matthew: the journey toward hope

Spirituality / Scripture / Lectio

The Scriptures are our daily bread; broken and shared, they nourish ourfaith-life and enliven our souls. The ancient tradition of “lectio div-

ina,” or “sacred reading,” practiced by individuals and groups today, is oncemore anchoring the Church to the Word and enriching personal spiritual-ity. With these well-versed and insightful reflections, Scripture scholarElena Bosetti brings a prayerful, uniquely feminine, and deeply human perspective to God’s Word and provides the springboard for a more fruit-ful Gospel lectio. She helps us engage the Word in new ways, so that it cantake deeper root within us, challenging our perspectives and broadeningour horizons...and always shedding light on our own life’s journey.

Do you ever read the last page of a book first to find out the end of thestory? The last page of Matthew holds the key to the entire Gospel. Thisscene, taking place on a mountain, reminds us of other “mountain events”when Jesus taught the crowds, resisted temptation, healed the sick, andprayed through the night. Jesus dreamed of his community in the Sermonon the Mountain, and he warned against empty preaching, spiritualism,and liturgies that do not transform life. Then, in that last meeting, Jesussent his disciples to herald the Good News, inviting all people—includingus—to a journey of hope.

Ideal for prayer groups, Bible study groups, individual spiritual reading,and adult faith formation.

Elena Bosetti was born in Trento, Italy, and is a Sister of Jesus theGood Shepherd of the Pauline Family, which was founded byBlessed James Alberione. She teaches New Testament exegesis atthe Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, the Theological Instituteof Consecrated Life (Clarentianum) in Rome, and the Institute ofReligious Studies in Modena, Italy. She is a member of the ItalianBiblical Association and of the National Coordination of BiblicalApostolate. She collaborates in various forms of evangelization,including television. Sr. Elena is the author of many popular bookson Scripture and has coauthored numerous others.

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Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii

Chapter One

“Things new and old”A Gospel to live . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Like a splendid basilica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1Ten fulfillment citations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2The five discourses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Seven narrative sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Two parallel summaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

The scribe who becomes disciple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

The face of Christ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12Son of David and son of Abraham . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Son of the living God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15The only Master and Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

The face of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17A fraternal community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Between Israel and the nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Ethical importance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

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Chapter Two

“Emmanuel”The beginnings of Jesus, the Messiah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah . . . . . . 23

An intricate genealogical tree . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26Foreigners and transgressors, but chosen

beforehand by God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26The most longed-for maternity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3114 x 3: math or symbolism? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Joseph: the dreams and the obedient listener . . . . . . . . . 33The son of Jacob . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35The spouse of Mary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36An unforgettable triptych . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37The Magi, Herod, and the star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

The massacre of the children and Rachel’s tears . . . . . . . 46

The play of names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47He who saves from sin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ? . . . . . . . 50Nazarene or Nazorean? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Chapter Three

“In those days”John and Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

John, Preacher in the Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56A consistent voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59A baptism of conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60

John baptizes Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64The dialogue between the Precursor and the Messiah . . . . 64

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The descent of the Spirit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67The voice of the Father . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69


Jesus defeats the tempter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72The desert’s compelling scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74Fasting and a hunger for God . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75A duel using Scripture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77


In Galilee of the Gentiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81A decisive transfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82The call of the first disciples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84


Announcing the Good News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

Chapter Four

“Blessed are the poor”Jesus dreams of his community . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

He went up the mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92

The Beatitudes: subversive joy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

You are salt, you are light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

Not to abolish but to fulfill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101The most Jewish verse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103“Until the heavens and the earth pass away” . . . . . . . . 105

A greater justice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106Jesus stirs the conscience of the community . . . . . . . . . . . 107“Go first and be reconciled!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109

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No to adultery and its desires . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Not rejection but fidelity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Simply yes or no . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115Do not resist the evildoer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117Love also for one’s enemies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120

Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

Religion without ostentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Do not sound a trumpet

before you when you give alms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125Pray to your Father in secret . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Do not multiply words . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Do not let others see that you are fasting . . . . . . . . . . . 128Freedom from worry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130

“Do not judge!” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133

The Golden Rule . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135

The house on a rock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

For whom is the Sermon on the Mount intended? . . . . 137Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

Chapter Five

“He has carried our infirmities”Descending in order to heal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142

The ten miracles of the Good Shepherd . . . . . . . . . . . . 144

The unclean leper, the Gentile, and the woman . . . . . . 145Lord, if you wish to, you can make me clean . . . . . . . . . 146But only say the word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149And he touched her hand . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153And he cured all who were ill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154


