Comments on Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION TO THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW
SYNOPTIC GOSPELS
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are usually called Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic comes from two Greek words that mean see together. Therefore, the above-mentioned Gospels received this name because they describe the same events in the life of Jesus. In each of them, however, there are some additions, or something is omitted, but, in general, they are based on the same material, and this material is also arranged in the same way. Therefore, they can be written in parallel columns and compared with each other.
After this, it becomes very obvious that they are very close to each other. If, for example, we compare the story of the feeding of the five thousand (Matthew 14:12-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 5:17-26), then this is the same story, told in almost the same words.
Or take, for example, another story about the healing of a paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26). These three stories are so similar to each other that even the introductory words, “said to the paralytic,” appear in all three stories in the same form in the same place. The correspondence between all three Gospels is so close that one must either conclude that all three took material from the same source, or two were based on a third.
THE FIRST GOSPEL
Examining the matter more carefully, one can imagine that the Gospel of Mark was written first, and the other two - the Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of Luke - are based on it.
The Gospel of Mark can be divided into 105 passages, of which 93 are found in the Gospel of Matthew and 81 in the Gospel of Luke. Only four of the 105 passages in the Gospel of Mark are not found in either the Gospel of Matthew or the Gospel of Luke. There are 661 verses in the Gospel of Mark, 1068 verses in the Gospel of Matthew, and 1149 in the Gospel of Luke. There are no less than 606 verses from Mark in the Gospel of Matthew, and 320 in the Gospel of Luke. Of the 55 verses in the Gospel of Mark, which not reproduced in Matthew, 31 yet reproduced in Luke; thus, only 24 verses from Mark are not reproduced in either Matthew or Luke.
But not only the meaning of the verses is conveyed: Matthew uses 51%, and Luke uses 53% of the words of the Gospel of Mark. Both Matthew and Luke follow, as a rule, the arrangement of material and events adopted in the Gospel of Mark. Sometimes Matthew or Luke have differences from the Gospel of Mark, but it is never the case that they both were different from him. One of them always follows the order that Mark follows.
REVISION OF THE GOSPEL OF MARK
Due to the fact that the Gospels of Matthew and Luke are much larger in volume than the Gospel of Mark, one might think that the Gospel of Mark is a brief transcription of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. But one fact indicates that the Gospel of Mark is the earliest of them all: so to speak, the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke improve the Gospel of Mark. Let's take a few examples.
Here are three descriptions of the same event:
Map. 1.34:"And He healed many, suffering from various diseases; expelled many demons."
Mat. 8.16:"He cast out the spirits with a word and healed everyone sick."
Onion. 4.40:"He, laying on everyone of them hands, healed
Or let's take another example:
Map. 3:10: “For He healed many.”
Mat. 12:15: “He healed them all.”
Onion. 6:19: "... power came from Him and healed everyone."
Approximately the same change is noted in the description of Jesus' visit to Nazareth. Let's compare this description in the Gospels of Matthew and Mark:
Map. 6.5.6: “And he could not perform any miracle there... and he marveled at their unbelief.”
Mat. 13:58: “And he did not perform many miracles there because of their unbelief.”
The author of the Gospel of Matthew does not have the heart to say that Jesus could not perform miracles, and he changes the phrase. Sometimes the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke leave out little hints from the Gospel of Mark that may somehow detract from the greatness of Jesus. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke omit three remarks found in the Gospel of Mark:
Map. 3.5:“And he looked upon them with anger, grieving because of the hardness of their hearts...”
Map. 3.21:“And when his neighbors heard, they went to take him, for they said that he had lost his temper.”
Map. 10.14:"Jesus was indignant..."
All this clearly shows that the Gospel of Mark was written earlier than the others. It gives a simple, lively and direct account, and the authors of Matthew and Luke were already beginning to be influenced by dogmatic and theological considerations, and therefore they chose their words more carefully.
TEACHINGS OF JESUS
We have already seen that the Gospel of Matthew has 1068 verses and the Gospel of Luke 1149 verses, and that 582 of these are repetitions of verses from the Gospel of Mark. This means that there is much more material in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke than in the Gospel of Mark. A study of this material shows that more than 200 verses from it are almost identical among the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke; for example, passages such as Onion. 6.41.42 And Mat. 7.3.5; Onion. 10.21.22 And Mat. 11.25-27; Onion. 3.7-9 And Mat. 3, 7-10 almost exactly the same. But here's where we see the difference: the material that the authors of Matthew and Luke took from the Gospel of Mark deals almost exclusively with events in the life of Jesus, and these additional 200 verses shared by the Gospels of Matthew and Luke deal with something other than that. that Jesus did, but what He said. It is quite obvious that in this part the authors of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke drew information from the same source - from the book of sayings of Jesus.
This book no longer exists, but theologians called it KB, what does Quelle mean in German - source. This book must have been extremely important in those days because it was the first textbook on the teachings of Jesus.
THE PLACE OF THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW IN THE GOSPEL TRADITION
Here we come to the problem of Matthew the Apostle. Theologians agree that the first Gospel is not the fruit of Matthew's hands. A person who was a witness to the life of Christ would not need to turn to the Gospel of Mark as a source of information about the life of Jesus, as the author of the Gospel of Matthew does. But one of the first church historians named Papias, Bishop of Hierapolis, left us the following extremely important news: “Matthew collected the sayings of Jesus in the Hebrew language.”
Thus, we can consider that it was Matthew who wrote the book from which all people should draw as a source who want to know what Jesus taught. It was because so much of this source book was included in the first Gospel that it was given the name Matthew. We should be eternally grateful to Matthew when we remember that we owe to him the Sermon on the Mount and almost everything we know about the teaching of Jesus. In other words, it is to the author of the Gospel of Mark that we owe our knowledge of life events Jesus, and Matthew - knowledge of the essence teachings Jesus.
MATTHEW THE TANKER
We know very little about Matthew himself. IN Mat. 9.9 we read about his calling. We know that he was a publican - a tax collector - and therefore everyone should have hated him terribly, because the Jews hated their fellow tribesmen who served the victors. Matthew must have been a traitor in their eyes.
But Matthew had one gift. Most of Jesus' disciples were fishermen and did not have the talent to put words on paper, but Matthew was supposed to be an expert in this matter. When Jesus called Matthew, who was sitting at the toll booth, he stood up and, leaving everything but his pen, followed Him. Matthew nobly used his literary talent and became the first person to describe the teachings of Jesus.
GOSPEL OF THE JEWS
Let us now look at the main features of the Gospel of Matthew, so that when reading it we will pay attention to this.
First, and above all, the Gospel of Matthew - this is the gospel written for the Jews. It was written by a Jew to convert the Jews.
One of the main purposes of Matthew's Gospel was to show that in Jesus all the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled and therefore He must be the Messiah. One phrase, a recurring theme, runs throughout the book: “It came to pass that God spoke by the prophet.” This phrase is repeated in the Gospel of Matthew no less than 16 times. The Birth of Jesus and His Name - Fulfillment of Prophecy (1, 21-23); as well as flight to Egypt (2,14.15); massacre of the innocents (2,16-18); Joseph's settlement in Nazareth and the raising of Jesus there (2,23); the very fact that Jesus spoke in parables (13,34.35); triumphal entry into Jerusalem (21,3-5); betrayal for thirty pieces of silver (27,9); and casting lots for Jesus' clothes as He hung on the Cross (27,35). The author of the Gospel of Matthew made it his main goal to show that the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus, that every detail of Jesus' life was foretold by the prophets, and thereby convince the Jews and force them to recognize Jesus as the Messiah.
