Preaching From Matthew's Gospel
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Cycle A, THIRD EDITION
1. Matthew Is Featured In Cycle A Of The New Lectionary
If one preached each Sunday on the gospel of the day during Cycle A of the lectionary, the preacher would have as his text one from Matthew 47 times out of 52. During this time the preacher will be presenting Matthew's interpretation of Christ and theology. Just what is Matthew's theology of the gospel? How is his portrait of the Christ different from the other Evangelists? How would these differences affect preaching?
2. The Background Of Matthew
a. Date. Scholars date the gospel between A.D. 80 and 90.
b. Author. According to tradition, dating from Papias in A.D. 150, Matthew, the disciple, was the author. Modern biblical scholarship claims that the author is anonymous. Source criticism reveals that Matthew used 600 of the 661 verses of Mark and 235 from Q (A.D. 45--50). The balance came from oral tradition. Form criticism indicates that Matthew was a second or third generation Christian who put the material into a literary device. He edits, expands, and substitutes materials according to his theology and to the needs of the church of his day. As a Christian of Jewish background, the author writes to meet the needs of his fellow--Christians in a Jewish--Christian community.
c. The situation. Matthew is associated with Antioch about fifteen to twenty years after the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). The language of Matthew's community is Greek. Though there is a Jewishness about Jesus, Matthew writes to a Gentile Christian constituency. The city is a prosperous community. Christians are living close to pagans as well as to a vigorous Jewish community. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch in A.D. 83; his letters indicate that the church at Antioch was made up of Gentile Christians.
3. The Central Thought Of Matthew
In Jesus Christ, God has come to dwell with his people and to inaugurate the age of salvation. God's people constitute the church which inaugurates the age of salvation. In Jesus, God is among humankind. The gospel is not an historical--biographical account of Jesus' life, but is a work that deals theologically with Jesus' life.
Three main sections of Matthew:
The Person of Jesus - 1:1-4:16
The Proclamation of Jesus - 4:17-16:20
The Passion and Resurrection - 16:21-28:20
4. The Theology Of Matthew
A gospel is the literary expression of the theology of the writer. We ought to look not only at the contents of the gospel, but at what the author is trying to tell us to accept or deny about Jesus Christ.
The evangelists have distinctive theological viewpoints as they write their gospels. This accounts for the differences and discrepancies in the accounts such as the resurrection. The theology of an author is reflected in his choice of materials which are re--arranged and dated to express the theological stance, his understanding of Jesus, and what God has done for the world through him. Matthew is greatly concerned about the revolution through the word. His gospel begins with "the book" while Mark uses "gospel" and Luke "narrative."
5. The Distinctive Emphasis Of Matthew
a. Jesus the Messiah. Messiah is one of the first titles the early church gave to Jesus. It means Jesus is one anointed to be the Messiah. For Matthew the Messiah is a kingly figure, who suffers for his people and is not a revolutionary. As a royal figure, the son of David brings either salvation or judgment. Jesus as Messiah is the Son of God, for his origin is in God. As Son of God, Jesus is triumphant over Satan and is perfectly obedient to the Father with whom he has a unique relationship. As Son, the Father gives him all power and authority.
According to Matthew, the Messiah is both Son of God and son of David. The latter title is used for the early Jesus. Next in importance to the Son of God is the title, Son of Man. The difference between the two titles is one of function rather than content. Son of Man is used as a public title for Jesus among the mass of unbelievers.
The Messiah of Matthew fulfilled the promises of the prophets, but he is rejected by his people. Because of this rejection, Israel received judgment. This rejection opened up the gospel to the Gentiles.
b. The Kingdom of God (Heaven). The most comprehensive concept in Matthew is the "kingdom of heaven (God)." Matthew holds that in Jesus the Messiah one encounters the kingdom. The kingdom of God is a present as well as a future reality. The kingdom is "near," but it has a future dimension. Everything of the present should be seen in the light of the Parousia, which will mean the realization of Christian hope. This kingdom of God has cosmic dimensions. As converts are won, the kingdom grows until ultimately it will be cosmic in scope. Jesus confronts Satan to oppose the kingdom of God, and there is a continuous struggle between them as it occurs both inside and outside of the church. Assurance is given that ultimately Satan will be destroyed.
c. The Church. Matthew is a "church" gospel. It was written for the church and has become normative for the later church. The church is called upon to relate to the life of Jesus. The teachings in Matthew deal with the church. Since Israel rejected Jesus, God has given the kingdom to the church as the new Israel. The church is the new nation God raised up for himself.
