Have you ever wondered why Jesus didn’t write His own gospel?

The answer is that if you bear wit-ness of yourself, it may not be true. For example, if I told you that I was the King of England, would you believe me? No you wouldn’t, but if witnesses testified that I was indeed the King of England, then you would have to consider the evidence of that testimony whether it was true or not.

The Pharisees challenged Jesus’ witness of Himself in John 8:13 (NKJV): "The Pharisees therefore said to Him, "You bear witness of Yourself; Your witness is not true.""

God established a law that dealt with witnesses: "Whoever is deserving of death shall be put to death on the testimony of two or three witnesses; he shall not be put to death on the testimony of one witness" (Deut. 17:6 NKJV). This law is also repeated in the New Testament by Matthew: "But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established'" (Mat 18:16 NKJV).

Jesus carefully chose His 12 disciples to be witnesses of His resurrection. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were witnesses of Jesus’ life, message, death and resurrection. As witnesses, they are offering official testimony and evidence to the jury, which is you and me. As the jury, we must read their testimony and believe it to be true. If a witness bears false testimony, he could be charged with perjury and be sent to jail.

We, as the jury, must realize that the testimony of all four witnesses may not and should not agree, word for word. If all four witnesses’ testimony were identical, word for word, we the jury

would conclude that the truth was being tampered with and that someone was lying.

We also must realize that the testimony of these four witnesses were given fifteen to sixty years after the ascension of Jesus. Each testimony will vary a little in detail as to the exact sequence of events. They didn’t have tape recorders at that time to record the exact words of Jesus. They had to rely upon the inspiration of the holy spirit and their memories for their testimonies.

Another point that we must realize is that each of the four witnesses is giving his testimony from his point of view. Matthew wrote from the point of view that "Jesus is King", Mark’s emphasis was that "Jesus was a servant", Luke’s point of view was on "Jesus as man" and John’s emphasis was that "Jesus is God".

In this article, we will focus on Jesus is King!

The Apostle John recorded that Jesus was born to be a king: "Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered, "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth."" (John 18:37 NKJV).

Matthew’s testimony begins with the genealogy of the Messiah. It begins with Abraham of whom the promised Messiah would come. This genealogy lineage (Matthew 1:1-16) was the Royal Line through David, Solomon, etc. Matthew’s testimony begins by focusing on the kingly aspect of the Messiah.

"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, {2} saying, "Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the East and have come to worship Him." {3} When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him {4} "And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. {5} So they said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it is written by the prophet: {6} 'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel'" (Mat 2:1-6 NKJV). Let’s continue in verse 9: "When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was. {10} When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. {11} And when they had come into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His mother, and fell down and worshiped Him. And when they had opened their treasures, they presented gifts to Him: gold, frankincense, and myrrh."

Matthew is quoting a prophecy from Micah about the coming Messiah (Micah 5:2 NKJV).

The emphasis in this passage is on kingship and rulership. They brought expensive gifts to honor their future king.

John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus by preaching about the kingdom of heaven. Matthew continues his witness: "In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, {2} and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" {3} For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: "The voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight'" (Mat 3:1-3 NKJV).

There are four parts to a kingdom. A kingdom includes a king, territory to rule over, subjects and law. Jesus is the king. The territory that He will rule over when He returns will begin with Jerusalem and then will grow to include all of the earth. The subjects that Jesus will rule over will be all of mankind and He will rule by the laws of God.

It is interesting to note that the term "Kingdom of Heaven" is only used in the book of Matthew. All other references in the New Testament refers to the "Kingdom" or the "Kingdom of God".

Why did Matthew use the term "Kingdom of Heaven"?

The NIV Study Bible relates, under the section Purpose: "Matthew’s main purpose is to prove to his Jewish readers that Jesus is their Messiah. He does this primarily by showing how Jesus in his life and ministry fulfilled the O.T. Scriptures."

Matthew primarily wrote to the Jews. He did not want to offend them so he used the term "Kingdom of Heaven" in lieu of the phrase "Kingdom of God".

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil" (Mat 4:1 NKJV). Satan is the god of this world: "whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them" (2 Cor 4:4 NKJV). Satan, the god of this world, tempted Jesus in the wilderness and Jesus overcame the temptations and qualified to be king and to rule and to replace Satan as ruler. "Now the ruler (Satan) of this world will be cast out" (John 12:31 NKJV). "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth." (Rev 1:5 NKJV).

The Sermon on the mount is recorded in Matthew 5-7. This sermon deals with the application of God’s law in it’s spiritual meaning. It is a king’s job to enforce the law. Jesus is king and it is His job to enforce God’s law and show how to apply it.

Many people say that Jesus did away with the law, but Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) clearly states: "Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill." The word "fulfill" means to execute or amplify. Notice how Jesus amplified the commandment on adultery: ""You have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not commit adultery.' {28} "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Mat 5:27-28 NKJV).

Jesus is amplifying the command-ment of adultery by saying that adultery begins in the heart. The lustful desire can lead to the sinful act.

Kings have power and authority. "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth" (Mat 28:18 KJV). The KJV uses the word "power" and other translations use the word "authority".

There are many parables in the book of Matthew that deals with a "king" or "kingdom". The overall theme of Matthew is that "Jesus is King". Keep this point in mind as you read through the book of Matthew .

Jesus Christ will return and set up the Kingdom of God and rule for 1,000 years. He will rule as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. "And He (Jesus) has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev 19:16 NKJV).

In Conclusion:

Jesus was born to be a king, He is a king and He will rule as King of Kings in the millennial Kingdom of God.

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