Lecture 4 - Beginning in Galilee
Enduring Power of Jewish Christianity • Sermon • Submitted
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Then go quickly and tell His disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.’ Listen, I have told you.”
The 11 disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted. Then Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 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, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Matthew's Gospel was the first written Gospel and given priority until shortly before the Constantinian settlement.
The Gospel of Matthew appears first in all but one of the arrangement of the New Testament Canons from the first and second century (exception is Marcion canon).
The Canon of Scripture Stages of Composition
There can be no doubt, for example, of the canonical form of the Gospel of Matthew, nor yet of its canonical position. Ever since the fourfold gospel was brought together, the Gospel of Matthew has stood at its head.
The Gospel of Matthew presents itself as a continuation of the history of Israel with Jesus ushering in the promised restoration and salvation of Israel.
Adam, Seth, Enosh,
These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn, but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed. He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. Although Judah became strong among his brothers and a ruler came from him, the birthright was given to Joseph.
This is what King Cyrus of Persia says: The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and has appointed me to build Him a temple at Jerusalem in Judah. Whoever among you of His people may go up, and may the Lord his God be with him.
There is a direct link, in other words, between the beginning of the OT and the end of the OT, as well as the end of the OT and the beginning of the NT. From a literary perspective, there is no intertestamental gap between the Testaments. The last word in the Hebrew Bible can also be understood as the first word in the NT. It is a verb without a subject (וְיָעַל) 2 Chr 36:23, “let him go up”). Its subject could very well be taken from the first chapter of Matthew in the NT. It is a call for the coming of that one “whose God is with him,” and who is to build the Temple in Jerusalem. In Chronicles (and the post-exilic prophets) this one is the messianic (priestly) son of David. Matthew’s Gospel, which follows immediately after this last word, begins like Chronicles, with a genealogy identifying Jesus as the Christ (Messiah), the son of David, who is Emanuel, “God with us.” - John Sailhmaer, The Messiah and the Hebrew Bible, JETS 44/1 (March 2001) 5–23
The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
saying, “Get up! Take the child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, because those who sought the child’s life are dead.” So he got up, took the child and His mother, and entered the land of Israel.
In their ICC commentary, W. D. Davies and Dale C. Allison infer from the apparently intentional scriptural analogies, especially the genealogy, that Matthew probably conceived “his gospel as a continuation of the biblical history—and also, perhaps, that he conceived of his work as belonging to the same literary category as the scriptural cycles treating of OT figures.” Moreover
The Gospel of Matthew's internal literary evidence shows, with high probability, that Matthew's Gospel came first, Luke's second, and Mark's third.
““Therefore, you should pray like this: Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy.” (Matthew 6:9, HCSB)
“He said to them, “Whenever you pray, say: Father, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come.” (Luke 11:2, HCSB)
Luke avoids the common Jewish expression (Abba B’Shamayin “Father in Heaven”) for an abbreviated form (“Father”). - Compare Matthew 5:48 and 6:32 to Luke 6:36 and 12:30; Matthew 5:45 to Luke 6:35; Matthew 6:26 to Luke 12:24; and the odd case of Matthew 7:11 to Luke 11:13.
For more examples see, William R. Farmer, The Gospel of Jesus, pp. 41-52
The Gospel of Matthew represents an eyewitness testimony about the Gospel of Jesus rather than a Gospel about Jesus.
The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
Many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us. It also seemed good to me, since I have carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in an orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.
The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The Gospel of Matthew was the most influential of the four Gospels during the first and second century.
Of all the New Testament Writings, the Gospel of Mt. was the one whose literary influence was the most widespread and the most profound in Christian literature that extended into the last decades of the second century… .
Until the end of the second century, the first gospel remained the gospel par excellence . . . .
The Gospel was, therefore, the normative fact of Christian life. It created the background for ordinary Christianity.
See, Édouard Massaux, The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature Before Saint Irenaeus, trans. by Norman J. Belval and Suzanne Hecht; ed., Arthur J. Bellinzoni, 3 vols. (Macon, GA.: Mercer University, 1993) 3:186-87.
