Nothing But the Truth

This Sunday, we're starting a new sermon series at The River:

 

What's the Big Idea?
Exploring the Wonder of the New Testament
Book 1: The Gospel of Matthew

So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets...

You see that phrase a lot when you read the Gospel of Matthew - or at least something very similar. Matthew's Gospel is the first book in the New Testament. Have you ever wondered why? I mean, was it because it was written first? Or maybe because it includes a lot of teaching, and therefore serves as a good introduction to the New Testament? Maybe... probably. However, there is an even better reason Matthew has always been presented as the first of the four gospels: It's obvious Jewish flavor serves as the perfect bridge between the old and new testaments, helping people understand Christ in light of the Jewish Scriptures.

Many Christians would like to take the Old Testament - with all it's scary stories and wrathful violence - and just pretend it doesn't exist. Like a creepy uncle or loud-mouthed cousin at a family reunion... some followers of Jesus would much rather ignore the Old Testament than deal with its foreign-ness and difficulties. Let's face it, God the Father doesn't always come across very Christian in the OT, does he?

But Matthew is a Jew from start to finish. And he writes his gospel with an agenda to convince the doubters of his day that Jesus of Nazareth is the real deal. His primary audience is fellow Jews who know their Old Testament better than we could possibly imagine. (They were taught to memorize large portions of the 'Scriptures' at a very young age.) As such, his agenda is twofold. First, preach the gospel (a.k.a., good news) of Jesus Christ passionately and (of course) more or less as events occurred in Matthew's memory. And yet... when a teacher is trying to convince his students to believe in a way that best conveys a point (i.e., a "big idea")... then the way the information is shaped, structured and presented is paramount. Does that make sense to you? For instance, most sermon stories, though fully rooted in truth, are often shared to make a specific (and hopefully interesting) point, rather than to just recall the cold hard "facts" exactly as they happened. I guess you could call it truthful creative license! :-)

Anyway, like his fellow Gospel-writers Mark, Luke and John... Matthew endeavors to tell the truth (and nothing but the truth)... however, he shapes the story in such a way as to fully convince his fellow Jews that Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God. All that to say... Matthew intentionally highlights events in the life of Jesus that best reveal how they "fulfilled" the prophesies of the Old Testament. So the next time you read the Gospel of Matthew, pay attention to the phrase, "So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets" - and perhaps you'll get a better idea of why the Old Testament was so important to him.


I've had dozens of people tell me they don't read the Old Testament because they find it too troubling. My only response to that is that I don't believe a person can ever truly understand the importance of the mission of Jesus apart from reading and experiencing the good, the bad, and the ugly elements of the Jewish Scriptures. Believe it or not... God's grace precedes the life and ministry of Jesus. As Matthew continuously reminds us... the Son of God may be somewhat hidden in those 39 mysterious, troubling, often interesting (and sometimes boring) books... but nevertheless, he can be found in subtle and profound ways if we're willing to spend time and look for him there. Ultimately, I know it's worth the investment... and so did Matthew!