Translations
Matthew: Presenting - Jesus The King
Robert Henry Sykes,
A verse-by-verse commentary on Matthew’s presentation of Christ in His glory.
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People never love tax-collectors and Matthew son of Alphaeus was probably no different from the others in Jerusalem. That is, until he met the Lord Jesus. Then he left his work and his money to follow Christ. Matthew may now feel that his greatest reward was to write the first gospel.
Matthew's gospel was not the first of the four to be written but it shows the connection between the Old and the New Testaments better than Mark, Luke or John. Like Paul, another Jew, Matthew's great desire was that his own people, Israel might be saved. So he showed in his gospel how Christ perfectly fulfilled the promises of God in the Old Testament. The Holy Spirit helped Matthew to give all glory to the Lord Jesus. Starting with Abraham the gospel of Matthew takes us right on to the great command to go and make disciples of all nations.
Introduction
The book of Matthew stands at the gateway from the Old
Testament into the New Testament. In the Old Testament we find
many prophecies foretelling the coming of a promised Deliverer and
King. These prophecies are like identification pictures or photographs which describe what the coming King would be like, what
He would do, and what would happen to Him.
The Spirit of God directed Matthew to present the Lord
Jesus Christ as the King to the nation of Israel. So Matthew makes
many references to Israel’s Bible, the Old Testament writings.
Matthew looked back into those Old Testament books and found
many of these “identity pictures”. As he writes the story, he includes
many of these pictures so that Israel (and all of us) might recognize
this great King and bow down to worship and obey Him.
Of course the other New Testament writers also quote from
the Old Testament, but Matthew does so much more than the others.
Apart from the genealogies, there are over 250 direct and indirect
references to the Old Testament in his book. He quotes from every
book in the Old Testament except five (Ecclesiastes, Song of
Solomon, Obadiah, Nahum and Habakkuk). In a sense Matthew is
like a gatekeeper who carefully identifies the One who is the promised Deliverer-King; see John 10.1-3. He proves over and over that
Jesus Christ is the real King by comparing Him with those pictures
in the Old Testament. As we go through Matthew’s book together,
you may want to notice each picture and write down the references
in your Bible.
In chapters 1 and 2 we will read about the genealogy and
birth of this great King.
In chapter 3 we see the King’s herald and fore-runner.
In chapters 4-18 we find the King’s public life of service,
mostly in Galilee.
In chapters 19 and 20 the King goes from Galilee to
Jerusalem, the city of the great King.
In chapters 21-27 He is in Jerusalem as the rejected King,
condemned and put to death.
lowers.
In chapter 28 He rises from the dead and appears to His fol-
The reader may find it helpful to mark the King’s journeys
on a map. See if your Bible has a good map in the back. As you read
through Matthew, find each place He visited, and draw lines from
place to place. You may want to draw a larger map of your own to
keep the lines separate as He went back and forth. You will notice
that most of the time was spent in Galilee, until chapter 21. We will
see why later on.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1 The Birth of the King
2 The Royal Child
3 The King’s Herald
4 The Testing of the King
5 The Laws of the Kingdom
6 The Laws of the Kingdom (cont’d)
7 The Laws of the Kingdom (cont’d)
8 Miracles of the King
9 Miracles of the King (cont’d)
10 Twelve Apostles Sent Out
11 Opposition to the King
12 The King Greater than All
13 The Kingdom in Parables
14 The Power of the King
15 The King’s Teaching and Miracles
16 The Great Confession
17 The Glory of the King
18 Teaching about the Church
19 Teaching about the Family and Young People
20 The Servants of the King
21 The King Enters the Holy City
22 The King and Leaders of Israel
23 The King and Leaders of Israel (cont’d)
24 The King Foretells Future Events
25 The King Foretells Future Events (cont’d)
26 The King Betrayed and Condemned
27 The King Crucified
28 The Risen King
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Robert Henry Sykes
Robert Henry Sykes was born in Michigan and served in the business world for many years. He and his wife, Wilma, were commissioned by their home church in Grand Rapids for missionary work in Angola. Now living in Montana, Bob Sykes is busy in a Bible teaching and church planting ministry.
