How To Read The New Testament

The Gospel of Matthew as the Fulfillment of the Old Testament

All right, if you would open your Bibles, first book in the New Testament, so if you're new to the Bible, it's the very first one, it's a little white page between the Old and the New normally. So the very beginning of the New Testament, the Gospel according to Matthew, the Gospel according to Matthew.

Just going to read verse 1. Here now, the word of the living and the true God. The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. As far as the reading of God's holy word, let's pray together.

Father, I pray that you'd bless the proclamation of your word today, I pray that you'd bless the teaching, I pray that you'd allow me as a shepherd of your people to be faithful to teach in a way that would encourage, that would bless, that would challenge, Lord, that would instruct us, help us to handle your word in a way that's glorifying to you, and I do pray that by your spirit today you would lead and guide us, and I pray that you'd get the preacher out of the way, in Jesus' name, amen.

So the Gospel according to Matthew, as I said today as we opened up, this particular Gospel is the Gospel of the four Gospels, there's three synoptic, and of course the Gospel according to John, very different, but in the synoptics, the Gospel according to Matthew, Matthew is saturated with the Old Testament, it is saturated, and I pointed out two things, and I want you to just really hold on to this, get this, and you'll really kind of understand what I'm saying needs to be behind us, it's not just the explicit reciting of a particular passage from the Old Testament.

There is that, and it is through the Gospel according to Matthew, it really starts in the first chapter here with a quotation from Isaiah, but it is not simply the direct reciting of a passage from the Old Testament, but it's also with the imagery and the understanding of the Old Testament and background behind it, Matthew is soaked in Scripture, it's soaked in Scripture, and so my goal in doing Matthew as our first Gospel at Apologia Church has taken us many years to get where we are, my goal has been to make sure that we not only understand the Gospel of the Kingdom and the message of Jesus and the historical narrative of the Lord Jesus, what happened to Him, but I want us to understand the Old Testament.

Revelation.

So we could have chosen to do Mark, and it would have been wonderful, we could have chosen of course to do John, but Matthew we chose because we wanted to make sure our church, as we were planting a church, we had the opportunity to not only keep our focus on the Lord Jesus Christ, but also have a focus on what brought all this into being, what made it a reality.

The Bible as a Unified Story Moving Toward a Climax

And here's what I want us to understand, you remember a moment ago I said if you're new to the Bible, it's the Gospel according to Matthew, there's usually a little white page between the Old Testament and the New Testament, it's that first Gospel in our listing of the books in our New Testaments today.

Here's what you have to understand, you have to think about the New Testament, or say, the Gospel according to St. Matthew, like a movie, a great story, an epic, you have to think about it as something that is a narrative that comes to a climax, it's not a stunted.

Story.

Now, some of you guys are as old as me, or older, so you remember those old films like Ben-Hur, remember Ben-Hur, how long was Ben-Hur? Hours, right, how long was it? You weren't there, no, I'm just kidding, what is it like, it's like four hours, right, do you remember, I remember being a kid, and my parents had this massive VHS collection and video library, and said all the old movies, and certainly some inappropriate movies I should have never seen as a child, but lots of movies, and I remember Ben-Hur, and that was the movie that actually, it was really the only understanding I had of a person named Jesus was from those old films that I was just bored, and I was going through films, and I saw, but don't you remember, even in the VHS tapes, how frustrating that was, when you watch, say, like Ben-Hur, it's two tape sets, and what you had to do is watch that first half, and then it would cut to intermission, and they had the entire intermission in the film, why?

