Read the gospel of Matthew the holy gospel. Read the gospel of Matthew chapter by chapter

The Gospel of Matthew (Greek: Ευαγγέλιον κατά Μαθθαίον or Ματθαίον) is the first book of the New Testament and the first of the four canonical gospels. It is traditionally followed by the gospels of Mark, Luke and John.

The main theme of the gospel is the life and preaching of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. The features of the gospel stem from the intended use of the book for a Jewish audience - the gospel often refers to messianic prophecies Old Testament designed to show the fulfillment of these prophecies in Jesus Christ.

The Gospel begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, going in ascending line from Abraham to Joseph the Betrothed, the named husband of the Virgin Mary. This genealogy, the analogous genealogy in the Gospel of Luke, and their differences from each other have been the subject of much research by historians and biblical scholars.

Chapters five through seven provide the most complete exposition of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, setting forth the quintessence of Christian teaching, including the Beatitudes (5:2-11) and the Lord's Prayer (6:9-13).

The evangelist sets out the speeches and deeds of the Savior in three sections, corresponding to the three sides of the Messiah's ministry: as a Prophet and Lawgiver (ch. 5-7), King over the visible and invisible world (ch. 8-25) and the High Priest, who sacrifices himself for sins all people (ch. 26 - 27).

Only the Gospel of Matthew mentions the healing of two blind men (9:27-31), a mute possessed (9:32-33), as well as an episode with a coin in the mouth of a fish (17:24-27). Only in this Gospel are parables about the tares (13:24), about the treasure in the field (13:44), about the precious pearl (13:45), about the net (13:47), about the merciless lender (18:23), about workers in the vineyard (20:1), about two sons (21:28), about a wedding feast (22:2), about ten virgins (25:1), about talents (25:31).

Genealogy of Jesus Christ (1:1-17)
Christmas (1:18-12)
Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family and return to Nazareth (2:13-23)
The Sermon of John the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus (ch. 3)
Temptation of Christ in the Wilderness (4:1-11)
Jesus comes to Galilee. The Beginning of the Sermon and the Calling of the First Disciples (4:12-25)
Sermon on the Mount (5-7)
Miracles and preaching in Galilee (8-9)
Calling 12 apostles and instructing them to preach (10)
Miracles and parables of Christ. Sermon in Galilee and surrounding lands (11-16)
Transfiguration of the Lord (17:1-9)
New Parables and Healings (17:10-18)
Jesus goes from Galilee to Judea. Parables and miracles (19-20)
Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (21:1-10)
Sermon in Jerusalem (21:11-22)
Rebuking the Pharisees (23)
Jesus' Predictions about the Destruction of Jerusalem, His Second Coming, and the Rapture of the Church (24)
Parables (25)
Anointing of Jesus with chrism (26:1-13)
The Last Supper (26:14-35)
Gethsemane wrestling, arrest and judgment (26:36-75)
Christ before Pilate (27:1-26)
Crucifixion and burial (27:27-66)
Apparitions of the Risen Christ (28)

church tradition

Although all the Gospels (and Acts) are anonymous texts, and the authors of these texts are not known, ancient church tradition considers the apostle Matthew, the tax collector who followed Jesus Christ, to be such (9:9, 10:3). This tradition is attested by the church historian of the 4th century. Eusebius of Caesarea, who reports the following:

Matthew originally preached to the Jews; having gathered also to other peoples, he handed them his gospel, written in mother tongue. Recalled from them, he left them his Scripture in return.

Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, III, 24, 6

Quoted by the same Eusebius, a Christian writer of the first half of the 2nd century. Papias of Hierapolis reports that

Matthew wrote down the conversations of Jesus in Hebrew, translated them as best he could

Eusebius of Caesarea, Church History, III, 39, 16

This tradition was also known to St. Irenaeus of Lyon (II century):

Matthew issued the gospel to the Jews in their own language, while Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel and founding the Church in Rome

St. Irenaeus of Lyon, Against Heresies, III, 1, 1

Blessed Jerome of Stridon even claims that he happened to see the original Gospel of Matthew in Hebrew, which was in the Caesarea library, collected by the martyr Pamphil.

