Matthew Book Assignment #1

"Finally, the Messiah Has Come" on pp 300-301
a. Was Matthew the first gospel written? yes
b. What does "Gospel" mean? "goon news"
c. What promise does Malachi close the OT with? a promise: God will send a Messiah to fix Israel's problems and bring peace and joy to the people.
d. What does Matthew declare as he opens up the NT? the promise from centuries past is now fufilled, the messiah has come at last.
e. What does Matthew convince readers of? that the Messiah has come.
f. Who wrote Matthew? When was it written? Matthew wrote Matthew, and 4 bc to 30 ad


Read "Shaking Jesus' Family Tree" on pp 302-303
a. Why were genealogies so important to Jews? because certain rights and responsibilities were inherited.
b. Did Jesus meet the "ancestral requirements" for being the Messiah? How? Matthew's geaneology was a legal document so camparing it to other documents made them sure.
c. Why is his family tree a bit odd? because it matches to lukes geaneology and matthews includes women when most do not.
d. How does Matthew target Jewish readers more than any other Gospel? (hint: see "The Jewish Gospel") he traces Jesus' family tree to Abraham, points out 57 prophecies that Jesus fufills, uses common jewish phrases like "kingdom of heaven" and compares Jesus to Israel.


Read "Wise Men With Shocking News" pp 304-306
a. What does "Eastern lands" refer to? Empire of Parthia.
b. What did the wise men bring? gold, frankincense, myrh.
c. Who predicted that the Messiah would come from Bethlehem? Micah
d. What was Herod's "vicious" order? to kill all the Bethlehem boys age two and under.
e. When do scholars think Jesus was born? (What year) 6-7 B.C.