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Matthewâs Vision for Jesusâ Community of Disciples
John P. Harrison
Matthewâs Gospel was written towards the end of the first century for a community of Diaspora Jewish Christians by a Jewish Christian trained in scribal practices. This community of believers confessed Jesus as the Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham, who is the Son of the living God. Jesus fulfills the promises God made to Abraham to make him the father of a great nation. God fulfilled his promise by forming a people who recognize Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Abraham and David, as the Messiah who has risen from the dead. He is the Messiah whose kingdom and righteousness was anticipated by Israelâs prophets and who is now coming into the world.
In addition to telling the story about Godâs actions in, through, and by Jesus, Matthewâs Gospel points towards the authorâs vision of what the community of Jesusâ followers ought to look like. The author composed his account when there were various Christian communities (e.g., Petrine and Pauline) and competing theologies (e.g., opponents of Paul) of what a Jesus-follower should believe and practice. By observing which details Matthew emphasizes in the construction of his story, one may put together a portrait of certain ecclesiastical challenges he faced and the ecclesiastical vision he hoped his audience would adopt.
In order to provide a general overview of the âhistorical church of Matthewâ or the direction he wanted them to move in, I will address six key questions: (1) Was Matthewâs community primarily composed of Jewish Christians? An answer to this question will help indicate the general ethnic and cultural heritage of Matthewâs immediate audience. (2) Where did Matthewâs community live? If Matthewâs community can be identified with a specific geographical location, any information about that location gives better insight into what social and political realities were faced by the community. (3) What image of the community dominates Matthewâs ecclesiology? Answering this question will provide an overarching perspective of Matthewâs ecclesiastical vision for his readers. (4) What points does Matthew want to stress when he uses the word âchurchâ? No description of Matthewâs ecclesiology would be satisfactory without observing Matthewâs use of âchurch.â While Matthew does not give a definition for âchurch,â the word is defined, at least partially, as it is used in conjunction with Jesusâ teaching. Noting what Jesus teaches in the context where the word âchurchâ occurs, it will be shown what Matthew believed is the nature of the church and the authority of its leadership. (5) What activities occurred in the assemblies of Matthewâs churches? Here I am attempting to isolate in Matthewâs Gospel those practices that the author assumed or expected his audience observed when they assembled to worship and receive instruction in their faith. Finally, (6) was Matthewâs church persecuted, and if so by whom and why? If Matthew assumed his audience was experiencing persecution or that they would be, what he was anticipating can provide a better understanding about his vision for the communityâs relations to those who were hostile towards it. Answering these six questions will certainly not exhaust what can be said about Matthewâs ecclesiology but it will provide a general portrait of the ethnic, social, and religious characteristics of the communities known by and a concern to the author.
Was Matthewâs Community Primarily Composed of Jewish Christians?
A few notable scholars have argued that the author of Matthew was a Gentile Christian who wrote for Gentile Christians. These scholars point out that Godâs rejection of Israel, which they argue is espoused in several places (Matt 8:12; 12:21; 21:1â22:14; 28:16â20), is a major theme in Matthew, and it is inconceivable that a Jew would have propagated such an idea as a means of exhorting other Jews towards faithfully following Jesus. Some have claimed that the author is too ignorant of aspects of first-century Judaism for the book to have been written by a Jew. Still others have pointed out faulty reasoning used to argue for a Jewish-Christian audience so as to conclude that the best explanation of Matthewâs origin is that he is a Gentile author writing to a Gentile audience.
However, these protests have failed to persuade the majority of Matthean scholars from the conclusion that Matthew was composed for Jewish Christians. Matthewâs particular use of the Old Testament, certain redactions of Markâs Gospel (e.g., Mark 7:1â23; 10:1â12), accounts of Jesusâ positive statements about Torah and Pharisaic authority (Matt 5:17â18; 23:2), the pejorative use of the term âGentilesâ (Matt 6:7; 18:17), Jesusâ instruction to his disciples to go only to the Jews (Matt 10:5â6), his teaching about the Temple tax (Matt 17:24â27), and the hope that disciples will not have to flee Jerusalem on a Sabbath (Matt 24:20) combine to leave the strong impression that Matthew was written for Jewish Christians who would appreciate and/or relate to these features. They signal the authorâs intention to encourage his audience, who still see themselves as the covenant people of Israelâs God, to remain committed to their confession of Jesus as the Messiah and to follow Jesusâ teachings. Matthew understood that Jesus did not teach his disciples to ignore Torah, but rather his actions and teachings showed how to interpret it in order to excel in Godâs righteousness and be prepared to enter into Godâs kingdom.
While the predominately Jewish nature of Matthewâs community appears self-evident, it was nevertheless a community that recognized that non-Jews could be included among Jesusâ disciples and be incorporated into the people of God. Godâs promise is that the children of Abraham will bless the nations. Therefore the good news of the coming kingdom of God must be proclaimed to all people. Jesusâ own life shows that there are those who seek Israelâs King from abroad (Matt 2:1) and outside of Israel (Matt 8:10). It is anticipated that those from the east and west will be welcomed to sit around the eschatological table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to feast in the kingdom (Matt 8:11). Jesusâ command to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19) shows that Matthew approved of a community that included both Jewish and Gentile believers. Whether or not Matthewâs community was engaged in evangelizing Gentiles as the first Christians in Antioch did (Acts 11:20), the positive description of Gentiles expressing faith in Jesus (e.g., Matt 15:28) reflects the authorâs attitude that the community should welcome non-Jews who acknowledge Jesus as Godâs promised anointed king.
What is not clear about Matthewâs openness to evangelizing Gentiles is what he believed Gentile converts were obligated to do. The Gospel shows no hint that Torah has been abolished by Jesus, but neither does it indicate that Gentile believers are expected to become Jewish (i.e., submit to circumcision) and obey Torah as Jewish Christians are. It seems altogether possible that Matthewâs community was made up of both Jews who kept Torah (as Jesus interpreted it) and Gentiles who practiced Jesusâ teachings, except those that were obviously related to Jewish identity (e.g., Sabbath observance, food purity laws, Temple tax). Unfortunately, interpreters are left to speculate what specific advice Matthew would have given to his community when dealing with the types of conflicts and issues one might expect would arise with...