There are ten occurrences of these fulfilment quotations throughout the Gospel, suggesting that it was a
priority for Matthew to establish that Y‘shua was the fulfilment of the promises contained in the Jewish
Scriptures. The Jewishness of this Gospel is also evident in its concern to establish the relationship between
Y‘shua and the Jewish Law. Matthew insists that Y‘shua, not the Law, is the authentic interpreter of God‘s
will. Closely related to this is the Gospel‘s emphasis on the relationship between Y‘shua and the Jewish
guardians of the law. The conflict between Y‘shua and the Jewish authorities is more prominent in Matthew‘s
Gospel than in Mark. Y‘shua regards the leaders of the Jewish people here with much more hostility than in
the other Gospels. It is only in Matthew that Y‘shua says to the leaders: ―Therefore, I tell you, the kingdom of
God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom‖ (Matt 21:43).
This anti-Jewish orientation is itself part of the Jewishness of the Gospel. It indicates that, for the evangelist,
the Jewish question was important.
TO WHOM ARE THE VARIOUS GOSPELS AIMED?
The whole world was populated from Noah‘s three sons—Shem, Ham and Japhet. These are the three main
population groups that descended from Noah: the Semitic people (Middle East), Hametic people (Northern
Africa) and Japhetic people (Northern countries – Europe and Russia).
Matthew is aimed at the Semitic people as confirmed by the fact that there are about sixty references to the
Hebrew prophecies and about forty quotations from the Old Testament.
Mark is the Gospel of Y‘shua, the tireless Servant of YHWH and man Whose Life is crowded with benevolent
deeds in the practical nature of the Hamitic mind. The keyword, ―straightway", indicating immediate action,
repeated throughout the Book reflects the practical nature of its intended readership, Ham. It contains few
references to Old Testament prophecy but ample explanation of Hebrew words and customs.
Luke is clearly aimed at the Greek or Japhetic mind. This is inferred from the fact that the writer is at pains to
explain Hebrew customs, and sometimes substitutes Greek names for Hebrew. Luke has clearly written for
the Gentiles, so in his Gospel the genealogy quite properly goes back to Adam.
DO CHRISTIANS MISINTERPRET MATTHEW'S GOSPEL AND JUDAISM?
The issue of Matthew's Gospel and Judaism is a complex one, and the picture that emerges is ambiguous
and not easy to interpret. In the context of Jewish-Christian dialogue, the basic question is whether or not
Matthew's Gospel is itself anti-Semitic. Whether or not such anti-Semitism exists in the text of the Gospel, it
is undeniable that Matthew has been interpreted in many Christian quarters in an anti-Semitic way.
Sometimes such interpretations have been unconscious—as when Christians assume that 'Pharisee' is
synonymous with self-righteousness and hypocrisy.
WHAT ARE THE PRO-JEWISH FEATURES OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL?
There are at least five features of the Gospel which present Jews and Judaism.
First, and most obviously, the major characters, the heroes of the Gospel, are Jews. The most important
of these is Y‘shua, but the same is true for the twelve apostles, particularly Peter who plays an important
role in Matthew's story. The crowds are Jews; the other disciples, wider than just the twelve, are also
Jews—including the Galilean women disciples. In other words, almost all the positive characters, with one
or two notable exceptions, are Jewish people who never deny their Jewishness; indeed, it is part of their
identity for Matthew.
Secondly, Matthew's theology is grounded in his interpretation of the Old Testament. These are the
Scriptures of his community, and a major source of revelation. Matthew quotes regularly from the Old
Testament. In the birth narratives, there are five quotations; mostly from the prophetic writings, with which
Matthew punctuates his narrative of Y‘shua‘s birth and infancy (Matt 1:23; 2:6, 15, 18, 23). His
interpretative principle is one of promise and fulfillment: that which is promised in the Scriptures is fulfilled
in the advent of Y‘shua of Nazareth. But behind this view is the belief that the Old Testament is the
source-book for Christian teaching; it is the lens by which Matthew develops his teaching of Y‘shua and
the Church.
Thirdly, we find a strong focus on the concept of 'Israel' in Matthew's Gospel. For example, after a
summary statement of Y‘shua‘s healings, the narrator tells us that the crowds ―praised the God of Israel‖
(Matt 15:31). For Matthew, YHWH is fundamentally the YHWH of Israel. Similarly, in the great mission
discourse, Y‘shua‘s and the apostles' mission is directed to ―the lost sheep of the house of Israel‖; the