The Book of Matthew

Matthew opens the New Testament by binding it to the Old: 'The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.' Written with Jewish readers chiefly in view, Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets, the true Israel, the new and greater Moses teaching from the mountain, and the promised King whose kingdom does not follow this world's pattern. Again and again the refrain sounds: this took place to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet.

The Gospel is built around five great discourses, from the Sermon on the Mount to the Olivet Discourse, and it moves deliberately to the cross, the resurrection, and the commission to disciple all the nations. It opens with Immanuel, God with us, and closes with 'I am with you always, even to the end of the age.' These chapter-by-chapter commentaries trace the King, the kingdom, and the fulfilment of everything promised.