Raymond E. Brown, The Churches the Apostles Left Behind.
Chapter 8: The Heritage of Jewish/Gentile Christianity in Matthew: Authority That Does Not Stifle Jesus, p. 124-145

(Detailed summary)

We must recognize that Matthew has an undeniable ecclesiological priority. It is the only Gospel that uses the word “Church.” Of all the Gospels, it is the one that best responded to the multiple needs of the later Church, the one most quoted by the Church Fathers, the one most used in the liturgy, and the one most useful for catechetical purposes. Even though in biblical research over the last two centuries, Mark has attracted attention as the oldest gospel, for a millennium and three quarters, Mark was practically eclipsed by Matthew and had no influence on the life of the Church. Luke may be a more serious rival to Matthew in the affection of Christians, but he is not really comparable in terms of the fundamentals: whether we think of the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, or the Sermon on the Mount, it is Matthew's version that is best known. The evangelist we call Matthew had a brilliant talent for collecting traditions and organizing his material, which made his Gospel the best guide for practical Christian living.

1. The work of Matthew

   When it comes to detecting life in the last third of the first century (the sub-apostolic period), Matthew is almost as revealing as John, perhaps because these two gospels were written in highly conflictual situations. Luke wrote a separate Acts of the Apostles to recount what happened to Jesus' disciples after the resurrection, and as a result, Luke's gospel itself is not particularly revealing about the life of the Church. For Matthew, however, there is no period of the Church separate from the period of Jesus. Both Matthew and John integrated their understanding of the post-resurrection era into the account of Jesus' public ministry. In Matthew, for example, those who are presented as hostile are a mixture of Jesus' adversaries during his lifetime and the adversaries encountered by Matthew's community in post-70 Judaism, when the Pharisaic rabbinic establishment at Jamnia had become a dominant authority and the Sadducee priests, who had played an important role in Jesus' death, were gradually disappearing from history. The deep memory that during his lifetime Jesus was concerned only with Israel and not with the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5-6) is combined with a gradually acquired understanding that the apostolate entrusted by the risen Jesus to his disciples included all nations (Matthew 28:19). The Twelve are the spokesmen for a misunderstanding of Jesus, minimizing his sufferings—a relevant presentation of Jesus' ministry that Matthew drew from Mark—but also the spokesmen for a deep faith in Jesus as the Son of God, derived from divine revelation after the resurrection (Mt 14:32-33, compared to Mk 6:51-52; Mt 16:15-23, compared to Mk 8:29-33).

   Who is Matthew? He was probably a former scribe, i.e., a Jew who became a Christian. This is reflected in his meticulous technique of commenting on the childhood narratives and certain parts of the ministry with Old Testament quotations considered to be fulfilled (cf. Mt 4:12-17 with Mk 1:14-15); he probably benefited from the work done by a school where different versions of the Scriptures were available. The esteem for a perceptive scribe in Matthew 13:52 is probably autobiographical: “Every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew's harsh treatment of the scribes and Pharisees who opposed Jesus betrays his frustration with their blindness, which prevented them from seeing, as the evangelist saw, that Jesus did not contradict their best religious values, but actually preserved them. ”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" (Mt 5:17). The Pharisees began as a liberal movement which, by appealing to oral tradition, sought to actualize the real spirit of the written law of Moses. The problem in Matthew's eyes was that this oral interpretation had become as rigid as the written tradition and was sometimes counterproductive. The Jesus who repeatedly says, “You have heard that it was said, but I say to you” (Mt 5:21, 27, 31, 33, 38, 43) thus preserves the purpose of the Law by ensuring that a past adaptation of God's will is not considered exhaustive of that will. Matthew's Jesus is more demanding of people with regard to the Law than the legalists who set strict limits on what God wants. “And I say to you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (5:20).

2. The Church of Matthew
   1. A Christianity faithful to Judaism

      Matthew probably wrote his gospel in Antioch, the place where Paul and Peter had a conflict over the Eucharistic table: while Peter initially agreed to share meals with Christians of pagan origin, he distanced himself from Paul's position under pressure from James' supporters. Paul, feeling too isolated to remain in Antioch, is said to have left for Asia Minor and Greece, where he could better defend his position. The Gospel of Matthew represents a middle ground adopted in Antioch to reconcile the more reasonable supporters of James and Paul: the law is binding, but only in its radical reinterpretation by Jesus.

