Some of you may recall in our introduction to the Gospel of Matthew, we had considered the fact that Matthew had thoroughly laced his Gospel with Old Testament (OT) Scriptures and concepts, attempting to show his primarily Jewish audience that Jesus was indeed the true Messiah. And as we began to work our way through the Gospel, reaching OT quotes, we went back and looked at those quotes in their original context, showing how each text served both an immediate, relevant, historical purpose (during the time it was written), and a greater Messianic fulfillment purpose to come, as revealed by Matthew. While the Sermon on the Mount very much addressed OT concepts, especially concerning the true nature of the Law of God, and the misuse of the Law by the religious leaders, because it is a recording of the direct teachings of Christ (for those of you who have "red letter" Bibles, you will notice that Matthew, Chapters 5:3-7:27 are completely red), the phrase, "Jesus said or did this, in order to fulfill such and such a thing," doesn't come about. Matthew has slowed down his narrative as a means of honing in on the critical importance of the teaching given in the Sermon on the Mount.
Well, once again, in our main text, we will find Matthew, providing another narrative link, connecting our Lord's actions to that which has been prophesied in the OT. And this connection is vitally important, bringing us back to Isaiah 53, showing the "vicarious" nature (the "substitutionary" nature) of our Lord's entire ministry, ultimately culminating at the cross. |
