New Testament · Gospel

The Gospel of Matthew: Author, Context and Complete Study

Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah, the son of David and son of Abraham, who fulfills the Law and the Prophets. Built around five great discourses, it shows the kingdom of heaven arriving in Jesus and ends with the risen Lord sending his disciples to all nations.

Updated on November 14, 2026

What is Matthew about?

The Gospel of Matthew tells the story of Jesus from his genealogy and birth in Bethlehem to his death, resurrection and Great Commission, showing that he is the Messiah promised to Israel. Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel, gathers Jesus' teaching into five long discourses beginning with the Sermon on the Mount, and calls readers to live as disciples in the kingdom of heaven. The book opens with Immanuel, God with us (Matthew 1:23), and closes with Jesus' promise to be with his followers always (Matthew 28:20).

Author: The text is anonymous; early church tradition, from Papias and Irenaeus onward, attributes it to Matthew (also called Levi), the tax collector who became one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 9:9; 10:3).
Date: Many date it to the 50s or 60s AD, others to AD 70-85; its events span from Jesus' birth (c. 6-4 BC) to AD 30 or 33.
First readers: Mainly Jewish Christians, perhaps in Syria or Galilee, who needed assurance that Jesus is Israel's promised Messiah and that his mission now reaches all nations.
Genre: Gospel
Chapters: 28 chapters
Key verse: Matthew 5:17

Historical context

Jesus was born under Herod the Great, the king Rome had placed over Judea, who died in 4 BC. His kingdom was then divided among his sons: Archelaus received Judea and Samaria (which is why Joseph avoided settling there, Matthew 2:22), Herod Antipas ruled Galilee and Perea and later executed John the Baptist, and from AD 6 Judea was governed by Roman prefects, among them Pontius Pilate (AD 26-36). The Jewish people lived with Roman taxes and soldiers, a temple aristocracy led by the high priest Caiaphas, and rival groups such as the Pharisees, Sadducees, scribes and Herodians, each with its own idea of faithfulness to God. Many longed for the Messiah, the son of David who would restore the kingdom to Israel.

Matthew writes a few decades later for communities of Jewish believers in Jesus. If the book comes after AD 70, the Roman destruction of Jerusalem and its temple had forced Judaism to reorganize around the synagogue and its teachers, and followers of Jesus were in painful debate with their neighbors over who rightly interpreted the Law; if it comes before, those tensions were already growing. Either way, the Gospel answers urgent questions: Is Jesus really the Messiah? Why did Israel's leaders reject him? What place do Gentiles have among the people of God?

Geographical context

Matthew's story moves from Bethlehem, the town of David (Matthew 2:1-6), through a flight to Egypt that echoes Israel's exodus (2:15), to Nazareth in Galilee. Jesus' ministry centers on Capernaum, on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, which Matthew calls his own city (9:1), in a region he describes with Isaiah's words as Galilee of the Gentiles (4:15). Jesus also travels north to the region of Tyre and Sidon (15:21) and to Caesarea Philippi (16:13), where Peter confesses him as the Christ.

The final chapters take place in Judea: Jericho, Bethphage and the Mount of Olives, the temple courts, Bethany, Gethsemane and Golgotha. Mountains mark key moments of the Gospel, from the temptation and the Sermon on the Mount to the Transfiguration, the Olivet discourse and the final commission on a mountain in Galilee (28:16), recalling how God once spoke to Moses at Sinai.

Why does the book of Matthew exist?

Matthew writes to show that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the son of David and son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1), in whom the history of Israel reaches its goal. His repeated formula, that something happened to fulfill what the Lord had spoken through the prophet, ties the birth, ministry and death of Jesus to the Scriptures, and his account of Jesus' teaching shows that Jesus came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not to do away with them (5:17). For Jewish believers facing rejection from their own community, this was assurance that following Jesus was faithfulness to the God of Israel, not a betrayal of him.