      The Matthew Church appears to have been an ethnically mixed community. The frequent mention of scribes and Pharisees, the likelihood that the author was a scribe, the emphasis on how Jesus' ethical teaching can be linked to the Law—these factors, among others, suggest that the Matthew tradition was forged in Jewish Christianity. Indeed, one of the reasons Antioch is proposed as a likely candidate for the location is the early history of Christian conversions among the Greek-speaking Jews who lived there. However, the openness of Matthew's Christianity to pagans is also evident in the Gospel. The two commands given to the disciples, “Do not go to the Gentiles” (Matthew 10:5) and “Go and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19), probably represent the history of Matthew's community: it was born out of a mission to the Jews and then opened up to the Gentiles.

      Matthew's community would have been closer to a form of Hebrew Christianity associated in Acts with the Twelve and in particular with Peter—a Christianity faithful to the Temple and to Judaism, but learning to its great surprise that pagans could receive Christ and should be accepted. As for loyalty to Jewish worship, Matthew's community seems to observe the Sabbath (Mt 24:20), unlike the Johannine community, for whom the Sabbath is a feast foreign to the Jews (Jn 5:1, 9). Jerusalem remains “the holy city” (Mt 27:53), even though its sacred house (the Temple) is abandoned and desolate (Mt 23:38). Here again, this attitude differs from that of the Hellenist Stephen, for whom God does not dwell in the “house” of Jerusalem (Acts 7:48-49), and from that of Jn 4:21, where the time is near when the Father will no longer be worshipped in Jerusalem.

   2. A Christianity that opens itself with amazement to those coming from paganism

      The astonishment of the conservative Jewish Christians in Matthew's community at the arrival of pagan converts perhaps echoes Jesus' reaction to the Roman centurion in Capernaum: "Even in Israel I have not found such faith. Many will come from the east and the west and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" (Mt 8:10-11). The massive arrival of pagans must have caused pain, because it was linked, temporally and psychologically, to the fact that Jews were no longer coming to Jesus in large numbers. And so the passage continues: “But the sons of the kingdom [that is, the Israelites who should have inherited] will be thrown into outer darkness” (Mt 8:12). The parable of the vineyard leased to vine-growers who do not bear fruit was borrowed by Matthew from Mk 12:1-11, but a “punch-line” was added (Mt 21:43) that betrays the sad realization reached by the Jewish Christian author of the first Gospel. The chief priests, the elders of the people, and the Pharisees are told: "The kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce its fruit."

      When Jesus begins his ministry in Galilee rather than Judea, Matthew 4:12-17 sees this as the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:1-2: "Galilee of the nations, the people who sat in darkness have seen a great light." When Jesus' healing on the Sabbath provokes a plot by the Pharisees to destroy him, forcing him to withdraw from the synagogue (Matthew 12:9-21), Isaiah 41:1-4 is fulfilled: "I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations... and in his name the nations will hope." The Jewish Christians of Matthew's community must learn to live in harmony with Christians of pagan origin, without envy. Indeed, this mixed community is called ”the Church," for the significant name by which Christian disciples will be known is foretold by Matthew's Jesus. This is a designation from the Old Testament: Deut 23:1 (Septuagint), when describing those who must be excluded from the community of Israel in order to ensure its purity, calls this community “the church of the Lord.” By using the expression “my Church” (Matthew 16:18) to refer to a mixed group, Matthew indicates his conviction that, according to Jesus' criteria, pagans do not harm the purity of the true Israel. Once again, Jesus becomes the ultimate interpreter of God's will.

      Matthew's account of Jesus' childhood allows him to distinguish three groups in relation to Jesus. First, there are the “righteous” Jewish Christians who respect the law and who, by accepting Jesus, made possible the survival and spread of the good news. This group is represented by Joseph, who receives the revelation that the child to be born of Mary by the Spirit is Emmanuel, “God with us.” The second group consists of pagan converts represented by the pagan magi who spontaneously come to seek Jesus; nevertheless, they can only succeed if the Jewish Scriptures are interpreted for them (2:1-5). Unfortunately, there is a third group: the Jewish king, the chief priests, and the scribes of the people. They have a revelation in and through the Scriptures that they are able to interpret as referring to the Messiah; but instead of coming to worship as the pagan magi did, they seek to kill Jesus (Matthew 2:3-5, 20). In this last group, Matthew sees the Pharisee rabbis of his day, from whom all hope of the kingdom is thus withdrawn.

   3. Christianity in a conflict-ridden environment

      Slander and persecution are an integral part of Christian life (Mt 5:10-11; 10:22), coming both from synagogues and Jewish sources (Mt 10:17, 23) and from pagan authorities (Mt 10:18; 24:9). The sad result is that some Christians abandon Jesus (Mt 13:21; 24:10). Even though there are a number who have special charisms, such as prophets, wise men, scribes (Mt 23:34), the ability to heal and perform exorcisms (Mt 10:8), or even faith that can move mountains (Mt 17:20), Matthew must intervene so that they are welcomed (Mt 10:41), or must denounce false prophets and evil miracle workers (Mt 7:22-23; 24:5, 11).

