Matthew

Lesson 133: Christ In The Old Testament
Luke 24:44-48; John 5:31-37
Golden Texts John 5:39

The Old Testament is devoted to the prophetic revelation of One Person—Christ; and the exposition of one theme—Redemption. Hebrews 10:7; Luke 24:27; John 5:39.

The Lord Jesus Christ is revealed in many ways in the O. T., but chiefly by prophecy and type.

I. Prophesied. There are 333 distinct prophecies concerning: Christ in the O. T., many of which have been fulfilled and others yet to be fulfilled.

1. As a Man. Genesis 3:15; Galatians 4:4. Note it is “the seed of the woman, not the man,” i.e., the virgin birth.

2. Of Shem. Genesis 9:26. He was to be of the Shemetic or Semetic race.

3. The Nation. Abraham. Genesis 12:1-3; 22:18.

4. The Tribe—Judah. Genesis 49:10; cp. Revelation 5:5; Hebrews 7:14.

5. The family—David. 2 Samuel 7:11; Jeremiah 23:5, 6, Isaiah 11:1, 2; Matthew 1:6; 22:42-46.

6. The Town. Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:4-6.

7. The Person. Luke 1:30-33; Isaiah 9:6.

8. The Day. Luke 2:11. Cp. Daniel 9:24-27. This coincides to the exact day when Christ made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem. See Sir Robert Anderson’s, “The Coming- Prince.”

9. Manner of birth. Isaiah 7:14; 1 Timothy 3:16. He was to be virgin-born.

10. Manner of Life. Isaiah 53:1-3.

11. Manner of Work. Isaiah 42:1, 2; 6, 7; 61:1.

12. Rejection. Isaiah 49:5-7; Isaiah 53:5, 6.

13. Manner of death. Daniel 9:25; Isaiah 53:8; Psalm 22:7.

14. Purpose of death. Psalm 22:22-27; Daniel 9:24; Isaiah 53:6.

Let us now consider the Gospel by Matthew. This Gospel sets Christ before us in the character of the Son of David and of Abraham, that is to say, in connection with the promises made to Israel, but presents Him withal as Emmanuel, Jehovah the Saviour, for such the Christ was. It is He who, being received, should-have accomplished the promises (and hereafter He will do so) in favour of this beloved people. This Gospel is in fact the history of His rejection by the people, and consequently tha...

While we have no means of knowing just when the Gospel of Matthew was written, or even whether (as some suppose) it first appeared in Hebrew, or was originally written in Greek as it has come down to us, it is very evident that it is placed rightfully at the beginning of the New Testament. This Gospel is very definitely the connecting link between the prophets of old and the new dispensation of grace. The many quotations in it from the books of the prophets are designed to show how our Lord Jesus Christ came as the promised King of Israel, in exact accordance with the numerous predictions that God had inspired His servants to give. Those prophecies were given from Abraham’s day to that of Malachi, when prophetic testimony ceased, and was silent for four hundred years, until John the Baptist, the last of the prophets, came declaring, “The time is fulfilled.”

Matthew is in a very real sense the Jewish Gospel. This does not mean that it has no message for Christians, but rather that it is designed by the Holy Spirit to present Christ so as to make it clear to honest Jewish inquirers that He is the One of whom Moses and the prophets spoke.

Matthew’s Gospel can be outlined as follows:

I. Presentation of King and Kingdom to Israel (1:1-12:50)

A. Genealogy of the King (1:1-17)

B. Birth of the King (1:18-25)

C. Gentile Worship of the King (2:1-12)

D. Preservation of the King (2:13-23)

E. Anointing of the King (3:1-17)

F. Testing of the King (4:1-25)

G. Principles of the Kingdom (5:1-7:29)

H. Accreditation of the King (8:1-12:50)

1. Mighty Works of the King (8:1-9:38)

The Pharisees Ask for a Sign (Matthew 16:1-4) The Pharisees and Sadducees were violently opposed to one another in regard to almost every doctrine of the Scriptures, but they were united in their deliberate rejection of the Lord Jesus, God’s promised King. Being familiar with prophecy, these religious leaders knew that certain signs were to take place before the appearance of the Messiah. They came to Jesus without any desire to know the truth, simply tempting or testing Him, asking tha...

Our Lord has told us that of those born of women none was greater than John the Baptist. His greatness consisted not simply in his personal character—though he stands out preeminently as a devoted man of God, true to principles and unyielding in his stand against iniquity even in high places (Matt. 14:4)—but in the fact that he was chosen of God to herald the coming of Christ as Israel’s Messiah and the world’s Redeemer (John 1:29-31), and formally to open to Him the door into the sh...

It seems a great pity, as intimated in our closing remarks in the previous chapter, that its final verse was not made the opening one of this seventeenth chapter. In the corresponding accounts in both Mark and Luke, our Lord’s announcement is linked directly with the transfiguration scene. It is, in fact, the key to a right understanding of this glorious vision that was intended to be a representation of “the kingdom of God come with power.” This is confirmed for us by the apostle Pete...

Genealogy of the King (Matthew 1:1-17) The Gospel of Matthew begins with the genealogy of our Lord from Abraham to Joseph. But this was not the bloodline. It was the royal line, however, and carried with it the throne rights. As Son of Abraham, our Lord is the promised seed in whom all nations of the world shall be blessed (Genesis 22:18). As Son of David, He is the King who is to reign in righteousness upon David’s throne (Isaiah 9:6-7). His actual descent from David was through His mo...

The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8) It seems a great pity, as indicated in our closing remarks in the previous chapter, that its final verse was not made the opening one of this seventeenth chapter. The Lord Jesus Christ had intimated a week before that some would not die until they had seen the kingdom of God come with power. In the corresponding accounts in both Mark and Luke this announcement is linked directly with the transfiguration scene. The announcement is, in fact, the key to a...

Before the Lord Jesus presented Himself to Israel as the promised King, He must needs pass through a period of testing, which He did for forty days. He met Satan, the strong man armed, and bound him before He began His public ministry and went forth to spoil his (Satan’s) goods. Why was Jesus tempted? And, being tempted, was there a possibility that He might have sinned, and so jeopardized or annulled the whole plan of redemption? These are questions asked often, and it behooves us to b...

Two things are brought into juxtaposition in this chapter: the kingdom in its spiritual aspect and the church yet to be brought into existence by the Lord after His death and resurrection, but seen here in its local aspect as an assembly of believers responsible to maintain principles of righteousness, and therefore to deal in discipline with refractory or trespassing members who refuse to repent. The kingdom section includes verses 1-14: At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus,...