The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven

by E. Michael Green

Overview

Matthew's Gospel is the first—and perhaps the most important—single document of the New Testament. In it you will find the fullest and most systematic account of the birth, life, teaching, death and resurrection of the founder of Christianity, Jesus the Messiah. In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Michael Green shows how this very Jewish Gospel portrays the power and purpose of Jesus' life and work, which was to bring light to all nations.

Matthew records Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man and supremely as God returning to Jerusalem as judge and redeemer. The consequences of this steady focus are as relevant now as then. Now more than ever we need to hear Matthew's emphasis on the unity of God's revelation old and new, its teaching on the life of discipleship, its exploration of the meaning of the kingdom of heaven, and its insights into the people of the Messiah, the end of the world and the universality of the Good News.

Green offers introductory material on the author of Matthew, the readers to whom the Gospel was originally written, the popularity of the Gospel, its structure and themes, and recent scholarship focused on Matthew. He then provides a passage-by-passage exposition of Matthew, paying attention to the application of the text as well as its interpretation. A study guide follows the exposition and will help you to further ponder and practice what this Gospel teaches you about Jesus and your place in the kingdom of Heaven.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780830812431
Publisher:	InterVarsity Press
Publication date:	01/25/2001
Series:	The Bible Speaks Today Series
Pages:	343
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael Green is chaplain for the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics, and also teaches the evangelism module there. In addition, he is director of the Good News Initiative of the Anglican Communion Network in the United States. He formerly served as senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, England, and as adviser in evangelism to the archbishops of Canterbury and York. As a pastor, evangelist, author and lecturer, he has taught and preached the New Testament for many years. His books include I Believe in the Holy Spirit and Evangelism in the Early Church.

Table of Contents

General Preface
Author's Preface
Chief Abbreviations
BibliographyIntroduction
Who Wrote the Gospel?
What Do We Know About the Tax Collector?
What Can We Infer About the Author?
Who Were the Readers?
What Is the Plan of the Gospel?
Why Was the Gospel So Popular?
When Was It Written?
What Were Matthew's Main Concerns?
Mattew in Recent StudyPart 1: In Galilee (Matthew 1—13)
A. Beginnings (1—7)
1. Jesus' Pedigree and Birth (1:1-25)
2. Jesus' Childhood (2:1-23)
3. The Beginnin of Jesus' Ministry (3:1—4:25)
4. The First Discourse: The Manifesto of the Kingdom (5:1—7:29)
B. Discipleship (8—10)
5. Who Is This Jesus? (8:1—9:34)
6. The Second Discourse: The Mission of the Kingdom (9:35—10:42)
C. Response (11—13)
7. Jesus' Claim, and Its Ground (11:1-30)
8. Human Response to Jesus: For and Against (12:1-50)
9. The Third Discourse: The Parables of the Kingdom (13:1-58)Part 2: To Jerusalem (Matthew 14—28)
D. Shadows (14—18)
10. Shadows of the Future (14:1—17:27)
11. The Fourth Discourse: Relationships in the Kingdom (18:1-35)
E. Judgment (19—25)
12. Judgments on Issues (19:1—20:34)
13. Judgment on Israel (21:1-27)
14. Parables and Controversies on Judgment (21:28—22:46)
15. The Fifth Discourse: (1) Judgment on Dead Religion (23:1-39)
16. The Fifth Discourse: (2) The End of Jerusalem and of History (24:1—25:46)
F. Finale (26—28)
17. A Study in Contrasts (26:1-16)
18. Jesus' Last Evening (26:17-56)
19. The Trials of Jesus (26:57—27:31)
20. The Cross and the Tomb (27:32-66)
21. The End of the Beginning (28:1-20)
Study Guide