Matthew
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Some Keys to Understanding Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is a mountain of gold, ready to be mined. It is fitting for the Gospel of Matthew to be first. There is evidence that it was designed as a catechism (handbook of basic teachings) to instruct early believers. Of the four Gospels Matthew gives the most complete view of Jesus the Messiah. And it most clearly shows how the Old Testament story is continued and completed in the New. Matthew has at least 129 quotations of the Old Testament or allusions to it. Even the first verse of Matthew shows at least five links to the Old Testament. Some of these will be considered below, for such links are keys to understanding this Gospel. Permeating all else are the themes of the King and His kingdom.
1. Use of the title Christ and other titles. One link between the testaments is the title Christ, emphasized throughout Matthew chapters 1 and 2 (see Matthew 1:1, 16, 17, 18; 2:4; plus equivalents in 2:2, 6) and at high points such as the Great Confession (16:16, 20), the Royal Entry (21:5), the final struggle with Israel’s leaders (Matthew 22:42), the Prophetic Discourse (24:5), and Jesus’ trial and crucifixion (26:63-64, 68; 27:17, 22).
Why is this title a link between the testaments? Because it is used often in each testament referring to the same office. In each testament the word used for this office literally means “anointed” and is equivalent to “given God’s Holy Spirit.” The Hebrew (Old Testament) word is Mashiac, and from its Aramaic equivalent we get the synonym Messiah. The Greek word with the same meaning is Cristos (Christ). This word is used in the Greek Old Testament (the Septuagint) to translate Mashiac, and throughout the New Testament as a title for Jesus. Thus, a Bible written wholly in Hebrew has Mashiac in both testaments while a Bible wholly in Greek has Cristos in both. This powerul link disappears in most English versions, however, because of an inconsistent procedure: the Old Testament Hebrew word is translated (as “anointed [one]”), but the New Testament Greek word is simply transferred to English (as “Christ”). See the following chart.
What office does this title refer to? Those familiar with Old Testament prophecies, as the first readers of Matthew were, know the answer: Mashiac/Cristos refers to the promised King of Israel (Psa. 2:2; Dan. 9:25, 26), the Messiah. Only He has the absolute fullness of God’s Spirit (Isa. 11:1-2). He is to be the successor to David. David also was called “the Lord’s Mashiac”note 1 (1 Sam. 16:6, 13; 2 Sam. 22:51). Matthew 2:2, 4 shows that a title equivalent to Christ is King. Jesus accepted the title King in Matthew 21:5; 25:34, 40; 27:11 and was given the same title—though in mockery—in 27:29, 37, 42.
The Words for the Title “Anointed” in Hebrew, Greek, and English Bibles |
||
| Language | Old Testament | New Testament |
| Hebrew (& Aramaic) | Mashiac (& Messiah) | Mashiac (& Messiah) |
| Greek | Cristos | Cristos |
| English | Anointed [One] | Christ |
To remind yourself of this meaning of Christ, it would be helpful to read “Messiah” every time you see it in Matthew or elsewhere. We will follow that procedure here. For example: “The genealogy in Matthew 1 traces Messiah’s ancestry to David and Abraham.”
Other titles for Jesus in Matthew are more or less equivalent to Messiah. For example, (1) “Son of David” (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15) is used in the Messianic sense. This descendant of David’s is heir to the Lord’s covenant with David. (2) “Son of…God” is also equivalent to Messiah at 16:16, as we will show later. In 22:42, however, it is clear that as “Son of God” the Messiah must be more than just the Son of David.
(3) In speaking about Himself, Jesus normally used a different title: Son of Man. Originating in Daniel 7, this title, like Messiah, also referred to the One who will rule over the everlasting kingdom. But Son of Man (a) was a safer term to use, since it did not suggest an immediate patriotic war for the Jews, as Messiah might, and (b) had other important connotations.
2. Early emphasis on kingship. As usual in a Gospel, the first chapters set the course for the entire book. And that course has to do with kingship. Consider, for example, some of the brief selections about Jesus’ birth and childhood in Matthew 1-2:
- Joseph, the descendant of David (1:16, 20), accepts God’s Son into his family by taking Mary and naming Jesus. He thereby gives Jesus the legal right to the throne of David.
- The wise men (Magi) look for the King of the Jews (2:2), same as the Messiah (2:4).
- Two other kings play their part in chapter 2: King Herod, who tries to kill the Messiah, and King Archelaus, whose presence is the human reason Jesus is taken to Nazareth.
In fact, as stated before, these themes of king and kingship dominate this Gospel. This will become clear in the outline.