In his lectures on the Gospel of Matthew, ep. Cassian (Bezobrazov) wrote: “For us, the question of the authenticity of the Gospel of Matthew is not essential. We are interested in the writer, because his personality and the conditions of his ministry can explain the writing of the book.
Modern researchers

The text of the Gospel itself does not contain any indication of the identity of the author, and, according to most scholars, the Gospel of Matthew was not written by eyewitnesses. In view of the fact that the text of the Gospel itself does not contain either the name of the author or any explicit indication of his identity, many modern researchers believe that the first of the four Gospels was written not by the Apostle Matthew, but by another author unknown to us. There is a hypothesis of two sources, according to which the author of the Gospel of Matthew actively used the material of the Gospel of Mark and the so-called source Q.

The text of the Gospel has undergone a number of changes over time, and it is not possible to reconstruct the original text in our time.
Language

If we consider the testimonies of the Church Fathers about the Hebrew language of the original Gospel as true, then the Gospel of Matthew is the only book of the New Testament, the original of which was not written in Greek. However, the Hebrew (Aramaic) original has been lost; the ancient Greek translation of the Gospel mentioned by Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch and other Christian writers of antiquity is included in the canon.

Features of the language of the Gospel indicate the author as a Palestinian Jew, in the Gospel there is a large number of Jewish phrases, the author assumes that readers will be familiar with the area and Jewish customs. It is characteristic that in the list of apostles in the Gospel of Matthew (10:3), the name Matthew is marked with the word "publican" - probably this is a sign indicating the humility of the author, for the publicans aroused deep contempt among the Jews.

The word gospel modern language has two meanings: the Christian gospel of the coming of the Kingdom of God and the salvation of the human race from sin and death, and a book that presents this message in the form of a story about the incarnation, earthly life, saving suffering, death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Initially, in the Greek language of the classical period, the word gospel had the meaning of "retribution (reward) for the good news", "a thankful sacrifice for the good news". Later, the good news itself began to be called that. Later, the word gospel acquired a religious meaning. In the New Testament, it began to be used in a specific sense. In several places the gospel denotes the preaching of Jesus Christ himself (Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:14-15), but most often the gospel is the Christian proclamation, the message of salvation in Christ and the preaching of this message. arch. Kirill Kopeikin Gospel - books of the New Testament, which contain a description of the life, teachings, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The gospel is four books named after the authors-compilers - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Among the 27 books of the New Testament, the Gospels are considered law-positive. This name shows that the Gospels have the same meaning for Christians as the Law of Moses - the Pentateuch had for the Jews. “GOSPEL (Mk 1:1, etc.) is a Greek word meaning: gospel, i.e. good, joyful news... These books are called the Gospel because there can be no better and more joyful news for a person than the news of the Divine Savior and eternal salvation. That is why the reading of the Gospel in church is each time accompanied by a joyful exclamation: Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!” Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nicephorus

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Kinship book. Why didn't Saint Matthew say "vision" or "word", like the prophets, for they thus wrote: "The vision that Isaiah saw" (Isaiah 1, 1) or "The word that came to Isaiah" (Isaiah 2, one)? Do you want to know why? Because the prophets addressed the hard-hearted and rebellious, and therefore they said that this is a Divine vision and the word of God, so that the people would be afraid and not neglect what they said. Matthew, however, spoke to the faithful, the well-meaning, as well as the obedient, and therefore did not previously say anything similar to the prophets. I also have something else to say: what the prophets saw, they saw with their minds, contemplating it through the Holy Spirit; that's why they called it a vision. Matthew, however, did not mentally see Christ and contemplate Him, but morally abode with Him and sensually listened to Him, contemplating Him in the flesh; therefore he did not say, "the vision which I saw," or "contemplation," but said, "The book of kinship."

Jesus. The name "Jesus" is not Greek, but Hebrew, and in translation means "Savior", for the word "yao" among the Jews refers to salvation.

Christ. Christs ("Christ" in Greek means "anointed") were called kings and high priests, for they were anointed with holy oil, poured out from a horn, which was placed on their heads. The Lord is called Christ both as King, for He reigned against sin, and as High Priest, for He Himself offered Himself as a sacrifice for us. He was anointed with true oil, the Holy Spirit, and anointed before others, for who else had the Spirit like the Lord? The grace of the Holy Spirit acted in the saints, but in Christ it was not the grace of the Holy Spirit that acted, but Christ Himself, together with the Spirit consubstantial with Him, performed miracles.