Like who's at home watching it, and then the intermission comes, and you're like, oh, let's all just sit still, and maybe, you know, just wait for the intermission, that's for like the theater, like literally, they took it, and just, okay, put it on tape, and let's put it in people's homes, but it was really like the first half of the story, and then there was that 10-minute intermission where you had to go and push fast forward, but kids, fast forward for us was a chore, right, it wasn't like today where you could just sort of like scan super fast and get to wherever you want, it was like click, click, and you just sort of had to just wait, and wait, and wait, and finally, you get to it, now, you have to think about the Bible in similar terms, it's a narrative moving towards a climax, God is the master storyteller, and I truly believe that one of the biggest reasons we get into so much trouble with, say, something like the Olivet Discourse or the Great Tribulation passage is we're not actually grappling with the fact that the Bible is from one storyteller, it's a master storyteller, it's a narrative that comes to a climax, and oftentimes I think it really looks like this for us, we have that Ben-Hur story with the first half of the story, and then that intermission, and can you imagine if you're watching Ben-Hur, you see the first half, there's intermission, then all of a sudden it comes back, and it's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, would that make any sense?

If it was one story, there's an intermission, there's a long time period in between, and all of a sudden when the story starts back again, it's Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, it's something that doesn't relate at all to that old story, it's different characters, it's a different scope, it's a different story, it has a different climax to it, it wouldn't make any sense whatsoever, everybody would be asking the question, did I get the wrong tape in there, what happened after the intermission, this is an entirely different story.

And I often think of our problems with understanding much of the New Testament and the language and the imagery, and even something like I just said, the Olivet Discourse of the Great Tribulation, our problem is, is we're not recognizing that we have to watch that first part of the film to fully understand this second part of the story, it's moving towards a climax, it's the same storyteller, we can't have a stunted understanding of say the Gospel according to Matthew, that puts us in that kind of scenario, where we've got one story being told before, a long intermission, and then an entirely different storyline afterwards.

We have to understand that first part, and here's what's glorious about Matthew, Matthew understands that first story, this is inspired revelation, it's from the mouth of God, it is Theanoustos, it is breathed out by God, but Matthew clearly has an understanding of the Old Testament imagery, symbolism, and backgrounds.

I've done this before, and a lot of new people here, so I'm going to do this so we get an understanding of how important symbolism is in our minds as image bearers of God, and in particular, God uses symbolism throughout the entire Bible.

It is everywhere, He always is making appeals to it, and even giving His people things to do that would even be rehearsals with symbolism to teach them rudimentary elements to get them to Jesus, so they can see and understand.

If I was to say to you right now, 9 -11, it's just a word, but when I say 9 -11, 9 -11 isn't just a number any longer, 9 -11 calls together memories of an event, it calls together emotion, it calls together even memory of where you go back to, where was I, how did it feel, how did I feel, what was going on around, and when I even say something like 9 -11 to you, many of you may be thinking those horrible thoughts, the images that come along with that number, like people falling out of buildings, explosions, dust in the air, you might be thinking about all the historic moments that happened afterwards, with like the president down with the rubble, and you know, the people who knocked these buildings down, we'll hear from all of us soon, that moment for all Americans, no matter where you were, you were like, yes, right, you remember that feeling, all that comes with that, but here's the crazy thing, all it is is a number, right, 9 -11, and yet that now has become a symbol that calls together so many deep thoughts, with so many layers to it, and God does that in the Old Testament from, honestly, from the very beginning, the very beginning of our Bible, it is immediate symbolism, not the creation story, of course, but what happens in the fall of what does God do, as soon as the fall takes place and He confronts that first Adam, the promise is made about Jesus, only it's not something like, hey, there's gonna be a person, we're gonna call his name Jesus, and he's gonna do such and such a thing, no, it actually is this layer of depth, immediately, where they couldn't really even fully grasp what was going on, it's right there in the story, even to the degree that they're, whoops, okay, even to the degree that they're naked and ashamed, they're uncovered, they feel guilt and shame, and God takes the skin of an animal, and He covers their nakedness and their shame, that's this rudimentary understanding at the very beginning of the history of humanity of you're guilty, you're exposed, you should be ashamed, and yet it is God, not them who constructed it, but God who takes this innocent victim, a sacrifice, something dies for them, and He covers their shame and their nakedness and their guilt, there's some symbolism and imagery there, but there's even more, it's in Genesis 3, it's all right there, God immediately gives them this image, it's symbolism, but it was all depth, and it was pointing to Jesus in majestic ways they couldn't have possibly understood, like for instance, God says about the woman, He says that the woman's seed will crush the head of the serpent but be bruised on his heel, what?

