Religion and Theology

1. The Author
Matthew   was a Galilean and the son of Alpheus (New International Version, Mark 2.14).According to Matthew 99, his name was Levi. He collected taxes from the Hebrew people for Herod Antipas.

His Tax Office was located in Capharnaum where he was despised and considered an outcast. However, as a tax collector he would have been literate (Marx 148-57). It was in this setting that Jesus called Matthew to be one of the Twelve Disciples, and after his call, Matthew invited the Lord home for a feast. As a disciple, Matthew followed Christ, and was one of the witnesses of the Resurrection and Ascension. Matthew along with Mary, James the brother of Jesus and other close followers of the Lord, withdrew to the Upper Chamber, in Jerusalem (Acts 1.10). At about this time James succeeded his brother Jesus of Nazareth as the leader of this small Jewish sect. Matthew is said to have died a natural death either in Ethiopia or in Macedonia.

He employed a narrative style of writing. The style of the book is exactly what would be expected of a man who was once a tax collector. Matthew has a keen interest in accounting (Matt.18.23-24 25.14-15). The book is very orderly and concise. Rather than write in chronological order, Matthew arranges this Gospel through six discussions.

2. Date of Gospel Place
The Gospel of Matthew was written in Antioch, the third-largest city of the Roman Empire. Most scholars believe that the Gospel of Matthew was composed in the latter part of the first century approximately A.D. 37-40, shortly after the Lords resurrection (Matt. 28.15) and prior to the destruction of the temple (24.2). The date of this gospel is still a matter of debate among Biblical scholars. Most believe it was composed between the year 70 and 100 (Browning 172). Some scholars see the prophecies of the destruction of Jerusalem (Matt. 22.7) as suggesting a date of authorship after the siege and destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. However, John T. Robinson, a New Testament scholar, argues that the lack of a passage indicating the fulfillment of the prophecy suggest a date before that. Matthew does not mention the death of James in 62 A.D. It also lacks any narrative on the persecutions of the early Christians by Nero.

3. Intended AudienceCultural and Political Background
Matthews intended audience was his fellow Jews, many of whomespecially the Pharisees and Sadduceesstubbornly refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah. In spite of centuries of reading and studying the Old Testament, their eyes were blinded to the truth of who Jesus was. Jesus rebuked them for their hard hearts and their refusal to recognize the One they had supposedly been waiting for (John 5.38-40). They wanted a Messiah on their own terms, one who would fulfill their own desires and do what they wanted Him to do.

The gospel of Matthew is located within a cultural context of Kingdoms initiation and authority. Jesus, Yahwehs Yeshua is pictured, as the Sum total of Yahwehs promised kingdom, while John the Baptist is the proclaiming voice about the Kingdom of Heaven. The opposition to both the initiation and proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven reaches feverish peak in Matt.11 12. The opposition earlier cited begins from Herods attempt to kill Jesus at infancy (2.16-23), Satans attempt to distract Jesus from the goals of the Kingdom (4.1-11), Jesus confrontation with the Pharisees over the purpose of the Kingdom (9.1-8), the empowerment of the twelve over powers of evil (10.1-4) and the revelation of the patterns of persecution over the Kingdom (10.16-24).

The shift from a mostly Jewish Christian community to a mixed community forms a crucial backdrop for Matthews Gospel. Jesus as Matthew reveals Him is deeply rooted in Israels sacred history, reveres the Jewish Law, and fulfills rather than negates the Old Testaments promises. The great ethical teaching of Jesus found in the Sermon on the Mount draws deeply from the wisdom of the Hebrew Scriptures. Jesus shows great love and care for His people and their destiny. At the same time, Matthews Jesus turns His face to the future and the mission to the Gentiles. At the conclusion of the Gospel, the Risen Christ sends His apostles to make disciples of all nations and promises to be with them till the end of time. Thus Matthews Gospel attempts to bridge a period of great change and even turmoil for the early Church. Retelling the story of Jesus in such a way that the beautiful and wise traditions of Jewish faith are retrieved even as Jesus opens the horizon to a future in which all peoples are called to Gods beautiful gifts of peace and salvation.

4. Purpose of Writing
Matthews purpose is to present Jesus Christ as the King and Messiah of Israel he quotes from the Old Testament more than any of the other three gospel writers. Matthew quotes more than 60 times from prophetic passages of the Old Testament, demonstrating how Jesus is fulfilled them. He begins his gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, tracing Him back to Abraham, the progenitor of the Jews. From there, Matthew quotes extensively from the prophets, frequently using the phrase as was spoken through the prophet(s) (Matthew 1.22-23, 2.5-6, 2.15, 4.13-16, 8.16-17, 13.35 21.4-5). These verses refer to the Old Testament prophecies of His virgin birth (Isaiah 7.14) in Bethlehem (Micah 5.2), His return from Egypt after the death of Herod (Hosea 11.1), His ministry to the Gentiles (Isaiah 9.1-2 60.1-3), His miraculous healings of both body and soul (Isaiah 53.4), His speaking in parables (Psalm 78.2), and His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Zechariah 9.9).The Gospel of Matthew is an excellent introduction to the core teachings of Christianity. The logical outline style makes it easy to locate discussions of various topics. Matthew is especially useful for understanding how the life of Christ was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

5. Synoptic Exegesis of Matthew 4.1-11
1Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. 2After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.

