Matthew 's gospel is similar to both Mark 's gospel and Luke 's gospel , and contains many stories about Jesus ' life which are very alike . The Gospel According to Matthew ( , to euangelion kata Matthaion ) , commonly shortened to the Gospel of Matthew or simply Matthew , is one of the four canonical gospels and is the first book of the New Testament . This synoptic gospel is an account of the life , ministry , death , and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth .