Gospel of Matthew. I. Purpose:

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1 Gospel of Matthew I. Purpose: A. Like all Gospels, it prolaims the message of Jesus Christ for several purposes: 1. Catehetial: authoritative instrution for Christians, inluding those not around when Christ was alive. 2. Evangelisti and apologeti: to authoritatively answer the questions of non-christians about what kind of a person Jesus was, what he taught and how to be saved through faith in him. 3. Probably liturgial: assist in Christian worship B. Matthew s own speial purposes. 1. An eyewitness aount of the life and teahings of Jesus. a He inludes things that Jesus taught and expeted, even when they were not diretly appliable to his own post-resurretion time (e.g. that Jesus and the Apostles foused primarily on the Jews, until after the resurretion). 2. He writes for speifi needs in the Churh of his day. a He writes for a largely Jewish Christian hurh to show how the major events of Jesus life took plae in the fulfillment of prophey (1) Jesus is the promised Jewish Messiah, whose entire life, teahings and death were in fulfillment of the divine plan predited in the OT. (2) Many Jews, espeially the leaders, unfortunately failed to reognize who Jesus was and are aountable for that rejetion. b The prophesied messiani kingdom has dawned, in the life, ministry, death, resurretion of Jesus, though it has a future dimension yet to be fulfilled when the Son of Man returns in glory. The Churh, onsisting of both Jew and Gentile who have bowed to Jesus authority, now onstitute the people of God. d Jesus died as a ransom for the forgiveness of sins of those who believe in Him and submit to his Lordship. e The ethial foundations of Christianity are the teahings of Jesus. (1) True disipleship involves self-sarifie and obediene to the teahings of Jesus. (2) While the Law is fulfilled by Jesus and ontinues to have ontinuing validity in the sense that it points forward to Jesus, the basis of Christian ethis is now the teahings of Jesus, not the Law of Moses. f Apologeti motives to defend the faith: (1) The infany story defends against attaks on the legitimay of Jesus birth (2) Some details of the Resurretion aount defend its historiity. e.g. the bribing of the guards, refutes the harge that the disiples stole the body of Jesus. 3. Speulative theories: a Liturgial theory (1) G. D. Kilpatrik: developed for liturgial purposes by a representative of the Matthean ommunity, who olleted existing liturgial material. (2) Goulder: Matthew was omposing a letionary for the ommunity, based on the pattern of the Jewish letionary. (3) Although it lends itself well to letionary use (as his been done muh in hurh history), we know little of patterns of worship in 1st entury Judaism and Christianity, muh less of the annual yles that Goulder postulates. b K. Stendahl: developed by a Matthean shool, designed for teahers and Churh leaders as a manual for hurh administration. But there is little on detailed hurh administration and polity and muh more of general use for Christian teahing and disipleship. Copyright 2004 Dr. Harry A. Hahne

2 Gospel of Matthew Page 2 II. Authorship A. Traditional view: Matthew, the tax-olletor who was alled by Jesus as one of the 12 Apostles 1. External evidene: a Earliest MSS have the title KATA MATTHAION ("aording to Matthew"). Probably attahed by A.D b Patristi tradition uniformly attributes it to Matthew. (1) Ireneaus and Origen probably base their view on the earlier laim of Papias. (2) Papias (AD 140), quoted by Eusebius (AD 325) (a) Matthew omposed the logia ( orales?) in the Hebrew dialet and everyone interpreted them as he was able (b) Major issues interpretation: i) Composed or ompiled (i.e. edited a olletion of material) ii) Meaning of logia (is this the Gospel or the words of Jesus only) iii) Hebrew dialet (Hebrew/Aramai original or Hebrew style) iv) Interpreted or transmitted or translated () Meaning of logia: i) View that it means the Gospel (Guthrie; Carson; Frane) a) Fits the anient title aording to Matthew b) Papias uses logia to refer to both the word and deeds of Jesus in his ommentaries on the Gospels alled Interpretations of the Lord s Logia ii) View that it means a olletion of the sayings of Jesus, like Q, an hypothetial olletion of sayings used as a soure of both Lk and Mt (popularized by Manson) a) Claims Papias onfused the Gospel and the sayings soure of the Gospel b) Fits the idea of the Hebrew dialet, sine the evidene is that the Gospel was originally written in Greek. ) Weaknesses: 1) Q is hypothetial 2) Papias use of logia elsewhere inludes both words and deeds. 