September 21 - Matthew - Climax and Strategic Areas

So, what would you consider to be the climax of the Gospel of Matthew?

I suppose that there are a couple of options.  For my survey, I chose the Resurrection (Matthew 28:1-10).  To me, the Resurrection is proof positive that Jesus Christ is the Messiah that has been seen in prophecy from the beginning.  The story of the Gospel is complete with this occurrence.  While others may believe that the crucifixion is the climax of the story, I rather like the Protestant idea of the empty cross ... the ripped curtain in the Temple ... the return of the Messiah after a cruel death.

There are a couple of other things about the Gospel of Matthew that really stuck out as I read the book over and over.  The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) is fascinating in that it sets Jesus up for things that happen later.  He spends quite a bit of time teaching these messages.  This is His interpretation of the law and later on, these teachings will come into play as He handles the Pharisees quite deftly.

The Beatitudes in Matthew 5:1-12 seem to set forth the beginnings of the idea that the least are of greater importance than those who are the greatest.  This information would later translate quite nicely as Jesus healed the man with the withered hand ... he acted as a servant (Matthew 12:9-14).  He taught His disciples to serve in the story of the Feeding of the Five Thousand (Matthew 14:13-21).  He healed the daughter of a Canaanite woman (Matthew 15:21-28), taught on self-denial (Matthew 16:24-28), taught about children being the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:1-5), dealt with the mother of the sons of Zebedee (20:20-28) and entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-10).

So much of the Gospel of Matthew is based on offering us a view of the Kingdom of Heaven.  So much of the Gospel of Matthew is based on the idea of the greatest becoming the least - of being true servants.  Everyone desires to be a King of their own kingdom, to be in charge, to have a sense of authority.  Jesus' teachings were in such contrast to that in this Gospel.  The Kingdom of Heaven is a place where all will be in the presence of God.  The Kingdom of Heaven shows up on earth when we act as true, selfless servants.

Tomorrow I will begin putting together a survey on a much smaller portion of the Gospel.  I can't wait to dig in and see what happens!