3. “The kingdom has come near.” Two verses in Matthew begin with the following words: “From that time on Jesus began” (4:17; 16:21). Each of these verses gives a message that Jesus repeated often and that characterized His ministry recorded in the following chapters. The first—Jesus’ constant message during the first part of His ministry—was identical to what John the Baptist had preached: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” (Greek, 3:2; 4:17). Notice that He told His disciples to preach the same message (10:7).
In the New Testament only Matthew uses this term kingdom of heaven, more than thirty times. What does it mean? Since the term is never defined, we must assume the basic Jewish meaning for it. It was their common name for the kingdom promised through the prophets. The term came from the description in Daniel 2 of a “rock” that will become a “huge mountain [filling] the whole earth” (vv. 34-35, emphasis added). The rock will strike the kings represented by the toes on the statue Nebuchadnezzar dreamed about (v. 42). Then “the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed” (v. 44). Thus, the “kingdom of heaven” will come from heaven but will exist forever on earth. It will not be “spiritual” in the sense of non-material or non-political. Rather, it will have all the features the prophets foresaw.
Other New Testament books—even when recording the same stories as Matthew—do not use this term. They substitute equivalent terms easier for Gentiles to understand (and sometimes used in Matthew): kingdom or kingdom of God.
So Jesus kept on saying to repent because the kingdom had come near. This meant that they should get right with God because the kingdom promised through the prophets might begin at any time. This was His principal message. Other messages were subordinate to this one, were in harmony with it, and need not be interpreted in a way that contradicts it. For example, consider Matthew 12:28, “If I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (NIV). Does this mean that the kingdom, which was still being announced as near, had fully arrived and been inaugurated? That is an unnecessary conclusion. Rather, it had arrived only in the King Himself and His power.
4. “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer.” The high point in Jesus’ early ministry was the disciples’ Great Confession: “You are the Christ [Messiah]” (16:16). Immediately after they confessed this, Jesus began to stress a different message, first recorded in 16:21. This was a private message for His disciples—that He must die and rise again. Matthew 16:21 introduces the second part of His ministry, which reaches to His death/resurrection and the Great Commission.
Not that the kingdom subject is dropped. Consider the fact, seen earlier in Matthew, that the judgment and the kingdom were clearly future (7:21-23; 8:11-12; 10:15; 11:22, 24; 12:36, 41, 42; and especially 13:39-43). This fact is given even greater emphasis in the second part of Jesus’ ministry. Note especially His references to His future glory at His Second Coming (16:27-28; 19:28; 24:30; 25:31-46). In fact, entering the future kingdom is the same as entering or inheriting eternal life (18:3, 8, 9; 19:16, 17, 23, 24, 29; 25:34, 46).
In this second part of His ministry, the King teaches disciples who will soon have to operate without His physical presence. But in every subject treated—such as, forgiveness, divorce, serving others, the resurrection—He shows that the coming kingdom is the determining consideration. In other words, everything should be done with the kingdom in mind.
To summarize, after the introductory chapters (1-4) Matthew has two main divisions of Jesus’ ministry, each characterized by a dominant message. The first division is indicated by the public message at 4:17; the second, by the private message (for His disciples) at 16:21. In both divisions the King and His coming kingdom are the main theme.
5. Shorter sections. Is there any indication of major subdivisions in this Gospel? Yes, in a pattern that is repeated several times:
a. A series of brief episodes, which is climaxed by
b. A relatively long discourse, which is terminated by
c. A refrain.
Consider an example of this pattern:
a. Chapters 8-9 give nine miraculous episodes in groups of three; then
b. Chapter 10 is a relatively long discourse, in which the Lord sends out His disciples with the same miraculous powers. At the end of this section we read,
c. “And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished….” (11:1, Greek).
In the outline we suggest, you can see that Matthew has followed this same pattern several times, ending each section with the same refrain just quoted (at 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Each section has a special emphasis.
6. Israel and the True Israel. The many Old Testament passages quoted in Matthew show that the story of Jesus is the continuation of salvation history. Israel is still God’s key people through most of the book. Only Matthew stresses the fact that Jesus limited His own ministry to Israel (10:5-6; 15:24). And Israel’s response is carefully traced in such passages as chapters 11-13; 21:33-46; and the unique parable in 22:1-14.
A fruitful and interesting observation is that Jesus fulfills the mission of Israel; He is the true Israel. As such, He recapitulates (briefly repeats) parts of Israel’s history: in His miraculous birth, in being brought out of Egypt, tempted in the desert, etc. Thus, even Israel’s history—not just prophecy—is “fulfilled” by Him (see 2:15, which quotes history from Hosea). This is made quite clear when the Servant Song of Isaiah 42:1-4 is quoted in Matthew 12:17-21. In the Isaiah context (see 41:8-9) the nation had been called God’s Servant. But in Matthew we see that the true Israel, who fulfills the whole Servant concept, is Jesus the Messiah.
