THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW
ΜΑΤΘΑΙ͂ΟΣ מַתִּתְיָהוּ
⇐
THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW
ΜΑΤΘΑΙ͂ΟΣ מַתִּתְיָהוּ
Author: Matthew. Also named Levi. A former tax collector turned disciple and apostle of Jesus.
Time: 60-70 AD.
Genre/style: Accountant. Polished Koine Greek with strong Semitic flavor. Very detailed. A mix of biography, history and theology. Not chronological, but systematic and topical. Structured as a royal chronicle, with emphasis on Jesus as king.
Summary: A full biography of Jesus’ life, teachings, death and resurrection. It included five discourses, similar to the Pentateuch. Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament - the Law and the Prophets - the King of the Jews, the new Moses and the new King David.
Purpose: Show Jesus as the Messiah and a true descendant of David’s royal line, thus rightful heir to the throne of David.
Audience: Written to a Jewish audience.
Key verse: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make students of all nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I commanded y’all. And remember: I AM with y’all always till the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:19-20)
Contemporary literature:
Material for further study:
Translations used for comparison and combination:
THE GOOD NEWS ACCORDING TO
MATTHEW
ΜΑΤΘΑΙ͂ΟΣ מַתִּתְיָהוּ
[...]
Translation in progress.
This is a record of the beginning of Jesus the Messiah, Son of David, Son of Abraham:
Abraham was the father of Isaac,
Isaac was the father of Jacob,
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers,
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,
Perez was the father of Hezron,
Hezrom was the father of Ram,
Ram was the father of Amminadab,
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon was the father of Salmon,
Salmon was the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,
Boaz was the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,
Obed was the father of Jesse,
Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon, whose mother was the wife of Uriah,
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah,
Abijah was the father of Asa,
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat was the father of Joram,
Joram was the father of Uzziah,
Uzziah was the father of Jotham,
Jotham was the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah,
Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh was the father of Amos,
Amos was the father of Josiah,
Josiah was the father of Jeconiah and his brothers,
at the time of the deportation to Babylon.
Then after the deportation to Babylon:
Jeconiah was the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud,
Abiud was the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim was the father of Azor,
Azor was the father of Zadok,
Zadok was the father of Achim,
Achim was the father of Eliud,
Eliud was the father of Eleazar,
Eleazar was the father of Matthan,
Matthan was the father of Jacob,
and Jacob was the father of Joseph, who was Mary’s husband.
From Mary, Jesus, who is called the Messiah, was born.
Thus, in all, from Abraham to David, there were 14 generations;
from David to the deportation to Babylon, 14 generations;
from the time of deportation to the Messiah, 14 generations.
Now this is how Jesus the Messiah was born: His mother Mary was engaged to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Now Joseph, her husband, being righteous and not willing to make a show of her, determinedly planned to divorce her in secret.
Now while he considered these things - check this out! - a messenger of the Lord shone and made himself visible to him through a dream! He said to him:
─ Joseph, son of David, may you not be afraid of taking Mary as your wife, because the child that is being conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son and you will name Him Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.
All of this happened so that what the Lord spoke through the prophet may be brought to completion, saying:
“Look, the virgin will become pregnant and will bear a son,
and they will call Him ‘Immanuel’,”
which translated means “God with us”.
When Joseph woke up from his sleep, he did as the messenger of the Lord had commanded him: He took his wife, but did not sleep with her until she had brought forth a son and he called Him Jesus.
Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, - check this out! - Magians from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying: ─ Where is He who was born King of the Jews? Because we saw His star in the east and we have come to worship Him.
When King Herod heard this, he was troubled - he and all Jerusalem with him. He brought together all the chief priests and scribes of the people and inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.
They told him:
─ In Bethlehem of Judea, for it has been written in this manner by the prophet:
‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah,
for out of you will come forth a Ruler,
who will shepherd My people Israel.’
Then Herod called the Magians in secret and inquired of them to know exactly the time when the star appeared. And, having sent them to Bethlehem, he said:
─ As you go, search carefully for the Child. Then when you find Him, report it back to me so that I too may go and worship Him.
After they heard the king, they went away. Check this out: the star that they saw in the east went ahead of them until, having arrived, it stood over the place where the Child was! When they saw the star, they were extremely overjoyed. And coming into the house, they found the Child with His mother Mary. Having knelt down, they worshiped Him. Having opened their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh. Then God warned them in a dream not to return to Herod. So, by another route, they ran away to their country for safety.
