The first book of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew, begins with the genealogy and infancy narrative of Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Written to a Jewish community in Syria (Harrington 861) after the Romans had destroyed all of Jerusalem and the Temple of Herod, Matthew’s Gospel acts as a bridge from the Old Testament to the New Testament, revealing the identity of Jesus as the Supreme Teacher--the new Moses. Matthew interprets Jesus as the fulfillment of the Hebrew Scriptures by connecting his identity to Old Testament backgrounds (Scott 3) and proclaiming him to be the promised messiah for all people. Interestingly, Matthew also includes women’s names while describing Jesus’ lineage, presenting the theme of the universal mission. Thus,
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The narrative begins with Joseph, a righteous man is unwilling to expose his betrothed, Mary, to public disgrace for having a baby while claiming to be a virgin. In a dream, angels tell Joseph to take Mary as his wife, as her child is conceived from the Holy Spirit, and he will save his people from sins (Scott 3). Joseph is a perfect example of a disciple who has full faith in God and his abilities because he follows the angels’ orders immediately and chooses with no doubt to raise Jesus with Mary. Mary is also an example of discipleship for taking on the role of birthing him. When Jesus is born, the wise men are sent by King Herod to honor Jesus’ birth with gifts. Knowing that Herod does not have good intentions, the wise men put full faith into the little baby Jesus and risk their life by not returning to him. The characters directly involved with aiding the birth of Jesus teach the Jewish Christian community how a disciple should follow Jesus, a young child who is their messiah. As Jews and Gentiles are both called to discipleship, they learn how to follow Jesus by adopting the traits of Joseph, Mary, and the wise men. The theme of discipleship calls disciples of Jesus to have full faith in him and never doubt Jesus and God’s messages to them. They are called to trust in God through Jesus and his
The narrative begins with Joseph, a righteous man is unwilling to expose his betrothed, Mary, to public disgrace for having a baby while claiming to be a virgin. In a dream, angels tell Joseph to take Mary as his wife, as her child is conceived from the Holy Spirit, and he will save his people from sins (Scott 3). Joseph is a perfect example of a disciple who has full faith in God and his abilities because he follows the angels’ orders immediately and chooses with no doubt to raise Jesus with Mary. Mary is also an example of discipleship for taking on the role of birthing him. When Jesus is born, the wise men are sent by King Herod to honor Jesus’ birth with gifts. Knowing that Herod does not have good intentions, the wise men put full faith into the little baby Jesus and risk their life by not returning to him. The characters directly involved with aiding the birth of Jesus teach the Jewish Christian community how a disciple should follow Jesus, a young child who is their messiah. As Jews and Gentiles are both called to discipleship, they learn how to follow Jesus by adopting the traits of Joseph, Mary, and the wise men. The theme of discipleship calls disciples of Jesus to have full faith in him and never doubt Jesus and God’s messages to them. They are called to trust in God through Jesus and his