Friday, May 2, 2014

Literary Structure of Matthew 14-17


As I have noted in an earlier post, chapters fourteen through seventeen of Matthew's gospel comprise one complete narrative section. For simplicity's sake, I said that this section begins in chapter fourteen, but that section actually begins at the end of chapter 13, in verse 53, "when Jesus had finished" his discourse of parables (13:1-52). The structure of this narrative section is also chiastic:


A)  Jesus visits his hometown and his suffering for the Kingdom is foreshadowed by the prophet John (13:53-14:13)

   B)  Jesus feeds 5,000 Jews and is confronted by Pharisees about "bread" (14:14-15:20)

      C)  Jesus flees to the district of Tyre & Sidon and is confronted by a Canaanite woman of greater faith than the Pharisees: she loves even the "bread crumbs" which fall from the Master's table (15:21-28)

   B')  Jesus feeds 4,000 Gentiles and is confronted by Pharisees about "bread" (15:29-16:12)

A')  Jesus visits Caesarea Philippi and his suffering for the Kingdom is prophesied (16:13-17:27)



The literary parallels are even more obvious when compared section by section (as seen below):

A)  13:53-14:13 
  • Jesus "came into" (ἐλθὼν εἰς) his hometown
  • The people ask questions about Jesus: what they think of him, whose "son" (υἱός) is this man?
  • Jesus affirms he is a "prophet" (προφήτης) who is not welcome in his own "household" (οἰκίᾳ)
  • Jesus inadvertently "offends" (ἐσκανδαλίζοντο) some Jewish brothers
  • Jesus flees because Herod's wife had "John the Baptist" (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής) "deliver" (δός) his head to her on a platter
  • Herod thinks Jesus is "John the Baptist" who has been "raised from the dead" (ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν)
  • Jesus could not do many mighty works there because of their "unbelief" (ἀπιστίαν)

B)  14:14-15:20
  • Jesus is followed by "great crowds" (πολὺν ὄχλον)
  • Jesus feeds 5,000 Jews
  • Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee & "got into the boat" (ἀναβάντων εἰς τὸ πλοῖον)
  • Jesus is confronted & challenged by Pharisees and scribes
  • Jesus speaks to his disciples about the Pharisees and eating "bread" (ἄρτον)


C)  15:21-28  Jesus withdraws to Tyre & Sidon and is confronted by a Canaanite woman of great faith



B')  15:29-16:12
  • Jesus is followed by "great crowds" (πολλοὶ ὄχλοι)
  • Jesus feeds 4,000 Gentiles
  • Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee & "got into the boat" (ἐνέβη εἰς τὸ πλοῖον)
  • Jesus is confronted & challenged by Pharisees and Sadducees
  • Jesus speaks to his disciples about the Pharisees and their "bread" (ἄρτων)

A') 16:13-17:27 

  • Jesus "came into" (ἐλθὼν εἰς) the district of Caesarea Philippi 
  • Jesus asks questions about about the people: what they think of him, and who the "son" (υἱὸν) of man is 
  • The people think Jesus is "one of the prophets" (ἕνα τῶν προφητῶν)
  • The people think Jesus might be "John the Baptist" (Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστής) 
  • Jesus speaks about John the Baptist's death (7:12-13) and himself being "delivered" (παραδίδοσθαι) by Jewish authorities and then "raised from the dead" (ἐγερθῇ ἐκ νεκρῶν)
  • Jesus does a mighty work among his "faithless" (ἄπιστος) generation 
  • Jesus doesn't want to "offend" (σκανδαλίσωμεν) a collector of Herod's temple-tax outside his "house" (οἰκίαν)


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