This sermon is from the Rev. Charles G. Dennison sermon archive, part of the “Sermon on the Mount” series, and was preached at Grace Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Sewickley, PA, during a worship service on Sunday, August 14, 1988.
About this sermon
Enlightenment assumptions shaped how scholars read Matthew. Followers of Hegel and Benjamin Bacon cast Matthew as a legalist presenting Jesus as a new Moses. Ned Stonehouse offers a more faithful reading: Matthew proclaims Jesus as the Son of God, Emmanuel, God with us, from the introduction through every major section. Jesus’ invitation, “Come unto me,” and his promise to build his church are the words of a present Lord. He speaks to Gentile and Jew alike, and modern reading loses that focus when it imposes philosophy on the text.
Sermon transcript
They certainly don’t teach you in seminary all of the things that you’re going to have to battle in the pulpit. They do speak about congregational disinterest, but beyond that, they don’t talk about flies, they don’t talk about fans that blow your notes every which way, and they don’t talk about the times in which you have cold and your nose is dripping and your eyes are watering. Now, that’s practical theology. I don’t know why they don’t deal with those things. We are in Matthew six. We are reading from verse one. Hear the Word of God.
Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them, otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore, when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth. That thine alms may be in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet. When thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret, and thy father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as do the heathen, for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them, For your father knoweth what things ye have need of before ye ask him.
After this manner, therefore, pray ye, Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever. Amen.
For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Moreover, When ye fast, be not as the hypocrites of a sad countenance, for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face, that thou appear not unto men to fast, But unto thy father, which is in secret, thy father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.” with me now.
Our Lord, your people are gathering in the Lord’s day in lieu of the day of the Lord. And as they congregate, may their hearts be one inspired, disciplined by your word. Father, we pray that our hearts may be committed to the truth, a truth which sets us free. And Lord, again, may we grab hold of all of the powers of our concentration, of all of our energies, so that in this worship and in this concentration upon your word, we may have our minds and spirits in that proper place with that appropriate attitude. For the sake of Christ our Savior, we ask it. Amen.
We are returning to the Sermon on the Mount. We have worked our way through Matthew 5, and now we want to begin a consideration of Matthew chapter 6. In order to get our wits about us, so that we might be well-rounded. We would do well to think once more about this gospel of Matthew as a whole and the place that the Sermon on the Mount has within it. So if you have pen and pencil this morning, This is when we deal with the structure and the intent of Matthew in writing his gospel. Since the last century, there has been great debate and argument about this first gospel, as there has been about the gospels generally, and the material that makes up our New Testament.
We all know something about the impact of the Enlightenment. We also know something about the impact of the German philosopher Hegel. And together, the Enlightenment and Hegel have had a great deal of impact upon the gospel of Matthew. After all, we are told, so say those of an Enlightenment spirit, The Gospel of Matthew is a religious treatise, a work of man, and not distinct from other works of man.
And as such, it is to be studied and analyzed as we would study and analyze any other work of literature or history, subjecting it to the historical and literary canons as we have come to understand those canons. The figure of Hegel has introduced into the considerations of the Enlightenment a threefold process by which we might come to understand the means by which a particular historical or literary document is formulated. Hegel held to this threefold development under the topics of the thesis, the antithesis, and the synthesis.
First of all, the thesis as it relates itself to the gospel of Matthew. In the early church, so those who followed Hegel or attempted to apply his approach to the Bible, so they said, as we come to this gospel, the thesis is that there was a strong, dominant party of Paul. that was essentially anti-law and pro-faith, in deference to the law. And this party of Paul had gained the upper hand as the gospel went into the Gentile world. That’s the thesis.
Over against that thesis is the antithesis. that antithesis embodied in the figure that stands behind the gospel of Matthew. These critical spirits were unwilling to identify the writer of this gospel with the disciple of Matthew. But the antithetical Spirit is epitomized in that figure that stands behind the gospel of Matthew. We will call him Matthew for argument’s sake.