3) Hard to imagine a sayings olletion as surviving into the late seond entury with no other evidene of its existene (Guthrie) (d) Meaning of Hebrew dialet (hebraidi dialektw) i) If Papias is meant the anonial Gospel, there seems a onflit with the linguisti evidene whih favors Matthew being written in Greek a) It has many Semiti expressions, but does not overall seem like translation Greek. b) Papias ould have been wrong (Hill) ii) Kürzinger (NTS, 1963) argues that Papias meant Semiti style or literary form. a) Matthew wrote the Gospel in a literary form with Semiti themes and devies. b) In the sentene before the famous Papias quote, Papias says Mark omposed his Gospel by putting down Peter's testimony and he alls Mark the hermeneuth" of Peter (not translator but interpreter or transmitter). Thus the ognate verb in his statement about Matthew means everyone passed on or interpreted Matthew s statements. ) Little evidene that Matthew was written originally in a Semiti language (he often quotes from the LXX). (e) Conlusion: i) Papias probably meant Matthew wrote the Gospel in Hebrew style. ii) Possible Papias was mistaken about the language (not having the original), assuming that a Gospel written for Jewish Christians would be written in Hebrew or Aramai. iii) Also possible that Matthew wrote a Hebrew or Aramai earlier draft, whih he inorporated into the Gospel (but no evidene of its existene)..

3 Gospel of Matthew Page 3 2. Internal evidene: a Charateristis of the Gospel support a Jewish Christian (e.g. strong interest and familiarity in OT and Sribal traditions and methods of Rabbini debate) b Matthew was a tax-olletor (1) A tax-olletor would have to be fluent in Greek and the Gospel is good Greek, although with semiti flavor. (2) He would have to be quite literate and used to taking reords (E. J. Goodspeed suggested he may even have taken notes while Jesus taught, having ability in shorthand; f. Gundry) (a) The Gospel is methodially arranged and has an attention to detail. (b) Some evidene of detailed knowledge of money matters (e.g. in the dispute over paying tribute, Matthew alone refers to the preise state oin, nomisma, rather than the more ommon denerion,as other Gospels ) B. Objetions to traditional Matthean authorship (assume seond generation Christian, AD ): 1. Major obstale is the assumption that Matthew used Mark as his major soure, whih would mean an apostle and eye-witness used as non-apostoli and non-eyewitness soure. a But only 50% of Mark shows verbal agreement. b Not impossible, espeially if Mark preserves Peter's reminisenes (as Papias laims) Anient approah to literary soures was different from modern. It was quite ommon and permissible to inorporate another s work wholesale, espeially in view of the fat that the gospel traditions were ommon knowledge. 2. Matthew is less vivid than Mark whih would not fit the writing of an eyewitness. a Yet Matthew had more time to reflet on the signifiane of events. b May be partly a matter of personality and style 3. Some argue that he must not have been a Jew or at least was not writing prior to the fall of Jerusalem ( Streker; Trilling) a He lumps Pharisees and Saduees together (3:7; 16:1, 6, 11-12). But both groups sat on the same Sanhedrin and joined fores as opponents of Jesus, despite their theologial differenes. b His Greek is too good. But Greek was widely spoken in Galilee and he would have needed Greek for his professiona as tax olletor. C. Conlusion: Matthew is uniformly supported by the earlist traditions and the internal evidene fits very well with the tradition view. III. Date. A. Two major views: 1. Traditional view: 60's (Carson) 2. Most modern ritial sholars: non-apostoli authorship in (Hill, Kümmel, Tasker (70's)) B. arguments for late date: 1. If Matthew used Mark, then it must be later than Mark. a If Mark was written in the 60's (probably 65), most ritis think Matthew ould be written no earlier than 75 or 80. b But one something is published, it an be used as a soure, so Matthew ould still be late 60's. Matthew may have also used Mark in an earlier form. 2. Passages suh as 22:7; 23:38; and h. 24 desribe the destrution of the Jerusalem temple. a This objetion is based on the assumption that Jesus ould not make genuine propheies about the events of AD 70. b Nothing in the wording points to the events being already past 3. The anti-jewish tone fits period around AD 85 when Christians were exluded from the synagogue and urse on Nazarenes and heretis was added to the synagogue liturgy. a But this onflit extends bak to Jesus own onflits with the Jewish leaders. b The Gospel is not anti-jewish but it ritiizes the Jewish leaders who were opposing Jesus.

