Gospel of Matthew facts for kids

St Matthew writing his gospel. This picture is from a Medieval Bible.

The Gospel of Matthew is a book found in the New Testament part of the Bible. It is one of four special books called gospels. These gospels tell the amazing story of Jesus' life, what he taught, and the miracles he performed.

The full name of this book is the Gospel According to Matthew. However, most people just call it the Gospel of Matthew or simply Matthew.

This gospel is considered one of the Synoptic Gospels. This means it shares many stories and similar words with the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke.

What is the Gospel of Matthew?

The Gospel of Matthew is like a biography of Jesus. It tells us about his birth, his childhood, his public work, and his death and resurrection. It includes many of Jesus' famous teachings, such as the Beatitudes from the Sermon on the Mount.

Who Wrote the Gospel?

For a long time, people believed that Matthew, one of Jesus' twelve closest followers, wrote this gospel. However, most modern experts now think it was written by someone else. The actual writer is unknown.

Why Was It Written?

The Gospel of Matthew was mainly written for Jewish people. Its main goal was to show them that Jesus was truly the Messiah, the special leader God had promised. It does this by often referring to Jewish scripture (the Old Testament) and showing how Jesus fulfilled its prophecies.

Like the Gospels of Mark and Luke, Matthew shares many stories about Jesus' life. It highlights Jesus' role as a great teacher and the King of God's kingdom.

Related pages

• Bible
• Beatitudes

Images for kids

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  Matthew 21:34–37 on Papyrus 104 (recto; c. AD 150). This is a very old piece of the Gospel of Matthew.

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  Papyrus 𝔓⁴, a fragment with the title of the Gospel of Matthew in Greek. It says "euangelion kata Maththaion," which means "Gospel according to Matthew." This papyrus is from the late 2nd or early 3rd century.