Matthew writes his Gospel to introduce The New Covenant. This page introduces how Matthew uses The 7 Holy Convocations as a background in his Gospel. Look at Leviticus 23 for the Shadow Patterns. (Both 1 Corinthians and Ephesians also present the 7 Step Plan of Salvation and use the same 7 step Plan. So out of the mouth of these 3 witnesses everything is established.) This page only provides an overview. For details about what Matthew reveals, read through Matthew and look at the materials in this website.To see info about The 7 Holy Convocations, look at the Menu ‘NT Feasts.’ On those pages, you will see details about each of the 7 Set Times and what each one represents in The New Testament.
0. Passover initiates the whole Salvation Plan. Salvation cannot start until Jesus enables the process to begin. (Some like Abraham, have entered into Salvation by faith --Seeing Jesus’ Day afar off.) For us who come by faith looking back, Matthew introduces us to God’s Plan.- Matthew uses Jesus’ life as The True Pattern of The Passover. Jesus activated the New Covenant at Passover --without any participation on our part. We first become involved as we are Born from Above and The Holy Spirit leads us to believe and repent from our sin. This is the fulfillment of The First Day of Unleavened Bread. Jesus was without sin but He submitted to Baptism and The Holy Spirit came upon Him. Each believer must follow the pattern God has established.-
Matthew reveals Jesus as Our Passover Sacrifice in Chapters 26 through 28.- Mat introduces concepts that are expanded by Paul in Romans for example, but Romans has very little to say about Passover (Romans is dealing with judgments and justice which are Tabernacles’ processes.)
1. Unleavened Bread is revealed in Matthew as The 10 Commands and Jesus’ Sinless Life. (First Corinthians gives more details about how to get The Puffed-Up Sin-Nature out.)
2. The Last Day of Unleavened Bread leads to Righteous Love as written in 1 Cor 13, where Love is Not Puffed-Up. In Matthew, we see Jesus living in The Kingdom of Heaven while here on Earth. In Mat 22:38-39, Jesus shows how Love for God and neighbor are the Greatest Commandments. God is love - and righteousness, or righteous love. Love that does not miss the mark and never fails.
- Matthew repeats the 10 Commands TEN times (as does Romans.) The Law reveals what obedience requires and tells us how to get sin out of our lives. However, we soon learn we cannot get sin out without Jesus and The Holy Spirit helping us daily. In the NT, we see The Law is designed to convert the heart and inform the new mind. Living without sin is possible only when we have faith in Christ Jesus. - Matthew shows how religion and a true relationship with God often fight each other. (John relates more of that conflict between Jesus and Religion.) The Kingdom of Heaven is within us after we invite Jesus to become our Savior and Lord. We become disciples as we follow Jesus via The Holy Spirit. In Matthew, we notice how helpless the disciples are without Jesus, and we are in the same boat….
3. Pentecost is the third Holy Convocation. Jesus is Baptized and led into The Wilderness to be tested by Satan. Jesus overcomes every test where all others have failed (including Adam.) Jesus walks only as led and talks only as directed by His Father. We have the same opportunity to live in The Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth as it is in Heaven. Jesus taught us how to pray….-Matthew shows Jesus constantly in communication with His Father via The Holy Spirit.
-Mat in 12:31-32 relates the unforgivable sin as blasphemy against The Holy Ghost. This idea ties in several of Matthew’s themes. Holiness and not condemning others… And Forgiveness, freedom and The Kingdom of Heaven here on Earth…. If we refuse to listen to God’s leading, we cannot be saved. Matthew states this concept in a very strong way. Our refusal to listen can limit God’s work in our lives.- Mat shows Jesus in constant contact with The Father, which is what takes place in our own hearts when we yield to The Spirit Led Life.
-Mat only mentions Spirit or Ghost 13 times with three of these connected with Jesus’ Birth. This is unlike Luke 39 times Mark 27 or John 23 times for example. Matthew concentrates his Gospel on The Life of Jesus.
- Mat opens the NT as a continuation from The OT. The Genealogies in Matthew continue from earlier accounts in Chronicles. The Jewish audience Matthew writes to have very little experience with The Holy Spirit and seldom do they speak about God and often they forbid even the mention of the names of YHWH or GOD. The Holy Spirit is a stranger to most of them. But Matthew relates that The Wise Men and Joseph had spiritual connections in dreams….- Mat is written to lead us into The Kingdom, while other Books are more useful in other respects. Matthew is the introduction to living like Jesus – Matthew introduces us to Living in The Kingdom of Heaven while here on Earth.