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“Courage, my son, your sins are forgiven” . . . . . . . . . . . 158

Matthew’s vocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160

At the table of sinners: “It is mercy I desire” . . . . . . . . 162

The compassion of Jesus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166He went around all the cities and villages . . . . . . . . . . 168He was moved with pity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169Compassion and prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172


Chapter Six

“Come to me, all of you”Attraction and mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175

The twelve apostles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176

The missionary discourse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177A priority: the lost sheep of Israel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179And as you go, proclaim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181Freely you have received, freely give . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Do not keep gold or silver; neither a bag

for the road nor two tunics! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Like sheep in the midst of wolves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185Prudent as serpents, simple as doves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186It is enough for the discipleto become like the master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188


A mission that is opposed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189“Are you he who is to come?” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190

Naughty children who spoil the game . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

Come to me, all of you! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196Three imperatives and other promises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

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The master of the meek heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Dialoguing with the Word . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205

Chapter Seven

“From then on, Jesus...”Way of the cross and of the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206

Revelations and temptations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207Jesus’ answer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208To go to Jerusalem and suffer much . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 210


To save one’s life for eternity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Jesus and Peter again . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215

The discourse on the Church . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Three questions and three parables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Who is the greatest? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221Be careful that you do not despise these little ones . . . . . 225

What do you think? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Two complementary perspectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230

Fraternal correction and prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231Don’t skip the first step! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232Seventy times seven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 235


A Church that loves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Epilogue

“I am with you”From the mountain to all peoples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240

The journey of the eleven . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

The words of the Risen One . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246

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“All authority has been given to me” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 247Make disciples of all nations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 248“And behold, I will be with you all the days

until the end of the age” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Community in mission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

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1

Chapter One

“Things new and old”

A Gospel to live

Like a splendid basilica

f you read Matthew after having read Mark, youget the feeling of going from a Romanesque church,

with basic architectural lines and scarce decorative ele-ments, to a Byzantine basilica, with great apses, gildedmosaics, and, at the center, the solemn figure of ChristPantocrator.

On the vestibule wall going into this splendid basilicathe symbolic phrase is written: “And they shall give him thename Emmanuel, which is translated ‘God-with-us’[meth’hêmôn]” (Mt 1:23). It is a promise coming from thepast and gathering the hope of Israel (Isa 7:14). In effect,one cannot enter this magnificent basilica—that is,Matthew’s story—without hope as the key. Within thebasilica’s central apse, the phrase returns, finding its fulfill-

I

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Matthew: The Journey Toward Hope2

ment in the last words of the Risen One to his Church:“Behold, I am with you [meth’hymôn]” (28:20).

Ten fulfillment citations

The Gospel of Matthew appears to be “like a work ofart, like a well-composed literary product in which multi-ple meanings are interwoven.”1 Undoubtedly among theseis one showing how the Christ-event fulfills the promisesof God, or rather, the hopes of Israel. One cannot enterinto Matthew’s account without such hope as the gateway.This is the reason for the many biblical citations that arewoven throughout his story: to show that this hope findsits fulfillment in Jesus the Messiah.2

Ten citations in particular grab our attention. Each ofthem is introduced with a typical formula, constructed ofthe verb pleròô, which means “to be fulfilled, to accom-plish.” The formula usually sounds like this: “this happenedin order to accomplish [that is, to bring to fulfillment] whatthe Lord said through means of the prophets.”

These passages, called precisely “fulfillment citations,”run through Matthew’s account like a connecting thread:

1. J. Gnilka, Il Vangelo di Matteo, 2 vols. (Brescia: Paideia, 1991), II, 759.2. Matthew contains forty explicit messianic citations and more than

one hundred that are implicit. In Mark, there are sixteen explicit and fortyimplicit; in Luke, there are four explicit (in the account of the temptation)and twenty-six implicit; and in John, there are twenty explicit and forty-two implicit citations. Cf. R. H. Gundry, The Use of the Old Testament inSt. Matthew’s Gospel, with Special Reference to the Messianic Hope (Leiden:Brill, 1967).

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3A Gospel to live

Fulfillment citations Matthew O.T.

