The Gospel: The Parable Of The Sow

In contrast to Mark, while Mark may be considered the first gospel to be written, many believe that Matthew was the second (Smith). Matthew, also known as Levi in the other gospels, was a tax gatherer in Jerusalem (Bible, 684). The Jews associated this occupation with worshiping a false god: Caesar. Therefore, Matthew was likely excommunicated for his occupation and hated by the Jews (Bible, 684). Because Matthew was born a Jew, he was raised learning about the Old Testament. Therefore, despite the hatred of others, Matthew seeks to prove to the Jews that Jesus is the Messiah. He carries out this mission by including in his gospel events that fulfill Old Testament prophecy. As a result, Matthew includes the “Parable of the Sower,” the

Similarly, my older siblings were teenagers when they were baptized. As a result, I have seen some of their testimonies fall quake throughout the years. For example, my oldest brother has completely left the Church. He no longer believes in the teachings and principles of the gospel. In addition, my older brother Jeremy used to have a strong testimony of the church when I was younger; however, the older he gets, the farther he moves away from the church. Therefore, to me, these two brothers represent those who have hardened and stony hearts from the “Parable of the Sower.” Finally, the rest of my siblings love the church. Even though we may have had “stony” times when our faith was weak, we still have strong testimonies and are learning to understand the Gospel. Consequently, I have experienced the truth of this parable within my own

Matthew uses the first chapter of his Gospel in order to demonstrate that Jesus would legally be king of the Jews (Matthew 1:1). He asserts that if Israel would have been free, Jesus would have been king (Bible, 680). Furthermore, Matthew states that the number of generations from David to Jesus is 14 generations (Matthew 1:17); however, this is a symbol that Matthew uses in order to further emphasize that Jesus is a descendent of David (Smith). Specifically, in class, Professor Smith stated that David would be written as DVD by the Jews, or 464. These three numbers summed equal 14, which is the number used in verse 17 (Matthew 1:17). Clearly, Matthew seeks to prove that Jesus is the legal the King of the Jews and the foretold Messiah descending from David’s