.
Finally, perhaps the gospel comes first because it serves as a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. This raises the question: Who was the Gospel written for? The gospel seems to have been written to an audience of Jews in order to confirm that those who have decided to follow Jesus the Messiah have not made a mistake, and to convince other Jews to join the Jesus movement. Matthew has more Old Testament quotes than any other gospel as he emphasizes that Jesus has continuity with Judaism; those who follow Jesus the Messiah have the same God, the same problem of being sinful humans in need of God’s grace, and the same plan of salvation, that is, it is necessary to offer a sacrifice to cover sins. As you will see, these concerns are themes that run from the first verse to the last.
The Scripture Text
1:1. An account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
An English transliteration of the Greek will give us some idea of the value of checking the original in order to get the most meaning out of the text.
1.1. Biblos geneseos Iesou Christou viou David viou Abraam.
Biblos can be translated as ‘book’, but scrolls in those days.[6] People wrote histories, biographies, plays, and poetry on them. So the author says up front that this scroll is a written account of the life of Jesus.
Geneseos gives us the word ‘genesis’ which means ‘origin’. But it also can be translated as ‘birth’ and it appears that way in many versions of the English New Testament. However, the extensive genealogy that follows is a hint that Matthew means more than ‘birth’. In many ages and cultures before the present, one’s ancestry was thought to be linked to one’s legitimacy and one’s destiny. When a person is introduced in a biography, it is important to show that what happens in his life is a product of a long line of reputable ancestors. In this case, Matthew may also want to say that Jesus increased the honor of his human ancestors.[7]
This approach also serves Matthew’s purposes as a refutation of the rumor that Jesus was illegitimate, that is, that he was not the son of Joseph. Matthew says that he was the son of Joseph, but then implies that he was an adopted son. That means less to us than it did in the First Century. In those times, both Roman and Hebrew practice recognized the legal force of adoption. Augustus Caesar (63 BC – 14 AD) was not the biological son of Julius Caesar, but he was a relative who was the legally adopted son of Julius Caesar. Augustus Caesar was not the biological father of his successor, Tiberius. But, Tiberius was a relative and was officially adopted by Augustus. So, Tiberius became emperor with the name Tiberius Julius Caesar Augustus (42 BC -37 AD). Most of the emperors, except those who took the position by violent coups, were adopted sons, not biological heirs. So, it was no problem for people of the time to consider Jesus as the legitimate son of Joseph without Joseph being his biological father.
This gospel is the biography of Jesus Christ. The Greek word ‘Christ’ means ‘anointed’ or ‘the anointed one’. In the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, ‘Christ’ is used to translate Hebrew ‘messiah’.[8] The next word means ‘son of’, and so the sentence in English could be: “A biography of Jesus the Anointed One, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”
Remember that we have claimed that this gospel was written to Jewish Christians to confirm their commitment to Jesus as Messiah, and to their Jewish friends who might be wondering if Jesus is the Anointed One. So, Matthew constructs his story to make these claims right up front, then backs them up with his narrative.
How do we know this is what Matthew intended? The term ‘Son of David’ is used only once in the Gospel According to Mark, which is supposedly the template that both Matthew and Luke used for their outline of the gospel. If this is the case, then Matthew has gone out of his way to repeat the phrase more often (9:17, 12: 23, 15: 22, 20:30, 21:9, 21:15).
Second, David was, of course, ‘the King of the Jews’. This also appears frequently in Matthew from beginning (2:2) to end (27: 29). But, Matthew makes it clear that this is a different kind of a king, not an earthly king like Herod or Caesar who lords it over their people. Matthew quotes the prophet Micah talking about Bethlehem: “…for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel” (Matthew 2:6, from Micah 5: 2). Matthew reiterates this in the stories of Jesus: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
Matthew expands this line of reasoning by claiming that Jesus’ ministry in Galilee fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah: “Here is my servant…. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not wrangle or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory. And in his name the Gentiles will hope” (Matthew 12: 18-21, from Isaiah 42: 1-4). Jesus will not be loud and obnoxious like some earthly rulers, but he will perform as a ruler with gentleness (Matthew 21: 5) and sacrifice (Matthew 26: 26-29), thus he will gain the victory for those who are oppressed.
This understanding requires a new mind set for the believer, a revelation that the Apostles understood only after they saw the crucifixion and the resurrection. That brought together the suffering and the sovereignty of Jesus. So, Matthew is at pains to demonstrate to Jewish Christians that they must keep these two concepts in tension: sacrifice and victory.