Put yourself in Adam and Eve's, they have shoes, bare feet for a second, all they know from God is God says that the woman's seed is gonna crush the head of the serpent but be wounded on his heel, and so you have this imagery immediately that's kind of weird, what's the situation with the woman's seed, people, you wouldn't refer to people's offspring in that way, the feminists hate that, but it was the man's seed, the man's offspring, like that line coming from the man, you have this woman's seed, it's coming from the woman and the head of the serpent's gonna get a mortal blow, but it's also at the same time gonna wound the woman's seed, so there's this imagery immediately about Jesus, but the depth is there to the degree that it's death blow to Satan and his kingdom and his work and what was brought in, and it's the woman's seed, so it's a human, but it's the woman's seed, the virgin birth is wrapped up in that, but you also have it picking up when you get into things like the Passover.

The Passover itself, real historic event, happened, really happened with the people of Israel, they were brought out of the land of Egypt, they were brought into the promised land, but God has this amazing encounter and conflict with the pagan gods of Egypt where their gods were supposed to have power over things like water and the beasts and those sorts of things, the frogs, they worship those gods, and God has this throwdown with the false gods in Egypt, and he shows that he's the one that has power over those things that were supposed to be controlled by their gods, and then God actually has this special moment for his people where he tells them he's gonna come and he's gonna strike down the firstborn in Egypt, but the house that has the blood of the lamb, the lamb with no spot and no blemish, the lamb whose bones were not allowed to be broken, the house that has the blood of the lamb over it, God will pass over that house in judgment.

His people will escape that judgment, and they will escape Egypt and their bondage and slavery to go into the promised land of relationship with God. This really happens, but that's Jesus all over it.

He's the lamb of God with no spot, no blemish, no sin, no stain. His bones weren't broken. He died on Passover, and when his blood covers our house, the judgment of God passes over us. We escape from our bondage to our slavery to sin, and we enter into that promised land of that relationship with God.

It was all there. You have things like the day of atonement with the animal sacrifices and the priest who represented the people, and he confesses the sin unto the scapegoat, and the people's sin was supposed to transfer to the scapegoat.

The scapegoat was led away from the people, and then they also have the sacrifice that dies and sheds its blood for the people atonement is made. They have this symbolism. God's giving them that depth, and it's all there from the very beginning.

They have the temple. The temple itself was supposed to teach them something about God, God's city, God's presence, the problem of their sin separated from God. You see, the whole history of Israel is not, I think I said this at man camp to some guys, when you read the Old Testament as a 21st century Western person, you look at stuff in there, and you're like, some of this seems so strange and so weird and jarring at points.

A priest, weird rituals and blood, and a special room with a veil, and you've got all these weird rituals, and God has specific things he tells them about the priesthood and how they were to do it and preserve one another and stay unstained from the world, and he gives them even dietary restrictions and things they're supposed to do with their clothes to teach them something about separation, about being different, about not engaging in syncretism and being like the pagan nations.

And some of the stuff looks so downright weird to the 21st century person, but when you really reflect on what God was doing, it is incredible. It is so incomprehensible that God was giving them through rehearsal and drill and symbolism what he was going to accomplish in Jesus, so that when Jesus arrives on the scene and he accomplishes this tremendous work in Passover and he sheds his blood and he's dying for the sins of his people, he's wearing the crown of thorns, which is a very sign of the fall in Genesis, all of this takes place, the temple veil is ripped in two, all of this happens, and if you knew God's word, if you had been reading that book with that rudimentary symbolism and basic stuff, on that day you should have said, I get it, I totally understand, now I understand, he's the lamb, he's that sacrifice, he's the one that takes away my sin, he's the one that allows the way for me to go through that veil and enter into the holiest place before the God that I am separated from.

