Page 5 - New Testament Survey Student Textbook

the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, when the relationship between Christian communities and Jewish
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synagogues worsened.
Themes
Here Barry and colleagues mention that, “One of Matthew’s primary goals is to show that Jesus is the
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Messiah—the fulfillment of Jewish hopes for salvation (1:18–25).” They observed that the book is filled
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with references to the Old Testament—most of which are quoted by Jesus Himself. It is clear that
while some passages, such as 10:5–6 and 15:24, seem to indicate that Jesus was sent only to the Jews,
the Gospel as a whole portrays Him as the Savior of the entire world (e.g., 8:5–13; 12:21). Matthew
emphasizes that the kingdom of heaven has arrived with Jesus—but at the same time, the kingdom has
not yet come in its fullness (compare 4:17; 26:29). That will happen with Jesus’ return (24:3–31).
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Matthew uses the description “Son of David” to point to Jesus’ human ancestry from King David in the
Old Testament, showing Jesus’ authentic right to the throne (1:1–17). In addition, Matthew emphasizes
Jesus’ identity as the divine Son of God (3:14–17), who has authority to control nature, heal disease, and
forgive sin. The theme of authority runs just below the surface of the entire Gospel—in the miracle
stories, in Jesus’ teachings and parables, and in His confrontations with the religious leaders. In
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everything He does, Jesus is acting in the name and power of God Himself.

By the end of Matthew’s Gospel, some of Jesus’ disciples are worshiping Him—and it is here that it
becomes apparent that the people realize what we have also found to be true: Jesus is God Himself
(28:17). Today, we proclaim Jesus as our Jewish Messiah, who is also our King and God! He is all we ever
hoped for and far more. And this savior, Jesus, inspires us to both praise Him and take action—He
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motivates us to make disciples of all nations, a work that is far from done (28:18–20).
The Genealogies of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17, Luke 3:23-28)

The lineages of Jesus are seen in both Matthew and Luke, but careful analysis shows us that the two are
different. One example is that, Jacob is Joseph’s father in Matthew 1:16, while Luke 3:23 states that Heli
is the father of Joseph. Do the Scriptures argue against themselves? Of course not, what we observe is
that Matthew traces the line of Joseph back to David while Luke is tracking the ancestry of Mary. Both
trace their roots back to King David!

Matthew’s lineage traces the line of Joseph, who was Jesus’ legitimate human father, and whose rights
and possessions lawfully passed to Jesus, including the legal right to the throne of David, passed down
through Solomon.

Here McDowell says that “the usual practice of a Jewish genealogy is to give the name of the father,
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then grandfather, and so on of the person in view.” He further argues that Luke tracks this form, and
does not mention Mary, only indicates the name of the lawful father. McDowell underscores that “Luke
adds that, in reality, Joseph is not the father of Jesus since Jesus was virgin born (Luke 1: 34, 35).” For
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8 Barry, J. D. et al
9 Ibid
10 Ibid
11 Ibid
12 Ibid
13 Ibid
14 https://www.josh.org/resources/apologetics/answering-skeptics-detail/?id=34542
15 https://www.josh.org/resources/apologetics/answering-skeptics-detail/?id=34542
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