Messiah (Matthew)
Each of these summaries is written for a different purpose. It's much like if you were to tell the story of your life very differently to three different people. You might choose different parts to share based on what that person would most like to hear. You might even tell the same event differently to magnify a different aspect of your character. There is no doubt that these three stories are written with a different purposes in mind.
Matthew
So what is the purpose of the book of Matthew? Why did he write his summary, and to whom did he write it? We can easily find the answer to that question at the beginning of the book. Matthew makes it clear in the first four chapters that this summary is intended for the Jewish people to know that their Messiah has arrived. Matthew refers to the fact that Jesus' birth, and life in general, match perfectly with the Jewish writings. God makes it clear that this Jesus fulfills all His promises. Also, throughout the book, Matthew refers to many Jewish customs and events without any explanation. It is as though he expects his audience to understand what is happening and why it's happening. He alone refers to the kingdom Jesus is establishing as the "kingdom of heaven." This phrase would make it clear that Jesus intends to rule from heaven fulfilling the prophecy of Daniel 7. He is also called the Son of David, referring to the promise of God in 2 Samuel 7 on multiple occasions.
Overview
So what does Matthew, a tax collector, want his Jewish brethren to see about the Messiah in his book? There is too much to cover in detail, but let's talk about this from a 30,000 ft view.
Introduction To Jesus (1-9)
From a big picture point of view, we can see that the first nine chapters are very introductory. In chapters 1-4, Matthew introduces us to Jesus as the Messiah. He tells us about his birth and how God was working to protect him, as the scriptures foretold. Then, we read about John the Baptist coming to prepare the way for Jesus. His coming was in line with the last prophecy of the Old Testament, and it set everything up nicely for Jesus to come to him and begin his ministry. After that, Jesus is taken off into the wilderness to be shown as the only one who could ever defeat Satan. His first acts show him to be the most righteous and perfect Jew in history.
Chapters 5-7 give us the Sermon on the Mount, an excellent summation of all that Jesus taught. It cuts to the heart of the Jewish Law and explains why they have not yet received the promises. They aren't truly righteous and perfect like God is perfect. They don't deserve what they seek. But the way Jesus teaches is inspiring and instructive for those who seek the blessing. It is also highly encouraging, as he starts with hopeful words for the downcast and distraught. He calls for all men to repent of their worldliness and seek God first and foremost in their lives. That will result in the ultimate blessing because God is graciously willing to give what the humble ask him for.
Chapters 8-9 demonstrate the power of Jesus over everything that seems to have power over humankind. He can defeat disease, alter the course of nature, and command demonic spirits. Amid these chapters, we learn that he called Matthew, a tax collector, to follow him. It is as though he is saying, **"I can even overcome the stereotypes of this day."** Nothing is too complicated for him.
Not Peace, But A Sword (10-20)
The first nine chapters show he is the Messiah. They have more of a positive tone, but chapters 10-15 begin a downward spiral as the people struggle to accept him. Chapter 10 sets this up as Jesus prepares his disciples to do what he does. He tells them they don't need to be afraid when people reject them. Rejection is going to happen. Why would people reject him? If we were reading this for the first time, this might sound odd to us.
In Chapter 11, John the Immerser shows some doubt in Jesus as he sits in prison. This introduces us to the issue that will lead to his rejection. Jesus is not judging and destroying evil people. He is not fixing the injustice problems the way men want him to. They expect the Messiah to stop the Romans and set Israel on the path to prosperity. Instead, he is spending his time teaching and showing compassion through miracles. This doesn't make sense to a lot of people.
Jesus' answer to this doubt is to add fuel to the fire. He starts teaching everyone what the kingdom will be like, but he uses parables. He doesn't tell them plainly that they are wrong. Instead, he explains the kingdom perfectly with stories.
When we get to Chapter 16, the teachings become much more difficult for even his disciples to accept. Chapters 16-20 are full of the hardest lessons Jesus had to teach his disciples. He tells them about his future crucifixion, to take up their cross and follow him, to forgive their brother, to care more about God than they do the world, and that the greatest in the kingdom will be a servant of all. The disciples do not immediately grasp these hard lessons, but Jesus teaches them anyway. He knows that they will later understand after he is crucified.
