Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive Christ in the Gospel of Matthew

 

Knowing and Experiencing the All-inclusive Christ in the Gospel of Matthew

The Gospel of Matthew does not merely present a set of teachings concerning the kingdom. It progressively reveals Christ Himself as the all-inclusive One—the One whom we need to see, receive, enjoy, eat, follow, experience, live out, and corporately express.

According to the various aspects of Christ in Matthew 9—the Physician, the Bridegroom, the new garment, the new wine, and the new wineskin—are not merely doctrines about Christ. They portray different aspects of Christ for our practical experience. The ultimate goal is that Christ would become our inward life and, corporately, that we would become His Body.

I. Integrated Master Table

Order	Revelation of Christ	Main Scriptures	Meaning	Why He Is Revealed This Way	Spiritual Picture	Explanation & Experience	Result	Ultimate Purpose
1	Christ is the heavenly King	Matt. 2:1–2; 21:5; 27:11, 37	He is God's anointed King, the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament	God's kingdom requires a King to exercise God's government	King	He does not come with worldly pride and outward grandeur, but meekly and humbly	We are attracted by His meekness and willingly submit to His rule	To establish the kingdom of the heavens and express God's government
2	Christ is the Christ, the Son of the living God	Matt. 16:16–21	"Christ" refers to His mission; "Son of the living God" refers to His Person	He must accomplish God's eternal purpose and express the Triune God	The Anointed One + Son of God	As the Christ, He fulfills His mission through death, resurrection, ascension, and return; as the Son of God, He expresses the Father and, in resurrection, becomes the life-giving Spirit	We know not merely what He does but who He is	To accomplish God's eternal economy and fully express the Triune God
3	Christ is the Son of Man	Matt. 8:20; 9:6; 13:37, 41; 16:13, 27–28	He is the genuine Man who represents God on earth	God's authority must be brought to earth through a genuine man	The Son of Man / the Second Man	He stands in the position of the victorious Man to defeat Satan and withstand opposition and attack	God's government is realized in humanity	To bring God's kingdom to the earth
4	Christ is the Baptizer	Matt. 3:11–12	He brings people into the baptism of the Holy Spirit and executes the baptism of fire	The kingdom needs those who receive it as well as judgment upon those who reject it	Holy Spirit + Fire	The baptism in the Holy Spirit brings believers into Christ and the kingdom; the baptism in fire points to judgment	Believers are saved and brought into the kingdom; unbelievers face judgment	To save those who belong to Him and execute kingdom judgment
5	Christ is the Light of life shining in the darkness of death	Matt. 4:12–16	He is the great light shining in the realm of death	The kingdom is established not by earthly power or revolution but by heavenly light	The Great Light	He did not begin a political movement or revolution; He shined as light and attracted people to Himself	People in darkness see the light, repent, and follow Him	To produce the kingdom people through life-light
6	Christ is the Physician and the Bridegroom	Matt. 9:9–15	The Physician speaks of His healing life; the Bridegroom speaks of loving union and enjoyment	Kingdom people must be healed, enlivened, and brought into the enjoyment of Christ	Physician + Bridegroom	He heals sinners so that they can be reconstituted as kingdom people; He is also the Bridegroom for our enjoyment of His presence	Healing, restoration, love, and enjoyment	To produce kingdom people who enjoy Christ
7	Christ is the unfulled cloth becoming the new garment	Matt. 9:16; Luke 5:36	Christ Himself becomes our new garment and righteousness	The old religious garment cannot contain the new Christ	Unfulled cloth → New garment	Through incarnation, death, and resurrection, Christ becomes our righteousness and covering before God	We no longer rely on our own righteousness but put on Christ	To justify us before God and make us acceptable to Him