The interest of the author of the Gospel of Matthew is directed primarily to the Jews. Their appeal is closest and dearest to his heart. To the Canaanite woman who turned to Him for help, Jesus first answered: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (15,24). Sending the twelve apostles to proclaim the good news, Jesus said to them: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles and do not enter the city of Samaritans, but go especially to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” (10, 5.6). But one must not think that this Gospel excludes the pagans in every possible way. Many will come from the east and west and lie down with Abraham in the Kingdom of Heaven (8,11). "And the gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world" (24,14). And it is in the Gospel of Matthew that the order was given to the Church to set out on a campaign: “Go therefore and teach all nations.” (28,19). It is, of course, obvious that the author of Matthew's Gospel is primarily interested in the Jews, but he foresees the day when all nations will be gathered together.
The Jewish origin and Jewish orientation of the Gospel of Matthew is also evident in its attitude towards the law. Jesus did not come to destroy the law, but to fulfill it. Not even the smallest part of the law will pass. There is no need to teach people to break the law. The righteousness of a Christian must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees (5, 17-20). The Gospel of Matthew was written by a man who knew and loved the law, and saw that it had a place in Christian teaching. In addition, we should note the obvious paradox in the attitude of the author of the Gospel of Matthew to the scribes and Pharisees. He recognizes their special powers: “The scribes and Pharisees sat in the seat of Moses; therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do.” (23,2.3). But in no other Gospel are they condemned as strictly and consistently as in Matthew.
Already at the very beginning we see the merciless exposure of the Sadducees and Pharisees by John the Baptist, who called them "born of vipers" (3, 7-12). They complain that Jesus eats and drinks with publicans and sinners (9,11); they declared that Jesus casts out demons not by the power of God, but by the power of the prince of demons (12,24). They are plotting to destroy Him (12,14); Jesus warns the disciples to beware not of the leaven of bread, but of the teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees (16,12); they are like plants that will be uprooted (15,13); they cannot discern the signs of the times (16,3); they are killers of prophets (21,41). There is no other chapter in the entire New Testament like Mat. 23, in which it is not what the scribes and Pharisees teach that is condemned, but their behavior and way of life. The author condemns them for the fact that they do not at all correspond to the teaching they preach, and do not at all achieve the ideal established by them and for them.
The author of Matthew's Gospel is also very interested in the Church. From all the Synoptic Gospels the word Church found only in the Gospel of Matthew. Only the Gospel of Matthew includes a passage about the Church after Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13-23; cf. Mark 8:27-33; Luke 9:18-22). Only Matthew says that disputes should be resolved by the Church (18,17). By the time the Gospel of Matthew was written, the Church had become a large organization and truly a major factor in the lives of Christians.
The Gospel of Matthew especially reflects an interest in the apocalyptic; in other words, to what Jesus spoke about His Second Coming, the end of the world and the Day of Judgment. IN Mat. 24 provides a much more complete account of Jesus' apocalyptic reasoning than any other Gospel. Only in the Gospel of Matthew is there a parable of the talents. (25,14-30); about wise and foolish virgins (25, 1-13); about sheep and goats (25,31-46). Matthew had a special interest in the end times and the Day of Judgment.
But this is not the most important feature of the Gospel of Matthew. This is an eminently meaningful gospel.
We have already seen that it was the Apostle Matthew who gathered the first meeting and compiled an anthology of Jesus’ teaching. Matthew was a great systematizer. He collected in one place everything he knew about the teaching of Jesus on this or that issue, and therefore we find in the Gospel of Matthew five large complexes in which the teaching of Christ is collected and systematized. All these five complexes are associated with the Kingdom of God. Here they are:
a) Sermon on the Mount or Law of the Kingdom (5-7)
b) Duty of Kingdom Leaders (10)
c) Parables about the Kingdom (13)
d) Greatness and Forgiveness in the Kingdom (18)
e) The Coming of the King (24,25)
But Matthew not only collected and systematized. We must remember that he wrote in an era before printing, when books were few and far between because they had to be copied by hand. At such a time, comparatively few people had books, and so if they wanted to know and use the story of Jesus, they had to memorize it.
Therefore, Matthew always arranges the material in such a way that it is easy for the reader to remember it. He arranges the material in threes and sevens: three messages of Joseph, three denials of Peter, three questions of Pontius Pilate, seven parables about the Kingdom in chapter 13, sevenfold "woe to you" to the Pharisees and scribes in Chapter 23.
A good example of this is the genealogy of Jesus, with which the Gospel opens. The purpose of a genealogy is to prove that Jesus is the son of David. There are no numbers in Hebrew, they are symbolized by letters; In addition, Hebrew does not have signs (letters) for vowel sounds. David in Hebrew it will be accordingly DVD; if these are taken as numbers rather than letters, their sum would be 14, and the genealogy of Jesus consists of three groups of names, each containing fourteen names. Matthew does his best to arrange Jesus' teachings in a way that people can understand and remember.
Every teacher should be grateful to Matthew, because what he wrote is, first of all, the Gospel for teaching people.
The Gospel of Matthew has one more feature: the dominant thought in it is the thought of Jesus the King. The author writes this Gospel to show the kingship and royal origin of Jesus.
The genealogy must prove from the very beginning that Jesus is the son of King David (1,1-17). This title Son of David is used more often in the Gospel of Matthew than in any other Gospel. (15,22; 21,9.15). The Magi came to see the King of the Jews (2,2); Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem is a deliberately dramatized declaration by Jesus of His rights as King (21,1-11). Before Pontius Pilate, Jesus consciously accepts the title of king (27,11). Even on the Cross above His head stands, albeit mockingly, the royal title (27,37). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus quotes the law and then refutes it with the royal words: “But I say to you...” (5,22. 28.34.39.44). Jesus declares: "All authority has been given to me" (28,18).
In the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus the Man born to be King. Jesus walks through its pages as if dressed in royal purple and gold.
FROM MATTHEW THE HOLY GOSPEL (Matthew 1:1-17)
It may seem to the modern reader that Matthew chose a very strange beginning for his Gospel, placing in the first chapter a long list of names through which the reader will have to wade. But for a Jew this was completely natural and, from his point of view, this was the most correct way to begin the story of a person’s life.
The Jews were extremely interested in genealogies. Matthew calls it genealogy book - byblos geneseus- Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament we often find genealogies of famous people (Gen. 5.1; 10.1; 11.10; 11.27). When the great Jewish historian Josephus wrote his biography, he began it with a genealogy that he said he found in the archives.