4 Gospel of Matthew Page 4 Matthew has more warnings against Saduees than all other NT writers ombined, and they eased as a party after the destrution of Jerusalem. 4. Some laim the theology reflets a later period (AD ) a But Matthew s referenes to the "Churh" are not about highly strutured hurh details of hurh order (no referene to deaons and elders). They are only broad priniples appropriate to the earliest Christian groups. b Muh of the reonstrution of hurh irumstane and theologial development in this period are highly speulative. C. Some evidene for early date 1. The evidene supporting Matthew authorship above, inluding the uniform Patristi tradition. 2. Referenes to temple praties whih would be not worth mentioning after its destrution a 5:23-24, leave offering in temple; 23:16-22, swear by temple. b Mention of temple tax (17:24-27) would be misleading after AD 70, sine the money was diverted to the upkeap of the Jupiter temple in Rome. Respetful attitude toward sribes unlikely when hurh and synagogue were totally opposed. D. Conlusion: no ompelling reason to date later than AD 70 and some evidene that it is before then, although exat date is unertain. IV. Loation written. A. Most sholars: Antioh (Streeter heavily influential) 1. Signifiant Greek speaking Jewish population 2. First evidene of use of Matthew omes from Ignatius, bishop of Antioh in beginning of 2nd entury. B. Other proposals: Alexandria, Palestine, provine of Syria, Tyre, somewhere east of Jordan. C. Conlusion: learly written largely for Christian onverts from Judaism, but exat loation is unertain, sine Jews were widely sattered in Roman Empire. V. Charateristis. A. Jewish Christian harater. 1. Theologial interests: fulfillment of OT Messiani hopes in Jesus; frequent quotation of OT as divine authority; ineterest in the Law; questions of relation of Churh and Judaism; ontroversies with Jewish religious leaders. 2. Jesus as Messiah: son of David ; genealogy begins with Abraham, father of Jewish rae; emphasis on His mission to the "lost sheep of the house of Israel" (10:5-6; 15:24). 3. Language: untranslated Aramai terms (e.g. raka, korbanus); Semiti flavor to the Greek; avoidane of the name of God (usually kingdom of heaven, rather than kingdom of God ). 4. Unexplained referenes to Jewish ustoms: handwashing (15:2, f. Mk. 7:3-4, who explains it), wearing phylateries (23:5). 5. Interest in issues of importane to Jews: Sabbath, fasting, temple offerings, temple tax. 6. Probably written by a Jewish Christian and many Jewish Christians among readership. B. The Gospel is for all nations. 1. Periodi universalisti elements: the Gospel will be preahed to all the nations before the end omes (24:9). Roman Centurion's faith greater than in Israel and many will ome from all the world to reline with Abraham in the kingdom (8:10-12). 2. Although during Jesus ministry, the disiples were only to go to Jews, the Gospel onludes with Jesus sending out the disiples to make disiples of all nations (28:19-20). The roots of Christianity are Jewish, ultimately it is for Gentiles as well.