8	The individual Christ is the new wine, and the corporate Christ is the new wineskin	Matt. 9:17; 1 Cor. 12:12	The new wine is Christ as life; the new wineskin is the corporate Christ as the Body	New life requires a new container; individual enjoyment must become corporate expression	New wine + New wineskin	Christ as new wine fills, satisfies, energizes, and refreshes us; the corporate Christ becomes the vessel that contains the new wine	Individual enjoyment becomes the church life	To produce the corporate expression of Christ—the Body of Christ
9	Christ is the Shepherd and the Lord of the harvest	Matt. 9:35–38	He shepherds people and governs the harvest	The expansion of the kingdom requires shepherding and gospel harvesting	Shepherd + Lord of the harvest	He sees people distressed and scattered like sheep without a shepherd, and He sees them as a harvest ready to be gathered	We are shepherded and become shepherds and harvesters	To increase and expand the kingdom of Christ
10	Christ is the Friend of sinners and the wisdom of God	Matt. 11:19; 1 Cor. 1:24, 30	He sympathizes with sinners while expressing God's wisdom	Sinners need His compassion and salvation, and God's economy requires divine wisdom	Friend + Wisdom	He enters into the situation of sinners and understands their distress; everything He does is according to God's wisdom	People are attracted to Him and saved; God's wisdom is manifested	To express God's wisdom in Christ
11	Christ is the One who gives rest	Matt. 11:28–30	True rest comes from accepting the Father's will	Human labor and inward burden come from being outside God's will	Rest + Yoke	The Lord Himself was satisfied with the Father's will; therefore He had rest. We learn from Him by taking His yoke	Rest in the soul and cooperation with God's will	To bring us into God's will and the rest of the kingdom
12	Christ is the greater Jonah	Matt. 12:39–41; 16:4	He passes through death, burial, and resurrection	The greatest sign is not an outward miracle but Christ's death and resurrection	Jonah → Death and Resurrection	To an evil and adulterous religious generation, the Lord would give no sign except the sign of Jonah	We turn from outward signs to the resurrected Christ	To accomplish salvation through resurrection life and produce the new creation
13	Christ is the bread, even the crumbs under the table	Matt. 15:21–38	Christ is not merely someone to study but food to receive and eat	God's economy is not outward religion but Christ entering into us as life	Bread + Crumbs	The Canaanite woman was willing to receive even the crumbs under the table, showing her appreciation of Christ as edible spiritual food	Christ changes from objective teaching into subjective life within us	To make Christ our actual life and life supply
14	Christ in resurrection has all authority in heaven and on earth	Matt. 28:18–20	The resurrected Son of Man possesses universal authority	Matthew is concerned with the kingdom, and the kingdom requires authority	The Resurrected King	The Son of Man, having passed through death and resurrection, receives all authority in heaven and on earth and commissions His disciples	The disciples go under His authority to disciple all the nations	To expand the kingdom and make all the nations Christ's disciples
15	Christ is the all-inclusive One to be worshipped, enjoyed, and experienced	Matt. 2:11; 17:5; 28:9, 17	All the revelations of Christ must become our personal and corporate experience	Revelation reaches its goal only when Christ becomes our reality	King → Christ → Son of Man → Physician → Bridegroom → Garment → Wine → Wineskin → Shepherd → Bread → Resurrected King	We worship Him, receive Him, eat Him, enjoy Him, follow Him, live Him, and express Him in the Body	Objective revelation becomes subjective experience and corporate expression	For Christ to gain His Body, the kingdom to be realized, and God's eternal economy to be fulfilled

