Matthew: The Gospel of Identity

"You are the salt of the earth . . . You are the light of the world." Matthew 5:13-14 "I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church." Matthew 16:18 The world tries to define us in different ways. We try to define ourselves one way or another. But who are we really? How does God define us? The Gospel of Matthew was written to a group of Christians who didn?t yet know who they were. They were faithful Jews in the synagogue community in Galilee who had found the Messiah. Jesus had changed everything. But how should they think of themselves now, as Jewish or Christian? What did it all mean? Matthew writes his Gospel to help his readers define their new identity as followers of Jesus the Messiah. Michael Card unpacks how Matthew?s emphasis on fulfillment confirms their Jewish connection to the Torah, while his focus on the kingdom helps them understand their new identities in Christ. Matthew presents this process of redefinition as an exercise of the imagination, in which Jesus reshapes who we are in light of who he is. Come alongside Matthew in this pilgrimage, and discover how your new identity in Christ fulfills all that you are meant to be.



In a career that spans 30 years, Michael Card has recorded over 31 albums, authored or co-authored over 24 books, hosted a radio program, and written for a wide range of magazines. An award-winning musician and performing artist, he has penned such favorites as "El Shaddai," "Immanuel" and many other songs. He has branched his ministry beyond music and written numerous books, including A Sacred Sorrow, A Violent Grace, The Parable of Joy and Sleep Sound in Jesus (a children's book). He has also written the Biblical Imagination Series, with a book and accompanying music CD for each of the four gospels. A graduate of Western Kentucky University with a bachelor's and master's degree in biblical studies, Card also serves as mentor to many younger artists and musicians, teaching courses on the creative process and calling the Christian recording industry into deeper discipleship. Card lives in Tennessee with his wife and four children.



Preface



Learning to Listen to Matthew



Major Themes



Jesus as Fulfillment



The Crisis in Galilee



The Gospel of Identity



Matthew 1



The Messiah?s Pedigree



A Dream Come True



Matthew 2



The World?s Wisdom Bows Down



The Escape



Matthew 3



The Voice of One in the Wilderness



The Perfect Words of the Father



Matthew 4



The Temptation in the Wilderness



Preaching in Galilee



The First Disciples, the First Mission



Matthew 5



Jesus? Nine Benedictions



Jesus Tell Us Who We Are



An Unexpected Fulfillment



A New Righteousness



Matthew 6



A Secret Righteousnes



True Treasure



How to be Worry Free



Matthew 7



Do Not Judge



Do Not Give Up Asking



Sermon Summary



Matthew 8



The Disobedient Leper



The Confident Centurion



The One Who Carries Our Illness



The Homeless Son of Man



Two Demonic Confrontations



Matthew 9



Winning Praise for God



The Calling of Matthew



Old Orthodoxy/New Reality



Power Over Disease and Death



One Request He Will Never Deny



Final Synagogue Tour



Matthew 10



Appointing the Twelve



Instructions to the Twelve



Matthew 11



Jesus' Failure to Meet Expectations



Capernaum and Sodom



The Painful Joy of Jesus



Matthew 12



The Identity of Jesus



Lord of the Sabbath



The Fearless Healer



God?s Gentle Servant



The Son of Davi



Greater Than Jonah and Solomon



A New Family of Faith



Matthew 13



The Parable of the Soils



The Parable of the Weeds



The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast



Three Parables Unique to Matthew



The End of the Synagogue Ministry



Matthew 14



The Ludicrous Death of John



The Miracle of Perfect Provision



Their First Time to Worship



Matthew 15



Jesus Attacks the Oral Law



Bread for the Puppies



A Miracle of Abundance



Matthew 16



Engaging the Pharisees



The "Yeast of the Pharisees"



Peter?s Confession and Blessing



Peter?s Rebuke and Cursing



Matthew 17



The Transfiguration



"Have Mercy"



An Un-miraculous Miracle



Matthew 18



Who is the Greatest?



The Lonely Lost Sheep



The Process of Forgiving Your Brother



A Willingness to Forgive Little



Matthew 19



Divorce and the Little Children



A Flawed Question



Matthew 20



The Eccentric Employer/A Parable of Hese



The Third Announcement of Suffering



A Request to be First



Two Blind Men



Matthew 21



The "Triumphal" Entry



A Prophet is in the Temple



A Lesson from the Leaves



Questions of Authority



Two "Worker" Parables



Matthew 22



The Wedding Feast



Three Controversy Stories



Jesus? Coup de Gras



Matthew 23



Seven Woes



One Lament



Matthew 24



Two Questions/Two Answers



A Parable About Not Knowing



Matthew 25



Three Parables of Confusion



Matthew 26



The Plot Begin



The Anointing



The Deal is Closed



The Last Supper



The Garden



The Arrest



Before Caiaphas



Redemptive Tears



Matthew 27



The Sickness Unto Death



Before Pilate



A Vegetative Crow



Jesus Crucified



Jesus "Dismisses" His Spirit



A Rich Man?s Tomb



"Make the Tomb Secure"



Matthew 28



The Resurrection



The Bribe



Jesus Meets Them Back Home



Appendices



Resources



"Matthew: The Gospel of Identity shimmers with life: spirit and truth, emotion and intellect, dramatic storytelling, evocative dialogue and imagery. Michael Card has captured our imaginations with his books centering on the four Gospels, this being the third in the series. Providing the backstory, historical, and emotional context, he connects and weaves together the 'Story' from the two testaments and places us squarely in the middle of the action—a distillation that reads like a Bible and a film script. Dull hearts feel, blind eyes see, and disengaged minds connect to passages heard or read many times—and to the person of Jesus. Because Card guides us through every verse in the Book of Matthew, this would be ideal, either as an individual, small group, or a community-wide centerpiece for study and immersion."