Son of David. After Matthew said "Jesus", he added "Son of David" so that you would not think that he was talking about another Jesus, for there was another famous Jesus, the leader of the Jews after Moses. But this one was called the son of Nun, not the son of David. He lived many generations before David, and was not from the tribe of Judah from which David came, but from another.

Son of Abraham. Why did Matthew put David before Abraham? Because David was more famous; he lived later than Abraham, and was a glorious king. Of kings, he was the first to please God and received a promise from God that Christ would rise from his seed, which is why everyone called Christ the Son of David. And David actually retained the image of Christ in himself: just as he reigned in the place of Saul, rejected by God and hated by God, so Christ came in the flesh and reigned over us after Adam lost the kingdom and power that he had over all living things and over demons. .

Abraham begat Isaac. The evangelist begins the genealogy with Abraham because he was the father of the Jews, and because he was the first to receive the promise that "in his seed all nations will be blessed." So, it is fitting to begin the genealogy of Christ from him, for Christ is the seed of Abraham, in whom all of us, who were pagans and were previously under an oath, received a blessing. Abraham in translation means "father of tongues", and Isaac - "joy", "laughter". The Evangelist does not mention the illegitimate children of Abraham, such as Ishmael and others, because the Jews did not come from them, but from Isaac.

Isaac begat Jacob; Jacob begat Judah and his brothers. You see that Matthew mentioned Judas and his brothers because twelve tribes descended from them.

Judah begat Perez and Zerah by Tamar. Judah gave Tamar in marriage to Ira, one of his sons; when this one died childless, he combined her with Ainan, who was also his son. When this one also lost his life for his shame, Judas no longer married her to anyone. But she, desiring strongly to have children from the seed of Abraham, put off her clothes of widowhood, took the form of a harlot, mingled with her father-in-law and conceived two twin children from him. When the time of birth came, the first of the sons showed his hand from the bed, as if he were the first to be born. The midwife immediately marked the child's hand that appeared with a red thread so that one could know who was born first. But the child drew his hand into the womb, and first another baby was born, and then the one who first showed the hand. Therefore, the one who was born first was called Perez, which means "break", because he violated the natural order, and the one who carried away the hand - Zarah. This story points to some mystery. Just as Zara first showed his hand, and then drew it away again, so also dwelling in Christ: it was revealed in the saints who lived before the law and circumcision, for they were all justified not by keeping the law and commandments, but by the life of the Gospel. Look at Abraham, who for the sake of God left his father and home and renounced nature. Look at Job, Melchizedek. But when the law came, such a life was hidden, but just as there, after the birth of Peres, later Zara came out of the womb again, so, by the giving of the law, the gospel life later shone forth, sealed with a red thread, that is, the blood of Christ. The Evangelist mentioned these two babies because their birth signified something mysterious. In addition, although Ta-mar, apparently, does not deserve praise for having mixed with her father-in-law, the evangelist also mentioned her in order to show that Christ, who accepted everything for us, accepted such ancestors. More precisely: that by the fact that He Himself was born of them, to sanctify them, for He did not come "to call the righteous, but sinners."

Peres begat Esrom. Esrom begat Aram, Aram begat Aminadab. Aminadab begat Nahshon. Nahshon begat Salmon. Salmon begat Boaz by Rahava. Some think that Rahab is that Rahab the harlot who received the spies of Joshua: she saved them and she herself was saved. Matthew mentioned her in order to show that just as she was a harlot, so was the whole congregation of the Gentiles, for they committed fornication in their deeds. But those of the Gentiles who received the spies of Jesus, that is, the apostles, and believed in their words, these were all saved.

Boaz begat Obed by Ruth. This Ruth was a foreigner; nevertheless, she was married to Boaz. So the church of the Gentiles, being a foreigner and outside the covenants, forgot her people and the veneration of idols, and her father the devil, and the Son of God took her as his wife.

Obed gave birth to Jesse. Jesse begat David the king, David the king begat Solomon from the one after Uriah. And Matthew mentions Uriah's wife here with the aim of showing that one should not be ashamed of one's ancestors, but most of all try to glorify them with one's own virtue, and that everyone is pleasing to God, even if they come from a harlot, if only they have virtue.