1. Behold, the virgin shall be with child... 1:22–23 Isa 7:14

2. I called my son outof Egypt. 2:15 Hos 11:1

3. A voice was heard in Ramah... 2:17–18 Jer 31:15

4. He shall be called aNazorean. 2:23 Isa 11:1

5. Land of Zebulon and land of Naphtali... 4:14–16 Isa 9:1–2

6. He took away our illnesses... 8:17 Isa 53:4

7. Behold my servantwhom I have chosen... 12:17–21 Isa 42:1–4

8. I will open my mouth in parables... 13:35 Ps 78 (77):2

9. Tell the daughter of Zion... 21:4–5 Isa 62:11

10. And they took the thirty pieces of silver... 27:9b–10 Jer 32:9–10

Characteristic of Matthew, the citations are meant toshow that God has given his people the key they need to rec-ognize the Messiah. The priests and scribes of Jerusalemmay read these passages of Scripture correctly (cf. 2:5–6), butthey are unable to see their fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth.

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Matthew, instead, is “the scribe-become-disciple,” who isable to take from the treasure of the Scriptures “both newthings and old” (13:52) because he recognizes in Jesus theEmmanuel, the God-with-us (28:20).

Scholars are not lacking who propose that the architec-ture of the entire Gospel is based on these ten citations.3

But other elements also emerge and attract our attentionas well.

The five discourses

The so-called discourses strike us immediately as fivemajestic columns or sections that gather the words of theLord into the shape of preaching. Here is the list (thenumbers indicate chapters):4

— the discourse on the mountain: 5–7;

— the discourse on mission: 10;

— the discourse in parables: 13;

— the discourse on the Church: 18;

— the discourse on the end times: 24–25.


3. M. Quesnel, Jésus Christ selon saint Matthieu: Synthèse théologique(Paris: Desclee, 1991), 28–30.

4. “The five discourses, which encamp majestically like pillars in theconstruction of the Gospel of Matthew, not only reveal its precious cate-chetical dimension—which has remained justifiably predominant inChurch use—but also the profound unity. These have come to be openlyreferred to as the personal teaching of the ‘one Master’ Jesus (23:8–10) anduphold the whole structure of the Gospel, to which they give a strongcohesion.” Cf. M. Laconi and Collaborators, Vangeli Sinottici e Atti degliApostoli (Turin: Elle Di Ci, 1994), 160.

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Given our evangelist’s tendency to point out connec-tions with ancient revelation, the number of discoursesprobably alludes to the Pentateuch, the first five books ofthe Old Testament.

The five discourses are set into the narration like gem-stones, illustrating what they are meant to teach. Matthewdesigned his work by alternating verba et gesta, words andactions. The transition from a discursive to a narrative sec-tion is indicated through a formula repeated five times,with slightly different wordings: “When Jesus had finishedthese words...” (7:28; cf. also 11:1; 19:1); “When Jesus fin-ished these parables...” (13:53); “When Jesus had finishedall these words...” (26:1).

Seven narrative sections

While there are five discourses, there are seven (anoth-er symbolic number, indicating fullness)5 narrative sec-tions, two of which are placed one right after the other: thebook of Jesus’ origins (Mt 1–2) and a kind of introducto-ry triptych (also noted in the other two synoptics) com-prised of the preaching of the Baptist, the baptism of

5A Gospel to live

5. The numerical grouping is a composition technique which rests onthe symbolic value of numbers—above all, the numbers three and seven.The genealogy is structured in three meters of fourteen generations each(3 x 7 x 2); the number three is very frequent: three angelic apparitions toJoseph; three temptations (4:1–11); three groups of miracles in chapters8–9. Matthew, in particular, prefers the number seven: seven spirits whotry to enter the house; seven parables; seven loaves of bread; seven fish andseven hampers; forgiving 70 x 7....

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Jesus, and the temptation in the desert (3–4). After theSermon on the Mount (5–7), Matthew presents a series often miracles that describe Jesus in solidarity with humansuffering (8–9). The discourse on mission (10) is followedby different reactions from the people (11–12); and thediscourse on the parables (13) is followed by the great sec-tion on the bread, which brings us right to the summit ofPeter’s confession of Christ and Jesus’ transfiguration(14–17).

After the discourse on the Church (18), Jesus leavesGalilee and goes toward the territory of Judea; he beginshis journey toward Jerusalem (19–22). The last great dis-cursive section takes place in Jerusalem and includes theeschatological discourse (23–25). This is followed by themost ancient and closely-woven account in the Gospel:the story of the passion and death, the discovery of theempty tomb, the announcements of the resurrection, andthe apparitions of the Risen One himself (26–28).

The evangelist tightly links one episode to another,with ties that are temporal, spatial, causal, and also the-matic.