They understood now, wait a second, the Passover lamb, God's judgment is passed over me, Jesus entered through that veil, he's the high priest, and he offered himself once for all, and he intercedes forever for me.

You see, all of this was there from the beginning, Matthew understands that and he's telling this story the whole time, so I can't do the like 10 years of sermons in one hour, but I'm gonna try, I'm just kidding, no, I'm just gonna give us some highlights and some things I hope you will hang on to and even get deep with, get deep with as we move through the rest of Matthew, a couple things that are clearly obvious from Matthew, go with me to Matthew chapter one again.

Matthew 1: The Genealogy of the Messianic King

Now, we started off the service today reading chapter one, verse one, and it looks like this, the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, and let's all be honest for a second, when you get to this section of scripture or any of these kinds of lists in scripture, you oftentimes go, I'm gonna skip that reading today and go to chapter two, right?

Here's, I mean, that's understandable, it's a lot of names that sounds interesting and strange and I'm sure many of the children at Apologia Church will eventually take on these names, Eliud, Eliezer, Zadok, Abiud, yeah, it might happen, but here's the deal, watch, you need this, you need this, why?

Because God said that he was gonna preserve the line specifically and straight to Mashiach, to the Messiah, you need this list, and as a matter of fact, I can't do this whole sermon today, I'd love to, I can't, but it's back in the archive somewhere, you've actually got two different genealogies of Jesus in the New Testament, skeptics and critics of the Bible like to say, ha, ha, ha, contradictory genealogies, see, this couldn't possibly be from God, and here's what I said when I preached on that before, praise God for the two different genealogies, you better have them, you better have them, and here's why, in Genesis, sorry, in the genealogy in chapter one of Matthew, you have very specifically the genealogy that is the royal line to the throne, through Joseph, if you read Matthew chapter one, you see the emphasis in chapter one with the genealogy is in the story of Joseph, Jesus' adopted father, as a matter of fact, Joseph is given the duty to name Jesus, to name him, taking ownership of him, adopting him as his father, but in this genealogy is the royal line to the Messiah, and here's what's pointed out, the son of David, the son of Abraham, Matthew's focus is on the royal line in genealogy through David and all the way back for Jesus, Luke, I believe, has a genealogy that is through Mary, Jesus' natural line or physical line, and there's some interesting things in terms of a curse that's actually put on the royal line, but because Jesus is adopted, he still gets the right to the throne without getting the physical curse, some crazy things, ultimately only Jesus can be truly the Messiah, but here's what I want to point out, son of David and son of Abraham, now, in terms of being Messiah, that's essential, why?

Because this is God's story, he's the master storyteller, it has always been God who is sovereignly wielding this story to its climax, and so son of David, son of Abraham, what do we know about them from the Old Testament?

When God first started telling us the story of redemption, he gives us the story of Abraham, and what is one of the premier things that God says to Abraham? In Genesis 22, 17, God makes that promise, we're all familiar with here at Apologia where God actually says to Abraham that he is going to give him descendants as numerous as the stars and like the sand on the seashore, that's a lot of descendants!

A lot of descendants! We were just at Greer, it's just one of those places in Greer, you're driving forever to get there and you're getting to higher and higher elevation, and by the time there is nightfall, you see a sky that is so different than you would see in most places because of light pollution, it is so grand, and even in a place like Greer, it's very different because if you've ever been on a cruise and you get out there in the ocean, where there is absolutely no light pollution, when you look up to the sky, it is breathtaking, and God says to Abraham, I'm going to multiply your descendants like the stars and like the sand of the seashore, that's the promise to Abraham all the way down to Messiah, that this, watch, this Messiah, this Messianic King has to have his genealogy move all the way back through David and Abraham because these promises come from God and he's the one that controls all of history, all of history.

Now check this out, just a really interesting thing to think about in terms of God's providence, you understand how special you are? I'm not trying to inflate your egos or your heads, but I really want you to stop and think about this for a minute in terms of how special each and every single one of us are.