Jesus testing recalls that of Israel in the wilderness. Israel was led into the desert to be tested for 40 years. Jesus baptism and temptation is similar to the experience of Israel, whose baptism in the Red Sea was followed by their temptation in the wilderness (1 Cor.10. 1-13). Israel was led to its testing by God, just as Jesus is led by the Holy Spirit.

Diabolos (Greek), an accuser, a slanderer, author of evil persecuting good men (Thayer, 135), is one of the names of Satan. From it the word Devil is derived, and should be applied only to Satan, as a proper name. Daimon, a demon, is frequently but wrongly translated devil it should always be translated demon. There is one Devil, there are many demons (Vine, 298)

3The tempter came to him and said, If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.
Satan posted this question challenging Jesus to prove the authenticity of his identity. What was wrong by turning stones into bread to satisfy his hunger after a 40-day fast Jesus saw in Satans temptation similar one to what Israel faced  to live a life detached from dependence on God, and thus do things His own way. Notice how Adam was tempted in the garden Satan used food  food that would lead to independence. Obedience is more important to Jesus than bread, even when He was hungry. Jesus considered this temptation inconsistent with His God-ordained mission that is why he refused Satans suggestion.

4Jesus answered, It is written Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

Jesus gave the best defense against the devils trickery which is quoting the Scripture. He quoted Deuteronomy 83. Israel had all the bread that they wanted in the desert, but they still died because they did not live a dependent life on Gods words. Jesus has just done what Israel couldnt. He has survived in the desert without food because He has been meditating on Gods words. We need to be dependent upon the Lord and the Word to help us fulfill physical needs.

5Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6If you are the Son of God, he said, throw yourself down. For it is written

He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

The devils skill in deception was shown as he tried to convince Jesus by misapplying Psalms 91.11-12 challenging Jesus to prove the validity of Gods statement. Satan also uses Scripture, but he abuses it by taking it out of its context and twists it to serve his purpose and not Gods. When we misuse Scripture, we are modeling ourselves after Satan. Furthermore, we should never even consider testing God

7Jesus answered him, It is also written Do not put the Lord your God to the test.
The best defense against the devil was again exemplified by Jesus quoting Deuteronomy 6.16, not being deceived by the devils misuse of the Scripture. Testing is evidence, not of faith, but of doubt. To test God is to doubt Him. We must observe that the proper way of handling misuse of the Scripture by someone trying to deceive us is to have our answer ready from the Scripture. Thus, we must know the Bible and basic Christian doctrine.

8Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9All this I will give you, he said, if you will bow down and worship me.

The devils offer seems to be an attractive proposition. He was able to make such promise because he is the ruler of this world (John 14.30 18.36). He is even referred to as the god of this world (2 Cor. 4.4). Jesus was tempted to break the first commandment and worship someone other than God. This was something Israel had done. What Satan is offering to Jesus here is a short cut.  It is the kingdoms without the cross. Worship Satan and receive the kingdoms..

10Jesus said to him, Away from me, Satan For it is written Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.

Jesus chose the cross in order to inherit the kingdoms. He chose to obey his Father and follow his plan. Time and again Jesus illustrated the best defense against the devils deception which is citing the Scripture. He quoted Deuteronomy 6.13 (see 5.7) reminding us that God is the only proper object of worship. Here Jesus authority and unshakable faith are both felt. He remained steadfast for he knows that Satan is the father of lies (John 8. 44).

11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
The triumph of good against evil and truth against lies concluded the authors narration. The reader should notice that Jesus final statement and previous statements reflect what the Apostles advised Christians as the best armor or defense against the devils evil tricks (Eph. 6.11 4.27). Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you (Jas. 4.7).

6. Conclusion
We must always rely and trust our Lord because He is the only one who can give us spiritual nourishment which is more important than material things. Gods Word and our spiritual growth through worship, service, and prayer are better than any material things that can only give us physical nourishment.

It is noteworthy that Jesus relies solely upon Gods Word to defend himself from temptation. This account of Jesus temptation is extremely relevant to our lives. We are bombarded everyday by messages from every direction that we should meet our needs and make ourselves comfortable.  But the Scripture says we do not live by bread alone. We must have bread to live, but we do not live by bread alone. The Word of God feeds us at the deepest level of our being.

Sometimes our faith is being shaken by other peoples misapplication of the Scripture. Even the devil hides behind the very word of God, quoting scripture. But we must be prepared to answer the abuse of scripture by using the Scripture to interpret the Scripture (1 Cor. 2.13 ). When Jesus was tempted by a false interpretation of one Scripture, he responds with another Scripture. We should not use the Bible for our own purposes.

If we want to serve the Lord, we will definitely encounter temptations.  We have to pass a period of testing like the first servants of God (Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David, and Job). Jesus provides the perfect model for triumphing in testing. Nevertheless, testing is for our own good because it will develop our spiritual maturity once we proved our obedience to God.