The interest in genealogies was explained by the fact that the Jews attached great importance to the purity of their origin. A person whose blood contained the slightest admixture of foreign blood was deprived of the right to be called a Jew and a member of God’s chosen people. So, for example, the priest had to present a complete list of his genealogy from Aaron himself, without any omissions, and if he got married, then his wife had to present her genealogy back at least five generations back. When Ezra made a change in worship after the return of Israel from exile and re-established the priesthood, the sons of Habaiah, the sons of Hakkoz and the sons of Barzillai were excluded from the priesthood and were called unclean because “they sought their record of genealogy and it was not found.” (Ezra 2:62).
Genealogical archives were kept in the Sanhedrin. Pure-blooded Jews always despised King Herod the Great because he was half Edomite.
This passage in Matthew may seem uninteresting, but it was extremely important to the Jews that Jesus' lineage could be traced back to Abraham.
In addition, it should be noted that this pedigree is very carefully compiled into three groups of fourteen people each. This arrangement is called mnemonics, that is, arranged in such a way as to make it easier to remember. We must always remember that the Gospels were written hundreds of years before printed books appeared, and only a few people could have copies of them, and therefore, in order to own them, they had to be memorized. And so the pedigree is compiled so that it is easy to remember. It was intended to be proof that Jesus was the Son of David and was designed to be easy to carry in the mind.
THREE STAGES (Matthew 1:1-17 (continued))
The very location of the genealogy is very symbolic for all human life. The genealogy is divided into three parts, each corresponding to one of the great stages in the history of Israel.
The first part covers the history before King David. David united Israel into a people and made Israel a strong power to be reckoned with in the world. The first part covers the history of Israel until the rise of its greatest king.
The second part covers the period before the Babylonian captivity. This part talks about the shame of the people, about their tragedy and misfortune.
The third part covers history before Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ freed people from slavery, saved them from grief, and in Him tragedy turned into victory.
These three parts symbolize three stages in the spiritual history of mankind.
1. Man was born for greatness.“God created man in His own image and likeness, in the image of God He created him (Gen. 1:27). God said: "Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness" (Gen. 1:26). Man was created in the image of God. Man was destined to be in friendship with God. He was created to be akin to God. As the great Roman thinker Cicero saw it: “The difference between man and God comes down only to time.” Man was essentially born to be a king.
2. Man has lost his greatness. Instead of being a servant of God, man became a slave of sin. As the English writer G.K. Chesterton: “What is true about man, however, is that he is not at all what he was meant to become.” Man has used his given free will to openly defy and disobey God rather than enter into friendship and fellowship with Him. Left to his own devices, man frustrated God's plan in His creation.
3. Man can regain his greatness. Even after this, God did not leave man to the mercy of fate and his vices. God did not allow man to destroy himself with his recklessness, did not allow it all to end in tragedy. God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into this world so that He could save man from the quagmire of sin in which he was mired, and free him from the chains of sin with which he had bound himself, so that through Him man could find the friendship he had lost with God.
In the genealogy of Jesus Christ, Matthew shows us the royal greatness found, the tragedy of freedom lost, and the glory of freedom regained. And this, by the grace of God, is the story of humanity and of every person.
REALIZING THE HUMAN DREAM (Matt. 1.1-17 (continued))
This passage highlights two things about Jesus.
1. It is emphasized here that Jesus is the Son of David; The genealogy was compiled mainly to prove this.
Peter emphasizes this in the first recorded sermon of the Christian Church (Acts 2:29-36). Paul speaks of Jesus Christ being born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Rom. 1:3). The author of the Pastoral Epistles urges people to remember Jesus Christ of the seed of David, who rose from the dead (2 Tim. 2.8). The author of the revelation hears the Risen Christ say: “I am the root and descendant of David.” (Rev. 22:16).
This is how Jesus is addressed repeatedly in the gospel story. After the healing of the demon-possessed blind and dumb, the people said: “Is this the Christ, the Son of David?” (Matthew 12:23). A woman from Tire and Sidon, who sought Jesus’ help for her daughter, turns to Him: “Son of David!” (Matthew 15:22). The blind men shouted: “Have mercy on us, O Lord, Son of David!” (Matthew 20,30,31). And how the crowd greets the Son of David as he enters Jerusalem for the last time (Matthew 21.9.15).
It is very significant that Jesus was so welcomed by the crowd. The Jews were expecting something unusual; they never forgot and could never forget that they were God's chosen people. Although their entire history was a long chain of defeats and misfortunes, although they were a forced conquered people, they never forgot the plans of their destiny. And the common people dreamed that a descendant of King David would come to this world and lead them to glory, which they believed was rightfully theirs.
In other words, Jesus was the answer to the people's dream. People, however, see only answers to their dreams of power, wealth, material abundance and the fulfillment of their cherished ambitions. But if man's dreams of peace and beauty, greatness and satisfaction are ever destined to come true, then they can only find fulfillment in Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ and the life He offers people is the answer to people's dreams. There is a passage in the story of Joseph that goes far beyond the scope of the story itself. Along with Joseph in prison were also the chief court cupbearer and the chief court baker. They saw dreams that disturbed them, and they cried out in horror: “We have seen dreams, but there is no one to interpret them” (Gen. 40:8). Just because a person is a person, he is always haunted by a dream, and its fulfillment lies in Jesus Christ.
2. This passage emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfillment of all prophecies: in Him the message of the prophets was fulfilled. Today we do not pay much attention to prophecy and, for the most part, do not want to look for sayings in the Old Testament that were fulfilled in the New Testament. But there is a great and eternal truth in the prophecy: this universe has a purpose and God's purpose for it, and God wants to carry out His specific purposes in it.
One play deals with a time of terrible famine in Ireland in the nineteenth century. Having found nothing better and knowing no other solution, the government sent people to dig roads that were not needed in a completely unknown direction. One of the heroes of the play, Michael, having learned about this, left his job and, returning home, told his father: “They are making a road leading to nowhere.”
A person who believes in prophecy would never say such a thing. History cannot be a road leading to nowhere. We may view prophecy differently than our ancestors, but behind prophecy is the enduring fact that life and peace are not a road to nowhere, but a path to God's goal.
NOT THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS (Matthew 1:1-17 (continued))
The most striking thing about the genealogy is the names of the women. In general, female names are extremely rare in Jewish genealogies. The woman had no legal rights; they looked at her not as a person, but as a thing; she was only the property of her father or husband and they could do with her as they pleased. In his daily morning prayer, the Jew thanked God for not making him a pagan, a slave, or a woman. In general, the very existence of these names in the genealogy is an extremely amazing and unusual phenomenon.
But if you look at these women - who they were and what they did - you have to be even more surprised. Rahab, or Rahab as she is called in the Old Testament, was the harlot of Jericho (Joshua 2:1-7). Ruth was not even a Jew, but a Moabite (Ruth. 1:4), and does not the law say: “An Ammonite and a Moabite cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord, and the tenth generation of them cannot enter into the congregation of the Lord forever?” (Deut. 23:3). Ruth was from a hostile and hateful people. Tamar was a skilled seductress (Gen. 38). Bathsheba, Solomon's mother, was most cruelly taken by David from Uriah, her husband. (2 Kings 11 and 12). If Matthew had searched the Old Testament for improbable candidates, he could not have found four more impossible ancestors for Jesus Christ. But, of course, there is also something very remarkable about this. Here, at the very beginning, Matthew shows us in symbols the essence of the Gospel of God in Jesus Christ, because here he shows how the barriers are falling.