Each of you are the collective of all of your ancestors, in a sense, right? All the information that comes from your ancestors, your mother and father, grandma, grandpa, all that, it all combines over time to the point you get you.

You are the unique code of you that God spoke for you. So you are the you you are now because God uniquely spoke you into existence, but he used a means, and that was your mommy and daddy and their mommy and daddy and their mommy and daddy and all the way back, and you have this collection of information that makes you you.

Now watch this, take one person out of your family line going all the way back, and what.

Happens?

You don't exist. You don't exist. It's interesting too because my father and mother met when my father was in the Air Force and he was stationed in Las Vegas, Nellis Air Force Base, and the only thing I know about the story is my father was at a casino in Las Vegas just randomly going around different casinos, and as he was leaving the casino, walking out the door, the door opens, he passes by my mom.

He doesn't know. He thought she was a hottie, and so he started talking to her. So think about it for a minute now. He didn't have the courage in that moment to pass through that door and say something to my mom who was just coming in because her mom worked at the casino.

If that moment didn't take place, I don't exist. My kids don't exist. My grandchildren don't exist. This church isn't here. The thousands and thousands of babies that have been saved as a result of this church's work, what would happen to them?

See how the whole history of humanity changes if somebody doesn't say hello at a door?

Do you get it?

Now, in Jesus' line in history, this genealogy is God's story. He's controlling the narrative the whole way through, and God says to Abraham, I'm going to do it like this. It's going to look like this, stars and sand, but then the story of David is there.

And what's that? The story of David, son of David, son of Abraham. What do we know about David? David's king of Israel, and we know this, I'm not going to exhaust the verses today, but the promise is that David's son, one of his descendants, is going to be on the Davidic throne and bring in the promised messianic kingdom.

Pastor James was talking about Psalm 110 .1 and 2 today before service today. That powerful section of scripture where it's Yahweh saying to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.

Jesus brings that up in the gospel according to Matthew when he's confronting the covenant breaking Jews and the leadership of Jerusalem who are in opposition. He quotes from one Psalm 110 .1 about David's son, but specifically, we know from Isaiah 9 verse 7 that it is going to be one of David's descendants that sits on David's throne, right?

We know the section of scripture, wonderful counselor, El Gabor, the mighty God, and it says, if the increase of his government and of peace, there will be no end. On the throne of David to establish it with justice and with righteousness forevermore, and the zeal of the Lord of hosts will accomplish this.

So Matthew knows this is the story. Abraham, David, this royal line, and then here we go, Jesus. He's here. And what's amazing is in this story, we see Matthew chapter one, that the story then gets to the angel coming to Joseph, telling him in verse 20, not to fear to take Mary as his wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.

She will bear a son and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which means what?

God with us. But note how the story is already kind of coming together. You can sort of sense the themes. We already have the woman's seed. Joseph didn't participate in this. That's what made it so scandalous in some people's eyes.

That's what made it such a jolt for Joseph. How's Joseph going to handle this? And the angel says, no, this is the promise. This is what God is doing. That which is conceived in her is by the agency of the Holy Spirit.

So now we have a woman's seed coming. Now, this story begins telling you the story of the messianic king. That was the expectation. And so this is what I want to emphasize right now. Please hear me on this in terms of understanding Matthew's narrative.

I believe it was Spurgeon. Yes, I think it was Spurgeon. When he did his study through Matthew, I think that's titled The Gospel of the Kingdom. So his exposition of Matthew is titled The Gospel of the Kingdom because that is really the story.

It's the good news of the kingdom. We've missed that today. We've truncated the gospel. We talk about this often in such a way that it doesn't apply really to anywhere but me and my house between these walls, right?

It's not really a gospel of a kingdom that we're used to. Matthew knew that was the expectation. In Christian history, Christians knew Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. Jesus is Lord of lords, king of kings.

Jesus has something to say to every area of life. The kingdom is very good news. And it's what Jesus was preaching, the gospel of the kingdom. Here's the thing you need to have behind you as you read Matthew.

