Gospel of Matthew: Five Discourses

The Five Discourses of Jesus in Matthew's Gospel
by Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

The Gospel according to Matthew begins by identifying Jesus as "the son of David, the son of Abraham" (1:1), thus indicating his Davidic/royal and Abrahamic/Jewish heritage, respectively. Throughout this Gospel, Matthew also presents Jesus as "the New Moses" for the people of Israel.

Admittedly, the name "Moses" is not directly used in a Christological Title, nor can Jesus be called the "Son of Moses," since Jesus belongs to the Tribe of Judah, while Moses belongs to the Tribe of Levi (see a chart of Abraham's Descendants). However, Jesus is portrayed as being very similar to Moses in several interesting and significant ways:

Just as Pharaoh (the King of Egypt ca. 1300 BC) killed all the baby boys of the Hebrews, and only Moses is saved (Exod 1:22--2:10),

so also Herod (King of Israel at that time) kills all the male babies in Bethlehem, and only Jesus is saved (Matt 2:13-18).

When Moses' life is in danger, he flees from Egypt to Israel, but returns to Egypt after many years (Exod 2:15; 7:6-7);

when Jesus' life is in danger, he takes the reverse itinerary: from Israel to Egypt and later back to Israel (Matt 2:13-21).

Just as Moses goes up to a mountain to receive the Law (incl. the Ten Commandments) from God (Exod 19:3),

so also Jesus goes up to a mountain to give a new Law (incl. the Nine Beatitudes) to the people (Matt 5:1).

Just as Moses does not eat or drink for forty days and forty nights while on the mountain, recording God's Law (Exod 34:28),

so also Jesus fasts for forty days and forty nights in the desert, being tempted by Satan (Matt 4:2).

Just as Moses was thought to have written the first five books of the Hebrew Bible (Gen, Exod, Lev, Num, Deut),

so also the teaching of Jesus is contained in five speeches or extended "discourses" in Matthew (ch. 5-7, 10, 13, 18, 22-25).

Overall, Moses was considered the greatest teacher, prophet and lawgiver in the Hebrew Bible (and throughout the NT);

so also Jesus is portrayed in Matthew's Gospel as a great teacher, prophet and lawgiver, equal to or even greater than Moses.

Moses is explicitly mentioned seven times in Matthew (8:4; 17:3-4; 19:7-8; 22:24; 23:2), most of which have parallels in Mark;

the Matthean Jesus also explicitly upholds the law of Moses, rather than abolishing it (5:17-20; 22:35-40; etc.)

For many more parallels between Moses and Matthew's Jesus, see Dale C. Allison, The New Moses (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1993).

An Outline of Matthew's Gospel:

Most biblical scholars today believe that Mark is the oldest Gospel, and that Matthew used Mark's Gospel as one of his written sources (see the Synoptic Problem). If one compares Matthew with Mark, one easily notices that most of the material that Matthew added (i.e., stories and sayings not found in Mark) is contained in five major sermons or discourses:

Infancy Narrative: Chapters 1–2

Narrative: 3–4

Discourse: "Sermon on the Mount": 5–7

Narrative: 8–9

Discourse: "Missionary Instructions": 10

Narrative: 11–12

Discourse: "Collection of Parables ": 13

Narrative: 14–17

Discourse: "Community Instructions": 18

Narrative: 19–22

Discourse: "Sermon on Eschatology": 23–25

Passion & Resurrection Narrative: 26–28

The following tables compare the content of these five Matthean Discourses with similar material in Mark and/or Luke.
(click here for an explanation of the Highlighting Colors used below).

I) The Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5–7)