Matthew's Gospel presents a form of Jewish Christianity that fits within 2nd Temple Hellenistic Judaism, was attached to the Septuagint, remained committed to Israel but opening to the inclusion of the nations.
There is a fundamental “yes” to the law (cf. Matt. 5:17–20; 23:3a, 23b).
“Don’t assume that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. For I assure you: Until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass from the law until all things are accomplished. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches people to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You pay a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. These things should have been done without neglecting the others.
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel understand the authoritative teaching of Jesus on the Torah as binding.
because He was teaching them like one who had authority, and not like their scribes.
The ἐξουσία of Jesus enables one to override a valid command, at the same time bringing the true will of God into reality.
Jesus’ authority can intensify and internalize a command.
Murder is internalized and intensified (Matthew 5:21-26).
Adultery is internalized and intensified (Matthew 5:27-30; 19:1-12).
Divorce is internalized and intensified (Matthew 5:31-32; Deut 24:1,3).
The Matthean Jesus did not abolish the Torah’s tacit acceptance of divorce, but he exegeted Deut 24:1 in the prophetic manner.
In sum, the foregoing leads to the conclusion that in matters of divorce, or hilkot ’ishut broadly, the Matthean Jesus was an independent proto‑rabbi who adhered to no particular school of halakhah.
- Phillip Sigal, The Halakah of Jesus of Nazareth According to the Gospel of Matthew, p. 142f.
Jesus’ authority is the basis for his followers to voluntarily “wave” their use of certain laws and adopt the new Jesus’ ethic in its place.
Wave the use of oaths (Matthew 5:33-37).
Wave the right to retaliation (Ex 21:24; Lv 24:20; Dt 19:21) and to replace it with a principle of non-violent service to oppressor (Matthew 5:38-42).
Wave the right to hate your enemy and replaces it with love for enemies (Matthew 5:43-48).
Neither Jew nor Greek: A Contested Identity d. Jousting with the Pharisees over Israel’s Heritage
It is not so much that Jesus replaces Moses or abrogates the law at certain points (Matt. 5:33–48); it is rather that Jesus gives a definitive interpretation of the law as it bears on human relations, fulfilling its deeper intention.273 Doing the will of the heavenly Father is what really counts,274 with the implication that the Father’s will is not to be identified with a narrow reading of the law or a superficial declaration of loyalty.275 We may infer that Paul’s view was similar in his talk of ‘the law of Christ’ (Gal. 6:2)
Jesus’ authority determines the proper application of the Torah (cg. Matthew 16:1-12).
The Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-13).
The Purity Laws (Matthew 15:1-18).
The Extent of Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35).
The Principle of Mercy (Matt 9:13; 12:7; cf Hos. 6:6).
Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
1:2 Shimon the Righteous was one of the last from the Great Assembly. He used to say: Upon three things the world stands: upon the Torah, upon worship, and upon acts of kindness.
Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai and Rabbi Joshua were walking by the ruins of the Temple. Rabbi Joshua said, "Woe to us that the place where the atonement for the sins of Israel was made has been destroyed!" But Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai replied, "Do you not know that we have a means of making atonement that is as good as this? And what is it? Gemilut hassadim - acts of loving-kindness, as it is said, 'For I desire hesed - loving-kindness - and not sacrifice!'" (Hosea 6:6) - Avot d'Rabbi Natan 4:21
Jesus’ authority creates a filter to interpret the whole of the Torah.
The Golden Rule - Matthew 7:12
Therefore, whatever you want others to do for you, do also the same for them—this is the Law and the Prophets.
The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary Answer Not a Fool according to His Folly. The Importance of Humility
I.12 A. There was another case of a gentile who came before Shammai. He said to him, “Convert me on the stipulation that you teach me the entire Torah while I am standing on one foot.” He drove him off with the building cubit that he had in his hand.
