The Stories of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
The Stories of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew
Matthew 5:1-12

Tell me the story of Jesus, of unseen things above.
Tell me the old, old story –  of Jesus and his love.

This is the third week I am talking about the stories of Jesus.
We have lots of stories of Jesus,
– some good stories –
and we should be telling some of them.
We should be telling them, because it is up to us.
We don’t hear these stories anywhere else these days.
They aren’t being told in schools,
they are not on television very often,
and, most families today don’t know the stories in order to tell them to their children.
So, we have an obligation, really, to tell the old, old stories . . . of Jesus and his love.

A couple of weeks ago we looked at the very oldest stories I could find about Jesus.
The very first stories of Jesus that we know of – the stories that the Apostle Paul would have heard.

Last week I talked about the stories of Jesus we find in the Gospel of Mark – the earliest Gospel to be published.

(Just to remind us, the obvious needs to be stated: 
no one was following Jesus around with a tape recorder loading sound bytes for future generations.
No one was following him around with a pencil and papyrus.

And, again, as a reminder, none of the documents in our New Testament were written when Jesus was alive –
all of the stories of Jesus we have in our Bible,
the stories we have heard all our lives,
were written long after Jesus lived.)

We know that almost all of our stories of Jesus come from the four Gospels in our Holy Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
And, Biblical scholars from all persuasions agree on general dates each of the Gospels were written.

And, it has become clear from studies in last 80 years, or so, studies of the Dead Sea Scrolls,
the Nag Hammadi library,
and other “recent’ discoveries of ancient documents,
each of the Gospels in our Bible comes out of a different community reflecting different traditions, (different denominations, if you will) –
communities of “Christians” that differed in some ways from other communities of Christians –
differed in their practices,
differed in their racial/ethnic make up,
differed in their emphases,
differed in their theology behind their understanding of Jesus.

As we heard last week: all Biblical scholars seem to agree that the very first Gospel (the earliest one that was written) is the one attributed to Mark.

And the second Gospel to be published is the one we call Matthew. 

This document in our Bible is called Matthew – but there is nothing that ties it to particular author.  

The Apostle Matthew most certainly had nothing to do with this document – because it was published some 3 or maybe 4 generations after Jesus gathered those disciples together.  
(One researcher concludes that we continue to call it Matthew for convenience.)
We can date the document to around 70 years after the execution of Jesus – around the year 100 AD.

We can tell it is a compendium of stories that a particular and specific community of faith knew – providing a handbook of their faith.
This document came out of a group of believers in Syria – 
still seeing themselves as Jews first –
Jews who believed that Jesus was the messiah – 
the Promised One that they were expecting for so long.

By this time, Jerusalem had been overthrown, the Jewish Temple totally destroyed, the Jews exiled again.
These Jewish “believers” were living in Syria –
near and around the third largest city in the Roman Empire, Antioch. 
And, they were very aware of growing numbers of gentiles organizing themselves as followers of Jesus in other parts of the Roman world.
So, we see extraordinary efforts here in Matthew to make sure the reader is aware that all the major players in this Jesus-faith were Jewish.
Lest we not forget, Jesus himself was a Jew – and here are his bone fides: his mother was from a good Jewish family, his father was a direct descendant of King David.
The twelve apostles are Jewish – even the crowds are Jewish.
They never deny their Jewish faith in the gospel.
A prime concern of the Matthew community of believers was that the Jewish tradition should not be lost in a church becoming more and more gentile.

Of interest to me is that as we discovered last week when we discussed the Gospel of Mark, Mark contains basically an outline of the events in the life of Jesus – there is very little embellishment of the events.

By the time Matthew came into being, there were many stories of Jesus floating around the communities of believers.
The community that produced the Gospel of Matthew had access to – and knew – the Gospel of Mark.

When you read Matthew – especially after you have read Mark – you become aware that Matthew copied the events that Mark wrote about.
Over 90% of the Gospel of Mark is included in Matthew.
All of the events are there, you can check them out.
Perhaps not that surprising when you realize that Matthew was published a generation after Mark was published. 

So, followers of Jesus by 100 AD, knew of Mark’s Gospel – and accepted it as a source of information about their faith.

So, we see Mark’s outline of the life of Jesus kept in tact in Matthew. 
Matthew filled in the outline of events with stories of what Jesus said.
And, of course, he added the genealogy-birth-infancy stories to the beginning and the post-resurrection appearances to the end.

