The Gospel of Matthew

1
The Gospel of Matthew

• Characteristics, Emphases, Themes

2
Matthew

• Presents Jesus attitude toward the tradition of
  Jewish scribal teaching
• Describes Jesus controversies with the Jewish
  officials
• Traditionally identified as the most Jewish of
  the Gospels

3
General Characteristics

• Strong dependence on OT
• Applies many OT passages to Jesus life and
  ministry
• Presents Jesus as the fulfillment of OT
  prophecies
• This was done to fulfill what was said . . .

4

• Discusses Jesus attitude toward OT law
• 517-20 I came not to destroy but to fulfill the
  law and the prophets
• Much of the Sermon on the Mount can be viewed in
  this light.
• Genealogy son of David son of Abraham
• The genealogy is divided into three sections of
  14 generations each.
• The number 14 comes from the letters in David
  that add up to 14 emphasizing Jesus Jewish
  royal descent.

5

• Compared to Moses as a teacher
• Presented as the giver of a new law
• Prefers the phrase Kingdom of Heaven (32x) over
  Kingdom of God (4x).
• Uses Kingdom 100x
• Only Gospel to specify Jesus disciples are to go
  only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel
  (105f. 1524).
• The only mention of the Samaritans is in the
  prohibition of going to them (105).

6

• Specific issues discussed that would be of
  interest to Jewish readers
• Fasting (616ff.)
• Sabbath (121ff. 2420)
• Temple offerings (523f)
• Temple tax (1724ff.)
• Most antipharisaic of the gospels
• Tension primarily on two points
• Their righteousness is external.
• Their tradition clashes with the word of God.

7

• Matthew is the only Gospel to have
• Trinitarian formula in connection with baptism
• The statement that the Kingdom is taken from the
  Jews and given to others (2143)
• except for fornication/unchasity (532 199)
• Judas repentance (273ff.)
• The raising of the dead at Jesus death (2752f)

8

• Strong interest in Gentiles
• The great commission
• 811f. I tell you, many will come from east
  and west and sit at table with Abraham, Isaac,
  and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the
  sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer
  darkness.
• 1221 . . . and in his name Gentiles will hope
• 2143 . . .the kingdom of God will be taken away
  from you and given to a nation producing the
  fruits of it. (after the parable of the
  vineyard)
• 39 228-10 2414 2613

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• Matthew was the most used of the Gospels by the
  early Church (most quotations)
• Its practical use in showing the connections
  between Jesus and the Jewish heritage useful
  in debates with Jews.
• Useful collections of Jesus teaching for new
  converts (5-6 teaching sections)
• Its the most comprehensive of the Gospels.

10
Authorship of Matthew

• No statement regarding its author
• External evidence
• Papias (Hierapolis, Phrygia, Asia Minor d. 130)
• Matthew compiled the sayings (ta logia) in the
  Aramaic language, and everyone interpreted them
  as best he could.
• Papias statement could also be readMatthew
  composed the oracles (ta logia) in the Hebrew
  language and everyone translated them as best he
  could.

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• Irenaeus (d. 200) confirms Papias and adds that
  Mt. was composed while Peter and Paul were
  founding the church in Rome.
• Others claiming Matthew wrote it
• Cyril of Jerusalem, Tertullian, Epiphanius,
  Jerome
• In fact no one mentions anyone other than Matthew
  as the author, nor says we dont know who wrote
  it.
• Consistent testimony
• Matthew wrote it
• In Hebrew

12

• Martin Hengel argues that it is unlikely that the
  Gospels would have circulated for up to 60 years
  with no titles and then uniformly be given titles
  with no evidence of any other traditions
  regarding authorship.
• So he claims the titles must go back to the time
  of the final redaction and first circulation of
  the Gospels themselves. (Studies in Mark, p. 82)

13

• Some question whether Matthew wrote it
• If Mark was first, it is unlikely an apostle
  would need to borrow from a non-apostle.
• The Greek is too high quality for a Jewish person
  to write.
• As a tax collector, however, it would not be
  unlikely for Matthew to have been fluent in more
  than Aramaic.

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Occasion and PurposeDifferent Proposals

• A conflict between the Church and the synagogue
  over the place of the Gentile mission. Mt takes
  a mediating position.
• Helping the Jewish Christian to understand the
  rejection they have received from their heritage.
• Offers a defense against the attacks by
  non-Christians toward Jewish Christians.