After the Magians had gone, - check this out! - a messenger of the Lord makes himself visible to Joseph through a dream:
─ Having arisen, take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I should tell you. Herod is looking for the Child so he can destroy Him.
So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother by night and ran away to Egypt for their safety. He stayed there until Herod’s death, so that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet may be brought to completion:
“Out of Egypt I have called My Son.”
Then Herod, realizing he had been mocked by the Magians, was extremely enraged. He gave orders to put to death all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, according to the exact time he had inquired of the Magians. Then it was brought to completion what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet:
“A voice was heard in Ramah,
great lamentation and mourning,
Rachel weeping aloud for her children
and refused to be comforted,
because they are dead.”
After Herod died, - check this out! - a messenger of the Lord appears in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying:
─ Having arisen, take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because the people seeking the Child’s life died.
And so, when he arose, he took the Child and His mother and came into the land of Israel. Now when he heard Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. But God warned him in a dream, so he ran away to the district of Galilee and arriving there, he established himself in a city called Natsareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets should be brought to completion - that Jesus would be called a Natsorean.
Then in those days, John the Immerser made a public appearance in the wilderness of Judea. He preached:
─ Repent, y’all! For the kingdom of the skies is near!
Because this is the one spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying,
“A voice of one shouting in the wilderness,
Y’all prepare the way of the Lord!
Y’all make His paths straight!”
Now John himself had clothes made of camel’s hairs and a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time, people from Jerusalem, all Judea and all the neighboring cities around the Jordan were going out to John and being cleansed by him through immersion in the Jordan river, confessing their sins. Now, when John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he immersed people, he told them:
─ Y’all bunch of viper hatchlings! Who warned y’all to flee from the coming wrath? So produce fruit that is consistent with your repentance! And don’t think y’all can say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as your father”, because I say to y’all that God has the power to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. I, in fact, immerse y’all in water to repentance, but after me is coming the One who is more powerful than me, of whose sandals I’m not worthy to carry. He will immerse y’all in the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing shovel is in His hand, and He’ll thoroughly clean His threshing floor and gather His wheat into the storehouse; but the chaff, He’ll burn up with unquenchable fire.
Then from Galilee to John, comes Jesus, to be baptized by him in the Jordan River. But John tried to prohibit Him, saying:
─ I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?
But Jesus answered:
─ Allow it to be so this time, for in this way it is appropriate to make all righteousness complete.
So John allowed it. After being immersed, Jesus immediately got up out of the water, and check this out - the skies were opened and He saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on Him. And check this out! - a voice out of the skies!
─ This is My Son, the One I love, with whom I was very happy.
Then Jesus was led up into the wilderness by the Spirit to be tempted by the Slanderer. After fasting 40 days and 40 nights, He got hungry. The Tempter came and told Him:
─ If You really are God’s Son, tell these stones to transform into loaves of bread.
But Jesus told him:
─ It is written,
“A man’s life is not only based on food,
but on every word that comes from God’s mouth.”
Then the Slanderer takes Jesus to the holy city, puts Him on the pinnacle of the temple and says:
─ If You really are God’s Son, throw Yourself down from here! Because it’s written,
“He will give orders to His messengers concerning You,
and they’ll carry You in their hands
so that You’ll hurt Your foot on a stone.”
Jesus told him:
─ But it is also written that “You must not test the Lord your God.”
Once again the Slanderer takes Jesus to a very tall mountain and shows Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. He says:
─ All these things, I will give them to You, if You get on Your knees and worship me.
Eventually Jesus tells him:
─ Begone, you Adversary! Because it is written,
“Worship the Lord your God
and serve only Him.”
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Eventually the Slanderer leaves Him. But check this out! - messengers came and took care of Him.
Then, having seen the crowds, He went up the mountain; and, having sat down, His disciples came to Him. And He taught them, saying thus:
─ How good is life for the poor in spirit,
because theirs is the kingdom of the skies.
How good is life for those who grieve,
because they will be comforted.
How good is life for the unimportant,
because they will inherit the land.
How good is life for those who hunger and thirst for right-relationships,
because they will be filled.
How good is life for the pure in heart,
because they will see God.
How good is life for those who show mercy,
because they will be shown mercy.
How good is life for the peacemakers,
because they will be called “children of God”.