 

II. The Fifteen Aspects Form One Spiritual Line

These fifteen aspects should not be viewed as isolated doctrines. They form a progressive spiritual line:

Christ is the King
↓
Christ is the Son of God and the Son of Man
↓
Christ baptizes us into Himself and His kingdom
↓
Christ shines as the Light of life
↓
Christ heals and enlivens us as the Physician
↓
Christ becomes our Bridegroom for enjoyment
↓
Christ becomes our new garment as righteousness
↓
Christ becomes our new wine as life
↓
Christ becomes our new wineskin as the corporate Body
↓
Christ shepherds us and gathers us as His harvest
↓
Christ is our Friend and God's wisdom
↓
Christ gives us rest by bringing us into the Father's will
↓
Christ passes through death and resurrection as the greater Jonah
↓
Christ becomes our bread to eat and receive
↓
Christ becomes the resurrected King with all authority

This can be condensed into:

See Christ → Receive Christ → Enjoy Christ → Eat Christ → Follow Christ → Live Christ → Express Christ → Be built up as the Body of Christ → Expand the kingdom of Christ.

III. Four Major Layers of Christ in Matthew

Layer	Main Aspects of Christ	Our Experience	Spiritual Result
1. The Christ of the Kingdom	King, Son of Man, Baptizer, Resurrected King	Submit to His authority and enter His kingdom	God's government
2. The Christ of Redemption and Life	Christ, Son of God, Light, Physician, Greater Jonah	Believe in Him, receive Him, be healed, receive life	Salvation and transformation in life
3. The Christ of Enjoyment	Bridegroom, New Garment, New Wine, Bread, Giver of Rest	Love Him, put Him on, drink Him, eat Him, enjoy Him	Christ becomes our reality
4. The Christ of the Body and Mission	New Wineskin, Shepherd, Lord of the Harvest, Resurrected King	Live in the Body, shepherd, preach, disciple the nations	Corporate expression and kingdom expansion

 

IV. The Most Important Transition: Individual Christ → Corporate Christ

Stage	Individual Aspect	Corporate Aspect
Christ as Physician	I am healed	Those who are restored become joined together
Christ as Bridegroom	I enjoy His love and presence	We corporately enjoy the Bridegroom
Christ as New Garment	Christ is my righteousness	We collectively express Christ
Christ as New Wine	Christ is life within me	We enjoy the one Christ together
Christ as New Wineskin	I am one part of the vessel	We become the corporate Christ—the Body of Christ
Christ as Shepherd	I am shepherded	I become one who shepherds others
Christ as Lord of the Harvest	I receive the gospel	I become a harvester
Christ as Bread	I eat Christ personally	We enjoy Christ together as our life supply
Christ as Resurrected King	I experience resurrection life	We carry out His commission under His authority

A crucial point in Witness Lee's ministry is that the new wineskin signifies the corporate Christ—the Body of Christ and the church life. Therefore, Christ is not merely something we enjoy individually; He is also enlarged among the believers into a corporate expression.

V. Eight Key Verbs for Experiencing Christ in Matthew

Verb	Christ Is	Our Response	Scripture
See	King, Son of Man, Son of God	Know and behold Him	Matt. 16:16
Turn to	Light of life	Turn from darkness to Him	Matt. 4:16
Receive	Physician, Baptizer	Receive healing and life	Matt. 3:11; 9:12
Enjoy	Bridegroom, New Wine, Giver of Rest	Enjoy Him	Matt. 9:15, 17; 11:28–30
Put on	New Garment	Take Christ as righteousness	Matt. 9:16; cf. Gal. 3:27
Eat	Bread	Receive Christ as life	Matt. 15:26–27
Follow	King, Shepherd	Follow Him and cooperate with Him	Matt. 4:19; 9:9, 38
Express / Proclaim	Resurrected King, Corporate Christ	Express Him in the Body and disciple the nations	Matt. 28:18–20

 

VI. A Key Spiritual Formula

The entire Gospel of Matthew can be understood through the following progression:

Christ's Person

The Son of the living God
↓

Christ's Mission

The Anointed One → Death → Resurrection → Ascension → Return
↓

Christ's Humanity

The Son of Man → Bringing God's government to earth
↓

Christ as Life Supply

Light → Physician → Bridegroom → New Garment → New Wine → Bread
↓

Christ's Corporate Expression

New Wineskin → Body of Christ
↓

Christ's Kingdom Activity

Shepherding → Harvesting → Discipling the nations
↓

Ultimate Result

The resurrected Christ expressed in His Body, carrying out God's kingdom and fulfilling God's eternal economy.