      Another potential source of conflict lies in the fact that there were rich people among the poor in Matthew's community. While Luke speaks of small sums of money and copper coins, Matthew, in his version of the tradition, inflates these amounts to large sums and adds gold and silver. He does not hesitate to point out that Joseph of Arimathea, who did Christ a service after his death, was a rich man (Mt 27:57). When it comes to wealth, Matthew's pastoral attitude is much more nuanced than that of Luke, who curses the rich (Lk 6:20-25), condemns them to Hades (Lk 16:19-25), and denounces the accumulation of goods (Lk 12:13-21). Even though he recognizes that the pleasure of riches can stifle the fruitfulness of God's word (Mt 13:22) and that the rich will find it difficult to enter the kingdom (Mt 19:23), there is nevertheless a chance for the rich, for if they are not poor in reality, they can be poor in spirit, and if they do not physically suffer from hunger, they can hunger and thirst for righteousness, and thus be included in Jesus' beatitude (Mt 5:3, 6)—a beatitude for which, in Matthew, there is no corresponding curse against wealth and abundance.

      As in many first-century communities, there are false prophets and charismatics who behave badly. How should this situation be handled? Matthew's pastoral approach is nuanced, as shown in the parable of the weeds growing among the wheat (Mt 13:24-30, 36-43). Matthew's Jesus warns that purging troublemakers could harm good members, and that the situation must therefore be tolerated until divine judgment is rendered. Sects can boast of a purism that drives out all those who do not meet an ideal, but a Church must show patience and mercy.

      Another potential source of conflict concerns the payment of the tax imposed on Jews for the support of the Temple or the payment of the poll tax imposed by the Romans on Jews (fiscus judaicus). Matthew's nuanced response is provided by the story of the coin in the mouth of the fish (Mt 17:24-27). Remember that the question is quite understandable among the Jewish Christians of Matthew's church: are they still Jews, so that the obligations imposed on Jews apply to them? Matthew clarifies the principle, but shows pastoral sensitivity regarding when the application of a principle is not worth defending at all costs; hence the answer put into Jesus' mouth: the disciples are in fact exempt from this tax, but in order not to cause offense, the tax will be paid.

   4. A Christianity with a strong sense of organization and authority

      While Matthew rejects Pharisaic legalism, he refuses to dispense with the Law. For him, Jesus' non-legalism is faithful to the law. Thus, he puts these words in Jesus' mouth: "The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat, so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do what they do. " (Mt 23:1-2). The idea of an authoritative judgment seat is not foreign to Matthew's Christianity, for elsewhere we hear that the Twelve who followed Jesus will sit on twelve thrones to judge the tribes of Israel (Mt 19:28). Even if this is only to take place “in the new world,” rabbinic models of authority are not far from Matthew's mind and seem tolerable as long as it is recognized that authority ultimately comes from Jesus.

      Thus Peter and the disciples receive the power to bind and loose, a power clearly formulated in rabbinic terms. The image of the keys of the kingdom given to Peter (Mt 16:19) has its origin in Isa 22:22, where it expresses the power of the prime minister of the Davidic kingdom who controls access to the king. Once again, all these examples illustrate the power given by Jesus, but they clearly demonstrate that Matthew's Church has a keen sense of organization and authority. It is precisely this fact that explains why Mt 23:8-11 takes care to prohibit the use of rabbinical titles (Rabbi, Father, Master). With so many characteristics of Jewish authority taken up by Matthew's Church from the synagogue and/or the school of Jamnia as part of the blending of the new and the old, the wise Christian scribe who writes the Gospel must take precautions to ensure that the spirit of the Pharisees does not enter the Church.

3. The strengths and weaknesses of this Church
   1. The strengths
      1. First, Matthew instills a great respect for the Law and for authority. The sentiments expressed in Matthew 9:8 could well describe the faithful members of Matthew's community: “They glorified God, who had given such authority to men.”

      2. Second, the evangelist shows remarkable nuance in his treatment of pastoral issues, thus ensuring that he preserves Jesus' attitudes in the interpretation of the Law and the exercise of authority. The voice of Jesus must be heard when interpreting the law: “You have heard it said” (which would be equivalent to the law), but also “I tell you” (which keeps alive a vibrant demand, preventing the past law from absolutizing God's will). The evangelist insists that all members of the Church derive their power from Jesus and must exercise it according to his standards.

