We need to remember that Matthew is a book in which the seeds of the kingdom are sown. In Matthew there is the kingdom and also Christ for the kingdom. There is the seed of the kingdom and there is the seed of Christ. Many of the basic aspects of the kingdom were sown as seeds in the book of Matthew and developed in the following books of the New Testament. The seed is in Matthew, the sprouting is in Acts, the growth and blossoming are in the Epistles, and the maturity and harvest are in Revelation. It is exactly the same with Christ. The seed of Christ is sown in Matthew, sprouts in Acts, grows, blossoms, and brings forth fruit in the Epistles, and is fully developed and matured with the full harvest in the book of Revelation.
In nearly every chapter, the book of Matthew reveals some aspect of the kingdom, and it also presents Christ again and again from many different angles. We have seen that in chapter one Christ is Jehovah-plus and God-plus, Jehovah the Savior and God with us. In chapter three He is revealed as the Son of God who baptizes people into the Spirit of God. In chapter four He is revealed as the great light shining over the people who sit in darkness. By this shining He spreads Himself into people, causing them to follow Him. In chapter nine Christ is the feast, the Bridegroom, the new garment, the new wine, and the new wineskin. In chapter eleven He is our rest, and in chapter twelve He is the temple, the present David, the Lord of the Sabbath, the greater Jonah, and the greater Solomon. In chapter sixteen He is revealed as the Son of the living God and as the Christ who will build His church. In chapter seventeen Christ, the Son of God, is transfigured on the mountain, and God declares that this is His beloved Son, the only One we should hear.
After being revealed in such a way, the Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time to accomplish God's eternal purpose by being crucified. The Lord Jesus knew what was before Him, so while He was traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem, He told His disciples at least three times that He was going to Jerusalem to be crucified and resurrected. In the type of the Passover, the lamb had to be examined for several days before the actual Passover feast (Exo. 12:3, 6). According to the Jewish way of reckoning, this period was six days. The Lord Jesus entered Jerusalem and, like the Passover lamb, was examined by the people for several days preceding the Passover. He was tested by the leaders of the people—the chief priests, the elders, the Pharisees, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and a lawyer. These tests came from at least four directions: from religion, politics, fundamental beliefs, and the law. As a result of this testing, the examiners themselves were exposed that they were distracted from Christ and occupied with worthless things. All of them missed the mark, and none of them saw Christ, the real treasure. They gave their complete attention to things other than Christ. All of the people with high attainment, knowledge, and education surrounded the Lord Jesus and examined Him, presuming themselves to be wise. They did not realize how foolish they were. Not one of them was seeking the real treasure. Not one of them saw God's goal or economy. Not one of them perceived God's center and focus. They could only see what they themselves considered as valuable and important.