Reading Matthew: A Literary & Theological Commentary on the First Gospel

For someone who wants to put together a sermon or study on any one passage in Matthew's Gospel, I highly recommend this book. I picked up this little volume while in the middle of preaching through Matthew at our church. "Reading Matthew" has proven to be a very important resource for me. The book is especially helpful in pointing out the narrative flow of Matthew's gospel. The book also does a great job of pointing out relevant Old Testament passages that help connect Matthew with the larger story of redemptive history. The author also cites relevant Jewish apocryphal literature that often enriches the context of certain passages. I used commentaries by Allison/Davies, R.T. France, and D.A. Carson...all very good and helpful in their own right. But time and time again I found myself picking up David E. Garland's "Reading Matthew" to great satisfaction.

Garland presents an inciteful literary criticism of Matthew's Gospel. This book is a must for sermon preparation or Bible study. It adds and fits well with my Interpretation commentary series.