Table of Contents

Preface
Learning to Listen to Matthew
Major Themes
Jesus as Fulfillment
The Crisis in Galilee
The Gospel of Identity

Matthew 1
The Messiah?s Pedigree
A Dream Come True
Matthew 2
The World?s Wisdom Bows Down
The Escape
Matthew 3
The Voice of One in the Wilderness
The Perfect Words of the Father
Matthew 4
The Temptation in the Wilderness
Preaching in Galilee
The First Disciples, the First Mission
Matthew 5
Jesus? Nine Benedictions
Jesus Tell Us Who We Are
An Unexpected Fulfillment
A New Righteousness
Matthew 6
A Secret Righteousnes
True Treasure
How to be Worry Free
Matthew 7
Do Not Judge
Do Not Give Up Asking
Sermon Summary
Matthew 8
The Disobedient Leper
The Confident Centurion
The One Who Carries Our Illness
The Homeless Son of Man
Two Demonic Confrontations
Matthew 9
Winning Praise for God
The Calling of Matthew
Old Orthodoxy/New Reality
Power Over Disease and Death
One Request He Will Never Deny
Final Synagogue Tour
Matthew 10
Appointing the Twelve
Instructions to the Twelve
Matthew 11
Jesus' Failure to Meet Expectations
Capernaum and Sodom
The Painful Joy of Jesus
Matthew 12
The Identity of Jesus
Lord of the Sabbath
The Fearless Healer
God?s Gentle Servant
The Son of Davi
Greater Than Jonah and Solomon
A New Family of Faith
Matthew 13
The Parable of the Soils
The Parable of the Weeds
The Parable of the Mustard Seed and the Yeast
Three Parables Unique to Matthew
The End of the Synagogue Ministry
Matthew 14
The Ludicrous Death of John
The Miracle of Perfect Provision
Their First Time to Worship
Matthew 15
Jesus Attacks the Oral Law
Bread for the Puppies
A Miracle of Abundance
Matthew 16
Engaging the Pharisees
The "Yeast of the Pharisees"
Peter?s Confession and Blessing
Peter?s Rebuke and Cursing
Matthew 17
The Transfiguration
"Have Mercy"
An Un-miraculous Miracle
Matthew 18
Who is the Greatest?
The Lonely Lost Sheep
The Process of Forgiving Your Brother
A Willingness to Forgive Little
Matthew 19
Divorce and the Little Children
A Flawed Question
Matthew 20
The Eccentric Employer/A Parable of Hese
The Third Announcement of Suffering
A Request to be First
Two Blind Men
Matthew 21
The "Triumphal" Entry
A Prophet is in the Temple
A Lesson from the Leaves
Questions of Authority
Two "Worker" Parables
Matthew 22
The Wedding Feast
Three Controversy Stories
Jesus? Coup de Gras
Matthew 23
Seven Woes
One Lament
Matthew 24
Two Questions/Two Answers
A Parable About Not Knowing
Matthew 25
Three Parables of Confusion
Matthew 26
The Plot Begin
The Anointing
The Deal is Closed
The Last Supper
The Garden
The Arrest
Before Caiaphas
Redemptive Tears
Matthew 27
The Sickness Unto Death
Before Pilate
A Vegetative Crow
Jesus Crucified
Jesus "Dismisses" His Spirit
A Rich Man?s Tomb
"Make the Tomb Secure"
Matthew 28
The Resurrection
The Bribe
Jesus Meets Them Back Home

Appendices
Resources

About the Author

Michael Card is an award-winning musician and performing artist. He earned a master's degree in biblical studies from Western Kentucky University under Dr. William Lane. His many books include Scribbling in the Sand, A Fragile Stone and A Violent Grace. Card and his family live in Tennessee.

Reviews

"Matthew: The Gospel of Identity shimmers with life: spirit and truth, emotion and intellect, dramatic storytelling, evocative dialogue and imagery. Michael Card has captured our imaginations with his books centering on the four Gospels, this being the third in the series. Providing the backstory, historical, and emotional context, he connects and weaves together the 'Story' from the two testaments and places us squarely in the middle of the action—a distillation that reads like a Bible and a film script. Dull hearts feel, blind eyes see, and disengaged minds connect to passages heard or read many times—and to the person of Jesus. Because Card guides us through every verse in the Book of Matthew, this would be ideal, either as an individual, small group, or a community-wide centerpiece for study and immersion."
*Worship Leader Magazine, July/August 2013*