Matthew – the Gospel
of Fulfillment
Michael Card has written a book on this Gospel, which he
regards as the Gospel of Identity, as it would have spoken to early Jews who
believed Jesus was the promised Messiah and were looking for His return. This meant they were no longer welcome in the
synagogue or their former Jewish community and now they were struggling to
understand and live out their new identity found in Jesus. This is a great observation for the first
readers / hearers of this book, but what about the reader today?
Perhaps more than any other of the Gospels, Matthew wants us
to see the connection of Jesus to the Old Testament Scriptures and how Jesus is
the FULFILLMENT of the promised Messiah / Redeemer / King.
And God chose a man named Levi, who Jesus gave the name
Matthew (meaning God’s Gift). As a tax
collector for the Romans, he would have been regarded as unworthy and a traitor
(e.g., He spends his time with tax collectors and sinners…). Yet, as an accountant, Matthew would have
been detail oriented and kept careful records. And he certainly had an excellent working
knowledge of the Old Testament to point out the fulfillment to those like him
who were looking for proof that Jesus is the Messiah.
Over the coming weeks we’ll look at the evidence this early
IRS agent offers – a very compelling case.
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