Matthew is also a manual for discipleship. Its five discourses teach the righteousness of the kingdom, the mission of the disciples, the hidden growth of God's reign, life together in the community and readiness for the Lord's return. The Gospel moves from magi from the East worshiping the newborn King to the command to make disciples of all nations (28:19), so that a book deeply rooted in Israel becomes the charter for a worldwide church.

Outline of Matthew

Chapters 1-2
The birth of the King
The genealogy from Abraham through David to Jesus, the angel's message to Joseph, the birth in Bethlehem, the visit of the magi, the flight to Egypt and the move to Nazareth.
- 1
- 2
Chapters 3-4
Preparation and the start of the ministry
John calls Israel to repentance, Jesus is baptized in the Jordan and tempted in the wilderness, then begins preaching the kingdom in Galilee and calls Peter, Andrew, James and John.
- 3
- 4
Chapters 5-7
First discourse: the Sermon on the Mount
The Beatitudes, salt and light, the Law fulfilled, sincere giving, prayer and fasting, the Lord's Prayer, trust instead of anxiety, the Golden Rule and the two builders.
- 5
- 6
- 7
Chapters 8-10
Works of authority and the mission of the Twelve
Ten miracles show Jesus' authority over disease, storm, demons and death; Matthew the tax collector is called; the second discourse sends the Twelve to the lost sheep of Israel and warns of persecution.
- 8
- 9
- 10
Chapters 11-13
Rising opposition and the parables of the kingdom
John's question from prison, the invitation to the weary, Sabbath conflicts and the Beelzebul charge, then the third discourse: the sower, the weeds, the mustard seed, the hidden treasure, the pearl and the net.
- 11
- 12
- 13
Chapters 14-18
Forming the disciples
John is executed, Jesus feeds the crowds and walks on the water, Peter confesses him as the Christ, Jesus foretells the cross and is transfigured, and the fourth discourse teaches humility, restoration and forgiveness.
- 14
- 15
- 16
- 17
- 18
Chapters 19-23
The road to Jerusalem and the final debates
Teaching on marriage, riches and service, the entry into Jerusalem, the cleansing of the temple, parables of judgment, debates with the leaders and the seven woes against the scribes and Pharisees.
- 19
- 20
- 21
- 22
- 23
Chapters 24-25
Fifth discourse: the end of the age
On the Mount of Olives Jesus foretells the fall of the temple and his coming in glory, then urges readiness through the parables of the ten virgins and the talents and the judgment of the sheep and the goats.
- 24
- 25
Chapters 26-28
Passion, resurrection and commission
The anointing at Bethany, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trials, Peter's denial, the crucifixion and burial, the empty tomb and the Great Commission on a mountain in Galilee.
- 26
- 27
- 28

Famous passages in Matthew

Matthew 2:1-12
The magi follow the star
Wise men from the East reach Jerusalem asking for the newborn king of the Jews, are sent to Bethlehem on the basis of Micah's prophecy and worship the child with gold, frankincense and myrrh. Only Matthew tells this story, which shows Gentiles honoring Israel's Messiah while King Herod plots to kill him.
Study Matthew 2 →
Matthew 5:3-12
The Beatitudes
Jesus opens the Sermon on the Mount by calling blessed the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, the hungry for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers and the persecuted. They are not rules for earning the kingdom but a portrait of those who belong to it, and they overturn the world's values.
Study Matthew 5 →
Matthew 6:9-13
The Lord's Prayer
Given as a model in the middle of the sermon, this prayer begins with God's name, kingdom and will before asking for daily bread, forgiveness and deliverance from evil. It is the most widely prayed text in Christian history and a pattern for honest, God-centered prayer.
Study Matthew 6 →
Matthew 16:13-20
Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi
When Jesus asks who they say he is, Peter answers that he is the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus calls this a revelation from the Father, promises to build his church and speaks of the keys of the kingdom. It is the turning point of the Gospel, followed at once by the first prediction of the cross.
Study Matthew 16 →
Matthew 25:31-46
The sheep and the goats
The Son of Man, seated on his glorious throne, separates the nations and declares that what was done for the least of his brothers, the hungry, the stranger, the sick and the prisoner, was done for him. It closes Jesus' last discourse with a sobering call to mercy as the evidence of genuine faith.
Study Matthew 25 →
Matthew 28:16-20
The Great Commission
On a mountain in Galilee the risen Jesus claims all authority in heaven and on earth and sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey. He promises to be with them to the end of the age.
Study Matthew 28 →