The expectation was that David's son, Abraham's son, was coming to rule the world. Did you get it? David's son was coming to rule the world. Jesus was going to be on the throne of David, and he was going to rule the nations and bring salvation.

The story is all the families of the earth returned to worship Yahweh. Psalm 22. All the families of the earth are coming to worship Yahweh. This messianic king is coming to bring salvation and Jew and Gentile into one body and one people.

He would be the ruler of the world. I'm not going to go through all the text, but I'll give you some verses to go explore later. Genesis 49, 10. Isaiah chapter 2. The Messiah was going to come and draw the nations to God, not just Jews, the nations to God.

They were going to come to God's mountain, and God's Torah was going to go forth from the people of God. Isaiah 42. It's quoted in Matthew, Isaiah 42, that this righteous servant of God is going to come and establish justice in the world.

The coastlands are waiting for his law. You, of course, have Psalm chapter 2. The father saying to the son that the nations are his, the ends of the earth are his inheritance. You have Isaiah, Psalms, Psalm 72.

He shall have dominion from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the earth. We could go all day, all the scriptures that talk about the knowledge of God covering the earth like the waters cover the sea.

But the point is, Matthew understands at the beginning of his gospel, this is the story of the king who's coming to rule the world and draw the nations to God. To rule the world and draw the nations to God.

So I want you to get this real fast. In chapter 1, Matthew starts the story, the genealogy of the messianic king, son of Abraham, son of David, the ruler of the world, the one who's going to draw the nations to God, bring salvation.

And then in Matthew 28, the book is capped off with that ascension of this messianic king. The son of David going to his throne. And what's it say at the very end? Matthew 28, 18 through 20. All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age.

That's how the story ends. Matthew knows the story, and he's bringing it together to show you the climax. Jesus is that promised king, the ruler of the world, the one who's going to draw the Gentiles.

Jesus as the True Israel and the True Adam

I want to show you it working now in the text, okay? So we were just in Matthew 1, verse 1. We only have 28 chapters to go, guys. We'll get you out of here by midnight. Just kidding. I told you we're just doing touches, right?

This is just getting us picked back up in Matthew. I want you to see it. So to show you that Matthew clearly has this in his thoughts, Matthew 12. Matthew 12. In Matthew 12, Jesus has one of his many conflicts with the Jewish leadership of his day over their interpretation and application of God's law.

Here's what's really important in terms of moving forward in Matthew. Jesus specifically says in Matthew 5, verses 17 through 19, do not even begin to think. Do not think that I've come to destroy the law or the prophets.

I have not come to destroy them, but to what? Fulfill them. And he even says, if anybody teaches anyone to break even the least of these commandments, you'll be called least. But whoever does them and teaches them will be called the greatest.

Jesus did not come to destroy God's law. He came to fulfill it. He came to teach us how to properly obey it and observe it and apply it. And in a particular place, at the beginning of chapter 12, you see that kind of conflict with Jewish leadership.

It happens throughout Matthew. Jesus is correcting their abuse of the law. They're mishandling the law. They're ignoring of the law of God. In Matthew chapter 15, he does that. They're contradicting of it.

But in Matthew chapter 12, you see an example where Matthew clearly understands the storyline. In verse 15, it says, Anybody recognize from where? This portion here, anyone recognize where? It's one of my favorite things.

I'm quoting it all the time when it comes to people say, why do you care so much? Why do you care so much about what happens out there?

Why?

People say that. Why do you care so much about oppressive laws and injustices around you? Why do you care about this person over there, this ruler speaking to them and preaching to them? Why do you care?

Well, because I know the promises. I know Jesus is the ruler of the world. He has all authority. On earth today, I know it's the meek that inherited the earth. I know Jesus came to win every nation to the father.

I know the ends of the earth are his possession. And I know that this righteous one is going to establish justice. Matthew quotes it. Isaiah 42. Behold my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased.

