This week Sam Knock started our series on the Gospel of Matthew that will run over the next few months.
When we travel overseas, a lot of us read up and research first. We want to learn about the culture, the history, how to say hello and thank you, how to pay for things. We get more out of the trip that way. '
Ancient texts reward the same preparation and research, so this first message is a primer on Matthew’s world and what he’s doing with his story, ending with a reflection on one of its best-known scenes.
A community starting over: We don’t know for certain who wrote Matthew. Tradition names the tax collector Jesus calls in chapter 9, but the book never names its author and draws heavily on Mark. It was most likely written in the mid-80s CE, after the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple in 70 CE. The temple had been the centre of Jewish life with God, and its loss was devastating. Matthew wrote for Jewish followers of Jesus who were working out who they were in that new world.
Jesus as the new Moses: Matthew shapes his story to echo the exodus, with Jesus in Moses’ role. Like Moses, Jesus escapes a king’s order to kill baby boys. He passes through water at his baptism, then spends 40 days in the wilderness, as Israel spent 40 years. He goes up a mountain to teach. Matthew also quotes the prophet Hosea: “out of Egypt I called my son”. Hosea was remembering Israel’s rescue from slavery. Matthew applies the line to Jesus, but it’s no longer just about one nation or people group. This new exodus leads the whole world out of slavery to sin and into freedom.
Right answer, wrong destination: At Caesarea Philippi, surrounded by pagan shrines and a temple to Caesar, Jesus asks his disciples, “Who do you say I am?” Peter answers, “You are the Messiah.” Moments later, when Jesus starts talking about suffering and dying, Peter rebukes him. A Dutch student wanted to go backpacking around Australia before continuing his studies. He found a cheap ticket from Amsterdam to Sydney. But was mortified when he landed in snowy Sydney, Nova Scotia rather than sunny Sydney, Australia. Right name, wrong destination. Peter expected a Messiah who would win through military and political power. Jesus came to defeat sin and death by laying down his life as a servant.
The question for us: Our gods look different today: consumerism, the self, politics. Jesus still asks the same question. Following him means discovering who he really is, beyond who we want him to be or who others tell us he is. Over the coming months in Matthew, that’s what we hope to do.