1. The barrier between Jew and Gentile has disappeared. Rahab, a woman from Jericho, and Ruth, a Moabite woman, found a place in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. This already reflects the truth that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek. The universalism of the Gospel and the love of God is already visible here.
2. Barriers between women and men have disappeared. There were no female names in the normal genealogy, but there were female names in the genealogy of Jesus. The old contempt has passed; men and women are equally dear to God and equally important to His purposes.
3. The barriers between saints and sinners have disappeared. God can use for His purposes and fit into His plan even one who has sinned a lot. “I have not come,” says Jesus, “to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Matthew 9:13).
Already here at the very beginning of the Gospel there are indications of the all-encompassing love of God. God may find His servants among those from whom respected orthodox Jews would shudder.
ENTRY OF THE SAVIOR INTO THE WORLD (Matthew 1:18-25)
Such relationships can confuse us. Firstly, it talks about engagement Mary, then about what Joseph wanted secretly let go her, and then she's named wife his. But this relationship reflects the usual Jewish marriage relationship and procedure, which consisted of several stages.
1. Firstly, matchmaking. It was often committed in childhood; this was done by parents or professional matchmakers and matchmakers, and very often the future spouses did not even see each other. Marriage was considered too serious a matter to be left to the impulse of human hearts.
2. Secondly, engagement. Engagement can be called a confirmation of the matchmaking concluded between the couple earlier. At this moment, the matchmaking could be interrupted at the request of the girl. If the engagement took place, it lasted one year, during which the couple was known to everyone as husband and wife, although without marriage rights. The only way to end the relationship was through divorce. In Jewish law you can often find a phrase that seems strange to us: a girl whose fiancé died during this time was called a “virgin widow.” Joseph and Mary were betrothed, and if Joseph wanted to end the engagement, he could only do so by giving Mary a divorce.
3. And the third stage - marriage, after a year of engagement.
If we recall Jewish marriage customs, it becomes clear that this passage describes the most typical and normal relationship.
Thus, before the marriage, Joseph was told that the Virgin Mary would give birth to a Child by the Holy Spirit, who was to be named Jesus. Jesus - this is the Greek translation of the Hebrew name Yeshua, and Yeshua means Yahweh will save. Even the psalmist David exclaimed: “He will deliver Israel from all their iniquities.” (Ps. 129.8). Joseph was also told that the Child would grow up to be a Savior who would save God's people from their sins. Jesus was born as a Savior rather than a King. He came into this world not for His own sake, but for the sake of people and for the sake of our salvation.
BORN OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (Matthew 1:18-25 (continued))
This passage tells us that Jesus will be born of the Holy Spirit in the virgin birth. The fact of the virgin birth is difficult for us to understand. There are many theories trying to figure out the literal physical meaning of this phenomenon. We want to understand what is most important for us in this truth.
When we read this passage with fresh eyes, we see that it emphasizes not so much the fact that a virgin gave birth to Jesus, but that the birth of Jesus is the result of the work of the Holy Spirit. “It turned out that She (Virgin Mary) was pregnant with the Holy Spirit.” "That which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit." What then does it mean to say that the Holy Spirit took a special part in the birth of Jesus?
According to the Jewish worldview, the Holy Spirit had certain functions. We cannot put all of this into this passage. Christian ideas of the Holy Spirit, since Joseph could not yet know anything about it, and therefore we must interpret it in the light Jewish the idea of the Holy Spirit, for Joseph would have put that idea into the passage because it was the only one he knew.
1. According to the Jewish worldview The Holy Spirit brought God's truth to the people. The Holy Spirit taught the prophets what they needed to say; The Holy Spirit taught God's people what they should do; Throughout all centuries and generations, the Holy Spirit has brought God's truth to people. And therefore Jesus is the One who brings God's truth to people.
Let's put it another way. Jesus alone can tell us what God is like and what God would like us to be. Only in Jesus do we see what God is like and what man should be like. Until Jesus came, people had only vague and unclear, and often completely wrong, ideas about God. They could, at best, guess and go by feel; and Jesus could say: “Whoever has seen Me has seen the Father.” (John 14:9). In Jesus, as nowhere else in the world, we see love, compassion, mercy, a seeking heart and the purity of God. With the coming of Jesus, the time of guessing ended and the time of certainty came. Before Jesus came, people did not know at all what virtue was. Only in Jesus do we see what true virtue, true maturity, true obedience to the will of God is. Jesus came to tell us the truth about God and the truth about ourselves.
2. The Jews believed that the Holy Spirit not only brought God’s truth to people, but also gives them the ability to recognize this truth when they see it. In this way, Jesus opens people's eyes to the truth. People are blinded by their own ignorance. Their prejudices lead them astray; their eyes and minds are darkened by their sins and passions. Jesus can open our eyes so that we can see the truth. In one of the novels of the English writer William Locke there is an image of a rich woman who spent half her life visiting the sights and art galleries of the world. Eventually, she was tired; Nothing could surprise or interest her anymore. But one day she meets a man who has few material goods of this world, but who truly knows and loves beauty. They start traveling together and everything changes for this woman. “I never knew what things looked like until you showed me how to look at them,” she told him.
Life becomes completely different when Jesus teaches us how to look at things. When Jesus comes into our hearts, He opens our eyes to see the world and things correctly.
CREATION AND RE-CREATION (Matthew 1:18-25 (continued))
3. In a special way the Jews connected the Holy Spirit with creation. God created the world by His Spirit. At the very beginning, the Spirit of God hovered over the waters and out of chaos the world became (Gen. 1,2).“By the word of the Lord were the heavens made,” said the psalmist, “and by the breath of his mouth were all their hosts.” (Ps. 33:6).(As in Hebrew ruach, same in Greek pneuma, mean at the same time spirit And breath)."If you send your spirit, they will be created" (Ps. 103:30).“The Spirit of God created me,” says Job, “and the breath of the Almighty gave me life.” (Job 33:4).
Spirit is the Creator of the world and the Giver of life. Thus, in Jesus Christ the creative, life-giving and power of God came into the world. The power that brought order to the primordial chaos has now come to us to bring order to our disordered lives. The power that breathed life into that which had no life came to breathe life into our weakness and our vanity. It can be said this way: we are not truly alive until Jesus comes into our lives.
4. In particular, the Jews associated the Spirit not with creation and creation, but with recreation. Ezekiel has a grim picture of a field full of bones. He tells how these bones came to life, and then he hears the voice of God saying: “And I will put My Spirit in you, and you will live.” (Ezek. 37:1-14). The rabbis had this saying: “God said to Israel: ‘In this world My Spirit has given you wisdom, but in the hereafter My Spirit will give you life again.’ The Spirit of God can awaken to life people who are lost in sin and deafness.
Thus, through Jesus Christ, the power to recreate life came into this world. Jesus can revive again a soul lost in sin; He can revive dead ideals; He can once again give strength to the fallen to strive for virtue. It can renew life when people have lost everything that life means.
