Theology
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4MatthewMissionasDiscipleMaking.pptxMATTHEW: MISSION AS DiSCIPLE MAKING
Module 4 - MISS 500
Foundation for Biblical Mission
MATtHEW AND HIS COMMUNITY
OUR FIRST GOSPEL IS ESSENTIALLY A MISSIONARY TEXT
It is written to provide guidance to a community in crisis on how it should understand its calling and mission.
Matthew’s community is a community cut off at its root, its attachment to Judaism exposed it to the harshest test possible, divided as to what its priorities should be, groping in the direction previously unknown to them.
What should its identity be in the coming years?
Can it continue as a movement within Judaism?
What attitude should it adopt towards the law?
Can it give up in viewing Jesus as more than just a prophet?
Can it give up on a mission to follow Jews?
MATtHEW AND HIS COMMUNITY
Matthew’s primary concern is not simply to help his people cope with the new pressure confronting them, but to assist them in developing a missionary ethos.
Matthew desires his community no longer to regard itself as a sectarian group but boldly and consciously as the church of Christ.
He is the only evangelist who uses the word ekklesia, i.e., the true Israel.
He used a plethora of OT scripture as a witness against the Jewish theologians of his day and demonstrate the fulfillment of the promise of God through Christ.
The genealogy with which he opens his gospel plants Jesus deep within the heritage of Judaism.
At the same time Jesus is subtly cast in the role of a new Moses.
Matthew AND HIS COMMUNITY
Matthew’s use of the OT Is not just polemical—to counter rabbinic claims to the OT—but deeply pastoral and missionary.
Pastoral, in that he wishes to convey self-confidence to a community facing a crisis of identity.
Missionary, in that he wishes to embolden the community members toward seeing opportunities for witness and service around them.
Contradictions in matthew
On the one hand, scholars argue, this is the most Jewish of all our gospels.
E. Von Dobschütz once even call Matthew “a converted Jewish Rabbi.”
Stendahl (1968) and others claim that Matthew has arranged his gospel in such a way that it would resemble the first five books of the OT.
Still other contend that Matthew has often “rejudaized” the tradition handed down to him (Brown 1977:25-28).
By contrast, others argue that Matthew’s gospel consistently and systematically engages in polemics against the Jews and their leadership, a stance that clearly demonstrates his “Gentile bias,” which would be natural only if he were “a Gentile author” (Clark 1980:4; Strecker 1962: 15-35).
Contradictions in matthew
Matthew’s gospel is indeed, in many respects, baffling.
In the central section of his gospel, he includes some particularistic sayings which must have been extremely offensive to Gentile readers:
“Go no where among the Gentiles…”
“I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel….”
“It is not fair to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs…”
Matthew chose to include contradictory views intentionally.
A mission to Israel and one to Gentiles need not exclude but ought rather to embrace each other.
His theological reflection is guarded by his pastoral concern.
Contradictions in matthew
Matthew does not just advocate a chronological sequence of the two missions (as Mark appears to do) but upholds a theological correlation of one to the other.
Emphasis on the Gentiles:
The four non-Israelite women in Jesus’ genealogy - Ch. 1
The visit of the Magi - 2:1-12
The centurion of Capernaum, who prompts Jesus to say that many Gentiles will one day take their places with the patriarchs in the kingdom of heaven - 8:5-13.
The Canaanite woman - 15:21-28
The statement in the eschatological discourse that the gospel will be preached to all the nations - 24:14.
The reaction of the Roman centurion and those with him at the crucifixion of Jesus, who exclaim, “Truly he was the son of God” - 27:54.
Matthew and israel
Throughout, Matthew’s judgment on Jews is more severe and negative than Mark and Luke - e.g., in 11:16-19; 11:20-24; 12:41-45; 22:1-14; 23-39.
Matthew takes up the substitution of Israel by a new covenant people, a theme which, in fact, is present under the surface throughout his gospel (21:33-44).
For Matthew, the fact that the kingdom of God has been taken away from Israel is the real punishment, not so much the physical judgment on Israel, for instance the destruction of Jerusalem.
