Introduction

The Gospel according to Matthew records the good news about Jesus Christ. Since the earliest of times Matthew has been the traditional author of this Gospel; to the church fathers his authorship was not in dispute. It is one of four separate accounts of the life of Jesus. As a disciple of Jesus Matthew lived with and walked with Jesus for all of the 3 ½ year ministry He had on the earth. He was an eyewitness to all that Jesus taught and did. He left a life of tax collecting to follow Jesus, and he did so without coercion. This partnership brought Jesus’ reputation into question to which Jesus answered, "It is not the righteous who need a doctor, but the sick" (Matthew 9:12). Matthew quoted many Old Testament passages and gave their fulfillment in Jesus, and he has a great interest in the teachings of Jesus (chapters 5--7; 10; 13; 18; 24 – 25). But he wrote with one central theme in mind: Jesus Christ is the Savior and King over the much anticipated kingdom of God, or as Matthew calls it, the Kingdom of Heaven.

Dr. Stan Toussaint says, "Matthew has a twofold purpose in writing his Gospel. Primarily he penned this Gospel to prove Jesus is the Messiah, but he also wrote it to explain God’s kingdom program to his readers. One goal directly involves the other. Nevertheless, they are distinct."

The subject of the book is outlined in the first verse. The gospel of Matthew is "the book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (Matthew 1:1). This introduces the two most important Old Testament covenants: the Davidic (2 Samuel 7:8-16) and the Abrahamic (Genesis 15:18). Matthew, accordingly, presents Jesus the Messiah in this twofold character. In keeping with verse one, chapter one he sets forth first the King, the son of David, then the son of Abraham in His obedience unto death. In this book the covenant King of Israel, David's "righteous Branch" (Jeremiah 23:5; 33:15) is presented. The first twenty-five chapters deal with the King of the Davidic covenant; His royal birth in Bethlehem, fulfilling Micah 5:2; the ministry of John the Baptist, the King's forerunner, fulfilling Malachi 3:1; the ministry of the King Himself, His rejection by the nation Israel, and His predictions of His second coming in power and great glory. As S. Lewis Johnson says, "The theme of Matthew, then, is the presentation of the King and His kingdom to the nation in fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecy." Not until the closing part of the book (chapters 26-28), does Matthew revert to the Abrahamic covenant. He then records the propitiatory death of the son of Abraham.

In order to understand this kingdom which Matthew speaks of one must understand two covenants made by God. No doubt the Jews whom Matthew wrote to knew exactly what he was talking about. But for the non-Jew it might not be so clear. First, the Davidic covenant.

Once King David settled in his own house of cedar he began to feel guilty that the Ark of the Covenant was not firmly established in a safe dwelling place. So, he decided to build a house for the Lord. God told him that he (David) would not build it – his son (who was not yet born) would. But God did not stop there. As if He had not already blessed David enough, he established His covenant with him. This is known as the Davidic covenant.

The Davidic covenant, which is found in 2 Samuel 7:12-16, includes five items. First, David is to have a child, yet to be born, who shall succeed him and establish his kingdom. Second, this son, Solomon, shall build the temple instead of David. Third, the throne of his kingdom shall be established forever. Fourth, the throne will not be taken away from him (Solomon) even though his sins justify chastisement. Fifth, David’s house, throne, and kingdom shall be established forever. In other words, God promises to the house of David, of which Jesus is a direct descendant (Matthew 1:1), a house, a kingdom, and a throne. The Jews awaited this kingdom, but they failed to recognize the King when He came due to their hardness of heart.

The second covenant which most or all Jews were familiar with was the Abrahamic covenant. This covenant went hand-in-hand with the Davidic covenant, and its understanding is most essential to understanding the kingdom as the Jews understood the kingdom. In a nutshell, God promised the Jews three things (at least one thousand years prior to the Davidic covenant): land, seed, and a blessing. The land, though it was taken by Joshua during the Conquest was not fully realized. This was the Jews’ fault, but God’s covenant with Abraham had nothing to do with man – it had everything to do with God. The seed was a promise that a Messiah would come through the line of the house of Abraham. He would be a Hebrew (Jew). In keeping with the Davidic covenant, He would also be from the line of David, which Jesus was. The blessing promise is in the New Covenant. So, the Abrahamic covenant encompasses the whole future program for Israel and is a major factor in Biblical Eschatology. Given that the Kingdom of Heaven which Matthew speaks of so frequently is part future, it makes sense then that the Abrahamic covenant must be understood in light of Matthew’s teaching.

