I Am With You Always: the Gospel According to Matthew

On Saturday 28 January 2017, Richard led a study afternoon as part of the St Paul’s Cathedral ‘How to read the Bible’ series.

The Gospels are ancient biographies, each with a different portrait of Jesus. Matthew portrays Jesus as the new Moses, the new leader of Israel, come to fulfil the law and the prophets. It is here we find the great passages of teaching, including the Sermon on the Mount, the parables of the Kingdom and the teachings about the church.

Probably written in the mid 80s AD after the terrible destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, Matthew draws on Mark’s earlier Gospel and expands it, asking searching questions about the meaning of Jesus’ life and teaching at this time of desolation, and he cares for his readers in the midst of their painful separation from the synagogue.

In this study afternoon, Richard explored Matthew’s particularly Jewish portrait of Jesus and what it brings distinctively to our understanding of him and of our faith.

Photo: Zoltan Fekeshazi