5 Gospel of Matthew Page 5 3. Membership in the people of God is not based on national identity, but repentane and faith. a The author feels the tension between his Jewishness and the fat that the majority of Jews had not aepted the Messiah, thus Israel as a nation is no longer experiening God's favor. b God's rejetion of Israel, partiularly her leaders (e.g. 8:10-12; 21:43 (kingdom taken from you); 23:29-39 (woe to hyporitial Sribes and Pharisees); 27:24-25) C. Carefully strutured. 1. Systemati, largely topial arrangement, more than hronologial a Alternation of disourse and narrative in 5 groups, separated by a repeated transitional formula. b Teahing of Jesus is mainly grouped into 5 large disourses, rather than sattered as in Mark and Luke. Groupings of similar stories together in easily remembered groups (e.g. several groups of 3 mirales, healings, temptations, parables, prayers, denials, ommands, illustrations of righteousness, et.; groups of 5 and 7 also our, but less frequently. 2. Stories omit many inidental details found in Mark. The individual stories are more onise, but he reords more events. D. Emphasis on Sripture. 1. Many OT quotations, often with the formula this happened to fulfill Many allusions to Sripture. 3. Sripture points to the mission and person of the Messiah and is fulfilled in Jesus' life and teahings 4. A high view of the divine authorship and authority of Sripture. 5. Stress on the ontinued validity of the "Law and Prophets", whih are fulfilled in Jesus--not even the smallest part an fail to ahieve its purpose (5:17-20). E. Larger emphasis on the teahings of Jesus than other Synopti Gospels. 1. Mark emphasizes what Jesus did, but Matthew says his teahing is equally important. 2. Usually in large bloks (e.g. Sermon on the Mount (5-7); eshatologial disourse (24-25)) 3. Conludes with ommand to teah them to obey all of Christ s ommands (28:20). 4. Many more parables than other Gospels, inluding a large setion with 10 parables (h 13). VI. Major Theologial Themes. A. Christology 1. The heart of Mt's Gospel is presenting who Jesus is. a There is less serey about Jesus identity than Mark b Peter s onfession is not just you are the Christ as in Mark 8:29, but you are the Christ the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16) 2. A few important titles of Jesus: a Son of God (1) Inludes Messiani assoiations as the perfetly obedient Son (Ps. 2) and Servant (Is. 42:1). (2) Also stresses his diety: he shares equal authority with the Father and Holy Spirit and deserves equal allegiane (28:19); he aepts worship as Lord (e.g. 14:33). (3) The title appears more frequently than in other Synopti Gospels (13 times, almost as muh as John). (a) It ours at ritial points, suh as the Divine voie affirming his identity at His baptism (3:17) and Tranfiguration (17:5), the words of the Centurion at the ross (27:54); the disiples onfession after walking on the water (14:33) and Peter's great onfession (16:16). (b) Even the demons and Satan reognise Him as the Son of God, though they do not onfess him in faith and submission (8:29; 4:3, 6). () 16 referenes of Jesus to God as my Father (d) Virgin oneption and worship of Magi also point to his diety. (4) Confession of Jesus as Son of God is ritial to being a true disiple.

6 b 3. Mirales. a Gospel of Matthew Page 6 Son of Man (1) A entral title (30 times), lose in importane to Son of God. (2) Jesus own favorite self-desription (3) Meier (The Vision of Matthew) says the title stresses 3 main aspets: (a) Lowly but powerful Servant (inludes not only that his identifiation with sinners, but also his dignity as Lord of the Sabbath and authority to forgive sinners) (b) Dying and rising Saviour () Eshatologial Judge returning in glory (partiulaly after Peter s onfession) Messiah (1) Matthew affirms Jesus as Messiah through the use of the title fairly frequently, even from the first line of the Gospel (1:1, 16, 17; 11:2; 16:20). (2) Genealogy shows he is in the royal line of David ( h. 1:1-17). (3) But Jesus only uses the title of himself one (23:10; and probably in 16:20). (a) He wanted to avoid the ommon politial and nationalisti oneptions of the term. (b) Longeneker: only after he has ompleted his messiani work of dying for sins and rising from the dead was he qualified to use the title and only then was it lear what kind of Messiah he was. (4) Matthew also uses other titles that are learly Messiani: (a) Son of David (9 times more than other Gospels; even in 1:1): links Jesus with the fulfillment of God's plans. (b) King and king of the Jews (27:11, 29, 37, 42; 13:41; 16:28; 19:28; 25:31, 34) i) He is the true Son of David and greater than Solomon (12:3-4). ii) He ame to establish the kingdom of God (or heaven ) and he shared the authority of God (f. 28:18), inluding the right of judgment (7:21-23; 25:34f) () Yet Matthew onstantly steers his readers away from an inappropriate understanding of his mission in politial terms (the onept of many of the popular Jews, f. 21:9, 15). His mission was to save his people from their sins (1:21). Mirales and exorisms show the power and majesty of Jesus, affirm his divinity and power over the kingdom of Satan, and the fat that the kingdom of God is enroahing on Satan's domain and the eshatologial age is dawning. b The fat that the performs healings is a sign that he is the Messiah (Mt 11:1-6). They an lead to faith, in those who have open hearts (e.g. the disiples after Jesus almed the storm, onfessed Him as the Son of God). d But for the hard in heart, they do not ompel faith (e.g. those in Nazareth, Herod, the Pharisees). 4. His Passion a As in Mark, the hinge in the Gospel is when Peter onfesses Jesus as the Christ and the Son of God. From this point on Jesus begins explaining to the disiples the neessity for his death and resurretion and the his path moves with inreasing speed toward the ross. b The primary purpose for His oming is to die as a ransom for many (20:28) (1) This is his primary Messiani work and the limax to whih the Gospel builds in 16:21 to 28:10 (a full third of the Gospel, with 1/7 devoted to the atual aount of ruifixion and resurretion). (2) The passion week aount is filled with OT quotations and allusions to show that all of this is a fulillment of Sripture (26:15, 31, 38, 54, 56, 64; 27:9, 34, 39, 46). (3) Christ s death pays for sins, a point Matthew alone brings up in the Lord's Supper aount (26:28; f. 20:28). B. Fulfillment. 1. The key to Matthew s theology is that Jesus is the fulfillment of all of God's purposes, as antiipated and propheied in the OT. a The OT points forward to Him. b The law is fulfilled in Jesus' obediene and teahing.

