A Concise Introduction to the New Testament

By Michael Adegbola

A CONCISE INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW TESTAMENT

Author: Michael Adegbola, B.Sc., M.Sc., M.Div., M.Th

Perspective of the book: Conservative Evangelicalism

Usefulness of the book: A Resource for Christians, Bible Students and Preachers

Features of the book:

√ Summary of Contents. For all New Testament books

√ Background (authorship, provenance, date of writing, original recipients). For all New Testament books

√ Survey. For all New Testament books

√ Purpose for Writing. For all New Testament books

√ Contribution to Biblical Theology. For all New Testament books

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Oct 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781716516191

Book preview

PREACHING THE BIBLICAL TEXTS VERSE-BY-VERSE: A CONCISE COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 1-14

Michael Adegbola

PREACHING THE BIBLICAL TEXTS VERSE-BY-VERSE: A CONCISE COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 1-14

© 2020 by Michael Adegbola. All rights reserved.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scriptures used are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE (NASB). Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Other Bible versions used are:

New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by Permission. All rights reserved.

HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

THE HOLY BIBLE, KING JAMES VERSION Copyright © 2000 by The Zondervan Corporation. All rights reserved.

DEDICATION

To my wife, my little daughter and my mother: these are God’s great gifts and blessings to my life.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to express my profound gratitude to God and the Father of our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus for calling and equipping me by His Spirit to expound the unsearchable riches of Christ’s glory as expressed in the Word, with a view to bringing the children of God into full conformity to Christ’s likeness.

The Lord also gave me a wife who provided an enabling environment for my researching and writing of biblical expository works. May the Lord bless her and my daughter with His grace, mercy and peace always. Amen.

PREFACE

The book titled "Preaching the Biblical Text Verse-by-Verse: A Concise Commentary on Matthew 1-14" is a verse-by-verse exposition of the first fifteen chapters of the Gospel According to Matthew. It provides an exegetical insight into the texts, in order to bring out the richness of revelation and wisdom intended by the biblical author, which is suitable for both preaching and life application. It is also practical and devotional in its orientation, in the sense that, with the right interpretation and understanding of the texts, a demonstration of Christ-likeness and a deeper walk God are made possible.

Further, it is written from conservative Evangelical perspective, with a full affirmation of the infallible authority of God’s Word. The initial Greek words are transliterated, thus making the book useful for non-technical students. Generally, it is rightly suitable for use by Christian laymen, students, and preachers in their preparation of sermons.

September 2020

Michael Adegbola

President, Word Vision Impact Ministry International, Ibadan, Nigeria.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page                                                                                      1

Copyright Pages                                                                            2

Dedication                                                                                    3

Acknowledgements                                                                      4

Preface                                                                                        5

Table of Contents                                                                          6

Introduction                                                                                7