So say the critics. The antithesis then comes to expression in what was judged to be a rabbinical movement. A movement that was dominated by a strong Jewish spirit, a spirit that was strongly in favor of the preeminence of the law. And therefore, we are to see this gospel and its writer as an advocate of a Jewish, a strong Jewish, and even legalistic Christianity over against the free-wheeling spirit and spontaneous-oriented Christianity of Paul.
Well, the synthesis, of course, is another story. And supposedly, according to the critics, that’s what eventually came to us in the Roman Catholic Church. But we won’t deal with that right now. Matthew, then, according to these critics, was a rabbi. And he was a legalist. emphasizing the law.
That brings us into the twentieth century, and introduces us to an English-British biblical scholar by the name of Benjamin Bacon. Not related to Francis and Nell. Benjamin Bacon. writing in 1930 a book called Studies in Matthew. Bacon, picking up on this understanding of Matthew, suggested that Matthew’s purpose was then to present to his community, his community of faith, the person of Jesus as if Jesus were the new Moses. reasserting reestablishing the law reinterpreting the law and that appropriately in light of the circumstances of his coming.
Jesus then a rabbi himself and a defender of an advocate of the law. And Bacon then went through the Gospel of Matthew, and he noticed that the Gospel of Matthew is distinguished, for instance, from the Gospel of Mark, in that we have all of these discourses in Matthew that are in Mark.
Mark is long on activity. Remember the recurring phrase in Mark? Straightway. and straightway, long on activity but short on discourse. Matthew retains the activity, although there doesn’t seem to be the same urgency, but he adds to the narrative these discourse sections. And these discourse sections then become the framework, the structure of the gospel itself. Interestingly, Bacon identified five major discourses in the gospel. Aha! Five! In relationship to the fact that he had already asserted that Jesus was a new Moses. Get it?
There are five books of Moses, the Pentateuch, and there are these five discourses in Matthew. Therefore, the structure confirms my contention with regard to the intent of the Gospel. The Gospel of Matthew then functions as the new Pentateuch in the New Testament. That’s ingenious, isn’t it? It’s really neat. The Old Testament begins with the first five books of Moses, and the New Testament begins with the five discourses of Jesus, the new Moses. It’s rather ingenious. Well, there were some that weren’t ready to buy all this.
And one of them was Ned B. Stonehouse, who in 1944 wrote a book entitled The Witness of Mark and Matthew to Christ. And in that book, he takes issue with Bacon’s understanding of the gospel and its order. No, we are not to see Matthew as the antithesis, the Jewish antithesis over against the Gentile emphasis of Paul. Nor are we to see Jesus as this new Moses, no, who functions something like a new rabbi in the setting that pertains to his coming. And one of the reasons why we are not to see the gospel of Matthew along these lines is because If we approach the gospel of Matthew in this fashion, there is something in that gospel that severely suffers.
Can you think of what, in fact, is going to suffer in this gospel if that structure and that approach to this gospel is allowed to stand? Stonehouse identified what was lost with what was most important in fact to Matthew himself. Namely, the account of the death and resurrection of Christ. The account of the death and resurrection of Christ is lost in the analysis of the discourses. and the ordering of the gospel around that five-fold structure. So Stonehouse said, no, the structure of Matthew’s gospel is quite different, as the intent is quite different. Now Stonehouse was astute historically, and he was alert So he reviewed the Gospel of Matthew and what did he find?
A very interesting one. He finds two phrases. Two phrases strategically placed that organize the entire Gospel and do it simply. Wonderfully simply. And in keeping with the structure that he sees here, The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ has the importance, the prominence it deserves.
Turn to Matthew 4. The seventeenth verse. Here is the phrase. From that time. Jesus began to preach and say, Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. From that time. Historically, literarily, that is a great point for Matthew. Now we might not think much of that statement if Matthew didn’t repeat it. Not the entirety, but the beginning of it. Turn, for instance, to the 16th chapter of Matthew, the 21st verse.