Main themes

Scripture fulfilled: Matthew keeps pointing out that events happened to fulfill the prophets: the virgin birth (Isaiah 7:14), Bethlehem (Micah 5:2), the return from Egypt (Hosea 11:1), the light dawning in Galilee (Isaiah 9:1-2) and the humble King on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9). Jesus is the goal of Israel's story.
The kingdom of heaven: Matthew's favorite expression, a reverent Jewish way of saying the kingdom of God, describes God's saving rule breaking into history in Jesus. It is present now in hidden, growing form, like a mustard seed, and will be revealed in full when the Son of Man comes in glory.
Jesus, Son of David and Son of God: The genealogy, the cries of the needy for the Son of David, the royal entry into Jerusalem and the charge on the cross present Jesus as Israel's true King. Yet he is also Immanuel, God with us, worshiped by his disciples and given all authority in heaven and on earth.
A greater righteousness: Jesus calls for a righteousness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 5:20): not outward rule-keeping but a changed heart, visible in mercy, purity, honesty, forgiveness and doing the Father's will. Disciples hear his words and put them into practice.
From Israel to all nations: Jesus first sends the Twelve to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6), yet Gentiles appear throughout the book: Rahab and Ruth in the genealogy, the magi, the centurion of Capernaum and the Canaanite woman. The Gospel ends with the mission to all nations.
The community of disciples: Matthew is the only Gospel that uses the word church (Matthew 16:18; 18:17). Jesus teaches humility, care for the little ones, the restoration of a brother who sins and forgiveness without limit, so that the community reflects the grace it has received.

Main characters

Jesus: The Messiah, son of David and son of Abraham, born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. He teaches with authority, heals, forgives sins, gives up his life to ransom many and rises to send his disciples into the world.
Joseph: The husband of Mary, a righteous man of David's line. Matthew tells the birth from his side: he is guided by dreams, names the child Jesus, takes the family to Egypt and later settles in Nazareth.
Mary: The mother of Jesus, who conceives by the Holy Spirit while betrothed to Joseph, in fulfillment of the sign of Isaiah 7:14. The genealogy closes with her as the one of whom Jesus was born (Matthew 1:16).
John the Baptist: The prophet of the wilderness of Judea who calls Israel to repentance and baptizes Jesus in the Jordan. Jesus identifies him as the Elijah who was to come (Matthew 11:14); Herod Antipas has him beheaded.
Peter: Simon the fisherman, renamed Peter, spokesman of the Twelve. Only Matthew tells how he walked on the water; he confesses Jesus as the Christ, yet denies him three times on the night of the arrest.
Matthew: The tax collector called from his booth in Capernaum to follow Jesus (Matthew 9:9), traditionally the author of this Gospel. Mark and Luke tell the same call using the name Levi.
Judas Iscariot: One of the Twelve, who agrees to betray Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Matthew alone records his remorse, the return of the money and his death (Matthew 27:3-10).
Herod the Great: The king of Judea when Jesus was born. Alarmed by the magi's question, he orders the killing of the boys of Bethlehem two years old and under (Matthew 2:16).
Caiaphas: The high priest before whom Jesus is tried by night. He puts Jesus under oath to say whether he is the Christ and then accuses him of blasphemy (Matthew 26:57-66).
Pontius Pilate: The Roman governor who sees that the leaders handed Jesus over out of envy, is warned by his wife after a dream, washes his hands before the crowd and still hands Jesus over to be crucified.