So, this chapter does not only say that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. The essence of Matthew's account is that the Spirit of God was more involved in the birth of Jesus than ever before in the world. The Spirit brings the truth of God to the people; The Spirit enables men to know the truth when they see it; The spirit is the mediator in the creation of the world; only the Spirit can revive the human soul when it has lost the life it should have had.
Jesus gives us the ability to see what God is like and what man should be; Jesus opens the mind to understanding so that we can see God's truth for us; Jesus is the creative power that came to people; Jesus is a creative force capable of freeing human souls from sinful death.
Commentary (introduction) to the entire book of Matthew
Comments on Chapter 1
In the grandeur of the concept and the force with which the mass of material is subordinated to great ideas, no Scripture of the New or Old Testaments dealing with historical subjects can be compared with the Gospel of Matthew.
Theodore Zahn
Introduction
I. SPECIAL POSITION IN THE CANON
The Gospel of Matthew is an excellent bridge between the Old and New Testaments. From the very first words we return to the forefather of the Old Testament people of God Abraham and to the first great King David of Israel. Due to its emotionality, strong Jewish flavor, many quotations from the Jewish Scriptures and position at the head of all books of the New Testament. Matthew represents the logical place from which the Christian message to the world begins its journey.
That Matthew the Publican, also called Levi, wrote the first Gospel, is ancient and universal opinion.
Since he was not a regular member of the apostolic group, it would seem strange if the first Gospel was attributed to him when he had nothing to do with it.
Except for the ancient document known as the Didache ("Teaching of the Twelve Apostles"), Justin Martyr, Dionysius of Corinth, Theophilus of Antioch and Athenagoras the Athenian regard the Gospel as reliable. Eusebius, the church historian, quotes Papias, who stated that "Matthew wrote "Logic" in the Hebrew language, and each one interprets it as he can." Irenaeus, Pantaine and Origen generally agree on this. It is widely believed that "Hebrew" is a dialect of Aramaic used by the Jews in the time of our Lord, as this word occurs in the NT. But what is "logic"? Usually this Greek word means "revelations", because in the OT there are revelations God's. In Papias's statement it cannot have such a meaning. There are three main points of view on his statement: (1) it refers to Gospel from Matthew as such. That is, Matthew wrote the Aramaic version of his Gospel specifically in order to win Jews to Christ and instruct Jewish Christians, and only later did the Greek version appear; (2) it only applies to statements Jesus, which were later transferred to his Gospel; (3) it refers to "testimony", i.e. quotes from Old Testament Scriptures to show that Jesus is the Messiah. The first and second opinions are more likely.
Matthew's Greek does not read as an explicit translation; but such a widespread tradition (in the absence of early disagreements) must have a factual basis. Tradition says that Matthew preached in Palestine for fifteen years, and then went to evangelize foreign countries. It is possible that around 45 AD. he left to the Jews who accepted Jesus as their Messiah the first draft of his Gospel (or simply lectures about Christ) in Aramaic, and later did Greek final version for universal use. Joseph, a contemporary of Matthew, did the same. This Jewish historian made the first draft of his "Jewish War" in Aramaic , and then finalized the book in Greek.
Internal evidence The first Gospels are very suitable for a pious Jew who loved the OT and was a gifted writer and editor. As a civil servant of Rome, Matthew had to be fluent in both languages: his people (Aramaic) and those in power. (The Romans used Greek, not Latin, in the East.) The details of numbers, parables involving money, financial terms, and an expressive, regular style were all perfectly suited to his profession as a tax collector. The highly educated, non-conservative scholar accepts Matthew as the author of this Gospel in part and under the influence of his compelling internal evidence.
Despite such universal external and corresponding internal evidence, most scientists reject The traditional opinion is that this book was written by the publican Matthew. They justify this for two reasons.
First: if count, that Ev. Mark was the first written Gospel (referred to in many circles today as "gospel truth"), why would the apostle and eyewitness use so much of Mark's material? (93% of Mark's Gospels are also in the other Gospels.) In answer to this question, first of all we will say: not proven that Ev. Mark was written first. Ancient evidence says that the first was Ev. from Matthew, and since the first Christians were almost all Jews, this makes a lot of sense. But even if we agree with the so-called “Markian Majority” (and many conservatives do), Matthew might concede that much of Mark’s work was influenced by the energetic Simon Peter, Matthew’s co-apostle, as early church traditions claim (see “Introduction”) "to Ev. from Mark).
The second argument against the book being written by Matthew (or another eyewitness) is the lack of vivid details. Mark, whom no one considers to be a witness to the ministry of Christ, has colorful details from which it can be assumed that he himself was present at this. How could an eyewitness write so dryly? Probably, the very characteristics of the publican’s character explain this very well. To give more space to our Lord's speeches, Levi had to give less space to unnecessary details. The same would have happened with Mark if he had written first, and Matthew had seen the traits inherent directly in Peter.
III. WRITING TIME
If the widespread belief that Matthew first wrote the Aramaic version of the Gospel (or at least the sayings of Jesus) is correct, then the date of writing is 45 AD. e., fifteen years after the ascension, completely coincides with ancient legends. He probably completed his more complete, canonical Gospel in Greek in 50-55, and perhaps later.
The view that the Gospel there must be written after the destruction of Jerusalem (70 AD), is based, rather, on disbelief in the ability of Christ to predict future events in detail and other rationalistic theories that ignore or reject inspiration.
IV. PURPOSE OF WRITING AND TOPIC
Matthew was a young man when Jesus called him. A Jew by birth and a publican by profession, he left everything in order to follow Christ. One of his many rewards was that he was one of the twelve apostles. Another is his election to be the author of the work that we know as the first Gospel. It is usually believed that Matthew and Levi are one person (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).
In his Gospel, Matthew sets out to show that Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah of Israel, the only legitimate contender for the throne of David.
The book does not purport to be a complete account of the life of Christ. It begins with His genealogy and childhood, then moves on to the beginning of His public ministry, when He was about thirty years of age. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, Matthew selects those aspects of the Savior's life and ministry that testify to Him as Anointed God (which is what the word “Messiah” or “Christ” means). The book takes us to the culmination of events: the suffering, death, resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus.
And in this culmination, of course, lies the basis for human salvation.
That is why the book is called "The Gospel" - not so much because it paves the way for sinners to receive salvation, but because it describes the sacrificial ministry of Christ, thanks to which this salvation was made possible.
Bible Commentaries for Christians does not aim to be exhaustive or technical, but rather to inspire personal reflection and study of the Word. And most of all, they are aimed at creating in the reader’s heart a strong desire for the return of the King.
"And even I, with my heart burning more and more,
And even I, nourishing sweet hope,
I sigh heavily, my Christ,
About the hour when you return,
Losing courage at the sight
Burning steps of Your coming."
