The Gospel of Matthew Samples for Students †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Gospel According to Matthew. Answer: The Gospel of Matthew gives a vivid account of the teachings of Jesus and it is considered the fundamental doctrine in respect to Christianity. A large number of scholars hold the idea that the first gospel of Mark was composed around the year 70. Scholars believe that the gospels of Matthew and Luke were composed in 80s or in the 90s. The written version of Marks gospels was held to be a source for their narratives (Brown 2015). The two evangelists, Matthew and Luke had material that could not be found in Mark so a large number of researchers think that it was the sayings of Jesus that was integrated in the works. This was known as the Q source and it was put together somewhere in the 40s. The materials of Luke and Matthew bear similarity to each other however; the version of Luke is a scattered version. Matthew has inserted these sayings in the place of the Marcan narrative where Jesus was teaching people. These sayings were later organized to form a single sermon that was done by Matthew (Clayton 2017). There was a gap of 400 years between Old and New Testament when God was not communicating with the Jews. The hope for Messiah was provided in the Old Testament. It was finally accomplished with the appearance of Jesus Christ (Finegan 2014). Old Testament boasted of a Kingdom of Heaven and Christ has emerged to fulfill the divine law. According to Christ, righteousness was the crux upon which the earthly kingdom was based. Matthews gospel was addressed to Jews who were waiting for hundred years for the Messiah to dawn on the face of the earth. The words of the Son of Man provide relief for those who are weak and have a weary soul. These words provide support for all those people who are in dire need of some assurance. The passage has an important bearing on the overall structure of New Testament. People in the world suffer from restlessness and disappointment plagues their soul. Jesus will provide us with peace in exchange of good work. Jesus provides rest to every sinner. Christ take s away the sins of all those who go near him. He provides them respite from fear of law, hell, devil and death. The blessings of Jesus would be endowed on those who work hard in the righteous path and to those people who are laboring hard under Pharisaic enactments ( Kennedy 2014). Christ will provide them with such rest that will refresh their soul and they would feel rejuvenated to go back to work. The passage shows a divine penetration into the true condition of man. Pity is expressed in the passage through soul-stirring lines. With a lot of compassion Jesus looks into the hearts of men. He sees sorrow and suffering embedded in the souls of men and he is conscious of their mental tribulations and turmoil in their soul. The words of this greater man were possessed of a kind of charm that can relieve the human soul. In this world which is completely torn apart by suffering and violence, this man stands calm who is waiting with outstretched hands to receive the complaints of humankind (Morgan 2017).The savior mainly refers to Jews who had suffered under strict ceremonial laws. According to him, by embracing Christianity they would be relieved of tiresome ceremonies and rites that have tormented their soul. In the larger sphere, he was referring to the ruined sinner who is burdened with a heavy conscience owing to his transgressions. His words would provide a release for all those who are shaking with terror and looking for deliverance (Robertson 2014). Christ assures them not to worry and that they have hope of salvation. He will provide them with freedom from the terror of inhumane laws. They will be granted relief from eternal death (Smith 2016). Man not only has to work but also to bear the heavy burden of sorrow in their daily existence. Thoughts that disturb mind while working further deteriorate our condition and daily existence becomes extremely tiresome. Man has a relationship with God and also to the almightys righteousness laws. Men toil continuously with great efforts and yet all that remains in the end is a conscious realization of their flaws. A pure life will have to encounter both these aspects. The major theme that is evoked in the passage is that of the merciful Jesus who speaks to everyone who have labored in vain to gratify their conscience. These words have been addressed to the entire human race. Faith and trust is evoked in the almight ys appeal in these lines. Christ has granted freedom to men by promulgating gospel (Keener, 2014). The passage has been addressed to all those souls who have grown tired in their pursuit of truth. These words can be alluded to the Greeks who had a notion that it was very difficult to reach god. For the Jews, religion was burdensome and involved unending series of rules. According to them, law was composed of endless regulations and they controlled every action in the life of a person. They had developed a slavish mentality and always groping for a voice that will dictate them. During Christs time, the Pharisees imposed harsh rules and regulations on the commoners who had developed a slavish mentality and used to listen to the words of the rulers. The Pharisees on the other hand indulged themselves in a life of leisure and did not involve themselves in any action. Everyone looked upon Christ for his or her deliverance and obeying the truth would grant them salvation. The Jews suffered under the stringent laws and commandments. The yoke is symbolic and it evokes the image of plowing . The yoke will help us in our spiritual struggle rather than acting as a hindrance (Keener 2014). God provides us with burdens in order to strengthen our soul and make us mentally resilient. Common people because of our love for the divine power abide by the commandments of God .The lord Jesus will help us in carrying the burden. References: Brown, Raymond E. An introduction to the New Testament. Yale University Press, 2015. Clayton, Weatherford T. "Rock of Our Redeemer." BYU Speeches (2017). Finegan, Jack. The archeology of the New Testament: the life of Jesus and the beginning of the early church. Princeton University Press, 2014. Keener, Craig S.The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament. InterVarsity Press, 2014. Kennedy, George A. New Testament interpretation through rhetorical criticism. UNC Press Books, 2014. Morgan, G. Campbell. The gospel according to Matthew. Wipf and Stock Publishers, 2017. Robertson, Archibald Thomas. A grammar of the Greek New Testament in the light of historical research. Ravenio Books, 2014. Smith, Matthew J. "God's Idioms: Sermon Belief in Donne's London."English Literary Renaissance46, no. 1 (2016): 93-128.