On a side note, it is fascinating to notice how people have used, borrowed, embraced, or alluded to different parts of the Sermon On the Mount throughout modern history to preach "change" in their culture and country. The principles taught by Jesus have been understood and misunderstood as well. Many of his words have been taken out of context being used, misused, or abused for tolerance and intolerance ideology. As it goes for any of Jesus' teachings, if it is not understood correctly (that is biblically), then it is fallacious and misleading. However, if Jesus' teachings are understood biblically, then it is indeed a powerful truth-centered revolutionary ideology which is measured on transforming personal hearts, minds, and souls of men and women. Therefore, I want to share with you some of those powerful truth-centered biblical insights from the Sermon On the Mount that I learned from the men's study. Thus, I will share my notes on the OT in the Sermon On the Mount to help convey the theological principles and faith-based practices of the new kingdom age of salvation in Jesus Christ.
Introduction - Matthew's Gospel as the Christian Pentateuch
I wanted to make a quick notable and debatable hermeneutic that has been important while studying the Sermon On the Mount. Within Matthew's Gospel, he focuses on five major teaching sections which are distinct discourses about the new kingdom age of salvation in Jesus Christ. They always begin and end with a narrative episode. These five teaching blocks of "sermonic material" push the narrative forward hinging on important Christological teachings and fulfillment (Here are the five major teaching sections: Matt. 5-7 [Sermon On the Mount]: Matt. 10 [Sending Out of the Apostles]; Matt. 13 [Kingdom Parables]; Matt 18 [Humility and Forgiveness]; Matt. 23-25 [Olivet Discourse]). Matthew did not make a mistake by including what we can call the "five sermons" by Jesus, and did not mistakenly place the Sermon On the Mount first in his gospel. It is possible to suggest the five discourses could be interpreted as a "Christian Pentateuch" without a specific polemical intention but allusion of fulfillment of the Jewish Pentateuch (you can read more about structure in Matthew from scholar R.T. France, "Structure of Matthew"). I put together a chart that showcases the five major teaching sections:
The
New Kingdom of God in Matthew
|
The
Five Sermons [Books] in Matthew
|
| Matthew 6:33, “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” | Matthew 5:17, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” |
1.
The Foundation of the Kingdom
|
Matthew 5-7: The Sermon On the Mount
|
2.
The Mission of the Kingdom
|
Matthew 10: The Sermon On Sending the
Apostles
|
3.
The Secret of the Kingdom
|
Matthew 13: The Sermon of Kingdom
Parables
|
4.
The People of the Kingdom
|
Matthew 18: The Sermon of Forgiveness
and Humility
|
5.
The Future of the Kingdom
|
Matthew 23-25: The Sermon of the
Olivet Discourse
|
It is skeptical to suggest this hermeneutic was intended to be a polemic against the Jews and the Law because Jesus clearly states and affirms he came to save the Jews and fulfill the law (not destroy it). Therefore, it is possible the original audience would have read Matthew and noticed the five discourses and associated it with the five books in Pentateuch because of the multiple quotations and fulfillments from the Torah by Jesus.
Canonical
Patterns, Structure, and Resemblance of the Old Testament Through Jesus’ Five
Sermons in Matthew’s Gospel
|
|
The Gospel of Matthew
|
The Old Testament Canon
|
Sermon
on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)
|
Sinai
Revelation (Exodus)
|
Mission
of the Twelve (Matt. 10)
|
Preparation
for Conquest (Deuteronomy)
|
Kingdom
Parables (Matt. 13)
|
Wisdom
of Solomon (Proverbs/Ecclesiastes)
|
Eschatological
Judgment (Matt. 23-25)
|
Babylonian
Exile (Jeremiah/Ezekiel)
|
It is not definitive, but it could be likened to it due to the fact Matthew's Gospel is more of a law-fulfilling narrative to showcase Christianity as a fulfillment of OT messianic hopes. Therefore the patterns, structure, and resemblance of the OT in Jesus' five sermons do not point to fulfilling just the Pentateuch, but rather all point to Jesus as the Messiah who has come to fulfill all Scripture pertaining to himself (cf. Luke 24:27; John 5:39).