Solomon begat Rehoboam. Rehoboam begat Abijah. Abiah begat Asa. Asa begat Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat begat Jehoram. Jehoram begat Uzziah. Uzziah begat Jotham. Jotham begat Ahaz. Ahaz begat Hezekiah. Hezekiah begat Manasseh. Manasseh begat Amon. Amon begat Josiah. Josiah begat Joachim. Joachim begat Jeconiah and his brothers before moving to Babylon. The Babylonian Migration is the name given to the captivity that the Jews later endured, who were taken all together to Babylon. The Babylonians also fought with them at other times, but embittered them more moderately, at the same time they completely resettled them from their fatherland.

After moving to Babylon, Jehoiachin gave birth to Salafiel. Salafiel begat Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begat Abihu. Abihu begat Eliakim. Eliakim begat Azor. Azor begat Zadok. Zadok begat Achim. Achim begat Elihu. Elihu begat Eleazar. Eleazar begat Matthan. Matthan begat Jacob. James begat Joseph, the husband of Mary, from whom was born Jesus, called Christ. Why is the genealogy of Joseph, and not the Mother of God, given here? What part of Joseph in that seedless birth? Here Joseph was not the true father of Christ, in order to lead the genealogy of Christ from Joseph. So, listen: indeed, Joseph had no part in the birth of Christ, and therefore had to give the genealogy of the Virgin; but since there was a law - not to conduct a genealogy along the female line (Numbers 36, 6), then Matthew did not give the genealogy of the Virgin. In addition, having given the genealogy of Joseph, he also gave her genealogy, for it was a law not to take wives from another tribe, or from another clan or surname, but from the same tribe and clan. Since there was such a law, it is clear that if the genealogy of Joseph is given, then the genealogy of the Mother of God is also given, for the Mother of God was from the same tribe and the same family; if not, how could she be betrothed to him? Thus, the evangelist kept the law, which forbade the genealogy of the female line, but, nevertheless, gave the genealogy of the Mother of God, giving the genealogy of Joseph. And he called him the husband of Mary, according to the general custom, for we have the custom to call the betrothed the husband of the betrothed, although the marriage has not yet been consummated.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David to the migration to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the migration to Babylon to Christ, fourteen generations. Matthew divided the generations into three parts to show the Jews that whether they were under the control of judges, as it was before David, or under the control of kings, as it was before the resettlement, or under the control of high priests, as it was before the coming of Christ, they they did not receive any benefit from this in relation to virtue and needed a true judge, king and high priest, who is Christ. For when the kings ceased, according to the prophecy of Jacob, Christ came. But how can there be fourteen generations from the Babylonian migration to Christ, when there are only thirteen of them? If a woman could be included in the genealogy, then we would also include Mary and complete the number. But the woman is not included in the genealogy. How can this be resolved? Some say that Matthew counted the migration as a person.

The birth of Jesus Christ was like this: after the betrothal of His Mother Mary to Joseph. Why did God allow Mary to be betrothed, and in general, why did He give people a reason to suspect that Joseph knew her? So that she has a protector in misfortunes. For he took care of her during her flight into Egypt and saved her. However, she was also betrothed in order to hide her from the devil. The devil, having heard what the Virgin would have in the womb, would have watched her. So, in order for the liar to be deceived, the Ever-Virgin betrothed to Joseph. The marriage was only in appearance, but in reality it did not exist.

Before they were combined, it turned out that she was pregnant with the Holy Spirit. The word "combine" here means coition. Before they were combined, Mary conceived, which is why the amazed evangelist exclaims: “it turned out,” as if speaking of something extraordinary.

Joseph, her husband, being righteous and not wanting to publicize her, wanted to secretly let her go. How was Joseph righteous? While the law commands the adulterous woman to be exposed, that is, to announce and punish her, he intended to cover up the sin and transgress the law. The question is resolved first of all in the sense that through this very Joseph was righteous. He did not want to be harsh, but, philanthropic in his great kindness, he shows himself above the law and lives above the commandments of the law. Then, Joseph himself knew that Mary conceived from the Holy Spirit, and therefore did not want to expose and punish the one who conceived from the Holy Spirit, and not from an adulterer. For look what the evangelist says: "it turned out that she was pregnant with the Holy Spirit." For whom "it turned out"? For Joseph, that is, he learned that Mary conceived by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, I wanted to secretly let her go, as if not daring to have a wife who was worthy of such great grace.