Since the Jews have never attained all the land they were promised, this promise made to Abraham must still be active. A Jew might ask, "If Jesus is the promised Messiah then what happened to the promised Kingdom?" This means there is a future kingdom. To the Jews, once they killed Jesus, it was evident to them that He was not the Messiah because he had not restored the land to them. This must be one of the reasons Matthew emphasizes his point concerning the Kingdom of Heaven.

The "kingdom of heaven" is part of Matthew’s distinctively Jewish vocabulary. Throughout the Gospel he refers to the Old Testament approximately 130 times, and he does this because it appears his audience is Jewish. The genealogy in chapter one traces Jesus back to King David and then to Abraham, the father of the Jews. He also gives much attention to Peter who was the apostle to the Jews, and he refers to many Jewish customs without explaining them – most likely because his audience was Jewish, and thus, not need an explanation.

The "kingdom of heaven" is something that the Jews understood – and looked forward to. After all, they were waiting for the coming Messiah which had been promised to them centuries prior to their time. As a matter of fact, if they were following the prophecies in the book of Daniel 9 then they must have known that the Messiah’s time was near – right at their doors. They were watching and waiting, however, for another King David type. "The Jews had a false, materialistic conception of the kingdom. They thought the Messiah was one who was coming to give them political emancipation. They were looking forward to someone who would deliver them from the bondage and yoke of the Roman Empire. They always thought of the kingdom in an external sense – a mechanical, military, materialistic sense. So Matthew puts the true teaching of the kingdom on the very forefront of his Gospel." The kingdom of heaven they sought was a military kingdom which would give them (Jews) back their independence. This was not, however, the kingdom of heaven which Jesus brought and offered to the Jews. Jesus’ kingdom, as He revealed to Pontius Pilate just before He was sentenced to death, was not of this world. He was a king but not the kind of king the Jews were waiting for. "As a whole, the Gospel is not properly designated as only an apologetic for the Christian faith. Rather, it was designed to explain to the Jews, who had expected the Messiah when He came to be a conquering king, why instead Christ suffered and died, and why there was the resulting postponement of His triumph to His second coming."

Dr. John MacArthur speaks of two aspects dealing with the kingdom of heaven. First is the outer kingdom. This aspect of the kingdom includes everyone who professes a knowledge of God. The outer kingdom can be seen but not accurately evaluated by man due to man’s ignorance of other people’s hearts. This outer kingdom is illustrated by the two parables (wheat/tares and the sower) found in Matthew 13. Second is the inner kingdom. This kingdom has only to do with true believers. These believers truly repent and are converted.

The kingdom of heaven can have a number of phases. First is the prophesied kingdom such as that found in the book of Daniel, chapter two, verse 44. The second phase of the kingdom is the kingdom which John the Baptist and Jesus spoke of as being at hand. This kingdom was offered and rejected by the Jews. The third phase of the kingdom is the interim kingdom. This kingdom is what reigns in the hearts of all believers today. It was rejected by the Jews but accepted by the Gentiles. Thus, this phase is the mystery form of the kingdom. Fourth is the coming millennial kingdom. This kingdom will be the literal reign of Jesus Christ on the earth for one thousand years spoken of in Revelation 20. Finally, there will be an eternal kingdom. This occurs after the Millennium, and it is abundantly supplied to all who belong to Christ.

Dr. David Martyn Lloyd-Jones says that the kingdom of heaven was, is, and will be. He says that it has come, is coming, and has yet to come. "Whenever Christ is enthroned as King, the kingdom of God is come, so that, while we cannot say that He is ruling over all in the world at the present time, He is certainly ruling in that way in the hearts and lives of all His people."

In relation to the Old Testament the phrase, "kingdom of heaven", finds its origin there. Daniel, in his prophecy (2:44), as he is explaining to Nebuchadnezzar about the image of gold, silver, iron and clay, which, in his dream, he had seen shattered by "a stone cut out without hands," interprets it as a succession of world-kingdoms, destined to be destroyed by "a kingdom of God," which shall last forever. In addition, Daniel tells of his vision of the "son of man" in 7:14, and says, "There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations, and languages should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

Jesus spoke many parables in the Gospels. One of the purposes of Jesus’ use of parables was to reveal certain truths about the Kingdom. Matthew quotes many of the parables of Jesus in keeping with his theme concerning the Kingdom. For instance, Matthew 13:10-13 says, "The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.’" The point being that Matthew wants his readers to understand why Jesus came and what He came to bring and usher in – the Kingdom.