B. He came before Hillel: “Convert me.”
C. He said to him, “ ‘What is hateful to you, to your fellow don’t do.’ That’s the entirety of the Torah; everything else is elaboration. So go, study.”
The Platinum Command - Matthew 22:35-40
And one of them, an expert in the law, asked a question to test Him: “Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?” He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
Rabbi Akiba (early second century) that Lev. 19:18 is ‘the greatest general principle in the Torah’ (Sipra on Lev. 19:18)
Jesus’ authority can immediately and instantly forgive sins (Matthew 9:1-8; esp. Matt 9:6)
But so you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—then He told the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”
Had Christian Jews not been expelled from the synagogues after 90 c.e. but remained a segment of Judaism, it is well within the realm of possibility that Jesus would have secured a place in the proto‑rabbinic pantheon. He would have been a source to whom Sabbath leniency would have been attributed, while at the same time he would have been looked to as the source of stringency in divorce and a heavy yoke in a wide variety of questions touching upon civil law and personal ethics. - Phillip Sigal, The Halakah of Jesus of Nazareth According to the Gospel of Matthew, p. 193
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel see Jesus as referent of many of Israel’s great messianic prophecies. The permanent appeal to the Hebrew Bible, especially from the Septuagint, and the emphasis on the idea of fulfillment (cf. Matt. 1:22–23; 2:5–6, 15, 17–18; 3:3; 4:14–16; 8:17) are evident.
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.”
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel hold firmly to the mission of Jesus to restore and save Israel (cf. Matt. 10:5–6; 15:24).
Jesus sent out these 12 after giving them instructions: “Don’t take the road leading to other nations, and don’t enter any Samaritan town. Instead, go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
He replied, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel continue to keep the Sabbath (cf. Matt. 24:20; 12:28; 28:1).
After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to view the tomb.
Pray that your escape may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel continue to live within the association of Judaism (cf. Matt. 17:24–27; 10:17; 23:1–3).
Because people will hand you over to sanhedrins and flog you in their synagogues, beware of them.
Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
“The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.
Therefore do whatever they tell you, and observe it. But don’t do what they do, because they don’t practice what they teach.
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel saw Jesus as the anticipated prophet greater than Moses. The Moses typology in Matt. 2:13ff.; 4:1–2; 5:1; and the five major speeches in the Gospel (Matt. 5–7; 10; 13; 18; 23–25); and the many miracle accounts (see, https://www.trusting-in-jesus.com/Miracles-in-Matthew.html); along with the transfiguration account in Matthew 17:1-13 suggest Matthew saw Jesus as the prophet who was greater than Moses (Deut 18:15; 34:9-12). Matthew 17:5-9
5 While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said: This is My beloved Son. I take delight in Him. Listen to Him!
6 When the disciples heard it, they fell facedown and were terrified.
7 Then Jesus came up, touched them, and said, “Get up; don’t be afraid.”
8 When they looked up they saw no one except Him —Jesus alone.
9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Don’t tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.”
The Jewish Christians of Matthew’s Gospel have a commitment to take Jesus’ teachings (Gospel) to the Gentiles.
Inclusion of Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and the wife of Uriah in Jesus genealogy (Matt 1:3-6).
The wise men (magi) from the east who worship Jesus (Matt 2:1) contrasted to Herod, the current king of the Jews, who tries to eliminate him (Matt 2:16).
The role of Jewish privilege is downplayed by John the Immerser (Matt 3:9) and the parable of tenant farmer (Matt 21:43).
The intentional omission of the noun περιτομή indicates clearly154 that Matthew also assumes the historic legacy of Paul’s mission to the gentiles. It was obviously apparent to the Jewish Christian Matthew that, without circumcision, neither Judaism nor inner-Jewish dialogue could exist for an extended period! The intentional omission of the problem of circumcision within an exclusively inner-Jewish standpoint of Matthew can scarcely be explained.155 Rather, in this Gospel it is not circumcision but baptism as well as mission and teaching (cf. Matt. 28:16–20) that are the rites of initiation/the guiding principles of Matthean Christianity.