But when he thought this, lo, the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying. When the righteous hesitated, an angel appeared, teaching him what he should do. In a dream, he appears to him, because Joseph had a strong faith. With the shepherds, as rude, the angel spoke in reality, with Joseph, as the righteous and faithful, in a dream. How could he not believe when an angel taught him what he himself reasoned with himself and about which he did not tell anyone? While he was meditating but not telling anyone, an angel appeared to him. Of course, Joseph believed that this was from God, for only God knows the inexpressible.

Joseph, son of David. He called him the son of David, reminding him of the prophecy that Christ would come from the seed of David. Saying this, the angel urged Joseph not to believe, but to think of David, who had received the promise concerning Christ.

Don't be afraid to accept. This shows that Joseph was afraid to have Mary, so as not to offend God by the fact that he patronizes the adulteress. Or in other words: "do not be afraid," that is, be afraid to touch her, as if she had conceived from the Holy Spirit, but "do not be afraid to receive," that is, to have in your home. For in mind and thought Joseph had already let go of Mary.

Mary, your wife. This is the angel saying: "Perhaps you think that she is an adulteress. I tell you that she is your wife," that is, she is not corrupted by anyone, but your bride.

For what is born in her is from the Holy Spirit. For not only is she far from illegitimate mixing, but she has conceived in some divine way, so that you should rejoice more.

Will give birth to a Son. Lest anyone say: "But why should I believe you that what is born is of the Spirit?", the angel speaks of the future, namely, that the Virgin will give birth to a Son. "If in this case I turn out to be right, then it is clear that this is also true - "from the Holy Spirit." He did not say "will give birth to you", but simply "will give birth." for him alone grace appeared, but it was poured out on all.

And you will call His name Jesus. You will name, of course, as a father and as a patron of the Virgin. For Joseph, having learned that the conception is from the Spirit, did not even think about letting the Virgin go helpless. And you will help Mary in everything.

For He will save His people from their sins. Here it is interpreted what the word "Jesus" means, namely, the Savior, "for He," it is said, "will save His people" - not only the Jewish people, but also the pagan people, who strive to believe and become His people. What will it save you from? Is it not from the war? No, but from "their sins." From this it is clear that the One who will be born is God, for to forgive sins is characteristic of God alone.

And all this happened, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet who speaks would come true. Do not think that this has recently become pleasing to God, long ago, from the beginning. You, Joseph, as brought up in the law and knowing the prophets think about what the Lord has said. He did not say "what was spoken by Isaiah," but "by the Lord," for it was not man who spoke, but God through the mouth of man, so that the prophecy is quite reliable.

Behold, the Virgin in the womb will receive. The Jews say that the prophet does not have a "virgin", but a "young woman". They need to be told what's in the language Holy Scripture a young woman and a virgin are one and the same, for it calls a young woman an uncorrupted one. Then, if it was not a virgin who gave birth, how could it be a sign and a miracle? For listen to Isaiah, who says that "for this reason the Lord Himself will give you a sign" (Isaiah 6:14), and immediately adds "behold, virgin" and so on. Therefore, if the virgin had not given birth, there would have been no sign. So, the Jews, plotting evil, distort the Scriptures and instead of "virgin" they put "young woman." But whether a "young woman" or a "virgin" is worth it, in any case, she who has to give birth must be considered a virgin, so that this is a miracle.

And she will give birth to a Son and will call His name: Immanuel, which means: God is with us. The Jews say: why is He called not Immanuel, but Jesus Christ? It must be said to this that the prophet does not say "you will call", but "they will call", that is, the very deeds will show that He is God, although He lives with us. Divine Scripture gives names from deeds, such as: "call him a name: Mager-shelal-hashbaz" (Is. 8, 3), but where and who is called by such a name? Since at the same time with the birth of the Lord it was plundered and captivated - wandering (idolatry) ceased, that is why it is said that He is called so, having received the name from His work.

Rising from sleep, Joseph did as the Angel of the Lord commanded him. Look at the awakened soul, how quickly it is convinced.

And he took his wife. Matthew constantly calls Mary the wife of Joseph, expelling evil suspicion and teaching that she was the wife of no one else, but precisely him.

