The Gospel according to Matthew Essay Example for Free

The Gospel according to Matthew Essay It is said that the ideas of Liberation Theology espoused by the more liberal elements of the Catholic Church is found the gospel according to (Saint) Matthew. one of the four major gospels in the New Testament. From the word itself, the words written here imply the truth and is considered sacronsanct and leaves no room for doubt. The gospel essentially states that Jesus is the messiah sent by God to the world. The question is how is Liberation Theology and social justice related to Matthews gospel? In the understanding of the Jews, as well as Liberation Theologists, when Jesus clashed with the Pharisees and scribes, it suggested that his teachings, as shown in Matthews gospel contain a message of social justice. This is underscored in one of the Eight Beatitudes, â€Å"Blessed are the lowly; they shall inherit the earth† (New American Bible, Matt. 5:5) and If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me (Matt. 19:21). I for one sees that this makes sense. Matthews teachings do evoke the need for social justice which can be inferred here as the hallmark of a true Christian regardless of the denomination one belongs to and not a nominal one where he is Christian by affiliation but not in practice. However, that is the extent of my agreement. Liberation theologists have a tendency to take it very far to demand change in governments by colluding with revolutionary movements just because they do not agree. When Jesus came to this world, this was what the Jews also thought but Christ reminded them he did not come to this world to be a political leader and liberate them from their political masters. He came to offer them something better and it is a matter of accepting this invitation to the kingdom of heaven. Works Cited New Amercian Bible. Camden, New Jersey: Thomas Nelson, Inc. , 1970.