Two parallel summaries

We need to bear in mind something that often escapesreaders. Matthew didn’t assign titles to his Gospel, nor didhe divide his account into chapter and verse as we find inthe Bible today. The text was just run on, partly to savespace. In addition, few had the text within easy reach. Theapproach to Sacred Scripture came essentially through

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7A Gospel to live

hearing, involving the ears more than the eyes. Con-sequently, the sacred author availed himself of variousrhetorical and literary techniques to affect the ears andmemories of his listeners. Matthew uses several of these.We have already pointed out the conventional phrases thatmark the end of the five discourses. Another technique isindicated by a more elaborate phrase, a kind of “summary”of Jesus’ activity, which crops up in two strategic points ofthe story with almost identical sentences: first during thediscourse on the mountain (4:23), and then later at the endof the cycle of ten miracles (9:35).

These two summaries mark the beginning and end of alarge block of unified material. In other words, the repetitionof these sentences, technically known as an inclusion, signifiesthat the text that lies between them should be treated as aunit. Its purpose is to illustrate that Jesus’ mission consists oftwo inseparable aspects: teaching and healing.

Here the reader is being advised that the discourse onthe mountain (5–7) and the cycle of miracles (8–9) consti-tute a unity. In fact, they depict on a larger scale what is

Mt 4:23

He traveled throughout all Galilee,

teaching in their synagogues,proclaiming the good news

of the kingdom,and healing every disease

and illness among the people.

Mt 9:35

Then Jesus went around...,teaching in their synagogues,proclaiming the good news of the kingdom,and healing every diseaseand illness.

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being said in the summary phrases—that Jesus teaches andheals. On the mountain he reveals himself as the Masterwho speaks with authority (“You have heard it said, but Isay to you...”), and he descends from the mountain as theServant and compassionate Shepherd who takes our infir-mities upon himself (8:17).

Is it possible through these signals to lay out the wholeplan or architecture of the Gospel of Matthew? Thisintriguing question has involved many students over thelast decades. The difficulty of reaching an objectively dis-cernible plan is due to the fact that the interpreter’s pointof observation and subjectivity also come into play.

For some scholars the alternation between the narrativeand discursive elements is evidence of a symmetrical-con-centric structure, where the different parts are arrangedaround a central theme that is key to the whole Gospel:the explanation of the kingdom in parables.

Here is the outline (the numbers again refer to chapters):


Narration—Origins and beginning of activity: 1–4

Discourse on the mountain: 5–7

Narration—Authority of the Messiah: 8–9

Discourse on mission: 10

Narration—Jesus refused: 11–12

Parabolic Discourse: 13

Narration—Jesus welcomed: 14–17

Discourse on the Church: 18

Narration—Authority of the Son: 19–22

Discourse in Jerusalem: 23–25

Narration—Death and resurrection: 26–28

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This is a fascinating outline, but one is left with theimpression that “holes” exist; in fact, the connections indi-cated seem rather vague and artificial when confrontedwith the text.6 Moreover, it is a static outline, not takinginto account other signs conveying the idea of movementand narrative development. Yet it is valuable as regards twotemporal pieces of information:

— 4:17: From then on Jesus began to proclaim;

— 16:21: From then on Jesus began to reveal.

This formula seems to clearly articulate two progressivephases in Jesus’ activity, characterized respectively by theproclamation of the Kingdom (4:17–16:20) and the revela-tion of the mystery of the Messiah’s suffering, death, andresurrection (16:21–28:20). The first part takes place inGalilee, the second on the journey to Jerusalem.7

Here then follows an outline of an architectural plan(once again, the numbers in parentheses correspond tochapters). I like to call it The Basilica of God-with-us.

The “book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah”makes up the “entrance hall” of this basilica; it anticipates

9A Gospel to live

6. This outline was created by J. Caba, Dai Vangeli al Gesù storico (Rome:Edizioni Paoline, 1979), 193, which in its turn cites the studies of H. Lohrand of J. C. Fenton. A much more nimble concentric arrangement, whichtakes into account narrative development, was proposed by H. J.Combrink, “The Structure of the Gospel of Matthew as Narrative,”Tyndale Bulletin 28 (1983), 34, 61–90.

7. This double temporal caesura allows the narrative structure to be inthree parts, as pointed out by J. D. Kingsbury, Matteo: Un racconto(Brescia: Queriniana, 1998; original edition: Matthew As Story [Philadel-phia: Fortress Press], 1988). The narrative character of the first Gospelenjoys noticeable attention among exegetes.