And I did not know how she finally gave birth, that is, he never mingled with her, for the word "how" (until) here means not that he did not know her before birth, but then he knew her, but that he never knew her at all. Such is the peculiarity of the language of Scripture; so, the vran did not return to the ark, "until the water dried up from the earth" (Gen. 8, 6), but he did not return even after that; or else: "I am with you all the days until the end of the age" (Mt. 28:20), but after the end, won't it be? How? Then even more so. Similarly, here the words: "as at last she gave birth" understand in the sense that Joseph did not know her either before or after her birth. For how would Joseph have touched this saint when he knew well her unspeakable birth?

Son of His firstborn. She calls Him the firstborn, not because she gave birth to any other son, but simply because He was the first born and the only one: Christ is both the “first-begotten”, as he was born first, and the “only-begotten”, as having no second brother.

And he called his name: Jesus. Joseph shows his obedience here too, because he did what the angel told him.

The Gospel of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament. The Gospel of Matthew belongs to the canonical gospels. The New Testament begins with the four gospels, the lives of Jesus Christ. The first three Gospels are similar to each other, therefore they are called synoptic (from the Greek "synopticos" - to see together).

Read the Gospel of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew has 28 chapters.

Church tradition calls the author Matthew, the tax collector who followed Christ. However, modern researchers believe that the Gospel was not written by a direct eyewitness of the event, and, therefore, the Apostle Matthew cannot be the author of the first Gospel. It is believed that this text was written somewhat later, and the unknown author relied on the Gospel of Mark and on the source Q that has not come down to us.

The theme of the Gospel of Matthew

The main theme of the Gospel of Matthew is the life and work of Jesus Christ. The book was intended for a Jewish audience. The Gospel of Matthew is replete with references to messianic Old Testament prophecies. The purpose of the author is to show that messianic prophecies come true in the coming of the Son of God.

The Gospel describes in detail the genealogy of the Savior, starting from Abraham and ending with Joseph the Betrothed, the husband of the Virgin Mary.

Features of the Gospel of Matthew.

The Gospel of Matthew is the only book in the New Testament that was not written in Greek. The Aramaic original of the Gospel was lost, and the Greek translation was included in the canon.

The activity of the Messiah is considered in the Gospel from three points of view:

• like a prophet
• as legislator,
• as the High Priest.

This book focuses on the teachings of Christ.

The Gospel of Matthew repeats many of the other synoptic gospels, but there are a few points that are not covered in any other book of the New Testament:

• The story of the healing of two blind men,
• The story of the healing of the dumb demoniac,
• The story of the coin in the fish's mouth.

There are also several original parables in this Gospel:

• parable of the tares,
• parable of the treasure in the field,
• parable of the precious pearl,
• parable of the net,
• the parable of the merciless creditor,
• the parable of the laborers in the vineyard,
• parable of two sons
• parable of the marriage feast,
• parable of the ten virgins
• parable of talents.

Interpretation of the Gospel of Matthew

In addition to describing the birth, life and death of Jesus, the gospel also reveals themes about the Second Coming of Christ, about the eschatological revelation of the Kingdom and in the daily spiritual life of the Church.

The book was written for 2 purposes:

1. Tell the Jews that Jesus is their Messiah.
2. To encourage those who believed in Jesus as the Messiah and feared that God would turn away from His people after His Son was crucified. Matthew said that God had not given up on the people and that the Kingdom promised earlier would come in the future.

The Gospel of Matthew testifies that Jesus is the Messiah. The author answers the question "If Jesus is indeed the Messiah, why didn't He establish the promised Kingdom?" The author says that this Kingdom has taken on a different form and that Jesus will return to earth again to establish His authority over it. The savior came from good news to the people, but in accordance with God's plan, His message was rejected, to be resounded later to all nations throughout the world.

Chapter 1. Pedigree of the Savior. Birth of the Messiah.

Chapter 2 Flight of the Holy Family to Egypt. Return of the Holy Family to Nazareth.

Chapter 3. Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

Chapter 4 The beginning of the preaching work of Jesus Christ in Galilee. The first disciples of Christ.

Chapters 5 - 7. Sermon on the Mount.

