MATTHEW'S FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY.

 WHEN QUOTING FROM OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES, "MATTHEW" USES THE FOLLOWING FORMULA ( OR SOMETHING SIMILAR TO IT). " THIS WAS DONE TO FULFIL WHAT WAS SPOKEN BY THE LORD THROUGH THE PROPHET," 1:22; 2:15; 2:17; 2:23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9-10; MATTHEW ADJUSTS THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THESE QUOTATIONS TO MEET THE NEW SITUATION IN RELATION TO CHRIST; COMPARE HOSEA 11:1 WITH MATTHEW 2:15; JEREMIAH 31:15 WITH MATTHEW 2:18; ZECHARIAH 11: 12,13, JEREMIAH 32:6-15, 18:2,3 WITH MATTHEW 27:3-10.  MATTHEW'S USE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT IS SIMILAR TO THE QUMRAN COMMUNITY'S USE OF IT. THOUGH ON THE SURFACE OLD TESTAMENT PASSAGES DID NOT SEEM TO REFER TO THE READER'S PRESENT HISTORY, THE INTERPRETERS SAW IN THEM CLUES TO HOW GOD WAS AT WORK IN THEIR OWN SITUATION, WHICH THEY UNDERSTOOD TO BE THE LAST DAYS. MATTHEW PRESENTS JESUS AS ONE WHO REPEATS ("RECAPITULATES") THE HISTORY OF OLD ISRAEL, BUT DOES SO WITHOUT SIN.
 JESUS IS LOOKED UPON AS THE NEW MOSES. MATTHEW'S GENERAL OUTLINE, SUGGEST THAT HE SAW IN JESUS A NEW MOSES WHO CAME TO CARRY OUT A NEW EXODUS, TO FREE GOD'S PEOPLE FROM BONDAGE TO SIN, SATAN, JUDGMENT AND CONDEMNATION, AND TO LEAD THEM INTO INHERITANCE OF AN ETERNAL RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FATHER. SOON AFTER HIS MINISTRY BEGINS, JESUS TAKES HIS NEW PEOPLE TO A MOUNTAIN AND TEACHES THEM HIS WILL, CHS.5-7. THE FIRST WORD HE SPEAKS IN THIS SERMON IS "BLESSED" A TERM WHICH OCCURS NINE TIMES IN NINE VERSES, 5:3-11. THE PATH OF LIFE HE SPELLS OUT IS NOT A PLAN TO ESTABLISH FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD, BUT A GUIDELINE FOR REFLECTING FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD. HIS TEACHINGS SUPPLANT ALL PREVIOUS TEACHING. HE REMOVES THE YOKE OF THE SCRIBAL DEMANDS FROM THE NECK OF GOD'S PEOPLE, AND REPLACES THEM WITH HIS OWN LIGHT YOKE. MATTHEW 11:28-30. THOUGH SOME PHARISEES THANKED GOD THAT THEY WERE NOT BORN AN OUTCAST, A GENTILE OR A WOMEN, IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE "SERMON ON THE MOUNT"  JESUS SHOWS COMPASSION TO A LEPER (8:1-4).  A GENTILE (8:5-13).  AND A WOMEN (8:14-17). ALL HUMAN CRITERIA CONCERNING WORTHINESS MUST YIELD TO THE PRINCIPLE OF SUPREME MERCY. JESUS COMING DEMONSTRATES HE IS FULFILLING OF THE LAW,
 AND HIS TEACHING PROCLAIMS, THE PURPOSE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT LAW (TORAH).  OBEDIENCE INVOLVES A SINGLE MINDED DEDICATION TO REFLECTING GOD'S BEHAVIOR PATTERNS IN DEALING WITH OTHERS,5:44,45,48. CALCULATION AND MANIPULATION IN DETERMINING THE WILL OF GOD ARE RULED OUT. UNLIKE THE PHARISEES WHO TEACH CORRECTLY, BUT DO NOT LIVE CORRECTLY (5: 17-20, ch.23).