 

VII. The Deepest Spiritual Insight

The fifteen revelations can be expressed as a progressive experience:

He is the King—to make me submit to Him.
He is the Son of God—to make me know Him.
He is the Son of Man—to make me follow Him.
He is the Baptizer—to bring me into Him.
He is the Light—to make me see Him.
He is the Physician—to heal me.
He is the Bridegroom—to make me enjoy Him.
He is the New Garment—to make me put Him on.
He is the New Wine—to make me drink Him.
He is the New Wineskin—to make us the corporate expression of Him.
He is the Shepherd—to cause me to receive and supply shepherding.
He is the Lord of the Harvest—to make me labor with Him in the harvest.
He is the Greater Jonah—to make me experience His death and resurrection.
He is the Bread—to make me eat Him as life.
He is the Resurrected King—to cause me to fulfill His commission under His authority.

Thus, the goal of knowing the all-inclusive Christ is not merely to accumulate names and doctrines concerning Christ, but to allow every aspect of Christ to become our experience.

VIII. The Ultimate Spiritual Development

The progression can be summarized in four great movements:

1. From Revelation to Experience

Know Christ objectively
→ Receive Christ subjectively

2. From Christ Outside Us to Christ Within Us

Light
→ Physician
→ Bridegroom
→ New Garment
→ New Wine
→ Bread

Christ is progressively experienced not merely as the One whom we behold but as the One who enters into us and becomes our life.

3. From Individual Experience to Corporate Expression

New Wine
→ New Wineskin
→ Corporate Christ
→ Body of Christ

The experience of Christ must eventually become the church life.

4. From Life Experience to Kingdom Mission

Enjoy Christ
→ Be shepherded
→ Shepherd others
→ Harvest
→ Disciple the nations
→ Build up the Body
→ Express the kingdom

Thus, life issues in the Body, and the Body carries out the kingdom commission.

IX. One Integrated Spiritual Formula

Seeing → Receiving → Enjoying → Eating → Following → Living → Expressing → Building → Reigning

Step	Experience	Result
Seeing	See the all-inclusive Christ	Revelation
Receiving	Receive Him as life	Regeneration
Enjoying	Enjoy Him as Bridegroom and new wine	Satisfaction
Eating	Eat Him as bread	Inward supply
Following	Follow Him as King and Shepherd	Transformation
Living	Live by Christ	Christ expressed
Expressing	Express the corporate Christ	Body
Building	Be built together as the new wineskin	Church life
Reigning	Participate in His kingdom under His authority	Kingdom realization

 

X. Ultimate Conclusion

The Gospel of Matthew reveals not a Christ with only one title or function, but an all-inclusive Christ:

He is the King who reigns;
the Son of God who expresses God;
the Son of Man who represents God;
the Baptizer who brings people into the kingdom;
the Light who shines in darkness;
the Physician who heals sinners;
the Bridegroom who gives us enjoyment;
the New Garment who becomes our righteousness;
the New Wine who becomes our life;
the New Wineskin who becomes the corporate Christ;
the Shepherd who shepherds His sheep;
the Lord of the Harvest who gathers His people;
the Friend of sinners who sympathizes with them;
the Wisdom of God who accomplishes God's economy;
the Greater Jonah who passes through death and resurrection;
the Bread who becomes our food and life supply;
and the Resurrected King who possesses all authority in heaven and on earth.

Therefore:

The ultimate burden of Matthew is not merely to know Christ but to experience the all-inclusive Christ.

Christ is to be our King, our life, our light, our Physician, our Bridegroom, our righteousness, our wine, our food, our Shepherd, our rest, our resurrection, and our authority.

 

And this experience ultimately moves:

from Christ as objective revelation → to Christ as subjective experience → to Christ as corporate expression → to Christ's Body → to the realization of His kingdom → to the fulfillment of God's eternal economy.

One-Sentence Summary

The Gospel of Matthew reveals the all-inclusive Christ—from the King, Son of God, and Son of Man, through the Physician, Bridegroom, new garment, new wine, bread, Shepherd, and resurrected King—to the Christ who is experienced individually, expressed corporately as His Body, and manifested in the kingdom for the fulfillment of God's eternal economy.

 

*Please refer to the April 2026 Summer Training, General Topic: Believers, Chapter 8: Knowing and Experiencing the All-Inclusive Christ in the Gospel of Matthew.