      3. For Matthew, Jesus promised his continued presence: “I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Mt 28:20). Jesus' teaching, illustrated in the five great sermons of the first Gospel, is the means by which Jesus remains present to a community that is willing to live according to his commandments. For Matthew, this teaching is part of what he calls “the gospel of the kingdom,” because for him the gospel is not reduced to the simple proclamation of justification in Jesus as in Paul, or to the narrative of Jesus' life as in Mark; it consists largely of the teaching through which Jesus made the reign of God present in people's lives. Matthew is part of the late first-century trend of identifying the Church with the kingdom, and the Church-kingdom must be a place where Jesus' teaching is put into practice.

   2. The weaknesses
      1. A great respect for the Law and for authority can lead to rigid morality, hence the dangers of legalism, authoritarianism, and a form of clericalism.

      2. There is the danger of abuse of power. Left to themselves, authority figures inevitably begin to act like the scribes and Pharisees. Through Jesus' attacks on the Jewish authorities, Matthew corrects emerging attitudes within the Church.

      3. The danger that the Church will become a self-sufficient entity ruling (in the name of Christ, of course) by its own authority, its own teaching, and its own commandments. To the extent that the Church is an institution or society with laws and authority, it will tend to be influenced by sociological principles and to conform to the societies of the surrounding culture—in Matthew's case, to conform to the synagogue and Pharisaic rabbinic structures.

4. Excursus on Matthew 18

   This chapter has been called Jesus' discourse on the order and life of the Church. It is perhaps the most profound practical treatment of the Church in the New Testament and illustrates Matthew's nuance in anticipating the dangers facing the Church precisely because it is structured and has authority. The discourse is addressed by Jesus to the “disciples,” and for Matthew, it is addressed to those who act with authority in the Church and have pastoral responsibility.

   1. Mt 18:1-4: The greatest in the Kingdom

      The chapter begins with a question asked by the disciples: “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Since Matthew tends to locate and reify the “kingdom” and identifies the Church on earth as the kingdom of the Son of Man, this chapter deals with the practice of the Church on earth, and therefore the question asked concerns primacy in the Church. The desire for primacy will always manifest itself, whether the authority of the Church is exercised through charisms or functions. Sociology does not allow an organized society, religious or otherwise, to avoid the question of who holds the greatest authority. In practical business language, the first question that arises when trying to understand a large company is, “Who holds the power here?”

      According to the norms of other societies, the greatest authority or power makes someone the most important figure in the group. Matthew would argue that such a norm cannot be accepted in the Church, where the norms of Jesus must prevail. The answer to the question of who is greatest in the kingdom is given through the example of a little child. Remember that children were considered at that time to be defenseless and dependent beings, without any power. In the kingdom of heaven, God holds supreme power or authority; closeness to God and therefore greatness in the kingdom depend on the degree to which people surrender themselves to God, placing him first in their lives. The value system of the kingdoms of this world is reversed in relation to the kingdom of heaven, for in Jesus' eyes it is not power, but the absence of it that can make a person great. The first question for a Church that wants to survive in the world as a society of Jesus is how to avoid accepting the inverted values of the surrounding societies. In his treatment of the life of the Church, Matthew ensures that the disciples bring this question to the forefront with their initial question, so that from the beginning of the discourse, the otherness of Jesus' teaching is clear.

   2. Mt 18:5-9: the scandal

      The following section deals with scandal. All disciples, even those in positions of authority, were invited to have the vision of children; but the warning against scandalizing “one of these little ones” shows a particular sensitivity toward the most vulnerable members of the community. The language of this passage is too traditional (see Mt 5:29-30) for us to know whether serious scandals actually occurred in the history of the Matthew community, especially scandals caused by those who were supposed to lead the Church. When this happened in history, those who were disappointed by the scandal were sometimes lost to the Church permanently; this is why Matthew, out of foresight if not hindsight, has good reason to introduce Jesus' stern warnings on this subject.

   3. Mt 18:10–14: The sheep that went astray

      The section begins with a warning not to despise the little ones, a warning that contrasts with 2 Tim 3:6-7, which disparages weak women considered incapable of attaining knowledge of the truth. It continues with a parabolic lesson on searching for the lost sheep. At that time, the shepherd was often used as a symbol to designate the figure with pastoral responsibility, so the question concerns the pastoral obligation towards a stray member of the community. Once again, Matthew shows that he understands the likely direction that behavior will take in an organized society. Indeed, most of the time, the “Caiaphas principle” is applied (see Jn 11:49-50), whereby it is better to let one person perish than to see the whole institution destroyed. But Matthew insists that his community must have a different set of values, namely the values of Jesus who came to save lost sinners and whose example as a shepherd must be the model for the shepherds of the Church. Yet in reality, no large Christian church and virtually no parish operates or can operate according to the principles of Matthew's parable. The 99% of members who have not gone astray would revolt if they were neglected in favor of the 1% who have gone astray and would accuse those in charge of not having a pastoral attitude, as ironic as that may seem.

