Looks.
Have you ever had someone describe a person to you? You get a mental picture of how that person looks. Then you meet him or her. Can that be the person? He or she sure doesn’t look anything like you expected.
First-century Jews expected the promised Savior to be a conqueror. Jesus was a teacher. Instead of raising an army to defeat the Romans, he urged the people to trust him as God’s Son. Matthew wrote to prove that Jesus really did fulfill the prophecies from the Old Testament and is the promised Savior. What Jesus conquered was sin. And the kingdom he rules today is in your heart.
Final Score: Jesus 3, Satan 0
• Contest report found in Matthew 4:1–11
Radical Teaching Shocks Pharisees
• “Not good enough,” Jesus claims. See Matthew 5:17–30
Miracle Man Restores Dead Girl
• Story in Matthew 9:18–25
Jesus’ Followers to Carry Crosses?
• Private teaching puzzles followers. See Matthew 16:21–28
Roman Governor Caves in to Pressure
• Governor goes against conscience. See Matthew 27:11–26
Preview
• Matthew is one of Jesus’ twelve disciples.
• Matthew quotes the Old Testament 53 times, to show that Jesus is the Messiah.
When Jesus is born in 4 B.C., the Roman Empire is at peace. • Augustus is in his 25th year as ruler. • Herod the Great’s expansion and beautification of the Jerusalem Temple is complete. • Herod is about to die, and his kingdom will be divided among three of his children.