Jesus the King: A Study in Matthew Pt 29

Friends Church Sermons

John’s Gospel was the last to be written; Matthews was likely the first written within a few years of the resurrection of Christ (around 40AD). If John’s Gospel were the heart of the New Testament pouring out a passionate heart stirring message; Matthew’s Gospel might be considered it’s mind coaxing the doubting, struggling, seeking mind to consider the evidence and see Jesus as Messiah. Matthew draws extensively on the Old Testament to present his case for the Messiah – using nearly 150 direct or indirect quotes from the OT. Matthew is speaking to primarily a Jewish audience in 1st century Palestine but his words echo down through the ages to resonate with a questioning audience in the 21st century. We are inching closer and closer to that critical question in this Gospel that Jesus poses to His disciples “Who do you say that I am?” Matthew offers compelling evidence that He is not only Messiah but King! Let’s dig into chapter 14. He concluded the previous section with this statement “And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief”. What follows is the beginning of a long section filled with his insights on the ministry of the rejected king. Matthew presents in chapter 14 three stories about faith and fear – as the heart responds to the message of Christ. We will look at the first one today.