I'll put my spirit upon him and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break. In a smoldering wick he will not quench until he brings justice to victory.

And in his name, the Gentiles will hope. Interesting. See, Matthew understands that the whole storyline is that when the Messianic King comes, he's coming to redeem the world. He's coming to bring salvation to the ends of the earth.

The knowledge of God covering the earth like the waters cover the sea. They come to him as the light. The families of the earth return to worship Yahweh. And Matthew knows that this Messianic King is not just for Jews.

The nations are coming to God. The nations. Listen, you know what's amazing? Is you oftentimes sit in a room like this with modern-day evangelicals who haven't grasped the concept that Jesus is sitting on the Davidic throne now.

He's reigning now. We're not waiting for Jesus to come and establish a throne in physical Jerusalem. He is seated on the throne now. And they'll say, you're saying Jesus is ruling now? The Messianic Kingdom is a present reality?

It's happening now? And you'll go, well, of course, because Jesus said that and it's throughout the New Testament. And they'll go, I just don't see it. And it's amazing to me. We're in the desert now on the other side of the world.

And you look around this room right now, there's a lot of different colors in here. A lot of different backgrounds. This is right here, a microcosm of the families of the earth returning to worship who?

Yahweh.

In this one room right now is this beautiful portrait of all those promises. Matthew knows that. And when he's telling you the narrative of Jesus in history, it's not simply this black and white, Jesus went there and said this, and then a couple hours later they went to this place, and then he ate this thing, and then they did this.

The whole story is real history, but there's this depth of symbolism and understanding and enriching with the Old Testament promises that is connecting constantly in Matthew. Don't ignore it. That's the point here, okay?

Reading the New Testament with Old Testament Eyes

So you take away. Don't ignore it. Like, let me give you an example. Confession. All of us are guilty of this. You start reading the New Testament, you'll read, say, a book in the New Testament, say Matthew, and you'll read it, and you'll never go back to check that verse, right?

You'll read Matthew, like, 12. How many of you guys did it? You read Matthew 12. He says, this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophets, and then he quotes something, and you go, yeah, all right, sure.

Sounds good.

But you never went back to figure out, like, what was the promise there? Go read it. Go read it, because then you'll go, oh, it's even bigger than even Matthew's able to put down on papyrus. It's even bigger.

There's depth to it. So here's the deal. Remember, it's not just explicit reference, A verse, B verse. It is also the depth of the symbolism and imagery that is also there, but the promise was drawing of the Gentiles.

Now here's what I want you to capture. It's really beautiful.

Really beautiful. Okay.

Good?

All right.

Desi.

I'm just joking.

It's totally fine. We'll talk later.

Teasing.

There are two, there are two, what, people, peoples that you need to understand to fully identify what Matthew is getting at in some portions of Matthew. So I'll do this as quickly as I can, and I want to show you one of my favorite things with it.

The first is Adam, Adam. Jesus is clearly, of course, even through the genealogy, he's truly human. He's going back to Adam. And so I won't spend a lot of time there today in terms of Matthew, really extending the story of Adam, showing that Jesus is the true and perfect Adam and what Adam was supposed to be, all of that.

But also Israel. Now this is really key. Get this and you'll get actually a pretty spectacular part of the Bible. If you read Isaiah, who is clearly one of Matthew's favorite Old Testament prophets, if you read Isaiah, did you notice that in Isaiah, God actually refers to the people of Israel as God's servants, as a servant of God, the people of Israel.

And this is where it gets kind of confusing and beautiful and amazing, is that in some parts of the Old Testament in Isaiah, God will refer to Israel as his servants, and then all of a sudden he starts talking about the servant again, but the servant can't really be the people of Israel because the stuff that's said about this servant in Isaiah can't match them.

They are sinful, but this servant is talked about in Isaiah as a sinless one, dying for the sins of Israel and things like that. So it must have tripped him out, right? The Jews had to be like, well, Israel is a servant of God, and yet this servant is coming and that clearly is not us.