Introduction - The Typological Structure of Matthew's Gospel
In Matthew, there are many allusions to Jesus fulfilling the OT. However, there are larger, more literary structures that have been specifically emphasized within the narrative to showcase Jesus greater than the entire Law and the Prophets, and Moses who was the greatest prophet of Israel. Throughout Matthew's Gospel, Jesus' story is contrasted with stories in the OT, and detailed episodes of Moses in many ways. Here are some of the examples:
Possible
Explorations, Allusions, and Fulfillments in Matthew’s Gospel
With the Five
Books of the Pentateuch
(Jesus as Israel: The Typological Structure
of Matthew’s Gospel, by Peter Leithart)
|
|
Matt.
1:1, genealogy of Jesus
|
Gen.
2:4; 5:1, genealogy of Adam
|
Matt.
1:1-17, descendant of Abraham
|
Gen.
12-26
|
Matt.
1:18-25, Joseph has a dream
|
Gen.
37, Joseph (son of Jacob) has a dream
|
Matt.
2:1-12, Magi visit Jesus
|
Gen.
43-47, nations visits Joseph
|
Matt.
2:13-15, Herod summons to kill infants
|
Ex.
1-2, Pharaoh summons to kill infants
|
Matt.
2:14, Jesus is rescued and flees
|
Ex.
2, Moses is rescued and flees
|
Matt.
2:19-23, Jesus returns to Israel
|
Ex.
3-4, Moses returns to Egypt
|
Matt.
3:1-12, John announces judgment
|
Ex.
5-12, Aaron/Moses announces judgment
|
Matt.
3:13-17, Jesus is baptized with water
|
Ex.
14, Israel crosses through water
|
Matt.
4:1-11, Jesus travels to the wilderness and is tempted on a mountain
|
Ex.
17-19, Israel travels to the wildness and is tempt while on their way to a
mountain
|
Matt.
4:18-22, Jesus calls his first disciples
|
Ex.
18, Moses calls his first rulers
|
Matthew
5:1-7:29, Jesus gives his instructions of the law on a mountain
|
Ex.
19-24, Moses gives his instructions of the law on a mountain
|
Below is a chart showing how Matthew's Gospel follows the same narrative of Moses. However, it showcases how Jesus is greater than Moses from his birth, baptism, temptation, lawgiving, authority, transfiguration, and commissioning.
The “New Moses
Motif” in the Typological Structure of Matthew’s Gospel
(The New Moses, by Dale Allison)
|
|
Matt.
1-2, infancy narrative of Jesus
|
Ex.
1:1-2:10, infancy narrative of Moses
|
Matt.
3:13-17, baptism of water signified Jesus as the ultimate authority of Israel
|
Ex.
14:10-13, crossing of water signified Moses as the ultimate authority of
Israel
|
Matt.
4:1-11, wilderness temptation of Jesus
|
Ex.
16:1-17:7, wilderness temptation of Moses
|
Matt.
5-7, lawgiving on a mountain by Jesus
|
Ex.
19:1-24:18, lawgiving on a mountain by Moses
|
Matt.
11:25-30, promised rest by God from Jesus (reciprocal knowledge of God)
|
Ex.
33:1-23, promised rest by God from Moses (reciprocal knowledge of God)
|
Matt.
17:1-9, transfiguration of Jesus on a mountain
|
Ex.
34:29-35, transfiguration of Moses’ face coming down a mountain
|
Matt.
28:16-20, the commissioning of the disciples as successors of Jesus
|
Deut.
31:7-9; Josh. 1:9, the commissioning of Israel leaders as successors of Moses
|
Here is a picture contrasting Moses (left) and Jesus (right) teaching on a mountain. Matthew is contrasting both figure to show how Jesus is indeed the new prophet and lawgiver who has come to fulfill the law that was once given by the former prophet and lawgiver Moses.
This post is a real definition of digging deeper. It took me forever to post this, but because I created an research paper on this topic. I hope you enjoyed reading this information and engaged this wealth of information as I did. I love learning about the Word of God!
No comments:
Post a Comment