F. W. G. Mayer ("St. Paul")
Plan
GENEALOGY AND BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH-KING (CHAPTER 1)
THE EARLY YEARS OF THE MESSIAH KING (CHAPTER 2)
PREPARATION FOR THE MESSIANIC MINISTRY AND ITS BEGINNING (CHAP. 3-4)
ORDER OF THE KINGDOM (CHAP. 5-7)
MIRACLES OF GRACE AND POWERS CREATED BY THE MESSIAH AND DIFFERENT REACTIONS TO THEM (8.1 - 9.34)
GROWING OPPOSITION AND REJECTION OF THE MESSIAH (CHAP. 11-12)
THE KING REJECTED BY ISRAEL DECLARES A NEW, INTERMEDIATE FORM OF THE KINGDOM (CHAPTER 13)
THE MESSIAH'S TIRESLESS GRACE MEETS INCREASING HOSTILITY (14:1 - 16:12)
THE KING PREPARES HIS DISCIPLES (16.13 - 17.27)
THE KING GIVES INSTRUCTION TO HIS DISCIPLES (CHAP. 18-20)
INTRODUCTION AND REJECTION OF THE KING (CHAP. 21-23)
THE KING'S SPEECH ON THE MOUNT OF OLIVES (CHAP. 24-25)
SUFFERING AND DEATH OF THE KING (CHAP. 26-27)
TRIUMPH OF THE KING (CHAPTER 28)
I. GENEALOGY AND BIRTH OF THE MESSIAH-KING (Ch. 1)
A. Genealogy of Jesus Christ (1:1-17)
From a casual reading of the NT, the reader may wonder why this book begins with such a boring topic as the family tree. Someone may decide that there is nothing terrible if they ignore this list of names and move past it to the place where the events began.
However, a pedigree is extremely necessary. It lays the foundation for everything that will be said next. If it cannot be shown that Jesus is a legitimate descendant of David in the royal line, then it will be impossible to prove that He is the Messiah, the King of Israel. Matthew begins his story exactly where he should have started: with documentary evidence that Jesus inherited the rightful right to the throne of David through His stepfather Joseph.
This genealogy shows Jesus' legal descent as King of Israel; in the genealogy of Ev. Luke shows His hereditary descent as the Son of David. Matthew's genealogy follows the royal line from David through his
son of Solomon, the next king; Luke's genealogy is based on consanguinity through another son, Nathan. This genealogy includes Joseph, who adopted Jesus; the genealogy in Luke 3 traces probably the ancestors of Mary, of whom Jesus was the natural son.
A thousand years earlier, God made an alliance with David, promising him a kingdom that would never end and an unbroken line of rulers (Ps. 89:4,36,37). That covenant is now fulfilled in Christ: He is the rightful heir of David through Joseph and the true seed of David through Mary. Since He is eternal, His kingdom will endure forever and He will reign forever as the great Son of David. Jesus combined in His Person the two necessary conditions necessary to claim the throne of Israel (legal and hereditary). And since He is alive now, there can be no other contenders.
1,1 -15 Formulation "Genealogy of Jesus Christ, Son of David, Son of Abraham" corresponds to the expression from Genesis 5:1: “This is the genealogy of Adam...” Genesis presents us with the first Adam, Matthew the last Adam.
The first Adam was the head of the first or physical creation. Christ, as the last Adam, is the Head of the new or spiritual creation.
The subject of this Gospel is Jesus Christ. The name "Jesus" represents Him as Jehovah the Savior1, the title "Christ" ("Anointed One") - as the long-awaited Messiah of Israel. The title "Son of David" is associated with the position of Messiah and King in the OT. ("Jehovah" is the Russian form of the Hebrew name "Yahweh", which is usually translated by the word "Lord". The same can be said of the name "Jesus", the Russian form of the Hebrew name "Yeshua".) The title "Son of Abraham" represents our Lord as The One who is the final fulfillment of the promise given to the progenitor of the Jewish people.
The genealogy is divided into three historical segments: from Abraham to Jesse, from David to Josiah and from Jehoiachin to Joseph. The first segment leads to David, the second covers the period of the kingdom, the third period includes a list of people of royal descent during their stay in exile (586 BC onwards).
There are many interesting details in this list. For example, four women are mentioned here: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth And Bathsheba (who was behind Urieah). Since women are rarely mentioned in Eastern genealogical records, the inclusion of these women is all the more surprising since two of them were harlots (Tamar and Rahab), one committed adultery (Bathsheba), and two were pagans (Rahab and Ruth).
The fact that they are included in the introductory part of Ev. Matthew may be a subtle allusion to the fact that the coming of Christ will bring salvation to sinners, grace to the Gentiles, and that in Him all barriers of race and sex will be broken down.
It is also interesting to mention the king by name Jeconiah. In Jeremiah 22:30, God pronounced a curse on this man: “Thus says the Lord: Write down this man childless, an unfortunate man in his days, for no one from his seed will sit on the throne of David or rule in Judah.”
If Jesus had truly been the son of Joseph, He would have fallen under this curse. But He still had to legally be the son of Joseph in order to inherit the right to the throne of David.
This problem was resolved by the miracle of the virgin birth: through Joseph, Jesus became the legal heir to the throne. He was the true son of David through Mary. The curse of Jeconiah did not fall on Mary and her children because her lineage was not from Jeconiah.
1,16 "From which" in English can refer to both Joseph and Mary. However, in the original Greek the word is singular and feminine, indicating that Jesus was born from Maria, not from Joseph. But, in addition to these interesting details of the genealogy, it is also worth mentioning the controversy contained in it.
1,17 Matthew draws special attention to the presence of three groups according to fourteen births in each. However, we know from the OT that there are some names missing from his list. For example, between Jehoram and Uzziah (v. 8) Ahaziah, Joash and Amaziah reigned (see 2 Kings 8 - 14; 2 Chron. 21 - 25). Both Matthew and Luke mention two identical names: Shealtiel and Zerubbabel (Matt. 1:12; Luke 3:27). However, it is strange that the genealogies of Joseph and Mary should have a common point in these two individuals, and then diverge again. It becomes even more difficult to understand when we notice that both Gospels refer to Ezra 3:2, classifying Zerubbabel as the sons of Shealtiel, while in 1 Chronicles 3:19 he is recorded as the son of Pedaiah.
The third difficulty is that Matthew gives twenty-seven generations from David to Jesus, while Luke gives forty-two. Despite the fact that the evangelists give different family trees, such a difference in the number of generations still seems strange.
What position should the student of the Bible take in regard to these difficulties and apparent contradictions? First, our fundamental premise is that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and therefore cannot contain errors. Secondly, it is incomprehensible because it reflects the infinity of the Divine. We can understand the fundamental truths of the Word, but we will never understand everything.
Therefore, when faced with these difficulties, we come to the conclusion that the problem is more likely to be a lack of knowledge than a biblical error. Difficult passages should motivate us to study the Bible and seek answers. “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Proverbs 25:2).
Careful research by historians and archaeological excavations have failed to prove that the biblical statements are erroneous. Everything that seems difficult and contradictory to us has a reasonable explanation, and this explanation is filled with spiritual meaning and benefit.
B. Jesus Christ born of Mary (1:18-25)
1,18 Birth of Jesus Christ was different from the birth of other people mentioned in the genealogy. There we found a repeated expression: “A” gave birth to “B”. But now we have a record of birth without an earthly father. The facts relating to this miraculous conception are stated simply and with dignity. Maria was engaged to Joseph, but the wedding has not yet taken place. In New Testament times, betrothal was a type of betrothal (but carried a greater degree of responsibility than today), and it could only be dissolved by divorce. Although the betrothed couple did not live together before the marriage ceremony, infidelity on the part of the betrothed was considered adultery and punishable by death.