There is much temptation in America, and elsewhere, today to glory in the victory of Christ and forget how he got there; that is, they want to cancel the suffering. There may be a good reason why Catholics commonly depict Christ hanging on the cross; because it is so easy to raise an empty cross at the head of an earthly army going into battle, or to use the cross as a flagstaff for the American flag. Jesus won the battle by suffering and sacrifice, and we must too. That is what is so un-Christian about much of our political rhetoric today.
Christians do not seek earthly power, nor will we sell our souls for it. Real power is shown to us in Jesus’ suffering and death. That is where Satan was conquered, defeated by a dead man hanging on a cross. After the resurrection, Jesus was able to say, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me; Go therefore and make disciples of all nations….” (Matthew 28: 18).
Remember that Satan had promised Jesus his endorsement: “the devil…showed him all the kingdoms of the world, … and he said to him, ‘All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me’” (Matthew 4: 8-9). How many Christians have failed that test? How many Christians have idolized the wrong person to gain earthly power?[9] Jesus said, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him’” (Matthew 4:10).
As Tasker has said, “His kingdom can neither be defended nor defeated by human force.”[10] Yet, so many Christians have been deceived into thinking that they have to defend Christianity or that they have to impose God’s kingdom by force or by law. This is not supported by Scripture.
Matthew’s program establishes the following:
God’s anointed messiah and king is Jesus; no one else. No one on earth, no one in hell, or no one in heaven.
The Kingdom of Heaven is not Israel or any earthly nation. God alone builds and maintains His kingdom, and the Kingdom is over all earthly kingdoms.
God’s Son is the Suffering Servant Messiah, who is meek and humble and thus is victorious over the powers that be.
Jesus’ triumph is on the cross, that is where Satan is crushed; and our victory as followers of Jesus will also be in suffering and sacrifice, by taking up our cross.
To close this lesson, note that the exact same phrase can be found in Matthew 8:34, Mark 16:24, and Luke 9: 23.[11]
“If any wish to come after me,
let them deny themselves and
take up their cross and follow me.”
[1] “More than 90 percent of the Gospel of Mark’s substance appears also in the Gospel of Matthew, and of that material more than 50 percent is word for word.” Ben Witherington III, Matthew. (2018). Page 3.
[2] Papias records that Matthew composed ta logia which would be ‘the sayings’ or ‘oracles’ of Jesus, according to early church historian Eusebius. R. V. G. Tasker, The Gospel According to St. Matthew: An Introduction and Commentary. 1961. Page 11. None of the Fathers report having seen this scroll.
[3] Aramaic is a Semitic language, in the same family as Hebrew. It was the common language of the Near East from the time of the Exile (586 BC) on. Jews had to learn it to get along, so it gradually replaced Hebrew as the language of everyday life, though the Biblical text was still written in Hebrew. Greek also became common after 300 B.C., and Diaspora Jews (those that remained where they were scattered) often had Greek as their common language. For example, in the early chapters of Acts, when there is a distinction between Greek and Jews, it really means between Greek-speaking Diaspora Jews and Aramaic-speaking Jews of Judea and Jerusalem. After the 600s, Arabic replaced both these languages as the common language of the Near East.
[4] Tasker, pages 14-15.
[5] For example, we recite Matthew’s version of ‘The Lord’s Prayer’, not Luke’s.
[6] A codex (plural codices) is like a modern book with leaves. It was an invention of the Romans, appeared in the 2nd century AD, and slowly replaced scrolls as the medium of choice.
[7] Keener and Walton make the point that Genesis 5:1 has the same words in the Greek translation, the Septuagint, but in Genesis the genealogy is “the list of the descendants of Adam.” In Matthew it is the reverse, “an account of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” Thus, Matthew may be implying that it is Jesus who gives meaning to the genealogy, not the ancestors. (NRSV Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, edited by Craig Keener and John Walton. (2019). Page 1621.
[8] The Greek language had become so common and widespread after the era of Alexander the Great that fewer and fewer Jews were able to speak Hebrew. The priests and scribes felt it necessary to attempt their first translation of the Bible from Hebrew to Greek. This began in the 3rd century BC and was completed by the 2nd century (around 132 BC). Most of the New Testament writers, and especially Matthew, seem to quote directly from the Greek translation, called the Septuagint, rather than from an older Hebrew copy.
[9] I am currently reading Tim Alberta, The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism. (2023).
[10] Tasker, page 24.
[11] I place a lot of emphasis on “the exact same phrase.” That is not true of the Lord’s prayer which is shorter in Luke and is missing entirely from Mark and John. It is not true of the Beatitudes. It is not true of the so-called Great Commission. None of the other gospels have anything like John 3: 16. But, it is true that three synoptic gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke) thought this phrase about taking up one’s cross important enough to Jesus’ overall project to quote it word-for-word the same in all three gospels.