Recap

So far in Matthew, we've read through the prologue, the first four blocks of Jesus' ministry, and started the fifth. Matthew begins with a genealogy and the story of Jesus' birth, grounding him in Old Testament prophecy. Jesus is a descendant of David, born through the Holy Spirit, a king, and the Son of God. The gifts from the wise men echo those given to Solomon's temple, marking Jesus as God's presence on earth, and his journey from Egypt portrays him as the new Israel.

The first block of Jesus' ministry involved preparation, demonstrations, and teaching. Jesus was baptised, affirmed by God, and resisted temptation in the desert. He chose his first disciples, declared the kingdom of God, healed the sick, cast out demons, and explained the kingdom in the Sermon on the Mount, similar to Moses on Mount Sinai.

Jesus began with the Beatitudes, emphasising inward attitudes over outward behaviour. He taught that genuine faith prioritises God's kingdom over power, money, or self-reliance. He advised self-reflection before judging others, treating others as one wishes to be treated, and judging by actions while assessing oneself by one's relationship with God.

The second block of Jesus' ministry applied the kingdom of heaven to people's lives, showcasing ten miracles focused on outcasts and those far from God. The kingdom brought them healing and freedom. Jesus taught his disciples about the cost of bringing the kingdom to others, warning of persecution but promising God's support.

The third block focused on responses to Jesus. John the Baptist doubted if Jesus was the Messiah, and the Pharisees challenged him, even after witnessing his miracles. Jesus taught in parables, compelling those interested in God to seek answers, while naturally filtering out those who wouldn't follow him even if they understood.

The fourth block revealed Jesus' identity and subverted expectations. He fed 5,000 people, walked on water to show his divinity, and healed and fed 4,000 Gentiles, demonstrating his mission for all people. Jesus accused the Pharisees of prioritising tradition over God's law. Peter recognised him as the Messiah, but Jesus clarified he was also the Suffering Servant. On a mountain, Jesus met Moses and Elijah, and God affirmed him as his son.

In his teachings, Jesus reinforced the upside-down nature of the kingdom of heaven, emphasising humility, removing temptation, and including others. He taught that offenses should be addressed with love and forgiveness, and that one cannot pursue both wealth and God. True greatness in the kingdom comes from serving others.

The fifth and final block of Jesus' ministry centred on his clash with the religious leaders' authority. He entered Jerusalem on a donkey, subverting royal norms, but was still celebrated as a king. At the temple, he expelled moneylenders, asserting his authority. The next day, he cursed a fruitless fig tree, symbolising Israel's failure.

The Pharisees challenged Jesus' authority, but he skilfully avoided their traps and countered with parables, accusing them of hypocrisy and declaring they had rejected the kingdom and would be replaced. In his final teaching, Jesus issued seven 'woes' against the Pharisees, warning people to respect their position but not follow their hypocrisy. He mourned for Jerusalem, foretold the temple's destruction, and warned his disciples to be ready for his return.

As the narrative moved towards Jesus' predicted death, he was anointed with perfume, and Judas betrayed him to the religious leaders for thirty pieces of silver. Jesus shared the Passover meal with his disciples, reframing it to foreshadow his impending sacrifice. At the Mount of Olives, Jesus prayed in anguish before Judas led the authorities to arrest him. The religious leaders, unable to find fault, condemned him for claiming to be the Christ and mocked and beat him.

Matthew 27-28

The religious leader hand Jesus over to the Roman governor, Pilate, as he's the only one who has the legal power to have someone killed. Meanwhile, Judas has realised the error of his ways. If his hope was to get Jesus arrested so he would fight back, that has failed, and now his leader is about to be killed.

He tries to give the money back, as though that would absolve him from his guilt, but the religious leaders don't want it. So Judas goes away and hangs himself.

Pilate begins to question Jesus, but Jesus gives him no reply, no attempt to defend himself. The only response Jesus gives is to confirm when Pilate asks if he is the king of the Jews. We read how the Suffering Servant behaved in this way in Isaiah. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;" (Isaiah 53:7).

Seeing that the religious leaders were determined to kill Jesus, Pilate turned to the crowd. His role was to keep the peace and so if the crowd wanted Jesus free, then he would have an excuse to let him go. But the religious leaders whip up the crowd, and they ask for Barabbas, a known criminal, to be free instead. So Barabbas is freed and Jesus is sentenced to be crucified. An innocent man takes the place of a wicked one.

Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified, and the troop of soldiers begin to beat and mock him. They dress him up as a king with a red robe and a crown of thorns. Take a moment to step back and think what it would be like if this is the first time you're hearing this story. (Maybe it is).

We've established throughout Matthew that Jesus is, in fact, the future king that the people have been waiting for. We saw it at the start of the book when we read Jesus' genealogy and saw that he was from the line of David. We read it in Peter's acknowledgement. Plus, we've seen it in all the miracles he performed.

So now as we read what these soldiers should do, the natural response in us would be, "stop! He is the king of the Jews. Stop mocking him like this!" It's like a divine tragedy. We know it shouldn't be ending this way. Eventually, they take Jesus to his execution and crucify him upon a cross.

We then get many references to Psalm 22. While Jesus is dying on that cross, the guards are casting lots for his clothes (Psalm 22:18). The crowd mock him and wag their heads (Psalm 22:7). They jeer at him, saying, if he trusts in God, then let God save him (Psalm 22:8). And then Jesus himself quotes the opening verse as he dies, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22:1).

This may seem like a strange way for Jesus to go out. Has God actually forsaken Jesus? Psalm 22 is a powerful psalm. All the way through, the author is pouring out the suffering and struggle they are going through. Their life is hard, and in these moments, it feels like God has abandoned them.

Yet all the way through it the psalmist gives praise to God and declares that no matter what they feel, they will put their trust in God. The psalm ends with all the earth being restored to God's kingdom, and the people flourish under his reign.

This is what Jesus is referring to. Much like his parables, to those that don't understand what is happening, it looks like he has failed. But to those that know their scripture and understand, they can see that in this moment Jesus is victorious. Let's go back a little.

While Jesus is being crucified, Matthew mentions that there were two robbers there as well. One on his right and one on his left. Remember James and John's mother? She asked if her sons could sit at Jesus' right and left when he brings his kingdom, and Jesus said those places were already taken. This is that moment, and these robbers are those men. It may look like Jesus has failed, but right now, Jesus is bringing his kingdom.

They have Jesus buried and put guards and a stone in front of his tomb to stop his disciples from stealing the body. A couple of the women who followed Jesus went a few days later to prepare his body. But when they get there, the stone has already been rolled away by an earthquake, and an angel was sitting on the top. The guards had fainted from fright. The angel tells them that Jesus has risen.

This is where Matthew departs from Mark’s version of events. The women rush back to the disciples to tell them and, on their way, they bump into Jesus. They hug him and worship him. He tells them to gather the disciples and meet him in Galilee.

There, he charges all his followers. He did it. All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus. The king they have been waiting for is now reigning. So they are now to carry on the ministry that he started. They are to spread this good news, teaching others to live the life Jesus has called them to live. They go in his authority, but he will be with them always.

And then the book ends. Through his gospel, Matthew has established Jesus a the long awaited king who has established his kingdom. He is also a Moses like figure who will bring the people out of enslavement, provide for them in the wilderness, guide them with teaching, and ultimately see them led into the promised land.

We’ve been taught what the kingdom stands for and how to bring it into the lives of others. We’ve seen the reactions of others to this kingdom, and through those reactions, we can reflect on our own. We’ve also seen how this kingdom clashes with established authorities on earth.

The question now is, will we pick up this mission that we’ve been commissioned to? To help establish this kingdom across the earth, leading others into it?

Psalm 100

This psalm isn’t attributed but is noted as a psalm for giving thanks. Because of this, it falls into the category of praise psalm.

Psalm 100:1-3 - Serve the Lord our creator and shepherd

Psalm 100:4-5 - Enter his course with thanksgiving and praise, for he is good

The psalmist opens with a call to make a joyful noise to the Lord. This call is for all the earth. They are to serve God with gladness and enter his presence with singing. All peoples should come and know the Lord because he is creator of all people and shepherd to all people.

Because of this, all people are able to enter into his presence with thanksgiving and praise. Why? Because he’s a good God, full of faithfulness and love.

This psalm is a short one, but reaffirms many of the themes we’ve seen in the other psalms of this fourth book of the psalms. God is Lord over all peoples, and all people can come into his presence. The fact that we enter his courts shows he reigns like a king, and he is a good king worthy of thanksgiving and praise.