Introduction to the revised common lectionary year A - Matthew's gospel

What unique perspectives does Matthew give us?

Matthew himself is a learner, he learns from the older gospel of Mark. Much (but not all) of his material is taken from Mark. However, as Matthew uses twice as many words as Mark to tell the good news of Jesus and so Matthew expands Mark's material in three ways:

1. Matthew elaborates Mark's 'bare bones' account of Jesus ministry. e.g. Mark gives us just 14 of the Lord's parables, but Matthew expands that to no fewer than 33 - so here is a real flavour of Christ's teaching.
2. Matthew 'Tops and tails', Mark's narrative, he has birth stories, and more to say about events following the resurrection.
3. Matthew is more interested than Mark in the teaching of Jesus. e.g. He includes the 'Sermon on the Mount'.

Are there five blocks of teaching in this Gospel?

1. Sermon on the Mount (Ch 5-7).
2. Instructions to the disiples on mission (Ch 10).
3. Parables of the Kingdom (Ch 13).
4. Tough, challenging instructions on how followers of Jesus ought to live together (Ch 18).
5. Teaching about coming judgement (Ch 24-25).

In addition, Chapter 15 deals with how the ethics of the new Christian community should be even higher than those of the old Jewish one.

All this teaching reminds us today that a Gospel of free grace alone will not do. In Matthew's gospel Jesus demands holiness of life. So, Matthew presents us with a tough Gospel (compare the Wesley brothers' emphasis upon holiness of life).

What Matthew says for our preaching and our living.
Matthew records Jesus' teaching. It is the Gospel of Christ the Teacher. Jesus is the teacher, so therefore the group around him are meant to learn from him. By extension this applies to his followers today.

The word 'Disciple' (Greek mathetes) simply means a learner or student. To be a Christian in the early church was to learn the way of Jesus - To be a follower, student or disciple of The Way. So, in our worship and preaching let's encourage congregations, and ourselves, to learn how to be followers of Jesus - true disciples.

Questions to keep in mind throughout Year A of the Revised Common Lectionary Year A
Have we emphasised the doctrine of 'Sinners saved by grace' but neglected Jesus demands to live to a high standard? As we live in Matthew's gospel can we try to correct that this year?

1. To avoid becoming discouraged by the high standards that Jesus demanded, and our own failures, can we also emphasise another Matthean focus, that God is our Father! Matthew 'bigs up' the idea of the Fatherhood of God (compare: Matt 12:50 with Mk 3:35; Matt 5:45 with Lk 6:35; and Matt 10:29-32 with Lk 12:6-8). How do we offer the emphasis on the Fatherhood of God in way that is sensitive to the different experiences members of congregations will have had of human fathers and parent figures?

2. As Christians today, have we got the balance of emphasis between the centrality of Jesus and the importance of God the Father right or wrong? It may be open to the need for some tweaking. For example look in the index of some contemporary song books and compare the number of hymns about Jesus, to those about the Father. The former leader of the Charismatic movement in the UK, Tom Smail published a book called 'The forgotten Father' in which he warned against an over emphasis in Christian worship and living upon Jesus, or even the Holy Spirit, to the detriment of a reverence for and relationship with God the Father.

3. What was the basic teaching of Jesus? As in both Mark and Luke his emphasis was upon the coming Kingdom. The Kingdom was near - at hand. However, as a Jew, Matthew would not take the name of God directly upon his lips, instead the Kingdom of God (Mark and Luke) becomes, in Matthew's Gospel, the Kingdom of heaven. How much is our preaching aimed at encouraging people to live in the Kingdom and by its ethics, and to point others to that life - politically, socially and personally where God's will is done on earth as in heaven?

This year, Matthew has much to share with us from Jesus the Teacher.

Barrie Morley, October 2013.