Overview

Matthew’s Gospel seeks to show that the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus fulfils what was promised in the Old Testament and has long been expected by the people of Israel. In this accessible guide to the first book of the New Testament, Patrick Whitworth explores key texts and themes of the Gospel of Matthew, such as the Sermon on the Mount, the Passion Narrative, the story of the resurrection and the Gospel’s finale in the Great Commission to “go into all the world and preach the good news”. Originally written as a manual for discipleship for Jewish-Christians, Matthew remains a challenging text for all who want to learn what it means to follow Christ today.

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9781789590449

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Matthew's Gospel seeks to show that the life, teaching and ministry of Jesus fulfils what was promised in the Old Testament and has long been expected by the people of Israel. It is generally accepted that Matthew purposely placed the Jesus of his Gospel squarely within the Jewish culture of the time and by drawing on that long genealogy with which his Gospel opens, Matthew established a Jesus whose Jewish identity is beyond doubt. Matthew's Gospel was intended to convince a Jewish audience that this was the long-awaited Messiah. It is the recognition of this intention that gives the book its title and the Gospel its place as the first book of the New Testament - connecting the perception of the prophets with the hope of healing and eternal life. But the author sees Matthew's purpose as being timeless. If the Jews needed to be convinced of the authenticity of Jesus, then so do we. We, who are obsessed about being safe and being successful, who worry endlessly about being in control and who cannot believe that power could show itself in any other ways than those we are used to, need to be convinced of the Lordship of Jesus and of the certainty of his promises. The book is arranged in sections which reflect the structure of Matthew's Gospel - Jesus' birth and ministry, his confrontation in Jerusalem and his passion and resurrection. This approach allows the reader to keep hold of the overall context of Jesus's ministry while introducing him/her to the individual events which make the case for Jesus and at the same time, just as it did for the disciples, to provide us with a training manual for living our lives. The book will be useful for preachers as the lectionary embraces Matthew for the coming year and it also provides discussion questions related to each chapter which would make it an ideal book for study in a group. -- David Gillies * The Reader *

Author Information

Patrick Whitworth read Modern History at Christ Church Oxford, and a Theology MA in Reformation Studies under T. H. L. Parker at Durham. He has spent over 40 years in Anglican Ministry, most recently in Bath, and in retirement facilitates lay and clergy training alongside his writing. He is married to Olivia with four grown up children and four grandchildren.

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