While betrothed, the Virgin Mary miraculously became pregnant Holy Spirit. An angel announced this mysterious event to Mary in advance: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you...” (Luke 1:35). Clouds of suspicion and scandal hung over Maria. This has never happened before in the entire history of mankind, for a virgin to give birth. When people saw a pregnant unmarried woman, there was only one explanation for this.
1,19 Even Joseph I did not yet know the true explanation of Mary’s condition. He could be angry with his fiancée for two reasons: first, for her obvious infidelity to him; and, secondly, for the fact that he would certainly be accused of complicity, although it was not his fault. His love for Mary and his desire to do justice prompted him to try to break off the engagement by an unofficial divorce. He wanted to avoid the public shame that usually accompanied such an affair.
1,20 While this noble and prudent man was considering his strategy for the defense of Mary, The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. Greetings "Joseph, son of David" was, no doubt, intended to awaken in him the consciousness of his royal origin and to prepare him for the unusual coming of the Israeli Messiah-King. He should have no doubts about marrying Maria. Any suspicions regarding her integrity were unfounded. Her pregnancy is a miracle, perfect By the Holy Spirit.
1,21 Then the angel revealed to him the gender, name and calling of the unborn Child. Maria will give birth Son. It will need to be named Jesus(which means “Jehovah is salvation” or “Jehovah is the Savior”). According to His Name He will save His people from their sins. This Child of Destiny was Jehovah Himself, who visited the earth to save people from the wages of sin, from the power of sin, and ultimately from all sin.
1,22 When Matthew described these events, he recognized that a new era had begun in the history of God's relationship with the human race. The words of the messianic prophecy, which had long remained dogma, now came to life. Isaiah's mysterious prophecy is now fulfilled in Mary's Child: “And all this happened, that what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled...” Matthew claims that the words of Isaiah, which the Lord spoke through him at least 700 years before Christ, were inspired from above.
1,23 The prophecy of Isaiah 7:14 predicted a unique birth (“Behold, the Virgin shall be with child”), gender (“and she shall bear a Son”), and the name of the Child (“and they shall call His name Immanuel”). Matthew adds the explanation that Emmanuel Means "God is with us". It is not recorded anywhere that during Christ’s life on earth He was ever called “Immanuel.” His name was always "Jesus". However, the essence of the name Jesus (see v. 21) implies the presence God is with us. Perhaps Emmanuel is a title of Christ that will be used primarily at His second coming.
1,24 Thanks to the intervention of an angel, Joseph abandoned his plan to divorce Mary. He acknowledged their engagement until the birth of Jesus, after which he married her.
1,25 The teaching that Mary remained a virgin throughout her life is refuted by the marriage mentioned in this verse. Other references indicating that Mary had children with Joseph are found in Matt. 12.46; 13.55-56; Mk. 6.3; In. 7:3.5; Acts 1.14; 1 Cor. 9.5 and Gal. 1.19. By marrying Mary, Joseph also accepted her Child as his Son. This is how Jesus became the legal heir to the throne of David. Having obeyed the angelic guest, Joseph gave Baby name Jesus.
Thus the Messiah-King was born. The Eternal One has entered into time. The Almighty became a gentle Child. The Lord of glory covered that glory with a human body, and “in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).
The word Gospel in modern language has two meanings: the Christian gospel about the coming of the Kingdom of God and the salvation of the human race from sin and death, and a book presenting this message in the form of a narrative about the incarnation, earthly life, saving suffering, death on the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Initially, in the Greek language of the classical period, the word gospel had the meaning of “reward (reward) for the good news”, “thanksgiving sacrifice for the good news”. Later, the good news itself began to be called that. Later, the word gospel acquired a religious meaning. In the New Testament it began to be used in a specific sense. In several places, the gospel refers to the preaching of Jesus Christ himself (Matt. 4:23; Mark 1:14-15), but most often the gospel is the Christian proclamation, the message of salvation in Christ and the preaching of this message. prot. Kirill Kopeikin Gospel - books of the New Testament, which contain a description of the life, teaching, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Gospel is four books named after the authors - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Among the 27 books of the New Testament, the Gospels are considered law-giving. This name shows that the Gospels have the same meaning for Christians as the Law of Moses - the Pentateuch - had for Jews. “GOSPEL (Mark 1:1, etc.) is a Greek word meaning: gospel, i.e. good, joyful news... These books are called the Gospel because for a person there cannot be better and more joyful news than the news of the Divine Savior and eternal salvation. That’s why reading the Gospel in church is each time accompanied by a joyful exclamation: Glory to Thee, Lord, glory to Thee!” Biblical Encyclopedia of Archimandrite Nikephoros
On our website you can download the book "The Gospel in Russian" for free and without registration in fb2, rtf, epub, pdf, txt format, read the book online or buy the book in the online store.
The word "bible" is of ancient Greek origin. In the language of the ancient Greeks, “byblos” meant “books”. In our time, we use this word to call one specific book, consisting of several dozen separate religious works. The Bible consists of two parts: the Old Testament and the New Testament (Gospel).
The Bible is divided into two parts of sacred texts - the Holy Scripture of the Old Testament (50 books) and the Holy Scripture of the New Testament (27 books). The Bible has a clear division: before and after the birth of Jesus Christ. Before birth it is the Old Testament, after birth it is the New Testament.
The Bible is a book containing the sacred writings of the Jewish and Christian religions. Christians believe that Jesus Christ announced a new Covenant, which is the fulfillment of the Covenant given in Revelation to Moses, but at the same time replaces it. Therefore, the books that tell about the activities of Jesus and his disciples are called the New Testament.
Gospel (Greek - “good news”) - a biography of Jesus Christ; books revered as sacred in Christianity that tell of the divine nature of Jesus Christ, his birth, life, miracles, death, resurrection and ascension. The Gospels are part of the books of the New Testament.
Prayer before reading the Holy Gospel.
(prayer after the 11th kathisma)
Shine in our hearts, O Master of Mankind, the imperishable light of Your God-understanding, and open our mental eyes, in Your Gospel sermons, understanding, put in us the fear of Your blessed commandments, so that carnal lusts, all straightened, we will go through spiritual life, all of which is for Your good pleasure. both wise and active. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ God, and we send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father, and Your Most Holy and Good, and Your Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto ages of ages, Amen.
“There are three ways to read a book,” writes one wise man, “you can read it in order to subject it to critical evaluation; you can read it, looking for pleasure in it for your feelings and imagination, and, finally, you can read it with your conscience. The first read to judge, the second to have fun, the third to improve. The Gospel, which has no equal among books, must first be read only with a simple mind and conscience. Read this way, it will make your conscience tremble on every page before goodness, before high, beautiful morality.”
When reading the Gospel, the bishop inspires. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), - do not seek pleasure, do not seek delight, do not seek brilliant thoughts: seek to see the infallibly holy Truth. Do not be content with one fruitless reading of the Gospel; try to fulfill his commandments, read his deeds. This is the book of life, and you must read it with your life.
Rule regarding reading the Word of God.
The reader of the book must do the following:
1) You should not read many sheets and pages, because someone who has read a lot cannot understand everything and keep it in memory.
