Gospel of Matthew Jesus, Teacher of Israel

The Best Teacher?!

Reshaping and Adding to an already Existing Tradition

!   When was Matthew written? Approx. !   Between 75-85 c.e.

!   What are the Three (3) sources Matthew uses to shape his gospel? !   Mark (using the same stories but reshapes

them) !   Q (source attributed to both Lk and Mt) !   ‘Special’ Matthew (stories found only in

Matthew)

Reshaping Markan Traditions

!   Adding to Mark

!   Matthew also improved the order of Mark or corrected details

!   Sometimes Matthew would rework a story to bring out a particular message in a particular episode !   An example of these reshaping's can be found in

the comparison of the John the Baptist stories from Mk and Mt

Example of Mt just adding more detail than changing

!   Mt’s Jesus, when He is tested in the wilderness, we actually learn what the test were

!   Presumably used the ‘Q’ source for inspiration about the test in the wilderness

John the Baptist Mark

!   Mark makes the reference to John the Baptist before the quotation

!   Mark uses Isaiah but mixes in part of Malachi 3:1 in with Isaiah

!   Mark does not concern himself with messengers

Matthew

!   Matthew makes the reference to John the Baptist after the quotation !   This makes reading

much smoother

!   Isaiah is fully quoted in Matthew !   Mark omits Mk 1:2

from his quote…this is a correction

!   Matthew is interested in what Isaiah has to say in the preparation of the messenger

!   The passages of Isaiah point toward Jesus

John the Baptist cont. Mark

!   John the Baptist makes no reference to judgment of fire in Mark

!   Jesus baptizing with the Spirit is found here

Matthew

!   Matthew’s John the Baptist talks about judgment and references fire

!   Taking from Mk, the prediction that the other after John (Jesus) will baptize with the Spirit

!   Mt is probably then using ‘Q’ and Special ‘M’

More Comparison! Mk’s John the Baptist

!   Mk makes no clear reference to why Jesus is baptized

!   The voice speaks only to Jesus

Mt’s John the Baptist

!   Mt adds dialogue between John the Baptist and Jesus

!   Mt makes it clear that Jesus isn’t being Baptized because He needs to repent, rather it is an act of righteousness to fulfill God’s plan

!   The voice makes an announcement to the crowd saying Jesus is His ‘Beloved Son.”

Matthew also targets particular Groups…

!   In Mt’s Gospel, we also have Jesus singling out and targeting the corruption or false teachings of the Pharisees and Sadducees !   The Pharisees are especially called out in Mt for

the hypocritical behavior and practice of the law

!   Pharisees seem to care more about following commandments than people and having mercy

!   These attacks though, like suffering in Mk, has historical context

Historical Context of Mt

!   After the destruction of the Temple (70 c.e.), Pharisees dominate the teaching of Judaism…Pharisees are in fact the forefather to what position in the Jewish faith? !   It is presumed that Pharisees had a great deal of

influence within the Christian community Mt was writing to

!   Mt is clear though, he does not think that Christianity should have a sect like the Pharisees !   So Mt writes his gospel in a way that we are to be

suspicious of the Pharisees

History of Christianity in Israel

!   Because Mt was written after the Jewish Revolt, we can get much insight into the history of relationship between Jews and Christians !   Because Mt shows so much hostility between Jesus and

Jewish leaders suggest that Christianity and its mission may have reached its end in Israel

!   This means that missionaries must REJECT the strong Jewish Christian heritage they would have be so use to

!   Turning to converting would not have been apostasy or lawlessness

Other differences between Mt and Mk

!   Mt gives more prophetic evidence for Jesus’ use of parables and why the ‘message’ is hidden

!   But, unlike in Mk, Mt makes sure to have the reader understand that Jesus’ disciples understood the teachings and understood the truth of parables

!   Mt has to reshape all of Mk’s Jesus’ interaction with the 12

That all make sense? Ok, then

!   So there are two types of changes that Mt makes when compared to the Gospel of Mk !   The first is Mt adds longer introductions

!   Mt either adds or drops details from Mk to make Jesus a prophetic fulfillment of what was supposed to happen…Jesus in Mt is more concerned with being a Christian missionary then trying to fulfill anything (it’s already be fulfilled)

!   So Mt consists of Mk, Q, OT, and something else…but what is it?