How good is life for those who have been persecuted
on account of doing what is right
because theirs is the kingdom of the skies.
How good is life for you
when they insult you,
persecute you
or say anything evil against you, lying,
on account of Me.
Celebrate and jump for joy,
because your reward is great in the skies,
for this is how they persecuted the prophets who came before you.
You are the salt of the land. But if the salt becomes tasteless, what can recover its saltiness? So it’s useless for nothing except to be trampled by men after being thrown out. You are the light of the world. A city cannot be hidden when it’s on a hill.
Now I also say to you that you are Peter, a stone, and upon this bedrock I will build my assembly and the gates of Hades will not withstand it.
When Jesus entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him while He was teaching and said:
─ By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?
Jesus answered:
─ I also ask y’all one thing, which, if y’all tell Me, then I’ll tell y’all by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John: where was it from? From heaven or from men?
Then they started reasoning with themselves. They said:
─ If we say, “From heaven”, He’ll say, “Then why didn’t y’all believe in him?” But if we say, "From men”, we’re afraid of the people, because they all consider John as a prophet.
So they finally answered Jesus:
─ We don’t know.
Then Jesus said:
─ Neither will I tell y’all by what authority I do these things.
─ But what do y’all think? A man had two sons. He came to the first one and said, “Son, go work in the vineyard today.” The boy said, “I don’t want to.” But later he changed his mind and went. Then the man came to the second son and said the same thing. The boy said, “I’ll go, sir.” But he didn’t go. Which of the two did their father’s will?
They say:
─ The first one.
Jesus tells them:
─ Amen I tell y’all that the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the Kingdom of God in front of y’all. Because John came to y’all in the way of righteousness and y’all didn’t believe in him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did believe in him; y’all, then, who saw didn’t even change y’all’s mind afterwards to believe in him.
─ Listen to this another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He placed a fence around it, dug a winepress in it, built a tower, gave it to farmers, and went on a distant journey. Then when harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the farmers to collect his portion of the crop. But the farmers took his slaves, beat one, killed another and stoned yet another. The man sent other slaves, more than the previous ones, but the farmers did the same thing with them.
Finally the owner sent his son, thinking, “They’ll respect my son.” But when the farmers saw the son, they said to themselves, “That’s the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.” So they took him, cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.
So, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?
They tell him:
─ He’ll certainly destroy those evil men! And he’ll give the vineyard to other farmers, who will collect his portion of the fruits in their due time.
Jesus tells them:
─ Have y’all never read in the Scriptures:
“The stone which the builders rejected
has become the main cornerstone.
This came from the LORD
and it’s marvelous in our eyes”?
Because of this, I tell y’all that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from y’all and given to a people that will produce its fruits. Whoever falls on this stone will be crushed, but on whomever it falls, it will grind to powder.
When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew that He’s talking about them and they wanted to arrest Him, but they feared the crowds, because they considered Jesus as a prophet.
─ When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the messengers with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne as King. He will gather all the nations in His presence and separate them from one another, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He’ll place the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, y’all who have been blessed by My Father, and inherit the Kingdom prepared for y’all from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and y’all gave Me something to eat;
I was thirsty and y’all gave Me something to drink;
I was a stranger and y’all took Me in;
I was naked and y’all clothed Me;
I was sick and y’all took care of Me;
I was in prison and y’all visited Me.”
Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You something to drink? When did we see You as a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? When did we see You sick or in prison, and visited You?
The King will answer them, “Amen I tell y’all: Whatever y’all did to one of the least of these My brothers, y’all did it to Me.”
Then He will say also to those on His left, “Leave My presence, you cursed people, and go to the eternal fire which was prepared for the Slanderer and his messengers!
For I was hungry and y’all gave Me nothing to eat;
I was thirsty and y’all gave Me nothing to drink;
I was a stranger and y’all didn’t take Me in;
I was naked and y’all didn’t clothe Me;
I was sick and in prison and y’all didn’t visit Me!”
Then even they will answer as well, “Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and we didn’t minister to You?”
Then He will answer them, “Amen I tell y’all: whatever y’all did not do to one of the least of these, y’all also didn’t do to Me!”
And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.
Now it happened that when Jesus finished saying all this, He told His students:
─ Y’all know that Passover comes in two days and the Son of Man will be delivered over to be crucified.
Meanwhile the chief priests and the elders of the people met in the high priest’s courtyard. (The high priest’s name is Caiaphas.) They came up with a plot together to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill Him.
