Category: The Bible as Literature

Ritual purity, which depends on the Temple and its customs to relieve people of their burdens, falls short of the cleaness demanded in the Bible. Does touching something really make you unclean, or was the Law given to show that you are not clean and you cannot make yourself clean? At this point, whether or…

When the disciples of John ask why the disciples of Jesus do not fast, they betray their disregard for the Lord’s unique station as the Messiah and earthly representative of the Father. Jesus is their king who brings the Law of the Kingdom. As the Bridegroom, he is the head of the feast and the…

By reason of his profession, Matthew, like Paul (who persecuted the church), was sent to preach the gospel as one despised by his addressees. How could a Jew who collaborates with Roman authorities approach his fellow Jews to collect taxes for their occupier? Worse, how could the Lord send such a person to preach his…

Students of the Bible often wrongly emphasize the sins of individuals over and above the forgiveness of sins as a general proclamation of the King. When this proclamation is contextualized in the New Testament, it pertains to redemption—literally, ones purchase in the marketplace—and the paying off, or “forgiveness” of former debts. The news of this…

  When Jesus crosses the Roman sea in Matthew, he brings the good news of the Matthean genology—of the liberation of God’s people from captivity—to the gentiles living under the control of Caesar. The Gadarene exorcism consolidates a pattern in Matthew: those whom we assume to be wrong are the very ones who obey the…

In the face of situational chaos, all of us appreciate strong leadership. We value the clear and confident voice of the one who knows what to do—we value their knowledge—and we listen to what they say. Leadership provides clarity, order, and the pressure necessary to help all of us do what must be done. But…

At the start of the New Testament, the Matthean Geneology remedies an incorrect understanding of Abraham’s line by belittling of the kings of Judah, highlighting the failure of tribal lines. Thus, Matthew reorients his readers to the original intent of Abraham’s household as a mechanism of adoption into the Lord’s fold, through his teaching. To…