7 Gospel of Matthew Page 7 Jesus sums up the true Israel through whom God's plans for his people progress, the new age has dawned in his oming and Messiani work. 2. He frequently ites OT passages showing that Jesus fulfilled the OT: this took plae to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet (e.g. 1:22; 2:15). Infany narrative is a olletion of Sriptural evidene that Jesus is Messiah. 3. Fulfillment is not simply a matter of diret propositional OT propheies. a The persons and events of the OT also antiipated Jesus person and work in a way that forshadowed what was to ome ( typology ). b A type is an OT person, event or institution that is a divinely ordained pattern that points forward to Christ. (1) Jesus temptations orrespond to Israel's testing in the wilderness. He sueeded where Israel failed. Thus he is truly God's son, perfet in his obediene (f. 2:15, "out of Egypt I have alled my son"). (2) Something greater than the temple/solomon/jonah is here (12:6, 41, 42) C. The Law. 1. This is a frequent theme in Matthew and one of the most diffiult interpretive issues in the Gospel: a A number of passages have been understood to defend the Law (e.g. 5:17-19 I did not ome to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them ; 8:4; 19:17-18). b But others seem to depreiate the Law or superede at least portions of it (e.g. 5:33-37; 12:6) The passages that are more positive on the Law need to be reoniled with passages in Paul and elsewhere that indiate that Christians are not under Law but under grae. 2. For Matthew the ritial issue is always how the Law is related to Christ, not the Law in itself. 3. Christ fulfills the Law and the Prophets (5:17), in the sense that they point forward to Him and he is their fulfillment: a b The Law points to Him as the one who fulfills all of its expetations and promises and who brings a greater righteousness than the Sribes and Pharisees (5:20, f. 48 be perfet as your heavenly Father is perfet ) His death was pointed forward to by the sarifiial system and its true requirements were thuse fulfilled and thus the animal sariie was no longer needed. He affirms the truth of the Law as God's revelation, while transforming it through his own life, death and teahings. 4. The ritial measure of Christian ethis is not the Law, but Christ's own teahings, whih lead one to a greater righteousness, that provided by God the Father. a Jesus transends the Law and has authority above the Law ( I say to you ; e.g. 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44) b The Law is no longer the guide for the ondut of the people of God. 5. Matthew is not a libertarian. Obeying Jesus teahings is a mark of disipleship (7:15-27) a The obediene Christ alls for may be less literal than obediene to the Law, but it is never less demanding. He alls for not only fulfilling the letter but the Spirit of the Law; not merely ation but also attitudes. b Jesus attaks the asuistry of the Jewish religious leaders, who interpreted the Law in suh as way that real heart obediene ould be avoided and the letter still fulfilled. At times Jesus does uphold the teahings of the Law and other time he sets it aside to gain a deeper righteousness not found in the literal appliation. d He does abrogate some portions of the Law, beause his own life and work has fulfilled them (e.g. sarifiial system). 6. Jesus brought a new relationship with God that transends simply obeying rules (5:20) a Jesus expets inner transformation, not simply external obediene b Love of God and other people summarizes the Jesus teahings (e.g. 5:43-47; 7:12; 22:35-40) D. Israel and the Churh. 1. Only Matthew stresses that Jesus ame to save the lost sheep of the house of Israel (10:5f; 15:24; 10:23)