Matthew takes the outline from Mark and creatively interprets much of the source,
stressing Jesus’ teachings as much as his acts,
and making subtle changes in order to stress Jesus’ divine nature. 
There is nothing in Mark to suggest that Jesus was divine in any way.
But, by the time Matthew came about, to people of faith, Jesus was not merely an emissary of God,
but, Jesus was Emmanuel – God with us.

By the time Matthew came into being, in addition to Mark, and letters from Paul, there was another document circulating that contained “sayings” of Jesus. 
In the years between Mark and Matthew, folks began collecting sayings attributed to Jesus
that began to flesh out how believers were to act in order to keep the faith they professed.
Apparently, Mark never heard them.
Such things were not important to him.
And believers didn’t need such stories.

But, Matthew did hear the stories and sayings of Jesus, and included what he thought was important to his community – and surely important to all who called themselves believers.
Some were included verbatim.
Some were edited somewhat to shore up what was considered important to their particular community of believers.

Matthew had knowledge of specific traditions focusing on what Jesus did: his miracles, the disputes with Pharisees, his journeys, and so on.

Of particular interest to me, is that Matthew gives us a collection of sayings and stories attributed to Jesus around what we now call the Sermon on the Mount.

This is where we find the familiar Beatitudes – we just read.
This is where we find the Lord’s Prayer.
This is were we find the Golden Rule.

The believers in the Matthean communities saw this “Sermon on the Mount” as a catechism of sorts.
Here we have the earliest Christian catechism – explaining how their faith affects the way they live their lives.
All kinds of instructions are here – including instruction on how to pray (not out in public like the other Jews, but in private where only God knows and hears;
not with lots of fancy words but with simple down to earth words like this – and the Lord’s Prayer is given as an example).

Matthew was clear that to accept the faith passed on to them – now some 70 years on – they were to be living an alternative life-style.
That compared to the Roman life style – which everybody that was anybody bought in to –
the life of a Jesus-believer was to be different.
Prevailing values of the culture were stood on end in this Sermon on the Mount.

This was at once a warning and an encouragement.

Believing made a difference.
Believing makes a difference.

Believing changes your life –
it changes how you see things,
it changes how you do things,
it changes what you’ve been taught as being true,
it changes what you value,
it changes how you live.

And, the Matthean community wanted new believers to know,
this is what it means to be a believer.
Here, you will find a community that will encourage you in your endeavor to live in a new and different way – according to new rules.

And, the payoff of this alternative lifestyle is so much greater than living according to the values of the dominate culture.
We’re talking ultimate significance.
Although the empire is mighty and powerful, the values of the empire are temporal in nature –
when all is said and done,
dust is dust and ashes are ashes.

Here we have words of Jesus himself to show another way,
a way that requires allegiance to another source of power.
For, when we live this way,
when we act according to these new rules,
our lives take on ultimate significance.
And we become a part of ultimate reality.

So, this a catechism for all new believers –
especially those coming from the Jewish persuasion.

(Read the Message)

Arriving at a quiet place, he sat down
(2)  and taught his climbing companions.
This is what he said:
"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you there is more of God and his rule.
(4)  "You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you.
Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.
(5)  "You're blessed when you're content with just who you are – no more, no less.
That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.
(6)  "You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God.
He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.
(7)  "You're blessed when you care.
At the moment of being 'carefull,' you find yourselves cared for.
(8)  "You're blessed when you get your inside world – your mind and heart – put right.
Then you can see God in the outside world.
(9)  "You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight.
That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.
(10)  "You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution.
The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.
(11)  "Not only that – count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me.
What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable.
(12)  You can be glad when that happens – give a cheer, even! – for though they don't like it, I do!
And all heaven applauds.
And know that you are in good company.
My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble.

Friends, there is much to the stories of Jesus.
May we never take them for granted.
Let’s continue to tell them –
in as many ways as we can think of.
Let all who will, listen.
And, may all who listen, understand.

So, next week, we’ll have another episode in The Stories of Jesus, stay tuned – same channel, same time, same place . . .

Amen.
  

The congregation of  Christ Presbyterian Church in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA heard this sermon during a worship service September 23, 2012.

Christmas Is for Adults - About the Adult Jesus

The bottom line is this:
however touching they are to our heartstrings,
however much we love to hear them and to sing about them,
however much we enjoy the feelings prevalent this time of year,
the birth stories are not really about the baby Jesus.


