The teaching of MatthewThe Gospel according to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament and also serves as a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament. The gospel tells us about Jesus and his teachings. The Gospel is believed to have originated with Matthew, one of Jesus' disciples, and circulated anonymously (Harris 149). The message contained in this gospel was crafted to serve a Jewish and Jewish-Christian community when tensions between early Christians and postwar Jewish leaders exacerbated bitter controversy. The Gospel of Matthew was written as encouragement to Greek-speaking Jewish Christians and Gentiles who were, at least partially, Torah-observant during the 80s AD, probably in Antioch in Syria (Harris 148). Matthew's teachings paid particular attention to the presentation of Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, in whom the Old Testament writers had prophesied would come true (Matthew 1:21-22). From the beginning, Matthew established Jesus' messianic credentials by listing an account of his genealogy in Matthew 1:1-17. Matthew wanted to present the life of Jesus in the context of biblical law and prophecy (Harris 149). Throughout the Gospel, Matthew highlights Jesus' fulfillment of ancient predictions, often emphasizing the connection between Jesus and assurances made to Israel, for example, to the royal dynasty of David. Matthew quotes, paraphrases, or alludes to the Hebrew Bible to demonstrate that Jesus' entire career, from conception to resurrection, had been predicted centuries earlier by biblical writers from Moses to Malachi (Harris 149). Matthew used in his teachings a literary formula that linked the prophecy to specific events in the life of Jesus. For example,……middle of paper……and rose again on the third day to redeem men and bring them into the Kingdom of Heaven. In short, Matthew's teachings showed that Jesus fulfilled all of God's promises regarding a messianic king. Christ the King commanded: "Seek first the kingdom." Life in the Kingdom of Heaven is a surrender of the offerings of the earth to enjoy the riches as a son of the King. In the passages of Scripture according to Matthew, the resurrected Jesus gave the "great commission" to "make disciples of all peoples". This commission is followed by many Christians today in their attempt to lead lost souls to their Messiah, Jesus Christ. Works Cited Harris, Stephen L. The New Testament: A Student's Introduction. 4th ed. Sacramento, California: McGraw Hill, 2002. The Zondervan Corporation. The New Student Bible, New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan: 1992.