Matthew's Gospel: Proving Jesus as the Jewish Messiah
This paper examines Matthew's Gospel as a purposeful theological argument directed at a Hebrew audience in Palestine. Drawing on Mark's Gospel as a foundation, Matthew systematically references Old Testament prophecy, the Passover tradition, and Jesus's Abrahamic genealogy to demonstrate that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah and the fulfillment of Jewish Scripture. The paper contrasts Matthew's approach with Mark's miracle-centered, Gentile-focused narrative, analyzes the development of the Last Supper's Passover theme, explores the role of faith through figures such as the Centurion, and explains why the Messianic Secret was unnecessary for Matthew's Jewish readership. Scholars Mark Allan Powell and Raymond E. Brown provide supporting commentary throughout.
- Introduction: Matthew's Purpose and Audience: Matthew's Hebrew audience and Messianic purpose
- The Passover Theme and the Last Supper: Matthew expands Mark's Last Supper for Jews
- Mark's Foundation and the Messianic Secret: Mark's Messianic Secret and its Gentile context
- Faith, the Centurion, and the Hebrew Rebuke: The Centurion's faith rebukes Hebrew disciples
- The Genealogy of Jesus and the Abrahamic Covenant: Genealogy links Jesus to Abraham's covenant
- Conclusion: Matthew and Mark as Complementary Gospels: Both Gospels convey Jesus's identity differently
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper consistently grounds its comparative analysis in direct textual evidence, quoting both Matthew and Mark to illustrate how Matthew expands or diverges from his source material.
- It maintains a clear, unified thesis — that Matthew's Gospel is shaped entirely by its Hebrew audience's need to recognize Jesus as the Messiah — and returns to this claim throughout each section.
- The use of secondary scholars (Powell and Brown) is well-integrated, supporting rather than replacing the student's own analytical observations about audience and purpose.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates effective comparative textual analysis. By placing parallel passages from Mark and Matthew side by side — particularly the Last Supper accounts — the writer reveals how authorial intent shapes the same narrative differently for different audiences. This technique moves beyond simple summary to genuine interpretive argument.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens by establishing historical context and authorial purpose, then moves through specific Gospel themes: the Passover, the Messianic Secret, the role of faith, and the genealogy. Each section adds a new layer of evidence for the central thesis before the conclusion synthesizes the Mark–Matthew relationship. The structure is linear and cumulative, building the argument step by step toward a clear closing claim.
Introduction: Matthew's Purpose and Audience
Most scholars agree that Mark's Gospel was written between 60 and 75 AD and that Mark's account served as a source for Matthew's Gospel, which was written in roughly the same period. However, while Mark wrote his Gospel for the Gentiles, Matthew wrote to the Hebrews in and around Palestine. Their audiences were therefore completely different, with very different needs. For the Hebrews, it was essential to understand how Jesus was God — and that is the overall point of Matthew's Gospel: to show that "God is present in Jesus."1
The Gospel of Matthew gives an account of the history of Jesus Christ and was composed for the benefit of the inhabitants of Palestine shortly after Our Lord's death. As one of the Apostles, Matthew had an intimate knowledge of Jesus. Before becoming an Apostle he was a tax collector (publican), a role that the Jews despised. Matthew's Gospel resembles Mark's in that it deals with Christ's ministry, His preaching, His journey from Galilee to Jerusalem, and His passion, death, and resurrection. It differs in that it begins with the genealogy of Jesus and serves as both a source of encouragement for Christian believers in Palestine and a mode of instruction for non-believers — namely, the Hebrews. Thus, it is Matthew's special purpose to show the Jews how Jesus is the Messiah come to establish the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew, by reference to the Old Testament prophecies, replies to those who had followed John the Baptist into the desert and asked, "Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?" (Matt 11:3). This special purpose is revealed mainly through Matthew's expansion of Mark's narrative by way of key references to Old Testament themes and Scriptural verses. In this manner, Matthew locates the story of Jesus within the history of the Jews, identifying Him as the "one who is to come."
The Passover Theme and the Last Supper
One way that Matthew differs from Mark is in the development of the Passover theme at the Last Supper. Mark writes, "He said to them, 'This is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many'" (14:24), showing that Jesus clearly establishes a new covenant as He and His followers sit for the Passover. Matthew, however, elaborates on Mark's description, stating:
And while they were at supper, Jesus took bread, and blessed and broke, and gave it to his disciples, and said, "Take and eat; this is my body." And taking a cup, he gave thanks and gave it to them, saying, "All of you drink of this; for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is being shed for many unto the forgiveness of sins" (26:26–29).
Matthew makes explicit that the blood of Christ is being shed for the sins of humanity — and states this point with particular clarity for his Hebrew audience. Matthew wants the Hebrews to understand that Christ is the fulfillment of the Old Law, the Old Testament, and the Passover theme. Christ forgives sins because He is God — and this is precisely what Matthew sees the Jews as needing to accept. In this sense, Christ becomes the divine sacrificial lamb — the real Paschal Lamb, the fulfillment of the Passover promise. Matthew's overall aim is to prove that Jesus is the Messiah, which is why Matthew's Gospel is also called "The Teacher's Gospel": it is always striving to teach something about Jesus as God.2
Conclusion: Matthew and Mark as Complementary Gospels
Matthew's Gospel builds on the foundation laid by Mark but stresses important lessons regarding Our Lord's divinity. Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the Messiah whom the Jews have long awaited, whereas Mark emphasizes the miracles that Our Lord performed, using this approach to bring about the conversion of the Gentiles, who did not share the same formation in the Hebrew Old Testament. Yet Mark too stresses the fact that Jesus is the Messiah, though he also stresses the importance of keeping it a secret — as if in doing so he makes the mystery of the God-Man even more intimate.
Ultimately, however, both Mark and Matthew present the same history of Jesus to the world, with each making particular accommodations for his respective audience. Since Mark likely wrote his gospel first, Matthew is indebted to his work. Yet Matthew does not simply reproduce Mark's narrative: rather, he brings it into an entirely new light for a people whose perspective is shaped by a different history with different needs and expectations. Matthew gives the Hebrews the book they need to see that Jesus is God.
Bibliography
Brown, Raymond E. An Introduction to the New Testament. NY: Doubleday, 1997.
New Testament. English Standard Version. Bible Hub, 2015.
Powell, Mark Allan. Introducing the New Testament. MI: Baker Academic, 2013.
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