August 11, 2023

"… According to Matthew"

First Covenant Church practices the discipline of using the lectionary as a guide for the reading and proclamation of God’s Word. The Revised Common Lectionary that we follow is fairly new, only three decades old, though it is a revision of older lectionaries. Created for Protestant churches, it assigns a reading from the Old Testament, a Psalm, a reading from Acts or an epistle, and a gospel lesson to each Sunday and Holy Day. These assignments allow us to cover, for the most part, a majority of the Bible over the course of its three-year cycle.

We are currently in the first year of the three-year cycle, creatively titled “Year A.” In Year A, we focus primarily on the Gospel of Matthew, whereas in Years B and C we focus on Mark and Luke respectively. John’s gospel is sprinkled across the three years. Given we are a bit past the halfway point of this liturgical year, I thought it might be helpful to consider the perspective we gain following Matthew’s gospel for a year. 

While there is much that Matthew has in common with Mark and Luke, the other two “synoptic” gospels, I would like to highlight Matthew’s unique qualities. First and foremost, it is a very Jewish text. It appears to be written from the perspective of Jews who became Christians and formed a church and are helping other Jews understand why they hold these beliefs. More than that, however, it is written as a manual for disciples. It teaches them who Jesus is, what Jesus said and did, and what difference that makes in their lives. I will identify these each briefly.

In Matthew, Jesus is presented as the new Moses, the new David, the new Israel, and the fulfillment of the Law. Matthew adds details that other gospels do not include that identify Jesus as being both a prophet like Moses and the anointed son of David, or Messiah. In using these iconic figures as points of comparison, Jesus becomes the creator of a new covenant with God which fulfills earlier prophecies. Followers of Jesus then become the new Israel, the chosen people of God. None of this invalidates the Law or prior covenants God made, but fulfills them. (See Matthew 5:17)

In Matthew’s gospel, Jesus as teacher is forefront in the text. There are five blocks of teaching in Matthew, like the five Books of Law or Pentateuch. Before and after each section of Jesus’ teaching is the work that Jesus did: healing, feeding, calling, including, and correcting. For example, the first teaching discourse in Matthew is found in chapters 5-7, which we know as the Sermon on the Mount. Like Moses getting the law from God, Jesus ascends to a high point to teach, beginning with the Beatitudes which are like the ten commandments, and are followed with more expansive teaching, like the rest of the law given to Moses. After it is over, Jesus begins to heal unclean people such as a leper and the servant of a Roman centurion, implying this law is for everyone.

Matthew’s gospel concludes by making obvious a theme that has run throughout. This gospel was written for Jesus’ disciples to have a clear understanding of who Jesus is in relationship to Judaism, what he said and did, and how to apply this understanding in their lives. Matthew’s gospel concludes with these well-known verses.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The disciples who originally heard this text read are to let the teachings and examples of Jesus recorded in this text sink deeply into them, let them guide their lives, and baptize and teach others to do the same that they might be disciples of Jesus the Christ.

And so this message comes down the centuries to us: when we hear or read Matthew’s gospel, we ought to let it dwell so deeply within us that it becomes part of our nature. Our task then is to make more disciples, by forming those within our church community and inviting those outside of the faith to come and learn with us, that they all might be disciples with us. Matthew’s gospel describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry with Jesus calling disciples, and ends with us being challenged to do the same.

Now when you hear the phrase “the Gospel according to Matthew” I hope you have some idea about what is unique to this gospel and its expectations on us, its hearers.

Blessings on you all.

~ Pastor Todd