The final section of Matthew’s Gospel begins at 26:1 and ends at 28:20. In 26:1 we are told for the fifth and final time that Jesus “finished all these sayings”, which is a literary marker indicating to the reader that we are about to begin another narrative section. I have shown elsewhere how Matthew has structured his entire Gospel, punctuated with five discourses by Jesus that are sandwiched between a variety of historical narratives. Below is what the structure of this final narrative structure looks like from a birds-eye view:
A) 26:1—35 (Preparation for Death & Burial)
B) 26:36—56 (Jesus on Trial)
C) 26:57—75 (Derision & appointment of King Jesus)
B’) 27:1—37 (Jesus on Trial)
C’) 27:38—56 (Installation & Derision of King Jesus)
A’) 27:57—28:20 (Preparation for Burial & Resurrection)
Below is a breakdown of each section with its shared concepts, words, phrases, and themes. As each section is combed through carefully, be sure to remember the literary parallels between each matching section (A & A’, B & B’, C & C’). They will become important for part two of this post (among future posts in this series) where I will break down this larger governing literary structure into smaller pericopes and comment upon each section’s unity:
A) 26:1—35
> Assembly of Chief Priests: They plot together (26:3)
> Judas receives bribe money (26:14-16)
> Jesus speaks to disciples: My sheep will be scattered (26:31)
> The “Twelve” disciples are mentioned, among whom Judas is one (26:14)
> The first day of the feast is mentioned (26:17)
> “When evening had come” is mentioned (26:20)
> Jesus is to drink καινός (“new”) fruit of the vine (26:29)
> Jesus will “go before” his disciples “to Galilee”: προάξω ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν (26:32)
> Jesus’ body is prepared for burial (26:6-13)
A’) 27:57—28:20
> Assembly of Chief Priests: They plot together (27:11-15)
> Guards receive bribe money (27:12)
> Jesus speaks to disciples: Go and make disciples of all nations (28:18-20)
> The “Eleven” disciples are mentioned, without Judas being numbered among them (28:16)
> The first day of the week (after the Sabbath feast) is mentioned (28:1)
> “When evening had come” is mentioned again (27:57)
> Jesus is laid in a καινός (“new”) tomb (27:60)
> Jesus is “going ahead of” his disciples “into Galilee”: προάγει ὑμᾶς εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν (28:7)
> Jesus’ body is prepared for burial (27:59-61)
B) 26:36—56
> Jesus goes into a place called (ἔρχεται … εἰς χωρίον λεγόμενον) Gethsemane: meaning ‘oil press’ (26:36)
> Jesus is seized by guards & Judas betrays Jesus
B’) 27:1—37
> Jesus goes into a place called (ἐλθόντες εἰς τόπον λεγόμενον) Golgotha: meaning “a skull” (27:33)
> Jesus is delivered to Pilate the Governor & is not betrayed by Pilate
C) 26:57—75
> “Scribes” are mentioned along with the Chief Priests and Elders (26:57)
> Jesus is accused of speaking βλασφημέω (“blasphemy”) by High Priest (26:65)
> Peter “follows” Jesus “from a distance” to the Courtyard of the Sanhedrin: ἠκολούθει αὐτῷ ἀπὸ μακρόθεν (26:58)
> Jesus is accused of saying, “I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days” (26:61)
C’) 27:38—56
> “Scribes” are mentioned along with the Chief Priests and Elders (27:41)
> Jesus has βλασφημέω (“insults”) spoken to him by those who pass by (27:39)
> Many women “followed” Jesus from Galilee and gathered together, observing his crucifixion “from a distance”: ἀπὸ μακρόθεν θεωροῦσαι, αἵτινες ἠκολούθησαν (27:55)
> Those who passed by Jesus were saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God…” (27:40)
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