Chapters 8 - 9. Sermons in Galilee. Miracles of Christ. The power of the savior over disease, the forces of evil, nature, over death. The ability of the Savior to forgive. The ability to turn darkness into light and cast out demons.

Chapter 10. The call of the 12 apostles

Chapter 11. A challenge to the authority of the Son of God.

Chapter 12 Disputes about the power of the new Tsar.

Chapters 13 - 18. Miracles and parables of Christ. Sermon in Galilee and nearby lands.

Chapters 19 - 20. Jesus goes from Galilee to Judea.

Chapters 21 - 22. Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem and preaching there.

Chapter 23 Jesus' denunciation of the Pharisees.

Chapter 24 Jesus predicts his Second Coming after the destruction of Jerusalem.

Chapter 25 New parables. Explanation of future events.

Chapter 26 The anointing of Jesus with peace. The Last Supper. Arrest of the Messiah and trial.

Chapter 27 Jesus Christ before Pilate. Crucifixion and burial of the Savior.

Chapter 28 Resurrection of Jesus.

I. Introduction of the King (1:1 - 4:11)

A. His genealogy (1:1-17) (Luke 3:23-28)

Matt. 1:1. From the first words of his Gospel, Matthew declares its central theme and main acting person. This is Jesus Christ, and already at the beginning of the narrative, the evangelist traces His direct connection with the two main covenants made by God with Israel: His covenant with David (2 Sam. 7) and the covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:15). Have these covenants been fulfilled in Jesus of Nazareth, and is He the promised "seed?" These questions should have arisen among the Jews first of all, and therefore Matthew considers His genealogy in such detail.

Matt. 1:2-17. Matthew gives the genealogy of Jesus according to His official father, i.e. according to Joseph (verse 16). It determines His right to the throne of King David through Solomon and his descendants (verse 6). Of particular interest is the inclusion in the genealogy of King Jeconiah (verse 11), about which Jeremiah says: "Write down this man without children" (Jer. 22:30). Jeremiah's prophecy, however, referred to Jeconiah's taking the throne (and the blessing of God upon his reign) in his day. Although the sons of Jeconiah never took the throne, the "royal line" continued through them.

However, if Jesus were a physical descendant of Jeconiah, He would not have been able to take the throne of David. But from the genealogy given by Luke, it follows that physically Jesus was descended from another son of David, namely from Nathan (Luke 3:31). Again, since Joseph, the official father of Jesus, was a descendant of Solomon, Jesus was entitled to the throne of David and in the line of Joseph.

Matthew traces Joseph's lineage back to Jehoiachin through his son Salathiel and grandson Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:12). Luke (3:27) also mentions Salathiel, the father of Zerubbabel, but already in the genealogy of Mary. Does the genealogy offered by Luke then indicate that Jesus was after all a physical descendant of Jeconiah? - No, because, apparently, Luke means other people who bore the same names. For Luke's Shealathiel is the son of Niriah, and Matthew's Shelafiel is the son of Jeconiah.

Another curious fact in Matthew's genealogical excursion is his inclusion of four Old Testament female names in it: Tamar (Matt. 1:3), Rahava (verse 5), Ruth (verse 5) and Bathsheba, the mother of Solomon (the latter is named after her husband - Uria). The right to include these women, as well as a number of men, in the genealogy of Christ is in some sense doubtful.

After all, Tamar and Rahab (Rahab) were harlots (Gen. 38:24; Jos. N. 2:1), Ruth was a Moabite pagan (Ruth. 1:4), and Bathsheba was guilty of adultery (2 Sam. 11 :2-5). Perhaps Matthew included these women in the genealogy for the purpose of emphasizing that God chooses people according to His will and mercy. But perhaps the evangelist wanted to remind the Jews of things that would diminish their pride.

When the name of the fifth woman, Mary, appears in the genealogy (Matt. 1:16), a significant change occurs. Until verse 16, it is repeated in all cases that so-and-so begat so-and-so. When it comes to Mary, it is said: from whom Jesus was born. This clearly indicates that Jesus was the physical child of Mary, but not of Joseph. The miraculous conception and birth is described in 1:18-25.

Matthew apparently does not list all the links in the lineage between Abraham and David (verses 2-6), between David and the migration to Babylon (verses 6-11), and between the migration and the birth of Jesus (verses 12-16). He names only 14 generations in each of these time periods (verse 17). According to Jewish tradition, it was not required to list every name in the genealogy. But why does Matthew name exactly 14 names in each period?