Matthew and israel
In his gospel Matthew emphasizes the involvement of the Jewish leaders in the betrayal, arrest, and condemnation of Jesus, reaching a climax in his rendering of the trial before Pilate (27:11-26).
The fact that the leaders and the people chose Barabbas is stressed much more forcefully than in Mark’s account.
Also, only Matthew reports the pleas of Pilate’s wife on behalf of “the righteous man” (27:19).
Matthew’s strong statement about the Jews, in part, reflect the confrontations his community had with Jamnia Pharisaism at the time of his writing.
Matthew and the nations
Matthew uses panta ta ethne four times, and all of these are in the final part of his gospel (24:9, 14; 25:32; and 28:19), where the Gentile mission comes into focus ever more clearly.
An unbiased reader of chapters 24 to 28 of his gospel can only understand them as suggesting that Matthew’s concern was with all of mankind, including the Jews.
Matthew fights a battle on two fronts:
Pharisaic Judaism and the inroads it was making into his community
The antinomianism of an enthusiastic Hellenistic Jewish Christianity
authority
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matt 28:18)
The presupposition of missionary work is the risen Lord with his authoritative word.
The only power which decides is now Jesus Christ; his word has universal significance.
The authority over heaven and earth that has been given to Jesus is the authority given by God the Creator.
Jesus possesses authority not only as a result of the resurrection but as a result of his messianic dignity.
Jesus has authority over the entire heaven and over the entire earth - this is over the entire universe, the entire creation.
The comprehensive authority was given to Jesus by God.
The authority of the Father is conveyed entirely through the Son.
authority
Jesus has been given “all authority”
The disciples are directed to make disciples of “all nations”
The disciples are to teach the nations “all things that I have commanded you”
The universal perspective implies an exclusive dimension
All authority means there can be no authority that is not maintained
All nations: there can be no nation that would not need the Christian message
The phrase “all days,’ a reference to completeness, has an exclusive connotation as well
“teaching them to observe all…”
The final part of the “Great Commission” makes mention of “teaching them to observe all I have commanded you” (Mt. 28:20).
In Luke 24:47 the message proclaimed to the nations is one of repentance and forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus.
In Acts 1:8 the disciples are told that they will be witnesses empowered by the Holy Spirit.
In John 20:21-23 the disciples likewise were promised the Holy Spirit and sent into the world by the risen Christ with the authority to forgive sins.
Matthew, it seems, has nothing of all this.
The Matthean Jesus sounds extremely didactic and legalistic…keeping of commandments.
Make disciples
The disciples are directed to “make disciples” (Mt. 28:19) among all nations of the world.
Disciples are people who hear, understand and practice Jesus’ teaching (Mt. 12:46-50).
Disciples are people who live in community, in fellowship with teachers and with other followers of Jesus.
It is important to note regarding the context of Jesus’ commission to international missionary work that there is no command to proclaim the gospel, no emphasis on preaching the good news.
The commission is directed toward the building of the church.
It demonstrates the ecclesiological dimension of the Twelve: missionary work and church must not be separated.
Make disciples
The early church proclaimed the gospel to all people, to Jews and pagans, slaves and free, rich and poor. There is no evidence for a strategy that considered social or cultural identities and peculiarities for the “effectiveness” of church planting.
The removal of barriers that separate people from each other is not simply a result of the gospel, but an essential part of its nature.
Conversion means integration into a new community, a new “humanity,” the people of God whose identity is defined no longer by race, social status or gender, but by Jesus Christ.
The early church did not just grow; it grew across cultural barriers: despite difficulties, Jewish and Gentile Christians lived together in local congregations.
Each congregation is expected to demonstrate unity.
The word of promise
Jesus concludes the missionary commission with the promise of his abiding presence “And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).
With this promise Jesus takes the place of Yahweh and assumes his function with regard to the new people of God.
This is the Christological dimension of mission.
The claim in Mt. 28:18-20 missionary commission leaves no room for other religions.