Note, from that time. That’s how it reads if you have the New American Standard Version. There’s that phrase one more time. From that time, Jesus Christ began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed and be raised up on the third day. Again, historically, literarily, here is a breakthrough. That’s what Stonehouse observed.
The outline of the Gospel of Matthew, then, is very simple. Very simple, indeed. Chapter 1, verse 1 through 4, 16, is the introduction to the ministry of Jesus. Now, in that introduction, certain things are coming to the surface. For instance, in that introduction, there is an emphasis upon Jesus as the son of God. That’s who he is. The introduction focuses upon Jesus as the son of God. But there’s also another interesting feature about that introduction.
You will note, for instance, that, as it closes, you have Jesus set in the regions of Nazareth, and specific things are said about that region. Chapter four, verses fourteen through sixteen. Notice what is said. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, The land of Zebulon and the land of Naphtali, by the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles. So, there is a focus upon Jesus as the Son of God, and there is also mention of the Gentiles. Note that.
Then you have the first major break in the gospel. Here you have Matthew 4, verse 17, through Matthew 16, verse 20. The ministry of Jesus the Son of God to Israel as he demonstrates and proclaims the kingdom of heaven. That’s what you have in those verses. Now, you might note certain parallels between this and the introduction.
For instance, the concentration upon Jesus as the Son of God. Do you remember how many times Jesus in the introduction is called the Son of God? He is identified with the Son in fulfillment of the prophecy of Hosea. Out of Egypt, I have called forth my son. Remember that? Matthew 2, verse 15. But then, at the waters of baptism, you have Jesus coming up out of those waters and the voice out of heaven saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Not only that, in the fourth chapter, you have Satan coming to tempt Jesus and saying to him, If you are the Son of God, saying that to him, quite that concentration upon the Son of God.
Well, how does this section, this first major section, four seventeen through six twenty, how does this section P for us? Notice what happens in that sixteenth chapter. Jesus has taken his disciples to Caesarea Philippi. Interesting in itself. And we’ll talk about that in a moment. But what? You see what he does, he elicits from Peter this confession of him, which is, you are the Christ, the son of the living God. The focus being on Jesus, the son of God. But picking up on that fact that we laid aside for a minute, the fact that Jesus is in Caesarea Philippi. Where is Caesarea Philippi? Is it in Jewish territory? No. It’s in Gentile territory.
Remember the features that we called attention to in the introduction? The confession of Jesus as Son of God and the mention of the Gentiles. The same happens here in Matthew 4, 17 through 16, 20. All right, the last section. The last section of the Gospel. You’ve got it all. Matthew 16 verse 21 to the end 2820.
And at that point, the giving by Christ to his disciples, the Great Commission. And in this section, in keeping with that statement in the 21st verse, which we’ve already read, the emphasis is upon the passion and the resurrection of Jesus. the Son of God. And what about the confession? What about the confession of Jesus as the Son of God? Would you turn to Matthew 27, verse 55?
And if there is anything that is more thrilling than this from a literary point of view, I can’t imagine it. Because here, the two things that we have been keeping in balance come together remarkable. That verse tells you about the centurion, who is standing at the foot of the cross. Is this centurion a Jew? No, this centurion is a Gentile. And this Gentile is the one that says, truly, this was the Son of God. Or, this is the Son of God.
We merely add, as a footnote, the statements of Jesus to his disciples on the mountain Galilee, with which the gospel closes. When you go, disciple the nations, the Gentiles. So you see how it’s all beautiful, wonderful. hangs together and in such a way that the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ get their due and the full impact and flow of the ministry of Christ as in fact He is presented to us as the Son of God for the salvation not just of Jews but of Gentiles. It’s brought before our Why? This gospel is a literary masterpiece. It is a work of genius, and the genius is no human genius. The genius at work in this gospel is divine. It’s the genius of the Holy Spirit. Well, there’s the structure of the gospel.