Through the portrait of discipleship, Matthew gives his understanding of the church. As Jesus is the Son of God, the disciples through Jesus have a relationship with God as sons of God. To be a disciple (learner) is to be one with Jesus whom the disciples call "Lord." To his disciples Jesus gives the grace of God. They live under God's rule which is love. To them Jesus gives his teachings which constitute the will of God. Jesus' word is authoritative for the church. This word is greater than Moses' word of law. The greater righteousness is love of God and neighbor. Jesus is the model for this superior righteousness.
6. The Implications For Preaching
In light of the above main emphases of Matthew, preaching would reflect those points in Sunday--after--Sunday sermons based on the gospel lessons.
a. Christ--centered preaching. Jesus will be proclaimed, if we are faithful to Matthew, as the Messiah; Son of God and Son of Man. As the Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of salvation history and the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. The emphasis will be upon Jesus as Redeemer of the world. The people's request, "Sir, we would see Jesus," will be fulfilled.
b. Kingdom--centered preaching. The kingdom of God (Heaven) will be a recurring subject of sermons based on Matthew. It is the kingdom that comes in and with Christ. The kingdom is the rule of God and consists of God's people who do the will of God. It is a kingdom that is diametrically opposed to the kingdoms of the world. The goal of the church is that the kingdoms of the world will one day become the kingdom of God. Because of this, sermons will have an evangelistic note, and the world will be the field for the gospel.
c. Church--centered preaching. Preaching on Matthew will lead to a renewed emphasis on the church as the people of God, the body of Christ. This involves discipleship - people who are one in Christ; who learn of Christ; who love, serve, and obey Christ. Since Christian disciples are learners, Jesus is shown by Matthew as the teacher of the church. This leads to a pulpit emphasis upon a style of preaching which teaches, informs, and nurtures the faithful. The Gospel of Matthew lends itself to an ecclesiastical and liturgical type of preaching.
If one preached each Sunday on the gospel of the day during Cycle A of the lectionary, the preacher would have as his text one from Matthew 47 times out of 52. During this time the preacher will be presenting Matthew's interpretation of Christ and theology. Just what is Matthew's theology of the gospel? How is his portrait of the Christ different from the other Evangelists? How would these differences affect preaching?
2. The Background Of Matthew
a. Date. Scholars date the gospel between A.D. 80 and 90.
b. Author. According to tradition, dating from Papias in A.D. 150, Matthew, the disciple, was the author. Modern biblical scholarship claims that the author is anonymous. Source criticism reveals that Matthew used 600 of the 661 verses of Mark and 235 from Q (A.D. 45--50). The balance came from oral tradition. Form criticism indicates that Matthew was a second or third generation Christian who put the material into a literary device. He edits, expands, and substitutes materials according to his theology and to the needs of the church of his day. As a Christian of Jewish background, the author writes to meet the needs of his fellow--Christians in a Jewish--Christian community.
c. The situation. Matthew is associated with Antioch about fifteen to twenty years after the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70). The language of Matthew's community is Greek. Though there is a Jewishness about Jesus, Matthew writes to a Gentile Christian constituency. The city is a prosperous community. Christians are living close to pagans as well as to a vigorous Jewish community. Ignatius was bishop of Antioch in A.D. 83; his letters indicate that the church at Antioch was made up of Gentile Christians.
3. The Central Thought Of Matthew
In Jesus Christ, God has come to dwell with his people and to inaugurate the age of salvation. God's people constitute the church which inaugurates the age of salvation. In Jesus, God is among humankind. The gospel is not an historical--biographical account of Jesus' life, but is a work that deals theologically with Jesus' life.
Three main sections of Matthew:
The Person of Jesus - 1:1-4:16
The Proclamation of Jesus - 4:17-16:20
The Passion and Resurrection - 16:21-28:20
4. The Theology Of Matthew
A gospel is the literary expression of the theology of the writer. We ought to look not only at the contents of the gospel, but at what the author is trying to tell us to accept or deny about Jesus Christ.