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the destiny of Jesus, who was refused by his own peopleand sought after by the pagans. It also anticipates the samemission for the Church. In fact, there is a certain connec-tion between the arrival of the Magi (2:1–12) and thecommand to go to all peoples (28:19–20). The coming onone hand and the going on the other signify two comple-mentary aspects: attraction and mission.

Entering the basilica, the five discourses, standing likemajestic columns, immediately capture our attention.Eventually our eyes rest on the central apse, where Christis depicted in all his glory. The eleven prostrate themselvesat his feet, in the act of acknowledging him as Lord, as hesends them to all peoples. An inscription runs reassuring-ly around the image of the Risen One and sums up theentire scene: “Behold, I am with you all days, even to theend of the world.”

Introduction

“He will be called Emmanuel, God-with-us”

Book of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah: 1–2John the Baptist and Jesus: 3–4

First part“From then on Jesus began to preach”

IN GALILEE

1. Discourse on the mountain: 5–7Jesus heals every sickness: 8–9

2. Discourse on mission: 10“Come to me, all of you...”: 11–12

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11A Gospel to live

3. Discourse in parables: 13Jesus multiplies the loaves: 14–15

Second part“From then on Jesus began to reveal”

TOWARD JERUSALEM

The Messiah must suffer: 16–174. Discourse on the Church: 18

The difficult following: 19–225. Discourse in Jerusalem: 23–25

Passion, death, and resurrection: 26–28

Epilogue“Go.... I am with you”

28:16–20

The scribe who becomes discipleWhat does this well-organized account say for the one

who put it together? Matthew does not put his name onthe cover, nor does he insist on authors’ rights; everythingfocuses on the words of Jesus. But Matthew can’t stop hiswork from indirectly revealing something of himself andclearly indicating his pastoral concerns. The very harmo-ny he succeeds in creating, by alternating discourse andnarrative, seems dictated by pastoral reasons, from a livingdesire that practice would correspond to doctrine, andthat the Gospel listened to would be the Gospel lived!

Perhaps the best “identikit” for Matthew can be takenfrom a saying of Jesus: “Every scribe who is a disciple of

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the kingdom of heaven is like a man who is master of ahouse, who brings from his storeroom both new thingsand old” (13:52). Yes, Matthew can be seen in this icon ofthe scribe who searches the Scriptures and finds withinthem meaning and fulfillment.

Our evangelist remained fascinated by the figure ofJesus Christ, the Emmanuel, the only Master andShepherd. It was not enough for Matthew to follow Jesus;he also wanted to make him known, drawing from thetreasure of the Scriptures “what is new and what is old.”And, surprisingly, the new things are better.8

After having taken time to appreciate the great archi-tectural lines found in the Gospel of Matthew, I wouldnow like to focus on its theological message—highlight-ing, in particular, three thematic points: Christ, theChurch, and the importance of ethics.

The face of ChristThe authority and majesty of the Risen One who

appears at the conclusion of the Gospel of Matthew can-

8. Ancient tradition never hesitated in identifying the evangelist withthe Apostle Matthew, whose name recurs in every list of the apostles (Mt10:3; Mk 3:18; Lk 6:15; Acts 2:13). Moreover, the first Gospel identifiesMatthew with the tax collector of Capernaum (Mt 9:9), while Mark andLuke speak of Levi, son of Alphaeus (Mk 2:14; Lk 5:27). Beyond thesetexts there is no mention of Matthew in the whole New Testament. Papiasof Hierapolis (A.D. 110–120) speaks of him at the beginning of the sec-ond century, affirming that Matthew “put in order sentences (lòghia) inthe Hebrew dialect, and which each one could therefore interpret as theywere able.” This testimony was passed on by Eusebius in his EcclesiasticalHistory, III, 39, 6.

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13A Gospel to live

not allow us to forget the image of humility and meeknessparticularly dear to our evangelist. It is enough to think ofthe invitation that we find only in his Gospel, where Jesuspresents himself as the poor one who entrusts himselftotally to the Lord: “Come to me, all you grown weary andburdened...learn from me, for I am gentle and humblehearted” (11:28–29).

Son of David and son of Abraham

The Christological perspective, which presents JesusChrist as the son of David and the son of Abraham, is intro-duced at the end of the first chapter. This is somethingpredominant in the Gospel of Matthew. Jesus fulfills thegreat messianic expectations through this double sonship,in which we glimpse a certain tension between his partial-ity (Israel) and universality (all the nations).

