The Importance of the Gentiles in Matthew

It is often said that Matthew is the 'most Jewish' of the 4 gospels. After all, the major theme of Matthew is God's stepping into history through Christ to fulfill the covenant promises that were too great for sinful humans to fulfill. Yet, this Jewish gospel begins and ends with an emphasis on the gentiles.

In the Matthean genealogy in chapter 1, a number of things should be noted. First, Christ is traced back to Abraham's covenantal promises and the renewal of those promises in David (through a king). The genealogy is deliberately selective in order to highlight this. But more importantly for our discussion, the inclusion of outsiders (women like Tamar, Rahab, and Ruth) in the genealogy narrative is jaw-dropping. This inclusion indicates that God's covenant promises are just to the nations, but are fulfilled through the nations, rather than just Israel. The universalism of the gospel to all people and peoples is stressed right at the beginning of this Jewish gospel. The fulfillment of God's promises is dictated by God's sovereign choice, rather than the purity of the human bloodline. The purity of the bloodline never could have fulfilled the covenantal promises. Verse 16 is a strength of the genealogy, not a weakness that needs to be explained away. The bloodline led to exile, and God needed to step into the bloodline to fulfill history because that's the only way promises this good could ever be fulfilled.

Then at the end of Matthew in chapter 28, the Great Commission to the nations is given by the resurrected Christ. Here, the disciples are instructed to replicate Christ's own discipling ministry by making disciples of all the nations. Again, the universal applicability of the gospel to all people is emphasized. Verse 18 should be seen as the fulfillment of Ps. 2:8, and this is critical because it means that Christ is already the universal king exercising a universal reign over the nations in accordance with Daniel by virtue of his resurrection. The Gentiles are no afterthought or appendage in the salvation of the world.

One might find it odd that the incorporation of the gentiles as a fulfillment of the covenant promises would be found in Matthew. On the surface, it might make more sense for this theme to be prominent in Luke or even Mark. But in fact, the Matthean stress on the gentiles is perfectly consistent with its Jewish emphasis. Matthew 10 and 15 both address Jewish evangelism. But chapters 8, 21, and 22 indicate that the boundaries of the Kingdom extend beyond Palestine. The fulfillment of the covenant promises, for Matthew, include the incorporation of the gentiles into the ranks of the redeemed. Why does it make sense to emphasize this in a generally Jewish context? Simple!! Matthew, in doing this, is simply fulfilling the OT vision of Israel. Throughout the OT (Gen. 17, 18.18, 22.18, 26.4; Deut. 15.6, 28.12; Ps. 45.17, 46.10, 47.9, 67.2,4, 72.17, 98.2; Is. 2.2, etc) Israel was to be a light and blessing to the nations. Of course, it didn't work out that way a lot of the time. But this is one of the very reasons why Matthew presents Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of these covenantal promises. It is ultimately through Christ that Israel blesses the nations and the gentiles are ingrafted into the Kingdom.

And what proof do we have that Christ does indeed fulfill this promise. Today, people from every tribe and tongue worship the true God. The redeemed gentiles are a fulfillment of prophecy.