And just quickly now, if I can conclude with the intent What can we say with regard to the intention of Matthew as he presents the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ in this way? First of all, his intention is this. that through this gospel, he himself might be found to conform to the commission that is given at the end of the gospel. To be himself a discipler of the nations, to extract from the nations that confession which is saving, and what is that confession? Jesus is the Son of God. His intent. His intent is in keeping with the missionary objective spoken of at the gospel’s conclusion. That through this gospel the nations themselves might be brought to confess Jesus is the Son of God.
But that’s not all he wishes. He also wishes that this phrase, Son of God, would be filled full of specific content. A content that is understandable only in terms of what Christ did in fact establish through his work and ministry. And what was it that Christ established? What does Christ see in his disciples? He sees the church. And that is why, of all the Gospels in the New Testament, Matthew is the one that mentions specifically the Church, the Ecclesia.
The content, then, that Matthew wishes to be poured into this title of Jesus, Son of God, as the Church, in fact, makes her confession is that this one, Jesus, the Son of God, is no one else but Matthew 1.23. Emmanuel, God with us. And that understanding of Jesus as the Son of God is laid throughout the Gospel at strategic points.
When Jesus says, come unto me in Matthew 11, is that the invitation of someone who has departed or someone who is present? You see, Jesus, the Son of God, is God with us. He is present with us in the Church, the Assembly, which he has called together. And that invitation is still being issued by him now. Come unto me. He is present and issuing that invitation by his word, through this word. Come unto me.
When Jesus says to Peter, upon this rock I will build my church. Are those the words of a man who is departed from this world? No, he is present. Emmanuel, God with us, to build his church. When he says in the eighteenth chapter, when two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the midst. Are those the words of a man who is departed, gone away? No, Emmanuel, God with us. When he said in that great parable of Matthew twenty five about the sheep and the goat in that you have done it on to one of the least of these my brother, you’ve done it on to me. Are those the words of someone who’s departed or someone who is still present? Emmanuel, God with us. And as the gospel ends, Matthew twenty eight, twenty, and he says, as his concluding words, Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.
You see, in Matthew’s gospel, Jesus never leaves. There’s no ascension. And there’s no ascension for a reason. Because you are supposed to be left with the impact of the presence of that one who is called manhood. God with us. To what end? I know I’m dragging on. I know I’m dragging on. Hang with me now for the conclusion of this. To what end?
You see, the church to which Matthew writes is not a church that is rich and wealthy, sitting on top of the world, for whom all is light and happiness, for whom everything is turning out wonderfully. You see, the church to whom Matthew is writing, as this church takes its stand in a Gentile world, in a world that doesn’t understand or take the stand before hostile Judaism, is a church that is being persecuted and oppressed.
What greater comfort than to be told that Jesus, the Son of God, is Emmanuel, God with us, even in the midst of our pain and our distress. and the persecution and the opposition and the oppression of the extremists. How then we are empowered in the knowledge that Jesus Christ, Son of God, is Immanuel. But is it surprising that this should be so? Could there be any other reading of the gospel and the passion of death and resurrection of Christ? For while Christ himself is being persecuted, there is superimposed upon his suffering the Kingdom of Heaven. And that is precisely what is taking place, in and for the Church, until Christ comes again.
Superimposed upon her distress, the persecution which she experienced, the opposition which may even be unto death, just as it was to Christ. is the glory of Emmanuel and the Kingdom of Heaven well I enjoyed that and I hope that An outline like that, an investigation of Matthew, in that light, will be of tremendous value to you, encouragement to you. As a Christian, a confessing member of the body of Christ who says, Jesus is the Son of God, who also knows that this one is Emmanuel, and he is present with you with you thus bringing the very realities of the kingdom of heaven into your life oh what a wonder this gospel is what a beautiful beautiful work by your spirit, through your servant, Matthew. And we thank you, Lord, for it, and pray that we might ring it, and so that it will give forth to us all of those wonderful life-giving juices that will refresh us, and strengthen us, and encourage us in our life for Christ, the Son of God, the one who is called Immanuel. Amen.
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