Why Did Matthew Write His Gospel? Here Are 4 Possible Reasons
Rodney Reeves thinks asking questions of the Bible is important and relevant to preaching and teaching. So he introduces his new Matthew commentary (SGBC series) by asking a number of them them—including “Why?”
Why did Matthew write his gospel, and in the way he wrote it? Consider the material the Evangelist added to his narrative:
He began with an extensive genealogy He grouped together Jesus’s teachings into a sermon He has Jesus sending the disciples first to the Jews He made a big deal about Peter’s confession He added several parables after the Olivet Discourse
Why did Matthew include all of this extra, particular material?
Scholars think it may have something to do with Matthew’s purpose.…The trick is finding a literary or theological thread that holds the fabric of Matthew together—not…
Who Wrote the Gospels, and How Do We Know for Sure?
The Bible gives us four accounts of Christ’s life. Each records a unique perspective of the most significant event in history—the crucifixion and resurrection. All four gospels are named after men who lived during or shortly after Christ’s early ministry. Tradition considers these men the authors, but there’s one problem: not one of these books names its author.
The gospels are anonymous—so how do we know who wrote them?
None of the gospels came with an “about the author” section. The closest we get to a claim of authorship is at the very end of the Book of John, where the author implies that the book was written by “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (John 21:24 NIV).
Are there other context clues we can use to determine the authors? Can we trust tradition’s assumptions about who wrote the gospels? Did…
Teach Students 3 “Jewels of Matthew” Using This Study Resource
It is Laurie Polich-Short’s prayer “that you and your students discover a treasure chest” in the gospel of Matthew. In Matthew (Studies on the Go), Polich-Short provides youth workers a resource to help them equip, push, encourage, and challenge their students to live lives devoted to our loving King—all with the goal that they would be changed.
Of this gospel, Polich-Short writes:
There are jewels in Matthew…that we find in no other Gospel. The texts are rich and colorful… It is well worth your time to study this book with your students. My job is to make it engaging and fun. (7)
To help youth workers teach Matthew, there are three levels of questions: Observation questions take students to the text, Interpretation questions help them think about the text, and Application questions help your students…