The Message of Matthew: The Kingdom of Heaven

Matthew's Gospel is the first--and perhaps the most important--single document of the New Testament. In it you will find the fullest and most systematic account of the birth, life, teaching, death, and resurrection of the founder of Christianity, Jesus the Messiah. In this Bible Speaks Today volume, Michael Green shows how this very Jewish Gospel portrays the power and purpose of Jesus' life and work, which was to bring light to all nations.

Matthew records Jesus as Messiah, Son of God, Son of David, Son of Man, and supremely as God returning to Jerusalem as judge and redeemer. The consequences of this steady focus are as relevant now as then. Now more than ever we need to hear Matthew's emphasis on the unity of God's revelation old and new, its teaching on the life of discipleship, its exploration of the meaning of the kingdom of heaven, and its insights into the people of the Messiah, the end of the world, and the universality of the Good News.

Green offers introductory material on the author of Matthew, the readers to whom the Gospel was originally written, the popularity of the Gospel, and its structure and themes. He then provides a passage-by-passage exposition of Matthew, paying attention to the application of the text as well as its interpretation. A study guide follows the exposition and will help you to further ponder and practice what this Gospel teaches you about Jesus and your place in the kingdom of Heaven. This new edition includes updated language and current NIV Scripture quotations throughout.

E. Michael Green served as senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University. He helped establish the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics and was adviser in evangelism to the archbishops of Canterbury and York. As a pastor, evangelist, author and lecturer, he taught and preached the New Testament for many years. His dozens of books include I Believe in the Holy Spirit and Evangelism in the Early Church.