Guzik Scommentarieson the Bible Matthew (David Guzik)

《Guzik’sCommentarieson the Bible – Matthew》(David Guzik)

Commentator

David Guzik is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Santa Barbara, having come to serve that congregation in July 2010.

For seven years before that, David was the director of Calvary Chapel Bible College Germany, near Siegen, Germany. David took this position in January of 2003, after serving for fourteen years as the founding and Senior Pastor of Calvary Chapel of Simi Valley. He has been in pastoral ministry since 1982. David has no formal Bible College or seminary training, but does have a Bachelors of Arts degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara.

David, his wife Inga-Lill, live in Santa Barbara, California. Their three children are grown; Aan-Sofie serves as a missionary in Ireland, Nathan lives in Los Angeles, and Jonathan lives in Santa Barbara.

David has many interests, but one passion among them is to know God's Word and to make it known to others. Each week many thousands of users all over the globe - mostly pastors and teachers - use David Guzik's Bible commentary on-line, on cd-rom, and in print.

Currently there are no commentary information for the following books: Proverbs, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel.

You can keep updated with the work of Calvary Chapel Bible College Germany through their internet home page at

You can contact Pastor David through Enduring Word Media

01 Chapter 1

Verses 1-25

Matthew 1:1-25 - THE GENEALOGY AND BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST

A. The place of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.

1. Matthew: The first gospel for a reason.

a. Matthew was seen as a “prestigious” gospel in the early church, because it had some significant portions of Jesus’ teaching not included in other gospels, such as a fuller version of the Sermon on the Mount. In addition, it was the only one of the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) to have an apostolic author.

b. Additionally, the Jewish flavor of the Gospel of Matthew makes for a logical transition between the Old and New Testaments. For these reasons, the early church placed it first in order among the four gospel accounts.

c. The author is Matthew (also known as Levi), who was a former tax collector before he followed Jesus as a disciple.

i. Critical theories that attempt to assign Matthew to two authors - one who presented teachings of Jesus, the other who presented the actions of Jesus - are popular among some scholars. But this is an unfounded and highly speculative criticism.

ii. Some early church commentators and modern scholars say that Matthew originally wrote his gospel in Hebrew, and it was then translated into Greek. But there is really no concrete evidence for this theory, such as the discovery of a Hebrew manuscript of Matthew.

2. The theme of the gospel of Matthew: Jesus as King and Messiah.

a. The key phrase this was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet occurs some 16 times in this Gospel. Matthew shows Jesus as the rightful Messiah of Israel, fulfilling prophecy.

B. The genealogy of Jesus Christ.

1. (Matthew 1:1) Matthew shows his theme in the first verse: Jesus as the fulfillment of prophecy and of Israel’s expectation.

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:

a. Son of David: Jesus is the kingly Messiah promised from David’s royal line (2 Samuel 7:12-16).

b. Son of Abraham: Jesus is the Seed of Abraham in Whom all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12:3).

2. (Matthew 1:2-16) Jesus’ genealogy through Joseph.

Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboam begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezekiah. Hezekiah begot Manasseh, Manasseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time they were carried away to Babylon. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconiah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud. Eliud begot Eleazar, Eleazar begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus who is called Christ.

a. This genealogy establishes Jesus’ claim to the throne of David through his adoptive father Joseph. This is not His blood lineage through Mary, but His legal lineage through Joseph. The Gospel of Luke provides Jesus’ blood lineage through Mary.

b. Tamar . . . Rahab . . . Ruth . . . her who had been the wife of Uriah: In this genealogy is the unusual presence of four women. Women were rarely mentioned in ancient genealogies, and the four mentioned here are worthy of special note as examples of God’s grace. They show how God can take unlikely people and use them in great ways.

i. Tamar (Matthew 1:3): She sold herself as a prostitute to her father in-law Judah to bring forth Perez and Zerah.

