The book of Matthew, named after its author, is one of the four Gospels, biographies that focus on the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus.
The book of Matthew was written primarily to a Jewish audience and does much to connect Jewish history and understanding to the life of Jesus. Suscintctly, Matthew is written to insiders (the Hebrew people) about Jesus’s embrace of outsiders.
It is great as a bridge from the Old to New Testament of the Bible and for those interested in better seeing the connections between Judaism and Christianity – and the connection is strong and significant.
One of the most familiar sections in the book of Matthew is the teaching of Jesus found in Matthew 5, 6, and 7; this message is commonly called the “Sermon on the Mount.” (Parts of this passage are also found in Mark and Luke, but the presentation in Matthew is the most appreciated.)
There are many parallel passages in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but not too many with the John.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
