For centuries the Jewish people had anticipated for the arrival of the promised Messiah, one who would fulfill prophecy by sitting on David’s throne in Jerusalem and establishing a peace-filled, prosperity-bringing, Israel-exalting, liberty-ensuring kingdom without end. In their minds, King and kingdom went hand-in-hand. But now that Jesus—the one who himself claimed, and they believed, to be that King—had come and gone, they were left wondering: Where’s the kingdom? How could Jesus be the King when Caesar’s still ruling? It’s into this confusion and uncertainty that Matthew writes his gospel account seeking to assure believers that Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah and King and to explain the current and future realities of his kingdom.
Key Passage: Matthew 3:1–4:11
Speaker: Josiah Boyd