Matthew 24:5
5For many will come
in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will
deceive many.
Matthew 26:63-64, 68
63But Jesus
remained silent.
The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the
living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son
of God.”
64“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus
replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man
sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of
heaven.”
68and said, “Prophesy to us,
Christ. Who hit you?”
Matthew 27:17, 22
17So when the crowd had gathered,
Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or
Jesus who is called Christ?”
22“What shall I do, then,
with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
Psalms 2:2
2The kings of the
earth take their stand
and the rulers gather together
against the Lord
and against his Anointed One.
Daniel 9:25-26
25“Know and
understand this: From the issuing of the decree to
restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there
will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets
and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the
Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who
will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a
flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
Isaiah 11:1-2
1A shoot will come up from the stump
of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord—
1 Samuel 16:6, 13
6When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab
and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
13So Samuel took the horn
of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on
the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.
2 Samuel 22:51
51He gives his king great victories;
he shows unfailing kindness to his anointed,
to David and his descendants forever.”
Matthew 2:2, 4
2and asked, “Where is the one who
has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to
worship him.”
4When he had called
together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them
where the Christ was to be born.
Matthew 21:5
5“Say to the Daughter of Zion,
‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
Matthew 25:34, 40
34“Then the King will say to those on
his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
40“The King will reply, ‘I
tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of
mine, you did for me.’
Matthew 27:11
11Meanwhile Jesus stood before
the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied.
Matthew 27:29, 37, 42
29and then twisted together a crown of
thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in
front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.
37Above his head they
placed the written charge against him:|sc THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
42“He saved others,” they
said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the King of Israel! Let him come down
now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
Matthew 1:1
1A record of the genealogy of
Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham:
Matthew 9:27
27As Jesus went on from there,
two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
Matthew 12:23
23All the people were astonished and
said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
Matthew 15:22
22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity
came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is
suffering terribly from demon–possession.”
Matthew 20:30-31
30Two blind men were sitting by the
roadside, and when they heard that Jesus was going by, they shouted, “Lord, Son
of David, have mercy on us!”
31The crowd rebuked them and told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the
louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Matthew 21:9, 15
9The crowds that
went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Hosanna in the highest!”
15But when the chief priests
and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children
shouting in the temple area, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were
indignant.
Matthew 16:16
16Simon Peter answered, “You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 22:42
42“What do you think about the
Christ? Whose son is he?”
“The son of David,” they replied.
Matthew 1:16, 20
16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the
husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
20But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a
dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as
your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 2:2
2and asked, “Where is the one who
has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to
worship him.”
Matthew 2:4
4When he had called together all
the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the
Christ was to be born.
Matthew 4:17
17From that time on Jesus began to
preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 16:21
21From that time on Jesus began
to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things
at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 10:7
7As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near.’
Daniel 2:34-35
34While you were watching, a rock was
cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and
clay and smashed them. 35Then the iron,
the clay, the bronze, the silver and the gold were broken to pieces at the same
time and became like chaff on a threshing floor in the summer. The wind swept
them away without leaving a trace. But the rock that struck the statue became a
huge mountain and filled the whole earth.
Daniel 2:42
42As the toes were partly iron
and partly clay, so this kingdom will be partly strong and partly brittle.
Daniel 2:44
44“In the time of those kings,
the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will
it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them
to an end, but it will itself endure forever.
Matthew 16:16
16Simon Peter answered, “You are
the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Matthew 16:21
21From that time on Jesus began
to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things
at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Matthew 7:21-23
21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord,
Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my
Father who is in heaven. 22Many will
say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in
your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never
knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Matthew 8:11-12
11I say to you that many will come
from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into
the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 10:15
15I tell you the truth, it will be
more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
Matthew 11:22, 24
22But I tell you,
it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for
you.
24But I tell you that it will
be more bearable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 12:36, 41-42
36But I tell you that men will have to
give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
41The men
of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it;
for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now one greater than Jonah is here. 42The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this
generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to
Solomon’s wisdom, and now one greater than Solomon is here.
Matthew 13:39-43
39and the enemy who sows them is the
devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
40“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end
of the age. 41The Son of Man will send
out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes
sin and all who do evil. 42They will
throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. 43Then the righteous will shine
like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Matthew 16:27-28
27For the Son of Man is going to come
in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person
according to what he has done. 28I tell
you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see
the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.”
Matthew 19:28
28Jesus said to them, “I tell you the
truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious
throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the
twelve tribes of Israel.
