Matthew’s Gospel is No. 1!

The next stop on our journey through the Bible is the New Testament. It consists of 27 books. The most important of these writings, and the ones most essential for all Christianity, are the first four. These are the divinely inspired Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
 
In all actuality there is only one Gospel, Jesus Christ, he is the Good News in the flesh and he brings us his kingdom. This is why when the Gospel is proclaimed at Mass the minister says, “A reading from the holy Gospel according to…” Note that “Gospel” is singular while it could be according to Matthew, Mark, Luke or John.
 
Jesus is the promised Messiah and in him all of God’s promises come true. The long-awaited Messiah has arrived and he will never leave us. He continues present in and through his kingdom of which the Church is its seed and beginning. Jesus is the hope of Israel and this expectation was and is realized beyond our wildest dreams. All the world must learn about the life, death, resurrection and ascension of our lord and savior Jesus Christ. The Gospels are God’s loving gift to all men and women throughout history, so we may know of him and meet him, the word.
 
The Gospels receive special treatment at Mass. There can be a procession with the book of the Gospels, it can be placed upon the altar, candles can be on both sides of the pulpit during its proclamation. We stand when the Gospel is proclaimed (the only books of the Bible to receive this honor), the Gospel is kissed after its proclamation and on special occasions, we are blessed with the book of the Gospels by our archbishop.
 
Are we getting the idea? Is the message clear? Do we truly understand just how special these four books inspired by God are? The Gospels are our starting point as faithful disciples with hearts centered on Jesus Christ.
 
The Gospels provide us with this indispensable, foundational and crucial Good News of God’s infinite mercy and saving love through these divinely inspired texts. Questions such as “Who was the inspired evangelist?” “When and where were the Gospels inspired?” And, “What was the development process of these writings?” These questions should never cloud the two primary aspects of the Gospels: God is their primary author and they speak to us about Jesus Christ our savior and redeemer. This is key to all Gospels, but we need to start with one.
 
Matthew is No. 1! When the four Gospels are mentioned, Matthew always is mentioned first and it was the most cherished Gospel in the early Church. Matthew has a unique God-inspired presentation of Jesus Christ that serves as a bridge between the Old Testament and the New Testament by presenting our Lord as the long-awaited Messiah in a way that the recent Jewish converts to Christianity would easily understand.
 
The Gospel of Matthew also is constantly referencing easily recognizable Old Testament quotes and customs. The Jesus Christ of Matthew is the new Moses and the structure of the Gospel mimics the Torah. Jesus is Emmanuel, God is with us. Our Lord also is presented with the biblically rich title of son of God and son of man. Matthew is the only Gospel to speak to us of the Church and it being built upon the rock of Peter and his declaration of faith on Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God.
 
 
Matthew introduces us to Jesus’ key teaching, the kingdom. Matthew speaks of the kingdom of heaven out of respect to his Jewish audience. The kingdom refers to various realities all of which connect to Jesus Christ himself. The kingdom is understood as: Christ’s presence among us; Christ’s presence in our hearts; Christ’s presence in his Church. This is why Matthew’s Gospel is sometimes referred to as the “Gospel of the Kingdom.”
 
Matthew’s Gospel is great for catechesis and is the key Gospel for those in RCIA. I invite you to sit down and read, meditate, ponder and reflect on the Beatitudes in Ch. 5. This will give you insights into Jesus, his kingdom and each one of our lives as disciples of our loving lord.
 
Thank you, Lord, for the Gospel of Matthew.