The Gospel of Matthew Through New Eyes Volume Two

Book excerpt: In the second volume of his commentary on the gospel of Matthew, Peter Leithart presents a close study of Matthew 13 through 28, underscoring Jesus' formation of a counter-kingdom that also retells the story of Israel. Jesus is the true Israel who takes on the roles of various Old Testament leaders: Moses the law-giver, Joshua the conqueror, Solomon the philosopher-king, Elisha the wonder-working prophet leading a company of prophets, as well as Jeremiah and Ezekiel warning of the temple's imminent destruction. Jesus' interactions with the leaders of Israel recapitulate Yahweh's tortured interactions with Israel in the Old Testament. In spite of Israel's repeated rejections, Yahweh never gave up on His beloved. His love is stronger than death, and He returns as the world-emperor to send His new Israel to disciple the nations.