Assuming that Matthew was composed very early in the history of the church – in the early 30s, I suspect – it fits neatly into the early persecution situation of the church. As a retelling of Israel’s history, it mimics Stephen’s sermon, which presents the history of Israel as a history of rejecting those whom the Lord sent. Jesus assumes various roles in Matthew – the law giver, the Sage, the apocalyptic prophet – and the Jews do to Him what they did to all the prophets.
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