Chapter

1. The Prologue (1:1-2:23) 13

2. Narrative 1: Regarding the Preparation of Jesus for Ministry (3:1-4:25)

  33

3. Discourse 1: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)                      58

4. Narrative II: Regarding the Performance of Mighty Miracles (8:1-10:4)

    95

5. Discourse II: Apostleship and Discipleship (10:5-11:1)              115

6. Narrative III: The Revelation of Jesus Christ (11:2-12:50)            123

7. Discourse III: The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (13:1-53)  143

8. Narrative IV: Intensification of the Miracles of Jesus (13:54-17:27)

                                                                                                      154

INTRODUCTION TO MATTHEW

Summary of Contents

I. The Prologue (1:1-2:23)

A. The Genealogy of Christ Jesus (1:1-17)

B. The Birth of Jesus Christ (1:18-25)

C. The Visit of the Magi (2:1-12)

D. The Escape to Egypt (2:13-18)

E. The Return to Nazareth (2:19-23)

II. The Teaching and Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom (3:1-26:5)

A. Narrative I: Regarding the Preparation of Jesus for Ministry (3:1-4:25)

B. Discourse I:  The Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29)

C. Narrative II: Regarding the Performance of Mighty Miracles (8:1-10:4)

D. Discourse II: Apostleship and Discipleship (10:5-11:1)

E. Narrative III: The Revelation of Jesus (11:2-12: 50)

F. Discourse III: The Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (13:1-53)

G. Narrative IV: Intensification of the Miracles of Jesus (13:54-17:27)

H. Discourse IV: The Life Principles of the Kingdom of Heaven (18:1-19:2)

I. Narrative V: More Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (19:3-23:39)

J. Discourse V: Mount Olivet Eschatological Discourse (24:1-26:5)

III. The Passion of Jesus Christ (26:6-27:66)

A. The Anointing at Bethany (26:6-13)

B. Judas Iscariot’s Betrayal Pact (26:14-16)

C. The Last Supper (26:17-30)

D. Jesus’ Prediction of Peter’s Denial (26:31-35)

E. The Gethsemane Experience (26:36-46)

F. The Arrest of Jesus Christ (26:47-56)

G. The Trial of Jesus Christ (I) [26:57-68]

H. Peter’s Denial of Jesus (26:69-75)

I. The Death of Judas Iscariot (27:1-10)

J. The Trial of Jesus (II) [27:11-31]

K. The Crucifixion and Death of Christ (27:32-56)

L. The Burial of Jesus (27:57-61)

M. The Deployment of the Guard at the tomb (27:62-66)

IV. The Resurrection/Post-Resurrection of Jesus Christ (28:1 -20)

Background

Like the other Synoptic Gospels, Matthew which is designated According to Matthew (Grk. kata Matthaion) as inserted into the initial Greek text, is proven anonymous. The prepositional expression is meant to indicate the authorship of the book. The external witnesses used to validate Matthew the tax collector and an apostle of Jesus Christ as the author of the book include: (1) Papias (c.A.D.140 or later) who wrote a five-volume work called Exegesis of the Dominica Logia, from which Eusebius quoted to refer to apostle Matthew as the author of the book. Many scholars now believe that the expression Dominica Logia as used by Papias refers to the exposition of the words and deeds of Christ our Lord. (2) The early Church Fathers such as Irenaeus, Tertullian, Origen, Eusebius and Jerome, maintained without exception that Matthew wrote the book originally in Hebrew/Aramaic, having the Jewish Christians in mind.

Regarding the internal witnesses, a Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth was called by Jesus with a radical demand to follow Him (Mt.9:9). The same Matthew is also called Levi the Son of Alphaeus in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27-28. Also Matthew the tax collector is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus that He chose and designated as apostles (Mt.10:3; Mk.3:18; Lk.6:15). Therefore, on the basis of the apostolic authorship of the New Testament books, Matthew is the author of the book.

Concerning the provenance of Matthew, it is not certain where the book was exactly written. Some early Church Fathers who held that Matthew wrote the Gospel in Hebrew/Aramaic also naturally assumed that the book was written in Palestine, while many modern biblical scholars argue for Syria. Other plausible options include Antioch, Alexandria and Phoenicia.

If we assert that Matthew wrote this Gospel in Hebrew/Aramaic, then it is plausible to suggest that his original recipients were the Jewish Christian population in Palestine. Many conservative biblical scholars hold that the book was written most probably in c.A.D.60s.

Purpose

Although it is difficult to delineate a specific purpose for the composition of Matthew, since he seems to develop several themes to meet the diverse needs of his audience, we may, however, point to the following points: (1) That Jesus is the predicted Christ (Messiah) in the Old Testament (henceforth, OT), and that He is also the Son of Man and the Son of God. (2) That Jesus is the Immanuel, meaning God with us, the divine name that may be taken as the equivalent of the I AM WHO I AM, a designation for the LORD in the OT. (3) The space-time eschatological in-breaking of the kingdom of God which was promised in the OT and inaugurated in the life and ministry of Christ. (4) This eschatological in-breaking of the kingdom of God continues to assert its growing influence over sin, the flesh, the world and Satan in the lives of Christ’s disciples throughout the Church age. (5) The same eschatological kingdom of God will be fully consummated at the end of the age when Christ returns a second time.

Survey

Matthew commences his account of the life of Jesus Christ with a detailed prologue (1:1-2:23) which includes the genealogy of Christ, His birth, the visit of the three wise men, His escape to the land of Egypt, and His return to His native town.

There are seven major narratives in Matthew: (1) Narrative regarding the preparation of Jesus for His Messianic ministry and the summary of His early Galilean three-fold ministry of teaching, preaching and healing (3:1-4:25). (2) Narrative concerning the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven in terms of performance of mighty miracles (8:1-10:4). (3) Narrative about the revelation of Jesus as the promised Messiah, as the Son of God who came to reveal the Father, as the Son of Man who also is the Lord over the Sabbath, and as the self-effacing and victorious servant of the Lord promised by the Prophet Isaiah (11:2-12:50). He performed great signs and wonders in the midst of opposition to validate His claims. (4) In the fourth narrative, the miracles of Christ were intensified, and consequently opposition to His ministry grew (13:54-17:27). (5) The fifth narrative involves a series of the parables of the Kingdom of Heaven which signify God’s sovereignty in rewarding His servants and in their election, and the rejection of God’s rule and authority by the religious hypocrites, Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and His vigorous denunciation of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. (6) The sixth narrative of Matthew is more than an epilogue as some scholars have claimed, but it rightly pertains to the passion of Christ extending from His anointing at Bethany to His death and burial (26:6-27:66). (7) The block of narrative on Jesus’ resurrection and the Great Commission (28:1-20) is also far more than an epilogue, it has its own unique place in the overall pattern of Matthew’s seven-fold narrative.

The five major discourses are: (1) Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29), which forms an integral section of Jesus’ teaching; (2)  Instruction about apostleship and discipleship (10:5-11:1); (3) A series of parables of the kingdom of Heaven (13:1-53); (4) Jesus’ perspective on the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven, and on the issue o1f forgiveness, or humility and forgiveness as life principles of the kingdom of Heaven (18:1-19:2) and; (5) eschatological revelation of the events of the last days preceding and during the Second Advent of Christ (24:1-26:5).

The Contribution of Matthew to Biblical Revelation

1.      It preserves the largest blocks of material on Jesus’ teaching with respect to the five-fold stratum of discourses on the Sermon on the Mount, discipleship and apostolic ministry, parables of the kingdom of Heaven, life principles of God’s kingdom, and the eschatological sign of His coming and of the end of the age.

2.      It is prolific in its citation of the OT (between 10 and 14 quotations are used), often beginning with a fulfilment formula, for instance in "This was to fulfil what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet" (12:17).

3.      The Jewish Christian content of the book is noted, because of its preferment for the use of the designation the kingdom of Heaven instead of the kingdom of God, its reliance on the antecedent revelation of the OT, and its view that Jesus Christ came to fulfil the Law and the Prophets rather than abrogating them.

4.      It preserves the most systematic arrangement of Jesus’ teaching compared with the other Synoptic Gospels. The large block of material was often used by the early Church for the purpose of instructing the new converts and for equipping them to fulfil the Great Commission of Christ.

CHAPTER 1

THE PROLOGUE (1:1-2:23)

The Genealogy of Jesus Christ (1:1-17)

The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham: 2 Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez was the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram. 4 Ram was the father of Amminadab, Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon. 5 Salmon was the father of Boaz by Rahab, Boaz was the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse. 6 Jesse was the father of David the king. David was the father of Solomon by Bathsheba who had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon was the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, and Abijah the father of Asa. 8 Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, and Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah was the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, and Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amon, and Amon the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jeconiah and his brothers, at the time of the deportation to Babylon. 12 After the deportation to Babylon: Jeconiah became the father of Shealtiel, and Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel. 13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abihud, Abihud the father of Eliakim, and Eliakim the father of Azor. 14 Azor was the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Achim, and Achim the father of Eliud. 15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar, Eleazar the father of Matthan, and Matthan the father of Jacob. 16 Jacob was the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, by whom Jesus was born, who is called the Messiah. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; from David to the deportation to Babylon, fourteen generations; and from the deportation to Babylon to the Messiah, fourteen generations.

V.1: The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Matthew begins his account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ by tracing the record of His genealogy (Greek, henceforth omitted: Biblos geneseōs) to David and Abraham. That Matthew traced the pedigree of Jesus Christ through David and Abraham is clearly a proof that he wrote his Gospel to a Jewish-Christian audience, contrary to Luke who traced Jesus’ genealogy to Adam in order to show the all-inclusive redemption of God through