The birth stories are told and remembered because of the adult Jesus –
and what people experienced with him during his earthly ministry,
and what people experienced because of him after his death –
and what people have experienced through him through the ages,
and what people continue to experience with him day and day out. 


For me, at its essence, Christmas is really about Emmanuel. 
That Hebrew word that means “God With Us”.


The Second Sunday of Advent

Isaiah 12:2-6
Matthew 1:17-25

For over 1500 years, the church has set aside this time before Christmas as a time of preparation –
a time for believers to engage in opportunities of study to better understand the enormity of what it is we celebrate at Christmas and its profound impact on the faith passed on to us from previous generations. 

This year, in an attempt to help us focus on the real reason for the season –  what is so central to the faith we hold – I am trying to address what was important to those very earliest of Christians.

Last week we looked at the writings of some of the very earliest Christians and looked at what they had to say about the birth of Jesus.   
The very earliest writing we have in the New Testament is a letter from The Apostle Paul, written around the year of 35 AD.
The earliest Gospel we have is attributed to Mark.  The Gospel of Mark was most probably published around the year of 50 AD. 
In the past 60 years, many other documents have been discovered that date back to the very first decades after Jesus’ death.
When we read these documents looking for what they say about the birth of Jesus, we discover one thing in common. 
None of them have anything to say about the birth of Jesus.  Nothing.
It simply was not important to them.

Oh, for sure, they were all convinced that the experiences they recalled with this Jesus of Nazareth was extraordinary. 
In fact, as the years went by, they were convinced that they had experienced nothing less than the in-dwelling of God Almighty. 
That, for sure, they experienced the holy –
that, for sure, for a while, and even now, they experienced Emmanuel –
[a Hebrew word that means God With Us].

(As a side note: I was particularly interested in an article that was published just yesterday by Bayler University’s Center for Christian Ethics, wherein, the author spells out much of the same things I did in our sermon last week! 
So, really, I don’t make this stuff up!)

Now, the second oldest Gospel text is the Gospel of Matthew. 
It was written about thirty years after Mark – around 80 AD.  

Matthew is somewhat different than Mark.
Matthew obviously knew about Mark’s Gospel.
Matthew includes the entire Gospel of Mark. 
Yes, he edited freely and rearranged some of the scenes, but its all there. 
Everything you read in Mark is in Matthew.
But, Matthew includes much more.
And, the editing and rearranging he does reflect his own emphasis, and are worthy of study and noting.

Matthew also includes writings and sayings from a second document that was circulating during those days –  
a document that Luke knew about and used also;
a document that Mark did not know about or didn’t care about.  
(Scholars call this the quelle document  – or “source” document.)
Matthew also knew and used material from a third source –
stories that were circulating among some circles that were becoming known as the infancy narratives – stories relating to the birth of Jesus. 

I believe we are lucky to be living in these days, because we are discovering new source material all the time. 
It seems that every month or so, something new crops us that provide new light on old documents, and old practices, and old beliefs.

One of the most exciting discoveries, to me, is that we are discovering that those earliest Christian believers were a pretty diverse bunch. 
Contrary to what we may have taught, those early Christians, right from the beginning were not of one mind about their belief
or about their practices
or about their place in the world.

We know that after Jesus’ death, his followers scattered and hid. 
But, shortly after, many came to the conviction that something extraordinary had happened – something that changed their perspective on who Jesus was and he would mean for the future of their movement.
It was their experience of the resurrection experience that led the disciples to come to think of Jesus as somehow more than just a prophet, but as the Messiah himself.   
And that’s when they began to organize around his memory. 

But, we must remember, the earliest form of the movement was as a sect within Judaism.
Jesus was a Jew.
Jesus disciples were Jews.
Jesus was a Jewish Messiah.
They are followers of a Jewish apocalyptic tradition.
They are expecting the coming of the kingdom of God on earth.
It was a Jewish movement.

For sure, it was made up of small groups.
At least one of them was based in Jerusalem, but others were spread all over the countryside, including at least one or more in Galilee.
These were small, homebased groups, that met together weekly, studied together, ministered to one another, and prayed for and with one another.
But, when time came, they went to the temple for worship.

What we have discovered is that pretty much, each of these small groups developed their own take on what they experienced with Jesus of Nazareth and what had happened to him at the end of his public ministry. 

Some groups seemed to be in competition with one another –
especially as they considered how closely they were to observe the Jewish laws of the Torah. 