8 Gospel of Matthew Page 8 a Yet Jesus had severe onflit with the religious leaders of Israel, limaxing in h Matthew alone reords teahings of Jesus about the Churh, using the speifi word hurh 3 times in 2 passages. a 16:16-19: the hurh is built on the foundation of the onfession of Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (perhaps also on Peter as the one who made this onfession). b 18:15-18: speifi instrutions for Churh disipline, when a believer persists in unrepentant sin--stress on the purity of the Churh. The requirement for a disiplined hurh goes bak to Jesus, in keeping with the strong ethial demands of Mt's Gospel (e.g. 7:21-23). Of ourse this onept of the Churh primarily fouses on the people of God, not a full blown strutured institution as we know it. 3. Further referene to his elessiastial interest in the ommand to baptize new disiples (28:19); simplest form of gathering as a hurh is Christ's presene when 2 or 3 are gathered in His name (18:2). 4. There is a deisive hange in the nature of the people of God. a b d Jesus frequently ondemns Israel for its failure to reognize and respond to God's messengers (e.g. 21:28-22:14; h 23). (1) Due to their failure to be what the people of God was supposed to be and their rejetion of the Messiah, the nation is about to fae God's judgment, ulminating in the destrution of the temple (23:29-39; 24:2f). (2) They are denied entrane into the kingdom as a nation (21:43) and their role has been replaed with Jesus disiples, whih will inlude Gentiles (8:11-12) The fous of the true people of God is now on Jesus, not the Law or the ulti praties or the nation of Israel. Repentane, faith in Jesus and obediene to His teahings haraterize the true people of God who are reipients of His blessings (7:21-27; 12:41-42). The disiples of Jesus form a righteous remnant within Israel and thus Jesus ontrasts the majority of his hearers who are hardened in heart with his disiples (13:10-17). Thus, sine the people of God is determined by faith and obediene, the people of God an now embrae Gentiles as well and the Goispel onludes with the limati ommand for His followers are to make disiples of all the nations (28:16-20). E. Eshatology. 1. The Kingdom of Heaven a In some sense the Kingdom of Heaven has already been inaugurated with the oming of Jesus, who performs mirales and exorisms as evidene of the enroahment of his kingdom into Satan's domain (8:16-17; 12:22-30). b But in another sense it is still future, awaiting the oming of the Son of Man in glory, when he shall be seated on the right hand of power (e.g. 25:1-13; 26:64). 2. Matthew distinguishes four periods of salvation history (Carson): a Period of revelation prior to Jesus. b The inauguration of something new with Jesus' oming. The period beginning with Jesus exaltation, when he reeives all authority and His followers prolaim the Gospel. d The final onsummation, when he omes in glory and judgment, and beyond. 3. A big emphasis on the final judgment, performed by the Son of Man (e.g. 25:31-46; 13:40; 8:12; 22:13). 4. Matthew looks forward to the oming of the Son of Man in glory (e.g. 24:29-31; 26:64). a It will be at an unexpeted time, so Jesus disiples must always remain ready (24:42-25:13). b The Gospel must go forth to all the nations and great tribulation will ome before the oming of the Son of Man (h. 24). F. Disipleship. 1. Emphasis on obediene to the ethial ommandments of Jesus (7:21, not merely all him Lord, but do what he says).