The evangelists have distinctive theological viewpoints as they write their gospels. This accounts for the differences and discrepancies in the accounts such as the resurrection. The theology of an author is reflected in his choice of materials which are re--arranged and dated to express the theological stance, his understanding of Jesus, and what God has done for the world through him. Matthew is greatly concerned about the revolution through the word. His gospel begins with "the book" while Mark uses "gospel" and Luke "narrative."
5. The Distinctive Emphasis Of Matthew
a. Jesus the Messiah. Messiah is one of the first titles the early church gave to Jesus. It means Jesus is one anointed to be the Messiah. For Matthew the Messiah is a kingly figure, who suffers for his people and is not a revolutionary. As a royal figure, the son of David brings either salvation or judgment. Jesus as Messiah is the Son of God, for his origin is in God. As Son of God, Jesus is triumphant over Satan and is perfectly obedient to the Father with whom he has a unique relationship. As Son, the Father gives him all power and authority.
According to Matthew, the Messiah is both Son of God and son of David. The latter title is used for the early Jesus. Next in importance to the Son of God is the title, Son of Man. The difference between the two titles is one of function rather than content. Son of Man is used as a public title for Jesus among the mass of unbelievers.
The Messiah of Matthew fulfilled the promises of the prophets, but he is rejected by his people. Because of this rejection, Israel received judgment. This rejection opened up the gospel to the Gentiles.
b. The Kingdom of God (Heaven). The most comprehensive concept in Matthew is the "kingdom of heaven (God)." Matthew holds that in Jesus the Messiah one encounters the kingdom. The kingdom of God is a present as well as a future reality. The kingdom is "near," but it has a future dimension. Everything of the present should be seen in the light of the Parousia, which will mean the realization of Christian hope. This kingdom of God has cosmic dimensions. As converts are won, the kingdom grows until ultimately it will be cosmic in scope. Jesus confronts Satan to oppose the kingdom of God, and there is a continuous struggle between them as it occurs both inside and outside of the church. Assurance is given that ultimately Satan will be destroyed.
c. The Church. Matthew is a "church" gospel. It was written for the church and has become normative for the later church. The church is called upon to relate to the life of Jesus. The teachings in Matthew deal with the church. Since Israel rejected Jesus, God has given the kingdom to the church as the new Israel. The church is the new nation God raised up for himself.
Through the portrait of discipleship, Matthew gives his understanding of the church. As Jesus is the Son of God, the disciples through Jesus have a relationship with God as sons of God. To be a disciple (learner) is to be one with Jesus whom the disciples call "Lord." To his disciples Jesus gives the grace of God. They live under God's rule which is love. To them Jesus gives his teachings which constitute the will of God. Jesus' word is authoritative for the church. This word is greater than Moses' word of law. The greater righteousness is love of God and neighbor. Jesus is the model for this superior righteousness.
6. The Implications For Preaching
In light of the above main emphases of Matthew, preaching would reflect those points in Sunday--after--Sunday sermons based on the gospel lessons.
a. Christ--centered preaching. Jesus will be proclaimed, if we are faithful to Matthew, as the Messiah; Son of God and Son of Man. As the Messiah, Jesus is the fulfillment of salvation history and the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world. The emphasis will be upon Jesus as Redeemer of the world. The people's request, "Sir, we would see Jesus," will be fulfilled.
b. Kingdom--centered preaching. The kingdom of God (Heaven) will be a recurring subject of sermons based on Matthew. It is the kingdom that comes in and with Christ. The kingdom is the rule of God and consists of God's people who do the will of God. It is a kingdom that is diametrically opposed to the kingdoms of the world. The goal of the church is that the kingdoms of the world will one day become the kingdom of God. Because of this, sermons will have an evangelistic note, and the world will be the field for the gospel.
c. Church--centered preaching. Preaching on Matthew will lead to a renewed emphasis on the church as the people of God, the body of Christ. This involves discipleship - people who are one in Christ; who learn of Christ; who love, serve, and obey Christ. Since Christian disciples are learners, Jesus is shown by Matthew as the teacher of the church. This leads to a pulpit emphasis upon a style of preaching which teaches, informs, and nurtures the faithful. The Gospel of Matthew lends itself to an ecclesiastical and liturgical type of preaching.