As son of David, Jesus is the king announced by theprophet (2 Sam 7:12–16). He is both heir of the promisesmade to the house of David and the Messiah who camefrom Bethlehem and who leads Israel with the verystrength of the Lord (see the oracle of Mic 5:1–4, cited inMt 2:6). But as son of Abraham, Jesus goes beyond thehorizons of Israel in order to fulfill that promise of bless-ing extended to all nations of the earth, the whole humanfamily (cf. Gen 12:3; Gal 3:8).

So right from the very first chapter a tension existsbetween partiality and universality, which runs through theentire account. While the body of the Gospel underscoresJesus’ partiality—the priority of his mission to Israel—the

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beginning and end display an open universality on his part.Jesus fulfills the blessing of Abraham for all the nations,symbolically represented by the Magi who come from theEast to worship him (2:1–11). The scene becomes a kind ofprolepsis or anticipation of what will happen at the story’send, when the Risen One, in the fullness of his messianicpower, will send his disciples to all nations, to introducethem into the family of the Holy Trinity (28:19–20).

This takes place precisely at the end of the Gospel,after the Passover, when we see the face of the Risen One.But prior to that event, how did Jesus reveal himself?What awareness of his mission did he have? OnlyMatthew mentions Jesus uttering a statement that soundsa bit restrictive: “I was sent only to the lost sheep of thehouse of Israel” (15:24). Jesus’ answer to the Canaanitewoman (who obtains the requested grace from “the Son ofDavid”) clearly expresses his awareness of being sent in thefirst place to his own people, to reunite and lead Israel asthe new David of whom Ezekiel 34 speaks. However, whatultimately happens is still more dramatic: Israel does notwelcome him but instead calls down on itself his blood(27:25).

On the other hand, Matthew never uses the title “sonof David” in the triumphal terms of a political messianism.Rather, he interprets the title from a perspective of soli-darity with the poor, the sick, and the needy—as in 9:27,where the two blind men cry out: “Have mercy on us, sonof David.” They call after Jesus along the road, not reach-ing him until he arrives at the house to which he was


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going, an image that evokes the Church. It is surprisingthat a foreign woman, the Canaanite mentioned earlier,would also call Jesus by this title (15:22).

Son of the living God

Son of God is another title that doesn’t appear at thebeginning of the Gospel, but still wonderfully describeswho Jesus is for Matthew.

There is no justification for counterposing the two son-ships, since already in 2 Samuel 7:14 God calls the son ofDavid “my son.” Even Simon Peter, in his confession offaith at the center of the Gospel, holds together these twoaspects of Davidic messianism and divine sonship: “Youare the Messiah, the son of the living God” (16:16). Farfrom contradicting each other, the two titles comprise awhole. From what perspective? From the perspective ofintegral love, which takes shape in the Servant/Son ofGod who takes upon himself our infirmities. Not bychance does Matthew cite Isaiah 53:4 at the end of his firstgroup of miracles (8:17) and Isaiah 42:1–4 in another con-text of healings (12:15–21).9

15A Gospel to live

9. D. J. Verseput, who has dedicated himself to a precise study of thetitle “Son of God” in Matthew, holds that the implication of obedience tothe Father inclusive in such a title is useful in justifying the humble aspectof the Davidic Messiah: “The Role and Meaning of the ‘Son of God’ Titlein Matthew’s Gospel,” New Testament Studies 33 (1987), 532–556; cf. also:D. Hill, “Son and Servant: An Essay on Matthean Christology,” Journalfor the Study of the New Testament 6 (1980), 2–16; J. D. Kingsbury, “TheTitle of ‘Son of God’ in Matthew’s Gospel,” Biblical Theology Bulletin 5(1975), 3–31.

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The only Master and Shepherd

Along with the titles just mentioned—and which wecould label “traditional” inasmuch as they appear also inMark and Luke—only Matthew strongly claims for Jesusthe title of Teacher or Master (23:8–10).

What exactly does this title signify, and what does ourevangelist mean when he places it within the five dis-courses—above all in the first, where Jesus speaks withunheard-of and unthinkable authority for a Jewish rabbi:“You have heard it said, but I say to you”? Such authoritycomes to be recognized by the crowd, awed by his teach-ing because, as our evangelist points out, “he was teachingthem on his own authority, and not like their scribes”(7:29).