ii. Rahab (Matthew 1:5): She was a Gentile prostitute, for whom God took extraordinary measures to save from judgment and her lifestyle of prostitution.

iii. Ruth (Matthew 1:5): She was from Moab, a Gentile.

iv. Her who had been the wife of Uriah: Bathsheba (mentioned by implication in Matthew 1:6) was an adulteress, infamous for her sin with David.

c. Why are these four women listed in the genealogy of Jesus?

i. To demonstrate that Jesus Christ was not some kind of “blue blood” in the sense that He did not come from a “pure” aristocratic background.

ii. To demonstrate that Jesus identifies with sinners in His genealogy, even as He will in His birth, baptism, life, and His death on the cross.

iii. To show that there is a new place for women under the New Covenant. In both the pagan and the Jewish culture of that day, men often had little regard for women. In that era, Jewish men prayed every morning, thanking God that they were not Gentiles, slaves, or women. And women were regarded more highly among the Jews than among the pagans!

3. (Matthew 1:17) Matthew’s organization of the genealogy.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Christ are fourteen generations.

a. Fourteen generations . . . fourteen generations . . . fourteen generations: Matthew points out that this genealogy is not complete. There were not actually 14 generations between the landmarks he indicates, but Matthew edited the list down to make it easy to remember and memorize.

b. The practice of skipping generations at times was common in the listing of ancient genealogies. Matthew did nothing unusual by leaving some generations out.

C. The Birth of Jesus Christ.

1. (Matthew 1:18) Mary, while engaged to Joseph, is found to be with child as a result of a miraculous conception by the Holy Spirit.

Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.

a. She was found with child of the Holy Spirit: Matthew plainly (without Luke’s detail) presents the virginal conception and birth of Jesus. However, the virgin birth was difficult for people to believe back then, even as it is also doubted now by some.

b. The enemies of Jesus knew there were “suspicious” circumstances surrounding His parentage, and make reference to it in passages like John 8:19; John 8:41. Lies spread that Mary had become pregnant from a Roman soldier. Here, Matthew sets the story straight - both then and now.

2. (Matthew 1:19) Joseph seeks a quiet divorce.

Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.

a. A just man, and not wanting to make her a public example: Considering it impossible to go through with marriage to someone who has been unfaithful to him, Joseph makes a “logical” decision to seek a quiet divorce.

b. To put her away secretly: This refers to breaking an engagement by divorce. Remember that betrothal (engagement) was binding in Jewish culture, and one needed a divorce to break an engagement. Joseph her husband shows that even though they were not formally married, Joseph was still considered Mary’s husband by engagement.

3. (Matthew 1:20-21) An angel speaks to Joseph in a dream, convincing him not to divorce Mary.

But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.”

a. Behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream: This was not the angel of the Lord, but simply an angel of the Lord. Perhaps it was Gabriel, who is prominent in the announcements made to Mary and Zacharias (Luke 1:19; Luke 1:26). Yet those were actual angelic visitations, this was presented to Joseph in a dream.

b. Joseph, son of David: The address son of David should have alerted Joseph that something was significant here. It is a reference to his legal lineage to the throne of David.

c. That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit: It seems that Mary had not told Joseph that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. This shouldn’t surprise us; how could she (or anyone except God) explain such a thing?

d. You shall call his name JESUS: The name JESUS (“the salvation of Yahweh”) was fairly common in that day, but supremely blessed in our day. As it is said, there is no other name under heaven by which men must be saved (Acts 4:12).

e. For He will save His people: Save them from what? He will save His people from their sins. Jesus meets us in our sin, but His purpose is to save us from them. First from the penalty of sin, then from the power of sin, and finally from the presence of sin.

4. (Matthew 1:22-23) The virgin birth as the fulfillment of prophecy.

