Blog 3 James Leman

The Gospel of Matthew shows strong ties to the Old Testament. Although all of the synoptic gospels cite the Old Testament, Matthew carefully points out that Jesus’ teachings are compatible with Judaism and that Jesus’ life fulfills the Old Testament prophesies. Matthew portrays Jesus very similarly to Moses, an important prophet in the Old Testament. Just as Moses gave his law from Mount Sinai in the Old Testament, in Matthew’s gospel Jesus preaches his new laws in a sermon he gives from a mountain. Also, Jesus hides in Egypt from the wrath of a vengeful kin, like Moses. Lastly, Jesus is tempted for forty days and forty nights in the desert, just as Moses and his followers wandered the desert for forty years.Matthew further exemplifies Jesus’ ties to Judaism by tracing Jesus’ ancestry to Abraham, the father of the Jewish people.[1] Matthew clearly speaks from within the Jewish tradition to a largely Jewish audience. But at the same time, Matthew’s Gospel contains some of the most obvious anti-Jewish arguments in the entire New Testament. For example, Matthew challenges the obedience to religious law, valuing instead an internal spiritual transformation: “You have heard that it was said ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”[2] Here Jesus is telling his community what Jewish law already indicates: that God demands absolute obedience and not just the appearance of obedience.[3]Another key characteristic of Matthew’s gospel is its structure. It is broken up into what is called the “Five Discourses of Matthew”. There are Sermon on the Mount, the Missionary Discourse, the Parabolic Discourse, the Discourse on the Church and the Discourse on End Times.[4] Each of these sections has a concluding sermon that responds to the concerns raised in the preceding narrative and a conclusion explaining Jesus’ passion

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[1] Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament, (New York. Oxford Press, 2004), 102

[2] Matthew:5:43

[3] The Gospel of Matthew by R. T. France 2007,pg 8

[4] The Gospel of Matthew by R. T. France 2007,pg 9

Bibliography

Ehrman, B.D. The New Testament (New York: Oxford University Press, 2004), 102

France, R. T. The Gospel of Matthew. Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Pub., 2007. Print.