Jesus does not simply teach a doctrine but a way of jus-tice: He is a master of life! He alone is really the Master.The restriction sounds polemical against presumed mas-ters or, as the evangelist defines them, “false prophets”(7:15), but it is also indicative of a community that mustalways rediscover its constitution, or rather its being acommunity of brothers and sisters at the feet of theMaster: “But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is yourteacher, and all of you are brothers.... Nor shall you becalled teachers, for you have one teacher, the Messiah”(23:8–10).

And this Master has the heart of a shepherd: “When hesaw the crowds he was moved with pity for them becausethey were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shep-


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17A Gospel to live

herd” (9:36). Whether it is the aspect of announcing or theministry of healing, both of which are explicitly linked in9:35, what is underscored is the great solidarity of Christ,Master and compassionate Shepherd.10

The face of the ChurchThe term ekklêsìa, “church,” appears frequently in Paul,

but in the Gospels it comes up only three times, and all threeinstances occur in Matthew. The word first appears in 16:18and then twice more in 18:17. This lexical fact deserves ourattention. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the OldTestament, seventy-six out of ninety-six times this term isused to translate the Hebrew qahàl, that is, the assembly orconvocation of the people God has liberated from Egypt andbound to himself with a covenant pact. But what significancedoes this word contain in Matthew?

After Peter’s profession of faith in 16:18, Jesus promis-es to found on him his ekklêsìa. The Church of Godbecomes the Church of Christ, the messianic communityof which everyone can be a part if they, as Peter, recognizein Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God.11

In 18:17 the sense of ekklêsìa is different. The contextsuggests the idea of a local community that comes togeth-

10. On the theme of Shepherd in the Gospel of Matthew, see F.Martin, “The Image of the Shepherd in the Gospel of Saint Matthew,”Science and Spirit 37 (1975), 261–301.

11. The aspect of covenant and the multiple connections between theprologue and the epilogue were especially studied by H. Frankemölle,Jahwe-Bund und Kirche Christi (Münster: Aschendorf, 1984).

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er in the name of Christ their Lord. The duty entrusted tothem is not one of condemning or reproving the sinner,but rather of helping that person to recognize his or hersin in order to find healing and salvation.

A fraternal community

The members of the Church are brothers and sisters,12

and they are exhorted to behave as such. Jesus himselfcalls the disciples “my brothers” (28:10). Those who dothe will of the Father are considered his new family(12:46–50). And this family of brothers and sisters gath-ers around the Father with confidence, as Jesus does, andlives this fraternal relationship in terms of acceptance andforgiveness.

There is no doubt that the discourse on the Church inMatthew’s Gospel is strongly Christological.13 To realizethe importance of this statement, it is enough to look atthe outline of the missionary and ecclesial discourses, bothof which highlight a certain correspondence between Jesusand his disciples:

“Whoever receives you receives me; and whoever receivesme receives the one who sent me” (10:40).

12. For a thorough examination of the subject: S. Grasso, Gesù e i suoifratelli. Contributo allo studio della cristologia e dell’antropologia nel Vangelodi Matteo (Bologna: EDB, 1994); W. G. Thompson, Matthew’s Advice to aDivided Community. Mt 17:12—18:35 (AnB 44) (Rome: Biblical InstitutePress, 1970).

13. On the ecclesiological relevance of the second discourse of Matthew,see M. Grilli, Comunità e missione: le direttive di Matteo. Indagine esegeticasu Mt 9:35—11:1 (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 1992).

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19A Gospel to live

“Whoever receives one such child in my name, receives me”(18:5).

The little ones and the disciples are objects of God’sparticular protection, which is why we should be carefulnot to look down on them (18:10–11).

Between Israel and the nations

Like Jesus, so also the Church is closely tied to thestory of Israel. “For the first evangelist the ‘event’ of Jesusbecomes paradigmatic in order to resolve the problem ofthe relationship between Israel and the Church. ThereforeChristology is still the key to interpreting the saving storyof God in its fundamental stages.”14

The first criterion for understanding such a relation-ship is God’s fidelity, which is expressed in the dialectic ofpromise and fulfillment. Jesus brings the salvific plan ofGod to fulfillment, as the citations of fulfillment in partic-ular demonstrate.