15

• Helping Jewish Christians and Gentile Christians
  to accept each other in this new community and to
  deal with the tension between the two races.
• To help Gentile Christians have a greater
  appreciation for their Jewish brethren by showing
  Jesus connection with the OT traditions.

16

• To portray the Church as the true Israel.
• To encourage followers of Jesus to follow Jesus
  interpretation of Gods will over against the
  developing Pharisaic Judaism.

17
Location and Date

• Many favor Antioch of Syria as the area for whom
  Matthew was writing.
• Antioch is the first Church that had both a
  Jewish and Gentile membership.
• We know they struggled with Jew-Gentile
  relationships, but apparently eventually worked
  it out. (Peter Paul Acts 15, Gal 2)
• This church was the first to launch a mission to
  the Gentiles.

18

• Dating Matthew is difficult
• Depends on ones view of the synoptic problem
• If he used Mark, then after Mark
• This would put Mt. after the mid 60s.
• Matthew deals with problems that existed as early
  as the 30s (Jew Gentile relationships)
• However, it is more likely he was writing much
  later these same problems persisted.
• The struggles with Judaism increased later.
• General date 60s 80.

19
Structure of Matthew

• Two primary proposals
• Five-fold division into discourses preceded by
  five narrative sections, each followed by a
  formula statement When Jesus had finished these
  things . . .) Silva, p 239.
• Three major sections set off by the statement
  From that time, Jesus began to . . . (417
  1621).

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• The Person of Jesus 11-416
• The Proclamation of Jesus 417-1620
• The Suffering, Death and Resurrection of Jesus
  1621-2820
• From that time Jesus began to . . .
• 417 . . . preach, saying, Repent for the
  Kingdom of heaven is at hand!
• 1621 . . .show his disciples that he must go to
  Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders
  and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and
  on the third day be raised.

21
The Disciples in Matthew

• Matthew presents the disciples as having less
  struggles in understanding Jesus teaching and
  ministry than they do in Mark.
• After Jesus walked on the water Mark said the
  disciples did not understand about the loaves
  Matthew indicated they worshipped Jesus as the
  son of God (Mk 651f Mt. 1433)
• Other examples Mt. 1612 Mk. 821 Mt. 1723
  Mk.932 Mt. 1722f Mk. 933ff.

22
Jesus and the People of God

• Matthew reinforces the continuity between the
  Christians and the Jewish heritage by presenting
  Jesus as the fulfillment of Gods plan of
  salvation
• Matthew shows how they fit into this plan so that
  all the opposition they receive from their Jewish
  (or Gentile) opponents will not discourage them.

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• Emphasis on fulfillment of prophecy
• Jesus continuity with leaders of the past
• Abraham Moses David etc.
• Jesus as the new teacher of Israel (as Moses had
  been)
• Giving the new law/halakha (Sermon on the Mount)

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The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew

• The first teaching section most prominent
• At the end, the people are amazed at his teaching
• It sets the stage for Jesus ideas on some of the
  issues of the day righteousness, the law,
  marriage, practicing religion (giving to the
  poor, fasting, praying, etc.)
• As readers see this, they know where Jesus stands
  on various issues.

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• It also shows what type of people Jesus expects
  his followers to be.
• Righteous as God is righteous
• Perfect as the father is perfect (in love)
• Consistent, whole, etc.
• Reminiscent of Lev. 192 - You be holy for I the
  Lord your God am holy.

26
Matthews Audience(Donald Hagner, Matthew)

• Matthew's original readers were in this
  unenviable position, in a kind of "no man's land"
  between their Jewish brothers and sisters, on the
  one hand, and gentile Christians, on the other.
• , Matthew's readers needed an account of the
  story of Jesus that would enable them to relate
  both to unbelieving Jews and to Gentile
  Christians.

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• The evangelist's community thus shared in two
  worlds, the Jewish and the Christian.
• They were struggling to define and defend a
  Jewish Christianity to the Jews, on the one hand,
  and to realize their identity with gentile
  Christians, on the other.
• This twofold challenge explains the basic
  tensions encountered in the Gospel.
• From Donald A. Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary,
  Matthew 1-13, Vol. 33A, Dallas, TX Word Books,
  1993, pp. xx-xxi.