In-depth study of Matthew

Introduction

Matthew stands first in the New Testament, and for good reason: it is the bridge between the two testaments. Its opening line ties Jesus to Abraham and David, and its pages are full of quotations from the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms. For much of church history it was the most widely used Gospel, the source of the Beatitudes, the Lord's Prayer and the Great Commission.

Matthew writes like a careful teacher. He arranges his material in blocks, gathers the sayings of Jesus into long discourses and keeps telling his readers how events fulfilled the Scriptures. The result is a Gospel that tells who Jesus is and, at the same time, shows how his disciples should live.

Who wrote Matthew and when?

What tradition says

The Gospel is anonymous, but the title According to Matthew was attached to it very early, and no ancient source names anyone else. Papias, a church leader in Asia Minor in the early second century, quoted by the historian Eusebius, said that Matthew arranged the sayings of the Lord in the Hebrew language. Irenaeus (around AD 180), Origen and Eusebius repeated that Matthew wrote first, for believers of Jewish origin.

What the text suggests

Several details fit a former tax collector. Only this Gospel calls the apostle Matthew the tax collector in the list of the Twelve (Matthew 10:3) and tells his call under the name Matthew (9:9), while Mark and Luke call him Levi. Only Matthew records the episode of the temple tax and the coin in the fish's mouth (17:24-27), and the book shows a lively interest in debts, accounts and coins, from the unforgiving servant (18:23-35) to the talents (25:14-30).

The author knows Jewish customs, the debates of the scribes and the Hebrew Scriptures well, yet writes in clear Greek that does not read like a translation. For that reason many scholars think Papias was speaking of an earlier collection of sayings, not of the Greek Gospel we have.

Dating views

Before AD 70. Some passages assume the temple is still standing (5:23-24; 17:24-27; 23:16-22), and the ancient church placed Matthew first among the Gospels. Many evangelical scholars date it to the 50s or 60s.
AD 70-85. Most scholars who hold that Matthew used Mark place it after the fall of Jerusalem, and some read the king who burns the murderers' city (22:7) as an echo of that event.

Matthew, Mark and Luke share so much material that they are called the Synoptic Gospels. Most scholars think Mark was written first and used by Matthew and Luke along with other sources; others, following the ancient order, think Matthew came first. Faithful interpreters hold both views.

Literary style and structure

Five great discourses

Matthew alternates narrative with five long blocks of teaching, each closing with a similar formula:

The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5-7), ending at 7:28-29.
The mission discourse (chapter 10), ending at 11:1.
The parables of the kingdom (chapter 13), ending at 13:53.
Life in the community of disciples (chapter 18), ending at 19:1.
The Olivet discourse on the end of the age (chapters 24-25), ending at 26:1.

Many readers see in these five blocks an echo of the five books of Moses, a fitting pattern for a Gospel that presents Jesus as the one who gives the authoritative meaning of the Law.

Two turning points

Twice Matthew writes that from that time Jesus began to do something: to preach the kingdom (4:17) and to show his disciples that he must suffer in Jerusalem (16:21). These markers divide the book into three movements: who Jesus is (1:1-4:16), his public ministry (4:17-16:20) and his road to the cross and resurrection (16:21-28:20).

Favorite techniques

Fulfillment formulas. About ten times Matthew notes that something happened to fulfill what the Lord had said through a prophet (for example 1:22-23; 2:15; 4:14-16; 8:17; 21:4-5).
Groupings. Ten miracles in chapters 8-9, seven parables in chapter 13, seven woes in chapter 23, and a genealogy arranged in three groups of fourteen (1:17).
Framing. The book begins with Immanuel, God with us (1:23), and ends with Jesus' promise to be with his disciples always (28:20).
Economy. Matthew often tells miracle stories more briefly than Mark, keeping the focus on the words of Jesus.

Matthew in the story of the Bible

The Old Testament ends with Israel back in the land but still under foreign rule, waiting for the Lord to come to his temple (Malachi 3:1) and for a son of David to reign. Matthew picks up exactly there. His genealogy retells Israel's history in three stages: from Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from the exile to the Messiah.

Jesus then relives Israel's story. Like the nation, he comes out of Egypt (Matthew 2:15), passes through the waters at his baptism and is tested forty days in the wilderness; where Israel failed, he stays faithful, answering the devil each time with words from Deuteronomy (4:1-11). On a mountain he teaches the true meaning of the Law, as Moses once received it at Sinai.

Matthew also leads into the rest of the New Testament. The commission to all nations is carried out in Acts, and the letter of James echoes the Sermon on the Mount, for instance on oaths (James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37) and on being doers of the word (James 1:22; Matthew 7:24-27).

Matthew and Jesus Christ

Matthew's portrait of Jesus has several layers:

The King, son of David. The genealogy (1:1-17), the magi's search for the king of the Jews (2:2), the entry on a donkey (21:5-9) and the charge over the cross (27:37) all present Jesus as Israel's rightful King.
Immanuel, God with us. Jesus is present where two or three gather in his name (18:20) and promises his presence to the end of the age (28:20). He receives worship from the magi (2:11), from the disciples in the boat (14:33) and from the women and the Eleven after the resurrection (28:9, 17).
The Son of God. The Father declares it at the baptism (3:17) and the Transfiguration (17:5), Peter confesses it (16:16), and a Roman centurion admits it at the cross (27:54).
The authoritative Teacher. Six times he sets what the people had been told of old beside his own word (5:21-48), and the crowds are amazed because he teaches with authority, not like their scribes (7:28-29).
The suffering Servant. Matthew applies Isaiah's Servant passages to Jesus (8:17; 12:18-21). Jesus came to give up his life to ransom many (20:28), and at the Last Supper his blood is poured out for the forgiveness of sins (26:28).
The coming Son of Man. He will come on the clouds and judge the nations (24:30; 25:31-46; 26:64).

Interpretive challenges

Is the Sermon on the Mount an impossible standard?

Some read the sermon mainly as a mirror that exposes sin and drives us to grace; others as the ethic of the future kingdom; others as the way of life for disciples now. The sermon itself starts with blessings rather than demands and includes a prayer for forgiveness (6:12), which suggests it describes the life of people already touched by grace, who grow toward it with the help of God.

What is the rock in Matthew 16:18?

There is a wordplay between the name Peter and the Greek word for rock. Interpreters understand the rock as Peter himself in his role as the leading confessing apostle (compare Ephesians 2:20, where the church is built on the apostles and prophets), as Peter's confession that Jesus is the Christ, or as Christ himself. All these readings agree that the church rests on Jesus, the cornerstone, and on the apostolic witness to him.

Who were the magi, and what was the star?

Matthew says only that they came from the East. The word magi was used for a class of Persian scholars associated with the study of the heavens and dreams. The star has been explained as a miraculous light, a planetary conjunction (Jupiter and Saturn came together several times in 7 BC), a comet or a new star. Matthew simply presents it as God guiding the visitors to the child (2:9-10).

Why does Matthew 27:9 name Jeremiah?

The words about thirty pieces of silver resemble Zechariah 11:12-13, yet Matthew names Jeremiah. A common explanation is that he combines Zechariah with Jeremiah's episodes of the potter and the purchased field (Jeremiah 19; 32:6-15) and cites the better-known prophet, much as Mark 1:2-3 joins Malachi and Isaiah under Isaiah's name.

Little-known facts

Matthew never says there were three magi; the number was inferred later from the three gifts, and the idea that they were kings is also a later tradition.
Matthew is the only Gospel that uses the word church, and only twice (16:18; 18:17).
The genealogy names four women before Mary: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and the wife of Uriah, something unusual in ancient genealogies.
The Didache, an early Christian manual usually dated around AD 100, gives the Lord's Prayer in a form very close to Matthew's and tells believers to pray it three times a day.
Only Matthew tells of Peter walking on the water, Pilate's wife's dream, Pilate washing his hands and the guard posted at the tomb.