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
The Beatitudes	5:3-12	--	6:20b-23
Salt of the Earth	5:13	9:50	14:34-35
Light of the World	5:14-16	4:21	8:16
On the Law and the Prophets	5:17-20	--	16:16-17
On Murder and Wrath	5:21-26	--	12:57-59
On Adultery and Divorce	5:27-32	9:43-48	16:18
On Oaths	5:33-37	--	--
On Retaliation	5:38-42	--	6:29-30
On Love of One's Enemies	5:43-48	--	6:27-28, 32-36
On Almsgiving	6:1-4	--	--
On Prayer	6:5-6	--	--
The Lord's Prayer	6:7-15	[cf. 11:25]	11:1-4
On Fasting	6:16-18	--	--
On Treasures	6:19-21	--	12:33-34
The Sound Eye	6:22-23	--	11:34-36
On Serving Two Masters	6:24	--	16:13
On Anxiety	6:25-34	--	12:22-32
On Judging	7:1-5	4:24-25	6:37-42
On Profaning the Holy	7:6	--	--
The Golden Rule	7:12	--	6:31
The Two Ways	7:13-14	--	13:23-24
"By Their Fruits..."	7:15-20	--	6:43-45
Saying "Lord, Lord"	7:21-23	--	6:46
The House Built on the Rock	7:24-27	--	6:47-49
The Effect of the Sermon	7:28-29	1:21-22	--

Note: some of this material comes from Mark (but expanded in Matthew), some from Matthew's own source(s), but most of it from the "Q" source.

II) Missionary Instructions (Matt 10)

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
Choosing/Naming Twelve Apostles	10:1-4	3:13-19a	6:12-16
Sending Out the Twelve	10:5-16	6:7-11	9:1-5
The Fate of the Disciples	10:17-25	--	12:11-12
Exhhortation to Fearless Confession	10:26-33	--	12:2-9
Division within Households	10:34-36	--	12:51-53
Conditions of Discipleship	10:37-39	--	14:25-27
Rewards of Discipleship	10:40-42	9:41	10:16

Note: some of this material comes from Mark (again expanded in Matthew), but most of it from the "Q" source.

III) Parables Collection (Matt 13)

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
The Parable of the Sower	13:1-9	4:1-9	8:4-8
The Reason for Speaking in Parables	13:10-17	4:10-12	8:9-10
Interpretation of the Parable of the Sower	13:18-23	4:13-20	8:11-15
The Parable of the Tares	13:24-30	--	--
The Parable of the Mustard Seed	13:31-32	4:30-32	13:18-19
The Parable of the Leaven	13:33	--	13:20-21
Jesus' Use of Parables	13:34-35	4:33-34	--
Interpretation of the Parable of the Tares	13:36-43	--	--
The Parables of the Hidden Treasure and of the Pearl	13:44-46	--	--
The Parable of the Net	13:47-50	--	--
Treasures New and Old	13:51-52	--	--
Jesus is Rejected at Nazareth	13:53-58	6:1-6a	4:16-30

Note: the first half of this chapter comes mostly from Mark, while the second half is mostly from Matthew's own source(s).

IV) Community Instructions (Matt 18)

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
True Greatness	18:1-5	9:33-37	9:49-50
Warnings concerning Temptations	18:6-9	9:42-50	17:1-2
The Parable of the Lost Sheep	18:10-14	--	15:3-7
On Reproving One's Brother	18:15-18	--	17:3
"Where Two or Three are Gathered Together"	18:19-20	--	--
On Reconciliation	18:21-22	--	17:4
The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant	18:23-35	--	--

Note: this chapter begins with Markan material, but most of the material comes from the Q-source or from Matthew's own source(s).

V) Eschatological Sermon (Matt 23–25)

Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees	23:1-36	12:37b-40	20:45-47
Jesus' Lament over Jerusalem	23:37-39	--	13:34-35
Prediction of the Destruction of the Temple	24:1-2	13:1-2	21:5-6
Signs before the End	24:3-8	13:3-8	21:7-11
Persecutions Foretold	24:9-14	13:9-13	21:12-19
The Desolating Sacrilege	24:15-22	13:14-20	21:20-24
False Christs and False Prophets	24:23-28	13:21-23	17:23-24
The Coming of the Son of Man	24:29-31	13:24-27	21:25-28
The Time of the Coming: the Parable of the Fig Tree	24:32-36	13:28-32	21:29-33
The Parable of the Flood and Exhortation to Watchfulness	24:37-44	13:35	17:26-36
The Parable of the Good Servant and the Wicked Servant	24:45-51	--	12:41-46
The Parable of the Ten Virgins	25:1-13	--	--
The Parable of the Talents	25:14-30	--	19:11-27
The Last Judgment (The Sheep and the Goats)	25:31-46	--	--

Note: Matt 24 is very similar to Mark 13, but most of Matt 23 and 25 comes from the Q-source and from Matthew's own source(s).