Look at Link

!   The underlined parts represent “Special Mt” or stories that are found ONLY in Mt and not in any of the other Gospels

!   We do presume though that anytime there is an element of judgment in one of the Special Mt stories that the judgment part was singularly added by Mt

Themes in Mt’s gospel

!   Mistrust of Pharisees

!   Judgment

!   “False Prophets”

!   Connecting the three à Mt reminds Christians we are judged not what we do in Jesus’ name but how faithful we are to Jesus’ teachings

Jesus as Teacher and Interpreter

!   Mt’s gospel makes these two points evident by the structure of his gospel

!   Mk’s Jesus draws his authority from His miracles (Remember, in Mk’s gospel the divinity of Jesus is presumed and Jesus’ humanity is the focus)

!   Mt puts the teachings of Jesus before He preforms any of His miracles (in Mt, it is Jesus’ teachings that give Him authority)

!   Mt increases the scope of Jesus’ ministry, including Syria (most likely Antioch), where Mt and his church were most likely located

What, what, what, what…A New Link

!   Look at the outline of Mt’s Gospel and compare the beginning and of end of it to Mk…what is the difference?

!   Mt adds to the beginning and end of Mk (Genealogy/Infancy Narrative/Jesus appears to the women and the 12)

Looking at Infancy Narrative

!   The Genealogy of Jesus is especially meant to connect Jesus with what two key figures in the OT? !   Abraham !   David

!   Jesus is driven out of Israel by and evil king to Egypt before He is called back…sound familiar?

!   All the while Mt continuously keeps inserting quotations from OT prophets to show Jesus as the accordance with Scripture

Looking at the Resurrection of Jesus (Mk)

!   As you remember, Mk ended his gospel with the women fleeing from the tomb because they were afraid !   It is only because of the angel’s words that we know that

Jesus has resurrected and will find the 11 but no story to go along with this prediction

!   Paul tells us that Jesus did visit the 11, and himself

Looking at the Resurrection of Jesus (Mt)

!   It is actually Mt though who gives us a story to go along with these tellings !   In Mt, the women do no flee, and it is Jesus

Himself that tells what the angel tells in Mk

!   In Mt, Jesus does visit the 11 and are told of His divine authority and that He will always be with them and gives them the mission to go and preach

Looking at the Sermons; Jesus: Best teacher ever?

!   As you have guessed, in Mk Jesus is presented as a ‘Suffering Servant’ but in Mt Jesus is presented as a ‘Teacher’ !   In Mt, Jesus has 5 distinct sermons !   They all begin with either the people or the

disciples gathering around Jesus and they end with Jesus basically saying that He is done talking

!   The ending of every sermon though has to to with judgment

Examples of Judgment at the end of Sermons

!   Sermon on the Mount: (7:24-27)

!   Kingdom Parables: (13:36-43)

!   Community Relationships: (18:21-35)

!   On Judgment: (25:1-5) & (25:31-46)

!   Each one ends with a lesson/statement on judgment

!   But Matthew creates a new/different view on judgment for people who are not actually Christians…

Breaking down the References to Judgment

!   Mt is clear in saying that in a world dependent on others, in the case of wandering preachers, that what one of those persons does for a disciple of Christ will be rewarded in a manner befit someone who help Jesus Himself !   See Mt 25:31-46

!   The main idea of Jesus and Mt’s thought on fair judgment for all is Jesus’ teaching that we will be judged based on how we treated the poor, oppressed and suffering ‘little ones’ (These are who Jesus identifies with)

But all of this comes with a Warning

!   Mt doesn’t want people to think that just because you are just and merciful doesn’t mean you will be rewarded (You need to be those things, but there is a but…there is always a but) !   You also have to do those things and show

people the importance in being Christian too !   Mt ends with Jesus telling the 11 to go to all the

nations and teach what He has taught !   It’s all about Jesus the teacher and His

teachings

More Warnings

!   Christians have a distinct advantage in believing in Jesus and that allows us to help ourselves/others in following His teachings

!   Mt is clear though, simply believing is NOT enough

!   We must produce ‘good fruit’ to be on the better side of judgment

!   At the time Mt is written, Christians were a small minority and Mt was realistic in his presumption that not all pagans will convert !   But those people can be just and merciful and God

will never forget the good people do for the poor and suffering, even if they are not believers

Jesus as Fulfillment of Law

!   When you see the word ‘fulfill’ in Mt know that a quote and fulfillment of a prophet is about to happen! !   Mt 1:22; 2:15, 17; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17

!   Do not think I have come to destroy the law and the prophets; I have not come to destroy but fulfill Mt 5:17 !   To enter the kingdom you must be righteous

greater than Pharisees and Scribes !   The Law of the Prophets are higher than the

Law of Pharisees and Scribes

Shots Fired!

!   Jesus says it its ok to ‘obey’ the Pharisees and Scribes but not their conduct

!   If we compare the story of the Greatest Commandments with Mk and Mt: Mt changes the scribe to a Pharisees and omits the praise found in Mk and it Mt we are to oppose Pharisees

!   Just look at the Sermon on the Mount!

