Christ in Matthew -- King of the Jews

From the very first verse, Matthew gives us the emphasis of his book.  Each of the writers of the four gospels saw the life of Christ from a different viewpoint, just as four witnesses to any event will use different words to describe the same event and will emphasize different parts of the same event, even overlooking different parts.  Matthew’s emphasis was Christ’s royalty; Mark’s emphasis was His suffering and his role as a servant; Luke’s emphasis was His humanity; and John’s emphasis was His divinity.  Matthew’s point of view came from his Jewish background, his knowledge of his Jewish history, and his anticipation of the coming King Messiah.

 

It is significant that this is the first book of the New Testament, since Matthew’s emphasis creates a bridge from the Old Testament and its emphasis on Jewish history and the prediction of the coming Messiah.  In the Old Testament, the Messiah is recognized as a King, and the ancient rabbis often referred to Him as King Messiah.

The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his. (Genesis 49:10) 

I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel. (Numbers 24:17a)

Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. (Psalm 24:8)

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Matthew begins his account of the life of Jesus by giving us His genealogy, tracing His roots beginning with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (the founding fathers of the Jewish nation), through David, the son of Jesse who became the second king of Israel, and up to Joseph, the husband of Mary.  This firmly establishes the right of Jesus to claim the throne of David.

Matthew continues by showing how Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies of the coming King Messiah.  As a matter of fact, his gospel contains more fulfilled prophecies about Messiah than any of the other three.  Here are just a few, but by no means all that Matthew records:

• The virgin birth:

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. (Isaiah 7:14)

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit . . . But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus. (Matthew 1:18, 25)

• Born in Bethlehem:

But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. (Micah 5:2)

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:1-2)

• Herod kills the baby boys:

This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Jeremiah 31:15)

When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.” (Matthew 2:16-18) 

• Christ comes out of Egypt:

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son. (Hosea 11:1)

So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” (Matthew 2:14-15) 

• His way prepared by John the Baptist:

The voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. (Isaiah 40:3) 

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’” (Matthew 3:1-3)

• His triumphal entry into Jerusalem:

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9)

As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. (Matthew 21:1-2)

 

It is important to understand the significance of Jesus riding into Jerusalem on the foal of a donkey.  In those days, when a king entered a city in this way, it indicated that he was coming in peace.  The people of Jesus day were not looking for that kind of king.  They wanted a king that would overthrow Rome and re-establish the nation of Israel.  But Jesus came to establish His Kingdom, a spiritual kingdom, not an earthly one.  When He comes again, He will come on a white horse.  He will come as The Conquering King to whom all nations will bow:

I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and wages war . . .  On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. (Revelation 19:11, 16)

 

Matthew is not only unique in his royal theme and his prolific use of Old Testament prophecy, but his book also uniquely mentions the star of Bethlehem, the visit by the Magi, the flight into Egypt, the savage massacre of the baby boys by Herod, and the complete sermon on the mount.  Matthew is also the only gospel writer who referred to the organized followers of Christ as “The Church.”

This glance at the book of Matthew only begins to scratch the surface of all that is written there and all the prophecies that Matthew shows us that are fulfilled in King Jesus.  I will leave it to you to study the entire book for yourself.  When you do, be sure and take note of the references in the margins of your Bible that will show you where the many prophesies are written in the Old Testament.  You will soon find that Matthew is one of your favorite books of the Bible, and you will find many great treasures there.

My prayer for you and for me this week is adapted from Matthew 6:20-21, part of Jesus’s Sermon on the Mount.   As we dig deeper into the first book of the New Testament, I pray that we will find the treasure there that can never be destroyed or stolen, but will grow as we learn more and more about The King of Kings.

Dear Heavenly King,
(Help us to) store up for (ourselves) treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where (our) treasure is, there (our) heart will be also.

All scripture references are from the New International Version,