Matthew
A Parascriptural Gospel Narrative
by
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Introduction
Matthew’s personal calling is chronicled in each of the three synoptic gospels. Luke calls him “Levi the tax-gatherer,” Mark refers to him as “Levi, the son of Alphaeus,” and Matthew names himself as Matthew but further identifies himself as “the tax collector” when listing
the twelve apostles in verse 3 of chapter 10.
Matthew wrote primarily for a Jewish audience, and this is evident by the fact that when he cites Jewish customs, he does so without the need for explaining them. He was also respectively cautious and even guarded when referring to the name of God. As an example, he would say “the kingdom of heaven” instead of saying “the kingdom of God” like the other New Testament writers did. Matthew also quotes extensively from Old Testament prophetic passages in order to link the promises of the coming Messiah to the reality of the fulfillment of them in Jesus. Another difference is in the way he wrote his gospel. He did so by giving his readers firsthand accounts as he was an eyewitness to the events that took place surrounding Jesus during His earthly ministry.
Traditionally, the writing of Matthew has been set within the time of AD 50–70. It is often speculated that Matthew leaned heavily on the writings of Mark as he prepared his own gospel presentation. However, John MacArthur tells us in his commentary that “the nearly unanimous testimony of the church until the nineteenth century was that Matthew was the first Gospel written. Such a consistent and impressive chorus cannot be ignored.” He goes on to list numerous bullet points refuting Matthew’s dependence on the book of Mark, finally stating, The traditional view that the Gospel writers were inspired by God and wrote independently of each other, except that all were moved by the same Holy Spirit, remains the only plausible view.
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About the Book
Matthew’s personal calling is chronicled in each of three synoptic gospels. Luke calls him “Levi the tax-gatherer,” Mark refers to him as “Levi, the son of Alphaeus,” and Matthew names himself as Matthew but further identifies himself as “the tax collector.”
In Matthew, author Dennis Cornish offers a commentary on the gospel of Matthew. These verses are followed by applicable commentary which combines studied research, including a lifetime of personal study and devotion as well as referenced and cited discussion from various authors ranging from early church fathers to recognized contemporary theologians.
Where applicable, Cornish cross references both Old and New Testament verses to enhance the understanding, as well as to incorporate the whole counsel of God’s word. He also includes supporting information from extra Biblical sources such as Strong’s Lexicon, the Westminster Theological Dictionary, ancient Jewish historians, the Apostle’s Creed, the Nicene Creed, the Westminster Confession of Faith, and many more such creeds and confessions.
Cornish uses the truths found in scripture, and in this case in the book of Matthew, to offer insight into the life and times of Jesus as it was chronicled by Matthew who was an eyewitness to the events that took place surrounding Jesus during his earthly ministry.
About the Author
Dennis Cornish is retired from his secular job as corporate director of environmental services for a multi-national manufacturing company with facilities throughout the United States and Europe. He also served as the national chairman for the lobbying group that represented the leading companies within the same manufacturing sector. Cornish is an active member of Memorial Bible Church in Yakima, Washington, has served as an elder and taught a variety of classes and Bible studies.