Introduction to Matthew’s Gospel
The writer of the book of Matthew
We cannot be sure who wrote the book. There is nothing in it to identify the author. But, the first traditions of the church all agree. A disciple of Jesus wrote it. His name is in Matthew 9:9. The words of the Gospel seem to agree with this. It is what we would expect a Jew to write. Matthew (Levi) respected authority. He was sure that Jesus Christ was King. So, the tradition is probably right. This book assumes that Matthew is the author.
[Note: A Jew is a person from the Jewish nation. God chose the Jews to be his special people. (Read Deuteronomy 7:6–8.) Our OT (the first part of the Bible) tells their history. Their language is Hebrew. Jesus was a Jew.]
When the author wrote the Gospel
The author says nothing about the date. Tradition said that it was the first one of the 4 Gospels. (This is why it is at the beginning of the NT.) But, between 1800 and 1900, opinions changed. People thought that Mark was the first Gospel. Matthew seemed to depend on Mark for information. Some things in Matthew seemed to be available to Mark only. So, the usual date that people give for Matthew is between AD 70 and AD 79.
But there is a problem with these dates. People found first copies of parts of the NT. These have much earlier dates. Then, in AD 70, the enemy destroyed the city of Jerusalem. Surely, Matthew would have referred to this event. So, it is possible that he wrote the Gospel in AD 45. Or, it could have been soon after that date.
If that is true, Matthew wrote his book soon after the events. So, the author is describing events that he would remember clearly. This would be true about his readers, too. All of this would show that Matthew was writing the truth. The events actually happened. They are a part of history.
The reason that the author wrote the Gospel
He probably wrote the book to Jews. He wanted to convince them that Jesus was the Messiah. A careful study of the Gospel will show this. Some of these facts are:
- He shows the family of Jesus. It was the same as the family of the Jews.
- He claims that the OT gave facts about Jesus’ birth. They were facts about the Messiah.
- He has an interest in the Law.
- He tells about other Jewish customs (One example is in Matthew 15:1–9).
These things all suggest something. It is this. The author wrote the Gospel especially for Jews. Of course, he insisted that it was for all nations too. (Read 28:16–20.) But, he was still showing that God chose the Jews first. They were his special people. They would bring God’s good things to the nations. (Read Genesis 12:1–3.)
So, we can believe that Matthew wrote to Jews. He wanted them to know that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus would save them from the results of their sins. He would rescue them from the power of that sin in their lives.