Sermon on the Mount or the Slap down of Pharisees

!   Look at the ‘hypocrisy’ that Jesus talks about with alms, prayer, fasting and other public showings of faith !   Mt writes of the ‘their synagogues’ (Pharisees) and ‘our

synagogues’ (Christians)

!   Pharisees think of themselves better than their ancestors who persecuted prophets of the past but Mt is clear in pointing out their behavior and they are no better (Mt 23:34-36) !   This shows the separation between Christianity and

Judaism was not friendly

Warnings of False Prophets

!   These warnings were not just against Pharisees though, it was against people in the Christian Church too !   Just claiming Jesus is Lord is not enough

!   Mt warns against (a) betrayal and hatred, (b) false prophets leading people astray, (c) love growing cold and growing in lawlessness !   But the main teaching is the avoidance of creation of

Christian Pharisaism

Jesus Teaches to Spread the Word

!   This idea has one implication though

!   When Jesus says spread to ‘all the nations’ the word ethne for nations often means Gentiles

!   These, in Mt’s eyes, are the lost sheep needing to be found

Why we should and it is good to convert Gentiles

!   Jesus gives us fulfillment of law and the keys to the law are !   Love of God

!   Neighbor

!   Justice

!   Mercy

!   Lets look at another example of this…

Purity Mark

!   Simplistic

!   Why do you eat what makes you unclean

!   Its not what you eat, it is what you say

Matthew

!   Moves the story around to show that Pharisaic ‘traditions’ are rejecting the commandments of God

!   Jesus talks about how ‘blind guides’ whose teachings don’t come from God will be destroyed

A lesson in it

!   The lesson is to understand the reason you can included Gentiles is because Pharisees are not following the commandments in the way God intended them !   Pharisees rules are not the ‘word of God’ but mere

human custom

!   We should rid ourselves of commandments that avoid expressing what God intended commandments to say

!   Divorce is a example

So Jesus is not annulling anything

!   Jesus is simply trying to return people to the norm of God’s words

!   Jesus does this through His authority and and gives people a greater understanding of God’s words !   Because of this Jesus’ teachings can be preached as

God’s word to all the nations

Discipleship in Mt

!   Jesus’ commission in Mt has Jesus’ followers go and ‘make disciples’ from all the nations

!   But Mt’s community needed not just new disciples, they also needed to keep the old !   People were still facing opposition from Jews and

Gentiles

!   Internally, there was much division in Mt’s community !   The main questions was how to be both Jewish and

Christian

So how does one be both Jewish and Christian

!   Mt is clear that the only ones get into heaven are people who are willing to humble themselves and think of themselves as someone with no importance (like a child)

!   But Mt changes the idea of how to be like children like or accepting children in Jesus’ name

!   Rather we are to become like a child and being a child wasn’t good !   A child was like a slave à they have no importance

But beware

!   Do not be the person who leads these children astray !   God wants them saved and not to perish

Forgiveness

!   This becomes a key for relationships between Christians and between Christians and the community around them !   Judge not least ye be judged !   All agreements on earth are binding in

heaven !   All forgiveness must be mutual

!   We must do all these things because we don’t know when Jesus will come back

Trusting in the Church

!   Where there is Church, Jesus is among them and guiding them

!   Mt reworks many of the stories of Mk that the ‘little faith’ and weakness to show the strength and faith Jesus helps the disciples achieve !   Jesus is much more understanding and forgiving and

does His best to comfort the disciples

!   Jesus is meant to be a source of trust and reassurance

Trust

!   The story of disciples in Mk ends with them having ‘hard hearts’ but in Mt shows them how to be saved and how they can in turn help save others

!   Jesus takes the time to explain the parables to the disciples and doesn’t move on until the disciples have full understanding (No fear) !   So Mt wants the reader to understand that you can trust

in Jesus and He won’t lead you astray

!   But you can trust in Jesus’ teachings in the same way

Sermon on the Mount

!   This is the definition of discipleship we are so use to

!   Beatitudes give us a definition of who needs protecting

!   Teachings of Salt and Light tell us to never abandon the mission

!   Christians need to aim for a higher righteousness

!   This allows us to forgive our enemies

!   Giving of alms, fasting and worship emphasizes this

Golden Rule and Forgiveness

!   We know them, we need them

Summary

!   Mt is more a collection of sayings and teachings framed as a story (mission, passion, etc.)

!   Christians are begin to find their way beyond Judaism

!   We can be both new and old

!   When we have doubts we must give ourselves to trusting Jesus and His teachings

Summary Cont.

!   The Church will always be mixed with the good and the bad

!   Judgment will be the time of separation

!   Discipleship means being ready for God’s return

!   Our discipleship will be judged on how we treat each other and not how well we know the law