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Overview
'The Gospel according to Matthew . . . Was the most widely read and frequently used of any of the four Gospels in the formative years of the church,' writes Michael Wilkins. In this volume of the NIV Application Commentary, Wilkins explains Matthew's broad appeal not only to his ancient readers, but also to us today. Exploring the links between the Bible and our own times, Wilkins shares perspectives on Matthew's Gospel that reveal its enduring relevance for our twenty-first-century lives.
Most Bible commentaries take us on a one-way trip from our world to the world of the Bible. But they leave us there, assuming that we can somehow make the return journey on our own. They focus on the original meaning of the passage but don't discuss its contemporary application. The information they offer is valuable---but the job is only half done!
The NIV Application Commentary Series helps bring both halves of the interpretive task together. This unique, award-winning series shows readers how to bring an ancient message into our present-day context. It explains not only what the Bible meant but also how it speaks powerfully today.
'This series promises to become an indispensable tool for every pastor and teacher who seeks to make the Bible's timeless message speak to this generation.'
Billy Graham
'It takes more than interpretation of God's Word to change lives, it takes application. Application is the bottom line in preaching and teaching. Without it, we've missed the point of the Bible. The NIV Application Commentary is an outstanding resource for pastors and anyone else who is serious about developing 'doers of the Word.''
Rick Warren, Pastor
Saddleback Valley Community Church
Product Details
ISBN-13: | 9780310571902 |
---|---|
Publisher: | Zondervan Academic |
Publication date: | 05/26/2009 |
Series: | The NIV Application Commentary |
Sold by: | HarperCollins Publishing |
Format: | eBook |
Pages: | 1008 |
File size: | 5 MB |
Age Range: | 18 Years |
About the Author
Read an Excerpt
Matthew
Zondervan
Copyright © 2002 Michael J. WilkinsAll right reserved.
ISBN: 978-0-310-27831-3
Chapter One
Introduction to The Gospel According to Matthew
On the surface of the Mediterranean world lay the famed pax Romana, "the peace of Rome," which the Roman historian Tacitus attributes almost solely to the immense powers of Caesar Augustus. But as Tacitus observes, the "peace" that Augustus inaugurated did not bring with it freedom for all of his subjects; many continued to hope for change. Tides of revolution swirled just below the surface and periodically rose to disturb the so-called peace of the Roman empire.
In one of the remote regions of the empire, where a variety of disturbances repeatedly surfaced, the hoped for freedom finally arrived in a most unexpected way. A rival to Augustus was born in Israel. But this rival did not appear with fanfare, nor would he challenge directly the military and political might of Rome. Even many of his own people would become disappointed with the revolution that he would bring, because it was a revolution of the heart, not of swords or chariots.
This is the story of the arrival of Jesus of Nazareth, recorded by the apostle Matthew as a compelling witness that Jesus was the long-anticipated Messiah, the prophesied fulfillment of God's promise of true peace and deliverance for both Jew and Gentile.
Author
All of the four Gospelsare technically anonymous, since the names of the authors are not stated explicitly. This is natural since the authors were not writing letters to which are attached the names of the addressees and senders. Rather, the evangelists were compiling stories of Jesus for churches of which they were active participants and leaders. They likely stood among the assembly and first read their Gospel account themselves. To attach their names as authors would have been unnecessary, because their audiences knew their identity, or perhaps even inappropriate, since the primary intention was not to assert their own leadership authority, but to record for their audiences the matchless story of the life and ministry of Jesus.
Therefore we must look to the records of church history to find evidence for the authorship of the Gospels. The earliest church tradition unanimously ascribes the first Gospel to Matthew, the tax-collector who was called to be one of the original twelve disciples of Jesus. The earliest and most important of these traditions come from Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor (c. 135), and from Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in Gaul (c. 175). These church leaders either knew the apostolic community directly or were taught by those associated with the apostles; thus, they were directly aware of the origins of the Gospels. While the full meaning of their statements is still open to discussion, no competing tradition assigning the first Gospel to any other author has survived, if any ever existed. False ascription to a relatively obscure apostle such as Matthew seems unlikely until a later date, when canonization of apostles was common.
* Matthew IMPORTANT FACTS:
AUTHOR: While technically anonymous, the first book of the New Testament canon was unanimously attributed by the early church to Matthew-Levi, one of the Twelve apostles of Jesus Christ.
DATE: A.D. 60-61 (Paul imprisoned in Rome).
OCCASION: Matthew addresses a church that is representative of the emerging Christian community of faith-it transcends ethnic, economic, and religious barriers to find oneness in its adherence to Jesus Messiah. His Gospel becomes a manual on discipleship to Jesus, as Jew and Gentile alike form a new community in an increasingly hostile world.
PORTRAIT OF CHRIST: Jesus is the true Messiah, Immanuel, God-incarnate with his people.
KEY THEMES:
1. The bridge between Old and New Testaments.
2. Salvation-historical "particularism" and "universalism."
3. The new community of faith.
4. The church built and maintained by Jesus' continuing presence.
5. A "great commission" for evangelism and mission.
6. The structure of five discourses contributes to a manual on discipleship.
* Early Church Testimony to Matthean Authorship
Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in Asia Minor, lived approximately A.D. 60-130. It is claimed that Papias was a hearer of the apostle John and later was a companion of Polycarp. He was quoted and endorsed by the church historian Eusebius (c. A.D. 325) as saying: "Matthew for his part compiled/collected the oracles in the Hebrew [Aramaic] dialect and every person translated/interpreted them as he was able" (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.39.16).
Irenaeus, bishop of Lyons in Gaul, was born in Asia Minor in approximately A.D. 135, studied under Polycarp, bishop of Smyrna, and according to tradition died as a martyr around A.D. 200. In one of his five monumental books against the Gnostic heresies, Irenaeus states, "Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church."
(Continues...)
Excerpted from Matthew Copyright © 2002 by Michael J. Wilkins. Excerpted by permission.
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Table of Contents
Series Introduction | 7 | |
General Editor's Preface | 11 | |
Author's Preface | 13 | |
Abbreviations | 15 | |
Introduction | 19 | |
Outline of Matthew's Gospel | 37 | |
Bibliography | 47 | |
Text and Commentary on Matthew | 53 | |
Scripture Index | 973 | |
Subject Index | 1000 |