THEY ARE TO EMULATE THE EXAMPLE OF THEIR LORD WHOSE LIFE DEMONSTRATES
 THE INTENDED MEANING, PURPOSE AND FULLNESS OF THE LAW. JESUS DOES NOT CALL HIS FOLLOWERS TO VAGUE "GOOD WORKS," BUT TO SPECIFIC COMPASSIONATE ACTS: GIVING FOOD TO THE HUNGRY, DRINK TO THE THIRSTY, LODGING TO THE STRANGER, CLOTHING TO THE NAKED, HELP TO THE SICK, AND COMPASSION TO THE PRISONER, ON THE DAY OF JUDGMENT  HE WILL CONDEMN THOSE WHO CLAIM TO KNOW HIM (MATTHEW 25:44, "LORD"). BUT HAVE DONE NOTHING TO DEMONSTRATE IT. NO DEED OF SERVICE IS TO BE DONE FOR THE SAKE OF REWARD, BUT TO MEET NEED FOR ITS OWN SAKE (MATTHEW 25:37-39.) THOSE FINALLY RECEIVED INTO THE FATHER'S HOUSE ARE WELCOMED ("COME" 25:34) ONLY BECAUSE THEY ARE "BLESSED" BY CHRIST'S "FATHER"; THEY "INHERIT" THE "KINGDOM"  PREPARED "FOR THEM" (NOT BY THEM") BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF TIME, MATTHEW 25:31-34). ALL CAUSE FOR HUMAN BOASTING IS RULED OUT. GRACE REIGNS SUPREME. CHRIST ALLOWS NO ROOM FOR ESTABLISHING FIRST, SECOND, OR THIRD LEVELS OF PRIORITY IN THE USE OF LIFE, FOR OBEDIENCE IN HIS KINGDOM IS A FULL TIME AFFAIR. HE SUMMONS HIS FOLLOWERS TO DEVOTE ALL LIFE TO WORSHIP AND SERVICE TO GOD., MATTHEW 4:10 ("ONLY"). HE INTENDED MEANING OF MATTHEW 6:33 IS CLEARER IF THE WORD "FIRST" IS OMITTED IN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS; SEE LUKE (12:31). CHRIST FOLLOWERS ARE TO DEVOTE LIFE ITSELF TO LEARNING AND  DOING THE THINGS OF THE FATHER'S KINGDOM. SERVING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH JESUS LOVE. JESUS DOES NOT CALL HIS FOLLOWERS INTO A PRIVATE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIMSELF, BUT INTO THE FELLOWSHIP OF HIS COMMUNITY. GREATNESS WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY IS NOT DETERMINED BY ACHIEVEMENT
FOR SELF, BUT BY SERVICE RENDERED TO OTHERS.  2:25-28. EACH MEMBER MUST DO NOTHING TO HARM THE FAITH OF ANOTHER (18:1-9), BUT MUST FORGIVE WITHOUT LIMIT (18:21,22), SEEK THE STRAYING WITH COMPASSIONATE ZEAL (18: 10-14), AND CONFRONT THE INDIFFERENT WITH LOVING FIRMNESS, 18:15-20. THOUGH BOTH GOOD AND BAD WILL BE FOUND IN THE COMMUNITY, THE BEDIENT ARE NOT TO WASTE TIME EVALUATING THEIR PERFORMANCE OR RECTIFYING UNDESIRABLE SITUATIONS, BUT ARE TO SOW ENERGETICALLY AND LEAVE GOD TO REAP THE HARVEST, 13: 24-30. THEY MUST APPLY THEMSELVES TO GOD'S WILL THROUGHOUT LIFE LEST THEY BE FOUND AMONG BAD FISH TO BE THROWN INTO THE FIRE ON THE LAST DAY, 3:47-5O. MATTHEW STRESSES THE IMPORTANCE OF TAKING SERIOUSLY THE RETURN OF CHRIST AT THE END OF TIME. THE FAITHFUL MUST BE READY AT ALL TIMES, 25:12. HE ENCOURAGES THE FAITHFUL AND WARNS THE LAX,24:45-51.
WHEN THE LORD RETURNS, SOME WILL BE READY AND SOME WILL BE CAUGHT UNPREPARED 25:1-13. THE FAITHFUL ARE TO USE THEIR ABILITIES AND POSSESSIONS
 RESPONSIBLY WHILE WAITING FOR THAT FINAL DAY, 25:14-30.
 WHILE ANTICIPATING THE END.  WHEN THE END FINALLY COMES SOME WILL BE CAUGHT, UNAWARE, AND THE FAITHFUL AT THAT MOMENT MUST BE WITNESSING TO THE LOST SHEEP OF THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL"(1O:5,6).