The Purpose of Matthew's Gospel

Scripture: Matthew 11:28

Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest.

Insights:  We have started a new sermon series on the Kingdom Parables found in Matthew’s gospel.  This week’s Thoughts by Scott are the introductory points to help us better understand the parables when we get to them.  Today we are going to do a very quick overview of the book of Matthew leading up to the thirteenth chapter. The purpose of Matthew’s gospel is to present Jesus Christ as the King, the Son of God, the Messiah, the rightful heir to David's throne.  In chapter 1, Jesus was the One who should reign because He was in the Messianic line.  In chapter 2, Jesus’ right to reign was affirmed by the wise men from the east.  In chapter 3, Jesus was heralded by John the Baptist who was the foreordained forerunner to the King.  In chapter 4, Jesus proved His Kingship over Satan in His conflict with him in the wilderness.  In chapters 5-7, Jesus spoke as a King with authority when He delivered the Sermon on the Mount.  In chapters 8-10, Jesus displayed His credentials as King through His miracles, which were prophesied about years earlier.  A very strange situation began to happen in these three chapters.  The greater the evidence that Jesus was the King, the greater the peoples rejection of Him becomes apparent. In chapter 11, Jesus denounced the sinful nation of Israel for rejecting Him. But just like Jesus, after He declared their judgment, he offered them an invitation when he concluded the chapter with, “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (vs 28).”  In chapter 12, Jesus pronounced judgment as the rejection of Him reached its climax.  Israel’s final rejection was summed up in the fact that they accuse Jesus of being Satanic.  But even chapter 12 closed with another invitation. Verse 50 stated, “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”  So as we approach Chapter 13, the die has been cast.  Christ has been proven to be the King and the people have rejected Him as the King. He, therefore, pronounced judgment on them, but at the same time offered them an invitation of salvation to whoever would believe.  One more observation about the setting of this scene: The shadow of the cross was now looming in the background.  Already in chapter 12 verse 14, the Jews had sought to destroy Him. They had reached the point of wanting only to kill Him.

Questions:

1. Have you come to know King Jesus personally?
2. Are you enjoying His rest He provides to those who come to Him?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for coming to earth and giving Your life in order for me to know You.  You are King and I am grateful I get to serve You by Your grace.  Amen.