      Yet Matthew cannot be considered a parabolic exaggeration. There is an eschatological requirement similar to that of not resisting evil, turning the other cheek when struck, letting those who take your coat also take your cloak (Matthew 5:39-40), to take nothing with you to proclaim the Gospel (Mt 10:9-10), to sell everything you have to follow Jesus (Mt 19:21), to pay the hourly worker as much as the full-time worker (Mt 20:1-15). All of this illustrates God's attitudes; and when they are put into practice, at that moment and in that place, the kingdom of God becomes a reality. If they are ever put into practice universally, “this good news of the kingdom will have been preached throughout the world, to serve as a testimony to all nations.”

   4. Matthew 18:15–20: Brotherly correction

      The treatment of those who stray is also the theme of this section. While echoing existing disciplinary practices, this section illustrates Matthew's preference for love over authority in relationships with other Christians. Once again, Matthew shows his insight into the workings of most societies, whether secular or religious. The tendency is not to address the person causing the problem directly, but to go over their head and address someone who has the power to correct them. This avoids confrontation and is more effective. In verse 18, Matthew shows that he is very aware that there is authority in the Church; but in itself, this authority is neither Christian nor non-Christian. This quality comes not only from the way authority is exercised, but also from the reluctance to appeal to it.

      Although verses 19-20 (praying together) were originally independent, by placing them where he did, Matthew explains why the entire church community is the court of last resort that can make the decision to quarantine or excommunicate the recalcitrant sinner. The members of the community gather in prayer in the name of Jesus, because the issue is clearly religious and not simply administrative; and in this gathering, the continuing presence of Jesus is activated (Mt 28:20; 18:20). The power to bind and loose must not be exercised independently of Jesus, to whom all authority in heaven and on earth has been given (Mt 28:18). Bureaucratic procedures are inevitable sociological developments, but Matthew's vision does nothing to encourage them.

      When the recalcitrant “brother” is quarantined or expelled in verse 17, the decision is “Let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector”—a judicial sentence reflecting Jewish roots where Gentiles are foreigners with whom one should have as little contact as possible, and tax collectors are public sinners outside the law. But for Matthew's community, composed of Christians of Jewish and pagan origin, and whose gospel ends with the instruction to go to the pagans and teach them (Mt 28:19), what does this mean? Is the excommunicated person totally rejected? It is likely that the community is far from finished with the brothers or sisters against whom it had to appeal to authority. This is confirmed by the following section.

   5. Mt 18:21-35: Forgivness

      Peter is once again an authority figure receiving instructions from Jesus on how he should act. He shows himself to be very generous, because forgiving someone seven times would exceed normal charity. Today, most of us operate according to the rules of baseball: three strikes and you're out! Peter is quite noble in extending the rules to seven strikes.

      Jesus responds to his gracious proposal in an incredible way: seventy times seven times, or an infinite number of times! Doesn't this response imply that forgiveness must relentlessly pursue the repudiated brother of Matthew 18:17? Jesus' insistence on forgiveness is illustrated by a striking parable about a servant who received totally gracious forgiveness for an immense debt but refused to forgive a minor debt to another servant. The Matthew who referred to authority in the Church now attempts to prevent its abuse. Experience shows that organized societies are more inclined to abuse their authority than to relinquish it. The command given in Chapter 18 proclaims that the power to forgive indefinitely is a greater Christian good than the power to excommunicate. Matthew's pastoral judgment on those in the Church who refuse forgiveness is the very harsh conclusion of the parable. In their case, Matthew's Jesus defined the unforgivable sin: it is not to forgive.

   In order to survive in the world after the death of the apostles, the Church had to be a society existing among other societies. A Church that lives and acts according to the spirit of Matthew 18 will be a society distinct from others, a society where what counts as wisdom in other societies has not been able to stifle the voice of Jesus, who came to challenge much of the religious wisdom of his time. The great anomaly of Christianity is that it is only through an institution that the message of a non-institutional Jesus can be preserved. Matthew does much to ensure that, in this preservation, the message will remain alive and not simply be commemorated.