Matthew: the Gospel of the King

Matthew is writing as a former tax collector, a Jew perceived by some as a traitor for his association with Rome, to declare the good news that Jesus is the promised King – the Messiah who has come to earth to redeem mankind from their sins. The gospel according to Matthew is a book that is instructive in nature and intended to help early followers of Jesus understand His message and His values, the message and values of the Kingdom of God. The gospel of Matthew is unique among the other gospels in that the words of Jesus make up about 1/3 of the gospel. Matthew is presenting those who would follow Jesus with the statements of Jesus about being a disciple. Matthew is writing to demonstrate for us that Jesus is the promised Messiah, the King, and the Son of David, who is bringing the Kingdom of God and is the fulfillment of the promised deliverance to both Jews and Gentiles.