So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

a. This is the first use of that it might be fulfilled, which will become a familiar theme throughout Matthew.

b. Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel: There has been some measure of controversy regarding this quote from Isaiah 7:14, primarily because the Hebrew word Almahcan be translated as either virginor “young woman.”

i. But the issue is ridiculous to argue. In this context, clearly Almah indicates a virgin, because the Old Testament never uses the word in a context other than “virgin” and because the Septuagint translates it categorically “virgin.”

c. Immanuel: This title of Jesus refers to both His deity (God with us) and His identification and nearness to man (God with us).

5. (Matthew 1:24-25) Joseph marries Mary after the angelic announcement.

Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.

a. Did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son: The words did not know her till imply that Joseph and Mary had normal marital relations after Jesus’ birth. This denies the Roman Catholic dogma of the perpetual virginity of Mary.

i. This is an unbiblical, doctrine, which did not appear earlier than the fifth century after Jesus. It should be placed with the dogmas of Mary’s Immaculate Conception, assumption into heaven, and present role as a mediator for believers. Each one of these is man’s invention, meant to exalt Mary in an unbiblical manner.

b. And he called His name JESUS: The simple obedience of Mary and Joseph in naming the baby JESUS is worthy of notice. Such simple obedience should never be lost in the Christian life.

02 Chapter 2

Verses 1-23

Matthew 2:1-23 - WISE MEN FROM THE EAST, ESCAPE TO EGYPT AND BACK AGAIN

A. Wise men from the east come to honor Jesus.

1. (Matthew 2:1-2) The wise men arrive in Jerusalem.

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him.”

a. Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem: Misconceptions and legends abound about these wise men. They were not kings, but wise men, which means they were astronomers. There were not only three, but probably a great company. They seem to have not come on the birth night, but many days (or even months) later.

i. Church traditions even tell us their names - supposedly Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar. You can see their supposed skulls in a cathedral in Cologne, Germany.

b. Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? These ancient scientists from Persia were on an important mission. They probably had been alerted to the prophetic significance of their times by the prophesies of Daniel and other Old Testament prophets.

i. Jewish legends say that Daniel himself, as an official of the Persian government, founded this order of Magi (wise men), and instructed them to watch for the Messiah through the generations.

ii. This shows us that the whole world was looking for the Messiah, not only Israel.

c. For we have seen His star in the East: There has been considerable speculation on this star they saw in the East. Some say it was a curious conjunction of planets, others a comet. These are possible, but it is also possible God provided a completely unique phenomenon for them to see.

i. Whatever it was, it is significant that God meet them in their own medium: He guides the astronomers by a star.

d. And have come to worship Him: The wise men come first to Jerusalem, assuming that the leaders of the Jews would be aware and excited about the birth of their Messiah. The wise men are about to find that this isn’t the case at all.

2. (Matthew 2:3) Herod is troubled at the news brought by the wise men.

When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.

a. When Herod the king heard this: Herod the Great (one of several Herods mentioned in the Bible, and the ancestor of the others) was famous for both his magnificent public building projects, and his ruthless, cruel paranoia.

i. Herod was not a Jew at all, but an Edomite, and Rome recognized him as a vassal king over Judea. The Jews tempered their great hatred of him with admiration for his building projects, such as the magnificent improvements made to the second temple.

ii. Motivated by his great paranoia and cruelty, he murdered the members of the Sanhedrien, his wife, his mother in-law, and his three sons.

iii. When Herod knew that his death was approaching, he had the most distinguished leaders of Jerusalem arrested on false charges. He ordered that as soon as he died, they should all be killed - he knew well no one would mourn his own death, so he was determined that some tears be shed when he died.

b. He was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him: The fact that all Jerusalem was troubled with Herod is significant. This was due either to the fact that the people of Jerusalem rightly feared what sort of paranoid outburst might come from Herod upon hearing of a rival king being born, or because of the size and dignity of this caravan from the East.

3. (Matthew 2:4-6) Herod is instructed regarding the Messiah’s coming by the chief priests and scribes.

And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. So they said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”