Perhaps the best explanation is that according to the Hebrew meaning of numbers, the name "David" is reduced to the number "14". It should be noted that in the time span from the migration to Babylon to the birth of Jesus (verses 12-16), we see only 13 new names. Many theologians believe in this connection that the name of Jeconiah, being repeated twice (verses 11 and 12), just “completes” the names listed in this period to “14”.

The genealogy offered by Matthew answers the important question, which the Jews could rightly ask in relation to the One who would claim the throne of the king of the Jews: "Is He really the legitimate descendant and heir of King David?" - Matthew answers: "Yes!"

B. His coming (1:18 - 2:23) (Luke 2:1-7)

1. HIS ORIGIN (1:18-23)

Matt. 1:18-23. The fact that Jesus was only the son of Mary, as suggested by the genealogy (verse 16), requires further explanation. In order to better understand what Matthew said, we need to turn to the Hebrew marriage customs. Marriages were concluded in that environment by registration marriage contract parents of the bride and groom. Upon reaching a mutual agreement, the bride and groom became husband and wife in the eyes of society. But they didn't live together. The girl continued to live with her parents, and her "husband" with hers, for a whole year.

The purpose of this "waiting period" was to prove fidelity to the vow of purity on the part of the bride. If she were pregnant during this period of time, the proof of her impurity and possible physical infidelity to her husband would be obvious. In this case, the marriage could be annulled. If a year's wait confirmed the purity of the bride, the groom would come to her parents' house and take her to his house in a solemn procession. Only then did they begin life together and their marriage became physical reality. When reading Matthew's account, all this must be kept in mind.

Mary and Joseph were just in that year-long waiting period when it turned out that she was pregnant. Meanwhile, there was no physical intimacy between them, and Mary remained faithful to Joseph (verses 20, 23). Although Joseph's feelings are not stated in this connection, it is not difficult to imagine how much he was grieved.

After all, he loved Mary, and suddenly it turned out that she was not pregnant from him. Joseph showed his love for her in deeds. He decided not to raise a scandal and not to take his bride to be judged before the elders at the city gates. Had he done so, Mary would likely have been stoned to death (Deut. 22:23-24). Instead, Joseph decided to secretly let her go.

And then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream (compare Matt. 2:13,19,22) and informed him that what was born in her was from the Holy Spirit (1:20 compare with 1:18).

The child in Mary's womb was completely unusual child; The angel told Joseph to give the name Jesus to the son she would give birth to, for He would save His people from their sins. These words were to remind Joseph of God's promise of the salvation of the people through the New Testament (Jer. 31:31-37). The angel, not named here by name, also made it clear to Joseph that all this would happen in accordance with the Scriptures, since even 700 years earlier the prophet Isaiah had proclaimed: "Behold, the Virgin will conceive and give birth to a Son ..." (Matt. 1: 23; Isaiah 7:14).

Although scholars of the Old Testament are still debating whether the Hebrew word "alma" used by the prophet Isaiah should be translated "virgin" or "young woman," God has clearly shown that it was "virgin" in question. ". The Holy Spirit inspired the translators of the Old Testament into Greek language(Septuagint) to use here the word parthenos, which means "virgin", "virgin". Mary's miraculous conception of Jesus took place in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, and her Son appeared as the true Immanuel (which means: God is with us).

After receiving the revelation, Joseph got rid of his feelings of insecurity and fear and took Mary into his home (Matt. 1:20). It is possible that then rumors and gossip began among the neighbors, but Joseph knew what really happened, and what was the will of God in relation to him personally.

2. HIS BIRTH (1:24-25)

Matt. 1:24-25. So, waking up from this dream, Joseph obeyed what he was told. In violation of tradition, he immediately accepted Mary into his house, without waiting for the end of the one-year term of "betrothal". He probably proceeded from what would be best for her in her position. He accepted her as his wife, began to take care of her. However, he did not enter into marital relations with her until she gave birth to her firstborn Son.

Matthew confines himself to reporting the birth of the Child and the fact that they gave Him the name Jesus. Luke, a physician by profession (Col. 4:14), speaks a little more about the birth of the Son (Luke 2:1-17).