Facing Jerusalem
Beginning in chapter 21, Jesus comes to Jerusalem. Everything starts excellently with the people calling him the Son of David and asking him to save them. The religious leaders, however, are not impressed. They try to debate him and make him stumble in a way that will decrease his popularity. But they fail. Instead, Jesus starts to reveal how evil they are, and he tells the people parables that reveal the condemnation of the leaders. One of the final things he says is that Jerusalem and the temple will be destroyed when he comes in judgment.
The religious leaders are ready to kill him, but they don't know how. In 26-27, we read about Jesus being betrayed by one of his disciples, accused of blasphemy, and crucified. But in Chapter 28, God raises him from the dead.
What's The Message?
When we study a summary of Jesus' life, we learn a lot about how Jesus lived and interacted with the people. At times, he seems so full of love and patience. Then, he appears powerful and wise. But what stands out to me most in this account is how mysterious Jesus appears. Matthew especially zeros in on the fact that he is not the Messiah anyone expected. Everyone seems eager to overlook his words, disregard him, and disrespect him. His disciples are proud and arrogant enough to correct him. John the Immerser even doubted him after believing that he is the Messiah in Chapter 3.
We might share that sentiment if we were Jews living at that time. Can he be the Messiah? What kind of Messiah gives himself to his enemies? They wanted someone to overcome the Romans. But Jesus' life and death should help the Jewish readers be humble. No one wants to be associated with the religious leaders after reading this summary, and the parables of Jesus are intriguing enough to warrant further study.
The big thing the Jew would see in this summary is that God wants to be merciful and compassionate instead of harsh and judgmental. This is excellent news for the humble but bad news for the proud. Jesus maintains honesty and integrity, but he also shows himself to be full of love as he lays his life down for all mankind to forgive their sins. That's not a concept the Jewish people are used to seeing. Their history is full of judgment for their rebellion. They were punished with exile and subjected to foreign powers. Jesus shows the Jews that God loves them enough to provide eternal blessings, but he won't restore a sinful, worldly kingdom.
What Do We Learn?
As we read this in light of Matthew's Jewish perspective, we might feel disconnected from it. Maybe we don't want Jesus to overthrow our government. Maybe we do. But we don't look at those Old Testament prophecies with that expectation. So how does this apply to us?
What type of Messiah do we expect? Do we expect Jesus to agree with everything that we believe? Do we want Jesus to focus on our ability to maintain religious traditions? Are we hoping he will follow us and bend the rules? The truth is that the Jewish problems are our problems as well. When Jesus comes onto the scene, he tells them hard truths they don't want to accept. Do we want to accept them? We have to accept them for Jesus to be our Messiah.
The Heart
One of the truths Jesus gives throughout this gospel is that the heart is more important to God than the appearance. Jesus warns his disciples to "beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees." These men are wholly focused on looking righteous. They are blind to the evil from within them. Jesus says they are washing the outside of the cup but leaving the inside full of filth.
This is a habit we can fall into. It's easy to think that everything is okay when it looks okay from the outside. That's just simply not true. Jesus wants us to focus on the inside. He is working to transform the pure heart to be like God.
Mercy
When it comes to heart matters, we learn that "God desires mercy and not sacrifice." God is not looking for his people to offer sacrifices to prove their righteousness. He is much more interested in his people showing love toward the poor and lowly. He loves to see forgiveness and grace being extended toward those in need. His grace covers those who put their faith in him and stop trying to serve themselves.
The World
Ultimately, Matthew shows us the danger of following your heart and the opinions of religious leaders in the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. The idea is that this world and everything in it is just a mirage. It's all passing away. If we seek to love the world, we will lose our relationship with God and end up with nothing. The one who wants to be the greatest in the world will be the least in God's sight. The one who truly loves and follows Christ will be hated by the world.