This is part of a year-long series. Learn more about this series here.

Below is a summary of the Gospel of Matthew I wrote for a seminary class. The professor broke Matthew into four sections, and we were instructed to outline the significant events and flow of thought for each section. The point of such an assignment is to grasp a big-picture view of Matthew’s Gospel and to understand how the material he included drives his narrative forward. If you’ve never done so, I would encourage you to read the entire Gospel of Matthew in one sitting so you can experience the flow of his story of Jesus.

Matthew 1:1-4:25

This first section of Matthew narrates the origins of the Messiah through crowds following him after his early proclamations of the kingdom of heaven. Matthew reveals the physical origin of Messiah through his genealogy, but he also links that with the prophetic origins, and he foreshadows the reality of Messiah’s expansion of Israel by including the wise men from the east. The infant Jesus follows the footsteps of his ancestor Jacob into Egypt, and he escapes infanticide by the ruler, just as Moses had. These parallels are vital for Messiah’s vocation, and they continue to develop through Matthew. Jesus returns from Egypt and is baptized and tempted, just as the nation of Israel was after the Exodus. John the Baptist prefaces Messiah’s upcoming ministry, which sets up the potential for conflict between Messiah and the Pharisees and Sadducees. Jesus proclaimed the kingdom of heaven throughout Galilee, called his first disciples, and many people began following him.

Matthew 5:1-12:50

In the second section of Matthew, Jesus begins to explain and exhibit the realities of the kingdom he’s been proclaiming. Chapters 5-7 contain Jesus’ first of five discourses throughout the book. Within Matthew, the Sermon on the Mount reflects God teaching his people from the mountain (Ex. 20ff.). Following the Sermon, Jesus heals a series of physically sick and spiritually oppressed people, and he reveals he has the authority to forgive sins (8:1-9:34). Woven into these healings are brief teachings that preface the required commitment to follow Jesus (8:18-22) and the inauguration of something new (9:14-17, 35-38). All of this leads to Jesus’ Second Discourse where he commissions the Twelve (10:1-42), which leads to opposition against receiving the proclaimed and exhibited kingdom from the religious leaders and his own family (11:1-12:50).

Matthew 13:1-20:34

The third section of Matthew flows out of the second in that Jesus responds to the opposition. He begins with his third discourse, a series of parables describing the kingdom of heaven (13:1-50). Then, Matthew once again pairs sections of teaching with Jesus’ miracles. Jesus feeds the 5,000 and 4,000, which resembles God’s provision of manna in the wilderness and Elisha’s feeding of the prophets. Jesus continues to combat the Pharisees and Sadducees, and he warns the crowd about them (16:1-12). Peter’s confession and the Transfiguration mark a slight shift; Jesus now predicts his own death (16:13-7:13, 22-23). Jesus begins his fourth discourse (18:1-35), where he explains life within the kingdom — especially the nature of human relations within the kingdom. The section ends with Jesus making his way to Jerusalem, where he increases the tension between himself and the Pharisees and continues to predict his own death.

Matthew 21:1-28:20

The fourth section of Matthew narrates the climax of Jesus’ proclamation and exhibition of the kingdom of heaven in the very city it should be most received. Jesus enters Jerusalem, cleanses the temple, and is then confronted by the religious leaders. This confrontation produces a series of parables and culminates with Jesus’ woe speech against the teachers of the law (21:23-23:39). This segues into Jesus fifth discourse, which describes the end of the age (24:1-25:46). Jesus’ public ministry has come to an end, and he prepares for his final Passover meal with his disciples and his ensuing death. He is captured by the chief priests, tried, and sentenced to execution. Matthew mentions the entire Sanhedrin participated in falsely condemning him (26:59), and the people embraced the responsibility of being the ones who condemned him to death (27:25); thus, there was a thorough Jewish rejection of their own Messiah who had proclaimed and exhibited the kingdom of heaven in their midst. The temple curtain splitting, the resurrection, and the great commission indicate a new reality of the kingdom of heaven is indeed here and has been ushered in.