By Clement Harrold

September 17, 2026

1. It may be written before A.D. 70

While Catholics have traditionally regarded Matthew as the first Gospel to be written, today most scholars think Mark wrote first, with Luke or (more likely) Matthew writing second. Because of this, Matthew’s Gospel is often dated after the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.  

But there are good reasons for considering an earlier date. Most notably, Matthew never describes the destruction of the Temple as a past event.  

The New Testament scholar Jonathan Bernier has therefore proposed that Matthew may even have penned his Gospel as early as A.D. 45–59.  

2. It’s written by an eyewitness

Matthew is traditionally identified with the tax collector, also known as Levi, whom Jesus invites to become one of His Twelve Apostles. This identification was affirmed by early Fathers of the Church such as Papias, Irenaeus, and Origen.  

As a member of Christ’s privileged inner circle, Matthew would have experienced firsthand the public teachings, miracles, and exorcisms of the Savior.

3. It includes unique infancy details

Matthew’s opening chapters contain material about Jesus’ childhood that we don’t find anywhere else in the New Testament.

While Luke tells us about the Annunciation, the shepherds, and Jesus’ presentation in the Temple, it is Matthew who gives us the visit of the Magi, the killing of the Holy Innocents, and the flight into Egypt.

These stories establish themes that run throughout the Gospel.

For example, Matthew deliberately portrays Jesus as the new Moses who comes out of Egypt and leads His people from slavery to freedom. We see this theme playing out in the Sermon on the Mount, when Jesus ascends a mountain to impart God’s law to the people of Israel.  

4. It’s very Jewish

Of all the Gospels, Matthew is the most concerned with showing how Jesus relates to the Jewish Scriptures, traditions, and expectations.

He frequently quotes the Old Testament, often adding the phrase “this was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet” (eleven times in total!).

Matthew also begins his Gospel with a lengthy genealogy that would have been fascinating to Jewish readers, and he repeatedly emphasizes Jesus’ identity as the Son of David, the long-awaited Messiah.  

5. It’s split into five parts

Just as Moses wrote the five books of the Pentateuch, so Matthew divides his Gospel into five major sections.

These center around five key speeches, each of which is accompanied by a narrative segment:

1. The Sermon on the Mount (5–7)
2. The Missionary Discourse (10)
3. The Parables of the Kingdom (13)
4. The Community Discourse (18)

5. The Eschatological Discourse (24–25).  

    

These five sections are bracketed by a prologue (describing Jesus’ birth) and an epilogue (covering Holy Week, the Resurrection, and the Great Commission). 

6. It warns about judgment

Matthew’s Gospel contains some of Jesus’ most sobering warnings about sin, hypocrisy, and final judgment.

Matthew alone gives us the parable of the weeds, the parable of the ten virgins, and the parable of the talents, each of which contains a timely lesson about spiritual vigilance. Most striking of all is the scene of the Last Judgment in Matthew 25, where the Son of Man separates the sheep from the goats according to how they have treated “the least of these.”

Matthew’s vision of the Christian life therefore challenges our own complacency: discipleship matters because every human being will ultimately have to give an account before the King.

7. It puts a spotlight on St. Peter

Peter is prominent in all four Gospels, but Matthew draws particular attention to his privileged position among the Twelve Apostles.

For example, when Matthew lists the Twelve, he describes Peter as the “first” (Greek, prōtos) of the apostles (see Matt 10:2). This Greek adjective often indicates not just numerical placement but precedence of rank within a given hierarchy.

Matthew also preserves several episodes that single Peter out from the other disciples, such as Peter’s walking on the water and the scene in which the authorities ask Peter whether Jesus pays the Temple tax.

Finally, Matthew offers by far the most detailed account of the moment when Christ renames Peter and makes him the rock on which to build His Church.

8. It describes the Kingdom of Heaven

The expression “Kingdom of Heaven” occurs around thirty times in the Gospel and is distinctive to Matthew.

The evangelist unpacks this mystery by recording a remarkable collection of parables in chapter 13: the parables of the sower, the weeds, the mustard seed, the leaven, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, and the fishing net.

One of the most significant verses in the whole Gospel is Matthew 6:33: “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well.”

Matthew is also the only evangelist to explicitly use the word “church” (Greek, ekklésia).

9. It emphasizes God’s presence

One of Matthew’s most beautiful themes is that God is not distant from His people.

The Gospel begins with the prophecy that Jesus will be called “Emmanuel,” which means “God with us” (1:23), and it ends with the risen Christ promising, “I am with you always, to the close of the age” (28:20).

In between those two statements, Matthew repeatedly highlights God’s intimate presence, such as when Jesus declares, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20).

10. It speaks of fulfillment

As we have seen, Matthew frequently pauses his narrative to explain that something has taken place “to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet.”

Jesus’ birth fulfills Isaiah (1:22–23); His birthplace fulfills Micah (2:5–6); His flight into Egypt fulfills Hosea (2:15); His ministry in Galilee fulfills Isaiah (4:14–16); and His entry into Jerusalem fulfills Zechariah (21:4–5).  

But Matthew’s point is bigger than simply matching individual prophecies with individual events.

The whole story of Israel—Moses and the Law, David and the kingdom, the prophets and the exile—finds its completion in Jesus. As Jesus Himself declares in a statement found only in Matthew, “Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them” (5:17). 

Further reading:

10 Things You Should Know About Mark’s Gospel

The Gospel of Matthew with Scott Hahn

When Were the Gospels Written?