9 VII. Struture. Gospel of Matthew Page 9 a Sermon on the Mount intense ethial teahings, that are summed up in 5:48 ( be perfet as your heavenly father is perfet ). b He was not merely alling for a pathed up Judaism, but a whole new way of life (f. 9:14-17, not put new wine in old wineskins) Stress on inward transformation, not mere external obediene the heart must be hanged, beause that is what defiles a person (6:1-6, 16-18; 7:15-20; 12:33-37). d The primary demand was for his people to live in love (5:43-48; 7:12; 22:36-40; 24:12), whih leads to pratial onern for others, espeially the poor. 2. Disipleship requires being a learner of Jesus teahings (28:19). 3. The all to prospetive disiples was always a all to wholeheartedly follow Jesus. a This involves ompletely throwing off the old life, not trying to maintain a neutral stane.t b here was a ost to following Jesus (8:19-22). You have to lose your life for Christ's sake (16:24-25). This involves self-sarifie, not self-seeking. Disiples an expet perseution from the world, sine the disiple is not above his master (10:24-33). 4. Disipleship also involves faith, trusting God and not worrying about the daily affairs of life (6:25-34). This faith also expressed itself in prayer, not showy publi prayers for others to see, but private interation between the individual and God. A. W. G. Kummel: Generally follows geographial outline of Mk. B. J. D. Kingsbury. 1. Person of Jesus Messiah (1:1-4:16) 2. Prolamation of Jesus Messiah (4:17-16:20) 3. Suffering, death and resurretion of Jesus Messiah (16:21-28:20) C. Five-fold division. 1. First proposed by B. W. Baon (1918) a Five books supplemented by preamble (h 1-2) and epilogue (h 26-28) b Eah setion has blok of narrative followed by blok of disourse. Eah setion ends with a stereotypial formula: kai ejgeneto ojte ejtelesen oj jihsou" ( and it d ame about when Jesus finished..., 7:28; 11:11; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Baon: Matthew was a onverted rabbi, a Christian legalist, who opposed the lawlessness in the hurh by a systemati ompendium of Jesus' ommandments, grouped in 5 parts after the pattern of the Pentateuh 2. Many have adopted Baon's 5-fold division, without aepting the parallel with the Pentateuh or Matthew as a legalist (e.g. Carson; J. Meier; Kilpatrik; Stendall; Hill; Marxsen). 3. Evidene: a b 4. Objetions: a Grouping of material into large disourse setions, whih follow predominantly narrative material (ontrast e.g. Mark with only 2 lengthy disourses (h 4, 13). Frequently topial arrangement, often ombining material sattered in Mk. Formula plaed at end of major disourses and only here. (1) Unique to Matthew (2) Makes a good transitional formula: looks both forward (subordinate lause leads to following main lause) and bakward ( finished ). Makes Birth Narrative (1-2) a prologue and Passion Narrative (26-28) a an epilogue (Kummel). (1) This is true of h 1-2 for almost any approah (2) Better to see Passion narrative as a limati inomplete sixth setion (only a narrative), followed by the Great Commission (28:16-20), whih gives the Churh the ongoing task of the prolamation of Christ's message.

10 Gospel of Matthew Page 10 b d It is not lear that Mt. intends the Pentateuh parallel or Jesus as a New Moses (Kingsbury, Kümmel). But this is not neessary to the five-fold division. Sometimes hard to see the exat onnetion between narrative and disourse (but not essential to the struture). Disourses also our in h 23 (woes on Pharisees) and h 11 (answer to John the Baptist's question) (Kingsbury, Kummel). (1) But h 23 ould be seen as struturally joined with the narrative of h 24, even though there is a hange of loation and theme. (2) Ch 11:2-19 is more of a problem, though it is really not an extended disourse to the rowd or disiples, but a response to the question of John's disiples and a reproah of unrepentant ities. D. Conlusion: 1. Though not without problems, the 5-fold division seems most sound basi struturing theory. 2. However, in the final analysis, the struture is probably more omplex than any one of these theories alone, with several layers of struture working together. 3. Suggested outline (see Carson and J. P. Meier): 1:1-2:23: Prologue: Origin and Birth of Jesus the Messiah 3:1-7:29: Part 1: The Gospel of the Kingdom 1. Narrative (3:1-4:25): Preparation and Beginning of Jesus' Ministry 2. First Disourse: Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:29) 8:1-11:1: Part 2: The Kingdom Extended Under Jesus' Authority 1. Narrative (8:1-10:4): Kingdom Power Displayed in Healings 2. Seond Disourse: Mission and Martyrdom (10:5-11:1) 11:2-13:53: Part 3: The Son and the Kingdom Meet Opposition 1. Narrative (11:2-12:50): Controversy Sayings and Conflits With the Jewish Leaders 2. Third Disourse: The Parables of the Kingdom (13:1-53) 13:54-19:2: Part 4: The Glory and the Shadow: Progressive Polarization 1. Narrative (13:54-17:27): Growing Rejetion, reognition and Revelation 2. Fourth Disourse: Life Under Kingdom Authority (18:1-19:2) 19:3-26:5: Part 5: Opposition and Eshatology: The Triumph of Grae 1. Narrative (19:3-23:39): Final Confrontations With the Old People of God and the Movement to the Passion. 2. Fifth Disourse: The Olivet Disourse (24:1-25:46) 3. Transitional onlusion (26:1-5) 26:1-28:20: Climax: The Passion and Resurretion of Jesus A. Passion (26:6-27:66) B. Resurretion (28:1-15) C. The Great Commission of the Risen Lord (28:16-20)