Matthew 24:30
30“At that time the sign of the Son of
Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They
will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great
glory.
Matthew 25:31-46
31“When the Son of Man comes in his
glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly
glory. 32All the nations will be
gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd
separates the sheep from the goats.
33He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by
my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the
creation of the world. 35For I was
hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me
something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36I needed clothes
and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you
came to visit me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and
feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing
clothes and clothe you? 39When did we
see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the
least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me nothing
to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43I was a stranger and
you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was
sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a
stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the
least of these, you did not do for me.’
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life.”
Matthew 18:3, 8-9
3And he said: “I tell you the truth,
unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the
kingdom of heaven.
8If your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It
is better for you to enter life maimed or crippled than to have two hands or
two feet and be thrown into eternal fire.
9And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. It
is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be
thrown into the fire of hell.
Matthew 19:16-17, 23-24, 29
16Now a man came up to Jesus and
asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”
17“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who
is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”
23Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a
rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.
24Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
29And
everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as
much and will inherit eternal life.
Matthew 25:34, 46
34“Then the King will say to those on
his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the
kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
46“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life.”
Matthew 4:17
17From that time on Jesus began to
preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matthew 16:21
21From that time on Jesus began
to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things
at the hands of the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he
must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
Greek, Matthew 11:1
Matthew 7:28
28When Jesus had finished saying these
things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching,
Matthew 11:1
1After Jesus had
finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and
preach in the towns of Galilee.
Matthew 13:53
53When Jesus had finished these
parables, he moved on from there.
Matthew 19:1
1When Jesus had finished saying
these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other
side of the Jordan.
Matthew 26:1
1When Jesus had finished saying
all these things, he said to his disciples,
Matthew 10:5-6
5These twelve Jesus sent out with the
following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the
Samaritans. 6Go rather to the lost
sheep of Israel.
Matthew 15:24
24He answered, “I was sent only
to the lost sheep of Israel.”
Matthew 21:33-46
33“Listen to
another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall
around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the
vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 34When the
harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his
fruit.
35“The tenants seized his
servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. 36Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and
the tenants treated them the same way. 37Last of all, he sent his son to them.
‘They will respect my son,’ he said.
38“But when the tenants saw the
son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take
his inheritance.’ 39So they took him and threw him out of
the vineyard and killed him.
40“Therefore, when the owner of
the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
41“He will bring those wretches
to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other
tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.”
42Jesus said to them, “Have you
never read in the Scriptures:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
43“Therefore I tell you that the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will
produce its fruit. 44He who falls on this stone will be
broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”
45When the chief priests and the
Pharisees heard Jesus’ parables, they knew he was talking about them. 46They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the
crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.
Matthew 22:1-14
1Jesus spoke to them again in
parables, saying: 2“The kingdom of heaven
is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son. 3He sent his servants to those who had been
invited to the banquet to tell them to come, but they refused to come.
4“Then he sent some more servants and said, ‘Tell those who have been invited
that I have prepared my dinner: My oxen and fattened cattle have been
butchered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.’
5“But they paid no attention and went off–one to his field, another to his
business. 6The rest seized his
servants, mistreated them and killed them.
7The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers
and burned their city.
8“Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding banquet is ready, but those I
invited did not deserve to come. 9Go to
the street corners and invite to the banquet anyone you find.’ 10So the servants went out into the streets
and gathered all the people they could find, both good and bad, and the wedding
hall was filled with guests.
11“But when the king came in to see the guests, he noticed a man there who was
not wearing wedding clothes.
12‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’
The man was speechless.
13“Then the king told the attendants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him
outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
14“For many are invited, but few are chosen.”
Matthew 2:15
15where he stayed
until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through
the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Isaiah 42:1-4
1“Here is my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen one in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him
and he will bring justice to the nations.
2He will not shout or cry out,
or raise his voice in the streets.
3A bruised reed he will not break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out.
In faithfulness he will bring forth justice;
4he will not falter or be discouraged
till he establishes justice on earth.
In his law the islands will put their hope.”
Matthew 12:17-21
17This was to
fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
18“Here is my servant whom I have
chosen,
the one I love, in whom I delight;
I will put my Spirit on him,
and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
19He will not quarrel or cry out;
no one will hear his voice in the streets.
20A bruised reed he will not
break,
and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out,
till he leads justice to victory.
21In his name the nations will
put their hope.”
Isaiah 41:8-9
8“But you, O Israel, my servant,
Jacob, whom I have chosen,
you descendants of Abraham my friend,
9I took you from the ends of the earth,
from its farthest corners I called you.
I said, ‘You are my servant’;
I have chosen you and have not rejected you.