─ Not during the festival, though ─ they said ─ cause there could be a riot among the people.
As Jesus was in Bethany in Simon the leper’s house, a woman came to Jesus carrying an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume and poured it on His head, while He’s lying down. When Jesus’ students saw that, they were furious and said:
─ Why this waste? ‘Cause this could have been sold for a lot of money and given to the poor!
Knowing this, Jesus told them:
─ Why are y’all annoying this woman? ‘Cause she did a beautiful thing for Me. ‘Cause y’all will always have the poor with y’all. Me, though, y’all won’t always have Me. ‘Cause when this woman poured this perfume, she did it for My burial. Amen I tell y’all: wherever this good news will be proclaimed in all the world, what this woman did will also be talked about so she may be remembered.
Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judah of Kriot, went to the chief priests and said:
─ What are y’all willing to give me if I hand Jesus over to y’all?
So they offered Judah 30 silver coins. And from that time on, he started looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
On the first day of the Unleavened Bread, Jesus’ students came to Him and said:
─ Where do You wish for us to prepare the Passover?
─ Go into the city to a so-and-so and tell him, “The Teacher says, ‘My time is near. I’ll keep the Passover with My students at your house.’”
So Jesus’ students did as He was directed and prepared the Passover.
In the evening, Jesus was reclining at the table with the 12 students. As they were eating, Jesus said:
─ Amen I tell y’all, one of y’all will betray Me.
They got really, really sad and each one took turns saying to Him:
─ It’s not me, is it, Lord?
He answered:
─ The one who dipped his hand with Me in the dish, that’s the one who will betray Me. Indeed the Son of Man goes, as it has been written about Him - but how terrible it will be for that man who will betray the Son of Man! It’d be better for him if he hadn’t been born!
Now Judah, who was already betraying Him, said:
─ It’s not me, is it, Rabbi?
─ You said it ─ Jesus tells him.
Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, gave it to His students and said:
─ Take, eat; this is My body.
Then He took a cup, said grace and gave it to them, saying:
─ Drink of it, all of y’all, because this is My blood, the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for the forgiveness of sins of many. Now I tell y’all: from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until the day I drink it new with y’all in My Father’s kingdom.
Then they sung a hymn and then went to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus tells them:
─ This very night all y’all will have your faith in Me shaken, for it’s written,
“I will strike the shepherd
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.”
But after I’m raised, I will go before y’all into Galilee.
Peter told Him:
─ If all have their faith in You shaken, I will never!
Jesus told Him:
─ Amen I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you’ll deny Me three times.
─ Even if I needed to die with You, I won’t deny You! ─ Peter says ─ No way!
And all Jesus’ students said the same thing.
After the Sabbath was over, at dawn of Sunday, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the grave.
But check this out! - there was a great earthquake, because a messenger of the Lord that came down from the sky approached the tomb, rolled away the stone and was sitting on it! Now he looked like lightning and his clothes were as white as snow. The guards were so afraid of the messenger that they looked like they were dead.
The messenger told the women:
─ Don’t be afraid! I know y’all are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, because He has been raised, just like He said! Come, see the place where He was lying. Then go quickly and tell His students that Jesus has been raised from the dead and that, check this out, He’s going before y’all into Galilee. Y’all will see Him there. See, I told y’all.
So the women went quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy and ran to tell His students.
But check this out! - Jesus met them on the way!
─ Good morning! ─ He said, and the women came to Him, grabbed His feet and worshiped Him.
─ Don’t be afraid. ─ Jesus tells them ─ Go and tell My brothers to go to Galilee and meet Me there.
As the women left, check this out: some of the guards entered the city and reported to the chief priests everything that happened. Then the chief priests gathered the elders for a meeting, and after coming up with a plan, they gave lots of money to the soldiers and told them:
─ Tell people this: “His students came at night and stole Him while we were asleep.” If this reaches the prefect’s ears, we’ll persuade him and keep y’all out of trouble.
So they took the money and did as they were instructed. This rumor was widely circulated among the Jews and still is till this day.
Then the eleven students went to Galilee to the mountain that Jesus indicated to them. When they saw Jesus, they worshiped, but some doubted.
Jesus came and talked with them. He said:
─ All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Therefore go and make students of all nations, immersing them in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I commanded y’all. And remember: I AM with y’all always till the end of the age.
[...]
Translation in progress.
Footnotes