But the biblical story also reveals the people’s infideli-ty, and this second criterion comes into play in the readingof Israel’s dramatic refusal. Theirs is not a total and com-plete refusal, however. A small remnant welcomes Jesusthe Messiah and therefore assures the accomplishment ofthe divine promises. In this sense “the Church is not the‘new’ people of God, and neither is it the ‘new’ Israel,because the people of God is and remains only one: thosegathered around Jesus, the Christ and Lord, in whom the

14. R. Fabris, Matteo (Rome: Borla, 1982), 31.

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hopes and promises of Israel come to their complete ful-fillment.”15

Besides, Israel’s refusal opens the door to the new econo-my of salvation for all the nations. Studied in context andapplying the synchronic method, the texts show that thetheme of universalism—in particular the aspect of a salvationto be shared with the pagan nations—is well organized andgradually developed within the Gospel of Matthew.16

Matthew’s Church feels itself involved in missionaryactivity. It recognizes the force of attraction that the wordsand the life of Jesus exercise on all those who humbly seeksalvation and liberation.

Ethical importanceMore than any other evangelist, Matthew underlines the

ethical aspect: “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’will enter the kingdom of heaven; no, the one who does thewill of my Father in heaven will” (7:21). And “unless yourrighteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes andPharisees, you will never enter into the kingdom of heaven,”declares the Master at the beginning of his first discourse(5:20). He himself is the way of absolute justice.

15. Fabris, Matthew, 32. The ecclesiology theme is fundamentally basedon the book by W. Trilling, Das wahre Israel (München: St. Benno, 1964),trans. in Italian: Il vero Israele. Studi sulla teologia del Vangelo de Matteo(Casale Monferrato: Piemme, 1992); see also G. N. Staton, A Gospel for aNew People: Studies in Matthew (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1992).

16. See, for example, G. Tisera, Universalism According to the Gospel ofMatthew (Frankfurt am Main: Peter Land, 1993).

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But the emphasis on ethics has been the cause of mis-understandings and arguments from the very beginning.This pertains especially to the Sermon on the Mount,where Jesus declares that he has not come to abolish theLaw and the Prophets but rather “to fulfill them” (5:17).Unable to accept this statement, Marcion (second centuryA.D.) did not hesitate to exclude Matthew from the canonof inspired texts, inasmuch as his view opposed Paul’s!

Luther resolved the implicit tension in the first Gospelby leading Matthew back to Paul. The radical nature ofthe Sermon on the Mount would have no other aim thanof demonstrating humanity’s radical inability to accom-plish the Law, the innate sinfulness of the human person,and, consequently, the necessity of opening oneselfthrough faith in order to accept gratuitous salvation.

This problem is also found in modern Protestant exe-gesis. Liberal theology makes use of Matthew in order toreconstruct the religious message of Jesus, who is present-ed as the Master of a sublime ethic. But for Matthew, Jesusis not simply a teacher of justice, no matter how sublime;he is the herald of the coming Reign of God!

In the second half of the tenth century, the firstGospel’s radical ethic was seen through the mirror of thecommunity. It was the expression of a pastoral plan, aresponse to problems that Christians of the second orthird generation had faced. For example, the sentence “Itis not those who say but those who do...” would reflect theimage of a community in danger of religious formalism, adanger from which the evangelist intended to rouse it.

21A Gospel to live

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How? By reinforcing that beautiful words and prayers donot automatically give one access to the Reign of heaven.The disciples of the Lord must in fact guard against a mul-tiplication of words in their prayer, something the pagansdo! Unequivocal signs of recognition are works of charityand the good that is done to the least, with whom Christidentified himself: the foreigner, the poor, the imprisoned,the sick, and those who find themselves in a situation ofneed or marginalization (25:40–45).

One could therefore suppose that Matthew’s editing isnot so much motivated by external causes, such as a clashwith the Jewish interpretation of the Law, as primarily byan internal crisis of the Christian community.17 And the“false prophets” whom Jesus condemns at the end of hisSermon on the Mount (7:15–23) could actually be identi-fied with false Christian teachers.18

Beyond these hypotheses, however, there is still thechallenge—which Matthew puts to every Christian gener-ation—of the unavoidable tension between faith and prac-tice! His three great intertwining themes are Christ, theChurch, and the importance of ethics. For Matthew,Christ will not be detached from the Church nor theChurch from Christ. Similarly, the announcement of theGospel cannot take place without ethics, nor can ethicssurvive without the announcement of the Gospel.

17. Trilling, Das wahre Israel, 213–214.18. V. Fusco, “The ‘Face’ of the Church of Matthew: Methodological

Points with Examples from Mt 7:15–23,” Asprenas 27 (1980), 3–26; seealso V. Fusco, La casa sulla roccia: Temi spirituali di Matteo (Magnano:Qiqajon-Comunità di Bose, 1994), 38–48.

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matthew: the journey toward hope

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