See Luke’s inclusion of John’s circumcision (Luke 1:59) and Jesus’ (Luke 2:21) but neither Mark nor Matthew have any mention of the rite of circumcision but all three Synoptic Gospels make “baptism/immersion” an important rite for entry into the Jesus community (Matt 3:7; Matt 28:19; Mark 10:39; Luke 12:50) and Acts (e.g, Acts 1:5; 2:38; 41; 8:12; 36; 10:48; 16:33; 18:25).
The roman centurion stands as an example of Gentile inclusion and faith (Matt 8:11-12; see also, Matt 12:41-42).
The Hebrew Bible, Isaiah 42:1-4, is a proof text for Gentile inclusion (Matt 12:18-21).
The Great Commission pushes the disciples to go further than Jesus mission to Israel (Matt 15:24) and now they must go to the nations (Matt 28:19-20).
Summary: Matthew's Gospel gives shape to a moderate Jewish Christianity that is closely tied to the Torah based on Jesus’ authority, remains in proximity to the Jewish People, growing in it’s own sacred practices, and opening up to the inclusion of the nations.
The implications of Matthew's Gospel for Jewish Christianity.
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would have understood that Jesus’ Gospel included the Torah receiving its interpretation and application based on Jesus’ teachings; and, his interpretations and applications carry the weight of his authority as Israel’s Messiah (Matt 16:16) and the universal Lord (Matt 7:21; 15:22; 22:43-45; 25:37).
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would have disagreement with the “proto-rabbis” with how the Torah and Prophets should be interpreted but they would have agreed with them that the Torah and the Prophets continued to be of primary importance.
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, did not invent the idea of a Divine-Man nor did they invent the idea of a godhead. Rather, they saw Jesus as the embodiment of these ideas. This idea has its roots within 2nd Temple Judaism.
“JEWS NOT INFREQUENTLY ARGUE THAT Christianity appropriated the Hebrew Bible and turned it to its own non-Jewish purposes, thus distorting its meanings. This book challenges this claim in two ways. On one hand, the implication of my argument is that Christianity hijacked not only the Old Testament but the New Testament as well by turning that thoroughly Jewish text away from its cultural origins among the Jewish communities of Palestine in the first century and making it an attack on the traditions of the Jews, traditions that, I maintain, it sought to uphold and not destroy, traditions that give the narrative its richest literary and hermeneutical context. On the other hand, this book challenges the notion that the New Testament itself is an appropriation, or—even better—a misappropriation of the Old. If the interpretations offered here hold water, then the New Testament is much more deeply embedded within Second Temple Jewish life and thought than many have imagined, even—and this I emphasize again—in the very moments that we take to be most characteristically Christian as opposed to Jewish: the notion ” “of a dual godhead with a Father and a Son, the notion of a Redeemer who himself will be both God and man, and the notion that this Redeemer would suffer and die as part of the salvational process. At least some of these ideas, the Father/Son godhead and the suffering savior, have deep roots in the Hebrew Bible as well and may be among some of the most ancient ideas about God and the world that the Israelite people ever held.”
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would not have welcomed the suggestion that Christianity should abandon it’s Jewish heritage, people, or land unless in the case of the great tribulation (compare Matt 24:1-22 to Luke 21:20-24).
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would have seen themselves as the continuation of Israel as the assembly (ecclesia) of YHWH (Matt 16:18) and the twelve disciples representing in a symbolic way the regathering of eschatological Israel (Matt 19:28).
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would have understood their own missional efforts to Israel in light of Jesus mission and hopes of future acceptance of his offer for salvation and restoration (Matt 23:34; 37-39) while at the same time extending his offer to the nations (Matt 28:18-20).
The Jewish Christians, and the Gentiles who joined them, would have understood themselves as an “evolutionary and revolutionary” movement within 2nd Temple Judaism. - Rick Meadow gave me the words in quotes in a private correspondence.