How to study Matthew

A reading plan

Reading one chapter a day takes four weeks. For a Sunday school quarter, follow the nine sections of the outline, giving two weeks to the Sermon on the Mount and two to the passion and resurrection.

What to look for

Mark every fulfillment formula and look up the Old Testament passage it quotes.
Notice the five discourses and the formula that closes each one.
Track the titles of Jesus: son of David, Son of God, Son of Man, Immanuel.
Watch for the words kingdom, righteousness, mountain and worship.

Teaching it in a class or small group

Three questions work well for almost every passage: What does this show about who Jesus is? What does it teach about the kingdom of heaven? What does Jesus ask of his disciples here? For the Sermon on the Mount, let the group pick one Beatitude or one command to practice during the week and share the result at the next meeting. Close the study by memorizing the Lord's Prayer phrase by phrase and the Great Commission (28:18-20), the passage that sends every class back into the world.

Matthew chapter by chapter

Every chapter of Matthew with a summary, key verses explained, themes, people, questions with answers and application.

Frequently asked questions about Matthew

Who wrote the Gospel of Matthew?

The book does not name its author, but the early church consistently attributed it to Matthew, also called Levi, a tax collector of Capernaum who became an apostle. Papias, early in the second century, said that Matthew arranged the sayings of Jesus in the Hebrew language, and Irenaeus, around AD 180, named him as the author. Some scholars think a disciple shaped the final book from Matthew's tradition, but the attribution is ancient and uniform.

When was Matthew written?

Many evangelical scholars date it to the 50s or 60s AD, before the temple was destroyed in AD 70, noting that the Gospel speaks of temple offerings and the temple tax as current practice (Matthew 5:23-24; 17:24-27). Many others date it between AD 70 and 85, assuming that Matthew used the Gospel of Mark. Either way, it was written within a few decades of the events it describes.

What is the main message of Matthew?

Jesus is the Messiah promised in the Scriptures, the King in whom the kingdom of heaven has come near. He calls people to repentance and to a righteousness of the heart, gives his life to rescue his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21) and, risen from the dead, sends his disciples to make disciples of all nations with the promise of his presence until the end of the age.

How many chapters does Matthew have and how is it organized?

Matthew has 28 chapters. The story runs from the birth of Jesus (chapters 1-2) through his ministry in Galilee (3-18) and the journey to Jerusalem (19-25) to the passion and resurrection (26-28). Woven into it are five long discourses, in chapters 5-7, 10, 13, 18 and 24-25, each ending with a phrase like when Jesus had finished these sayings.

Why is Matthew's genealogy different from Luke's?

Matthew traces the line forward from Abraham through David and Solomon to Joseph, in three groups of fourteen generations; Luke goes backward from Jesus to Adam through David's son Nathan. A common explanation is that Matthew gives the royal, legal line through Joseph while Luke gives Mary's line; another is that both belong to Joseph, one legal and one natural, linked by a levirate marriage. Both affirm that Jesus is the son of David.

Why does Matthew say kingdom of heaven instead of kingdom of God?

Out of reverence, many Jews avoided using God's name and spoke of heaven instead. Writing for Jewish readers, Matthew usually says kingdom of heaven where Mark and Luke say kingdom of God in the same sayings, though he also uses kingdom of God a few times (Matthew 12:28; 19:24). The meaning is the same: God's rule arriving through Jesus, not merely a place in the sky.

Is the Sermon on the Mount the same as the Sermon on the Plain?

Luke 6:17-49 records a shorter sermon given on a level place, with much of the same content. Some think it is the same message summarized in two ways; others think Jesus, like any traveling teacher, repeated his core teaching on different occasions. Matthew gathers more of Jesus' sayings into one long discourse in chapters 5-7.

What is the Great Commission?

It is the final command of Jesus in Matthew 28:18-20. On the basis of his authority over heaven and earth, his disciples are to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything he commanded. The command rests on his promise to be with them always.