2) It is not enough to read and think a lot about what is read, for this way what is read is better understood and deepened in memory, and our mind is enlightened.
3) See what is clear or unclear from what you read in the book. When you understand what you're reading, it's good; and when you don’t understand, leave it and continue reading. What is unclear will either be clarified by the next reading, or by repeating another reading, with God’s help, it will become clearer.
4) What the book teaches you to avoid, what it teaches you to seek and do, try to do it in action. Avoid evil and do good.
5) When you only sharpen your mind from a book, but do not correct your will, then from reading the book you will become worse than you were; learned and intelligent fools are more evil than simple ignoramuses.
6) Remember that it is better to love in a Christian way than to have a high understanding; It’s better to live beautifully than to say loudly: “reason boasts, but love creates.”
7) Whatever you yourself learn with God’s help, lovingly teach it to others on occasion, so that the seed sown grows and produces fruit.”
Bible: New Testament, Gospel.
The New Testament makes up the second part of the Christian Bible and is called the Gospel. New Testament, a collection of 27 Christian books (including 4 Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, 21 Epistles of the Apostles and the book of Revelation of John the Theologian (Apocalypse)), written in the 1st century. n. e. and which have come down to us in ancient Greek. The New Testament, giving information about the life and teachings of Christ in all His truth. God, through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, granted salvation to people - this is the main teaching of Christianity. Although only the first four books of the New Testament deal directly with the life of Jesus, each of the 27 books in its own way seeks to interpret the meaning of Jesus or show how his teachings apply to the lives of believers. The New Testament consists of books belonging to eight inspired writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, Paul, James and Jude.
The famous Serbian canon law researcher Bishop Nikodim (Milash) wrote the following in his interpretation of the 19th canon of the VI Ecumenical Council: “St. Scripture is the word of God, revealing to people the will of God...” And Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) said:
“...Read the Gospel with extreme reverence and attention. Do not consider anything in it unimportant or unworthy of consideration. Every iota of it emits a ray of life. Neglect of life is death.”
One author wrote about the Small Entrance at the Liturgy: “The Gospel is here a symbol of Christ. The Lord appeared into the world physically, in person. He comes out to preach, to His earthly ministry and is here among us. A terrible and majestic action is taking place - among us, visibly and palpably - God. The holy angels of heaven freeze in awe at this sight. And you, man, taste this great mystery and bow your head before it.”
Based on all of the above, you need to understand that the Holy Gospel is the main book of humanity, which contains life for people. It contains Divine truths that lead us to salvation. And it itself is the source of life - a word truly filled with the power and wisdom of the Lord.
The Gospel is the voice of Christ himself. In a symbolic and spiritual sense, when reading the Gospel, the Savior speaks to us. It is as if we are transported in time to the flowering plains of Galilee and become eyewitnesses of the incarnate God of the Word. And He speaks not only universally and timelessly, in general, but also specifically to each of us. The Gospel is not just a book. This is life for us, it is a spring of living water and a source of life. It is both the Law of God, given to humanity for salvation, and the Mystery of this salvation being accomplished. When reading the Gospel, the human soul unites with God and is resurrected in Him.
It is no coincidence that the word “evangelos” is translated from Greek as “good news.” This means that by the grace of the Holy Spirit, a new message of truth was revealed in the world: God came to Earth to save humanity, and “God became Man so that man could become God,” as St. Athanasius of Alexandria said in the 4th century. The Lord reconciled with the man, He healed him again and opened the way for him to the Kingdom of Heaven.
And by reading or listening to the Gospel, we stand on this heavenly vertical road and follow it to heaven. That's what the Gospel is.
Therefore, it is very important to read the New Testament every day. On the advice of the Holy Fathers, we need to include the reading of the Holy Gospel and the “Apostle” (the Acts of the Holy Apostles, the Council Epistles of the Apostles and the fourteen Epistles of the Holy Supreme Apostle Paul) in our cell (home) prayer rule. The following sequence is usually recommended: two chapters of the Apostle (some read one chapter) and one chapter of the Gospel per day.
In my opinion, based on personal experience, I would like to say that it is more convenient to read the Holy Scriptures in order, that is, from the first chapters to the last, and then return. Then a person will form a holistic picture of the Gospel narrative, a feeling and understanding of its continuity and cause-and-effect relationships.
It is also necessary that reading the Gospel should not be like reading fictional literature of the “leg by leg, sitting comfortably in a chair” type. Still, this should be a prayerful home liturgical act.
Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy in his book “The Law of God” recommends reading the Holy Scriptures while standing, crossing oneself once before reading and three times after.
There are special prayers said before and after reading the New Testament.
“Shine in our hearts, O Lord who loves mankind, the imperishable light of Your knowledge of God, and open our mental eyes, our understanding in Your gospel sermons, put fear in us and in Your blessed commandments, so that all carnal lusts may be trampled, we will pass through spiritual life, even to please Yours in both wisdom and action. For You are the enlightenment of our souls and bodies, O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, with Your Originless Father and Your All-Holy, Good, and Life-giving Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen". It is read secretly by the priest during the Divine Liturgy before the reading of the Holy Gospel. It is also placed after the 11th kathisma of the Psalter.
Prayer of St. John Chrysostom: “Lord Jesus Christ, open the ears of my heart to hear Your word, and to understand and do Your will, as I am a stranger on earth: do not hide Your commandments from me, but open my eyes, that I may understand the wonders of Your law; tell me the unknown and secret wisdom of Yours. I trust in You, my God, may you enlighten my mind and meaning with the light of Your mind, not only to honor what is written, but also to create, so that I may not read the lives and words of the saints as a sin, but for renewal, and enlightenment, and for holiness, and for salvation of the soul, and an inheritance of eternal life. For You are the One who enlightens those who lie in darkness, and from You comes every good gift and every perfect gift. Amen".
The prayer of St. Ignatius (Brianchaninov), read before and after reading the Holy Scriptures: “Save, O Lord, and have mercy on Thy servants (names) in the words of the Divine Gospel, which are about the salvation of Thy servant. The thorns of all their sins have fallen, Lord, and may Thy grace dwell in them, scorching, cleansing, sanctifying the whole person in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen".
Regarding the latter, I will add from myself that it is also read with the addition of a chapter from the Holy Gospel in some kind of sorrow or trouble. I have learned from my own experience that it helps a lot. And the merciful Lord delivers from all kinds of situations and troubles. Some fathers recommend reading this prayer with the Gospel chapter every day.
This is “Conversations on the Gospel of Matthew” by St. John Chrysostom; interpretation of the Gospel of Blessed Theophylact of Bulgaria; “Interpretation of the Gospel” by B.I. Gladkov, highly appreciated by the holy righteous John of Kronstadt; works of Archbishop Averky (Taushev), Metropolitan Veniamin (Pushkar), Explanatory Bible of the Old and New Testaments by Alexander Lopukhin, other works.
Let us fall, brothers and sisters, with our hearts “hungering and thirsting for righteousness,” to the pure, life-giving spring of the Holy Scriptures. Without it, the soul is doomed to wither and spiritual death. With him she blossoms, like a flower of paradise, filled with verbal life-giving moisture, worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven.
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