One historian writes, “Christianity, or one would rather say “Christianities,” of [the early years] were a highly variegated phenomenon.” 
We can see from recent discoveries that there were very different views of Jesus in the various types of Christianity. 
Another historian reminds us that it was “a time where there was no fixed formulation what the set of Christian beliefs should be. 
What Christian rituals should be. 
What they should think
or what they should tell about Jesus.”

The Christianity of Rome was different that Christianity of North Africa
and that was different from what we find in Egypt,
and that was different from what find in Syria
or back in Palestine.
So, we see each form of Christianity beginning to tell the story of Jesus in different ways.

And, so we see different “Gospels” emerging from these different groups. 
You have heard about the Gospel of Thomas that has been translated and published with the last few of years.
There is also the Gospel of Philip,
the Gospel of Truth,
The Gospel to the Egyptians,
the Apocryphon of John,
Secret Book of James,
Apocalypse of Paul,
the Letter of Peter to Philip,
the Apocalypse of Peter,
the Acts of Thomas,
the Acts of Paul,
and the list goes on and on and on.
So far, some 52 different Gospels have been discovered – besides the four found in our Bible.

And within our Bible, we see how this gets played to a small degree.
We noted that Mark just wasn’t concerned about Jesus’ birth. 

Matthew was.
Matthew was very concerned about showing Jesus as being the embodiment of Hebrew prophecy –
the presence of the long-awaited-for Jewish Messiah.

This was important to Matthew because at that time, another man, Bar Kochba, was leading a Jewish rebellion against the Roman Empire.
Bar Kochba was imploring his kinsmen to take up arms: “Come join us to fight against the Romans.
You believe God is going to restore the kingdom to Israel, don’t you?  Join us.” 
Bar Kochba was leading the revolt as the Jewish Messiah.

And, this set some of the Jewish Christians back a bit. 
“He can’t be the Messiah – we already have one.”

And so, Matthew takes a clue from the Romans who gave all of their gods some sort of divine birth story.

Others were circulating birth stories of Jesus to show that Jesus was second to no Roman god.

So, Matthew includes some of the stories that were circulating at the time.
But, Matthew wanted to make clear that not only did Jesus have a special birth like the Roman gods,
but that Jesus was clearly a Jew. 

The religious community that produced the Gospel of Matthew took pains to place their understanding squarely within its Jewish heritage
and portrays Jesus as one whose Jewish identity is beyond doubt.
After copying Marks first verse, Matthew begins by tracing Jesus’ genealogy. 

Now, everyone knew, he only needed to show that Jesus was a descendent of King David. 
But, Matthew takes no chances. 
He traces Jesus’ lineage all the way back to Abraham. 
It was that important to Matthew.

He wanted to show Jesus as even greater than Moses. 
And, he edits his narrative to have Jesus constantly reinterpreting what was commonly known as Jewish law. 
“You’ve heard it said . . . But, I say to you . . .”

The bottom line is this:
however touching they are to our heartstrings,
however much we love to hear them and to sing about them,
however much we enjoy the feelings prevalent this time of year,
the birth stories are not really about the baby Jesus.

The birth stories are told and remembered because of the adult Jesus –
and what people experienced with him during his earthly ministry,
and what people experienced because of him after his death –
and what people have experienced through him through the ages,
and what people continue to experience with him day and day out. 

For me, at its essence, Christmas is really about Emmanuel. 
That Hebrew word that means “God With Us”.  

For all those early Christians,
for all those writers of faith documents for their communities,
this word reflects what they affirmed had happened in this man from Nazareth –
what they continued to experience long after he had gone –
that Jehovah –
the great I Am –
God Almighty –
Creator of the Universe and all the worlds that are –
the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob –
the One God of the faith of our fathers and mothers –
deigned to enter our world and become as we are
to let us know there is no separation now from holy and mundane,
from sacred and profane,
from work and ritual.
No. 
In this man from Nazareth, we see Emmanuel! 
Through this man of Nazareth, we know Emmanuel.
With this man of Nazareth, we experience Emmanuel.
God is With Us.
That’s what we hear.
God is with us.
That’s what we sing.
God is with us.
That’s what we believe.
God is with us.
That’s what we celebrate.
Each and every year at Christmas.
Each and every week in worship.
Each and every morning when we get up.

Emmanuel!  This Christmas.
Emmanuel!  All year long!
Emmanuel!  Every minute of every hour of every day of your life!

Amen.

The congregation of Christ Presbyterian Church of Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, USA, experienced this sermon as a part of their worship service Sunday, December 4, 2011 - the Second Sunday of Advent.