Matthew 21:43 also talks about this when it says, "Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit of it." The nation Jesus is speaking of is the church. This is the kingdom that exists today and is the mystery that Paul speaks of and which Daniel knew nothing about in his prophecy. First Peter 2:9 refers to the church as a "Holy Nation." The message of Matthew 21:43 is constantly repeated in the parables of Jesus. Because of the Jews’ unbelief they would lose, and have lost, the Kingdom. They’re responsibility was to be the guardians of God’s Word and the message it contained. Unfortunately for them, though they knew God’s Word, they’re errant concept of the Messiah caused them to miss Him when He did arrive.

The "kingdom of heaven" or "kingdom of God," is mentioned 51 times in the Gospel of Matthew, and it is spoken of twice as often as in any other gospel. In Jesus, the kingdom has come (12:28), but it is not yet fulfilled (13:43; 25:34). This is a kingdom that cannot be earned by works (19:23); it can, however, be received by those who realize they are unworthy of it (5:3; 21:31). "The kingdom extends like a fishing net, gathering people from every part of society (13:47), offering new life in the life-changing presence of God (8:11). The kingdom is more valuable than a precious gem (13:45-46), and it excludes any and all competitors for its allegiance (6:33)."

The kingdom of Heaven, or God, simply means the rule or reign of God – over the universe, the earth, and in the hearts of men. Whether or not one possesses the kingdom is evident in the way one lives and the transformation of their lives after trusting Christ as Lord and Savior. A person becomes part of the kingdom not through words and/or deeds, as if to be able to boast of their conversion, but they do it through God’s moving and by doing, as Jesus says, "the will of My father in heaven" (7:21).

Matthew seems definitely to have written to confirm persecuted Jewish believers in their faith and to reconcile them in their thinking that the gospel was not a rejection of Old Testament prophecies but rather an outworking of the great promises of the Abrahamic and Davidic covenants. The Jews needed clear demonstration of the Messiah's Person and work and to have objections removed that hindered unbelieving Jews. The writer accomplishes this purpose by proving the kingship of the predicted divine-human Messiah; that He fulfilled Old Testament predictions in His Person and work; that He produced the credentials of Israel's King and announced teachings of the kingdom; and His Person and work were rejected by the nation; that He announced a new program, His death, resurrection, and second advent; and that after this present age of His building the church, He will return to set up His kingdom.

The teachings of the Old Testament clearly taught that the Messiah would usher in a glorious reign of utopia upon the land of Palestine. The Jews rejected the King when he came, but the Kingdom was not lost due to their hardness of heart. Matthew, in his Gospel, includes teachings that reveal what form that promised Kingdom took. It was a mystery – something the Old Testament had not taught them. What was a mystery to those who lived after the resurrection Matthew makes known by showing how the Kingdom of Heaven has taken on a different form in the present age. Matthew shows that though the Kingdom did exist in his time, and in the present time, the Davidic kingdom will be instituted at a future time when Jesus returns to establish His reign on the earth. Once that occurs, the promises of the Abrahamic covenant will be fulfilled as well.

Barbieri, L.A., 1983, The Bible Knowledge Commentary. Victor Books: USA, Canada, England, pp. 16-17.

Constable, Thomas, Dallas Theological Seminary Notes from Gospels 305.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Electronic Database Copyright 1996, by Biblesoft.

Lloyd-Jones, D.M., 1959. Studies in the Sermon on the Mount. Grand Rapids: Intervarsity Press, p. 16.

MacArthur, J.F, 1985. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: Matthew. Moody

Press: Chicago, pp. 55-56.

New Unger's Bible Dictionary originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois, 1988.

Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary; Copyright (C) 1986, Thomas Nelson Publishers.

Pentecost, J.D., 1958. Things to Come. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, pp. 100-115.

________,1958. Things to Come. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, pp. 65-99.

Toussaint, S.D., 1980. Behold the King: A Study of Matthew, Multonomah Press: Portland,

pp. 329-33.

Walvoord, J.F., Thy Kingdom Come, pp. 12-13.