Gospel of Matthew Series: Structure and style of Matthew's Gospel

GOSPEL OF MATTHEW SERIES:

The Bible Gospel of Matthew Series.

Structure and style of Matthew's Gospel

Last week's post was the first in this series which gave an introduction to Matthew's Gospel. O my second post for this series, let us examine the structure of Matthew's writing.

Thematically, there are five central teaching traditions to Matthew. This is the same number of books as there in the Hebrew Pentateuch (first five books of the bible) that were, and continue to be, Israel's foundational documents.

The five central teachings are as follows:

1.            Sermon on the Mount (chapter 5-7)

2.            Missionary Teaching (chapter 10)

3.            Parable Discourse (chapter 13)

4.            Teachings on the Church particularly the care for and instruction of new believers (chapter 18).

5.            Final Judgment (chapter 24-25).

Although each section is self-explanatory with short pithy wisdoms that are easy to understand, they can be difficult to accomplish.  However, the challenge is worth it since they offer consolation, peace and discomfort as we fulfill and fall short of Jesus' teachings. Nevertheless, Matthew's Gospel offers us an amazing opportunity for life and grace.

Matthew's orientation in his writing seems to be towards concrete details and behaviours.  The importance of the Law for Israel, and therefore for Jesus, was and remains twofold.

1.            While other religions only valued the behaviours of the kings, priests, and other dignitaries for the vitality and future of the nations, Israel came to believe that every behaviour by every person from the most important to the most obscure had a crucial impact on how well Israel would prosper both in relationship to God and to other nations.

2.            Insofar as the Jewish Law was perceived and believed to have been given to them by God, it was understood as a most privileged way to be sure that one was pleased God and not just acting out of a personal and/or self-serving philosophy.  If Jesus is now God's Presence in human flesh, then his teachings are not simply philosophy, but the embodiment of how we are to please God.  As Matthew depicts Jesus leading people to look at behaviours both old and new, he is reminding his readers that every person and every behaviour matters, and that these have the power to please God as they faithfully give their lives to His way.

How does reading Mathew's Gospel; benefit us today?                                                         

·                     You may notice that Jesus' great commandment to love God and neighbour (Mt 22:3640) is spelling out, chapter after chapter, verse by verse since the gospel is in the details and to read and pray with them is to find concrete behavioural blueprints for life-giving fidelity to God's will.

·                     His vision can benefit us today because he reminds us of the importance of being 'orthodox', which is to know and be faithful to the church's truest and deepest religious traditions. It is important not to throw out the baby with the bath water and to honour the wisdom of the old.

·                     His vision also encourages us to have an open heart to the ways God's wants to work among His people even when some of these ways are new.  

It is finding that balance between tradition and newness and at times, we will be challenged to feel uncomfortable. We are to sit with what we find uncomfortable- if it is easy for us to embrace the traditions of the church and are inclined to be critical about the new, then Matthew's Gospel may bless us with an open heart (Mt 9:14-17)  The reverse is also true-if you are inclined to want to discard the old and embrace the new, then step back to discover what remains true, steadfast and life-giving in what we have received (Mt 7:24-27).

Above all, Matthew's Gospel provides us with an opportunity to 

·                     remember the past to receive our history,

·                     nurture its many meanings.

·                     to pass it on to the next generation so that they too will be faithful to the Gospel.

·                     bring the stories into our heart and pray them in a reflective attitude of mind.

Stay tuned for next week's post in this series.