Throughout the stories, miracles, parables, sermons, and teachings of these next months, Matthew will focus on Jesus’ teachings about bringing the kingdom from the Old into the New.
At Sunday Mass, we hear the more significant passages from the four Gospels every three years. John is mostly heard during Lent and the Easter season, while Matthew, Mark, and Luke alternate as the Sunday Gospel during Ordinary Time. And this year, we hear from Matthew, first during the four-Sunday stretch between Christmas and Lent, and we return to proclaiming it from now until late November.
“The New Testament is hidden in the Old, and the Old is made manifest in the New.” [Saint Augustine of Hippo, 354 – 430]
Here I offer you some points to keep in mind while we proclaim the Gospel on Sundays.
One Gospel. One Diamond. Of course, there is only one Gospel — the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. Early Christian evangelists proclaimed this one Gospel as part of their God-given mission. Then, four of them saw fit to write down that Gospel for several Christian communities, each with different needs for the one Gospel to address. And so, we remember them not as four separate Gospels, but as four different tellings of the one Gospel. This year, we hear from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Think of this as a diamond that we hold up to a light and slowly turn it so that its many facets or sides shine and glisten with that light. The turning of that diamond makes for something beautiful. Similarly, the four tellings of the Gospel, with their many stories and lessons, tell us different sides of the one Gospel of Lord Jesus Christ that might glisten a bit differently. This year, we take time with the facets or sides offered with Matthew’s telling of the one Gospel. And it’s a beautiful diamond indeed.
In the background is the Passion and Death of Jesus as fulfillment. The Gospels have been referred to as Passion accounts with very long introductions. From now until late November, we hear Matthew’s introduction and consider how its facets glistens in the light of faith. Although we won’t hear from his account of Jesus’ Death, it forms the backdrop for the passages we will hear.
Matthew writes for a community of Christians who converted from the traditional Judaism of the day. He wants them to stay the course and emphasizes that Jesus fulfills the entirety of the Old Testament and especially the long held hope that the Old Testament kingdom would be restored. With Matthew’s telling of the Gospel, Jesus is teaching the first generation of Christians (and us as well) that to be at the Cross with Jesus is to witness of that kingdom hope fulfilled and to live life differently.
Let’s hold that diamond up to the light of faith and consider how the long introduction with its various facets will shine and glisten in the months ahead.
January and February: Jesus Proclaims the Kingdom. We heard of Jesus beginning his public ministry by overcoming temptations and proclaiming the Kingdom as at hand, and then teaching with his Sermon on the Mount and calling disciples to live as with a change of heart.
June: The Mission Begins. We now hear of the power of his kingdom and that Jesus forms his inner circle of twelve disciples and commissions them to continue his mission of reestablishing the Old Testament kingdom. And yet, he tells them that their mission won’t be an easy one.
‘Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:30]
July: Teaching the Kingdom with Parables. Listen for Jesus to reassure those Twelve that he will remain with them in their kingdom mission while teaching them about his kingdom through a series of parables.
August–Mid-September: Building the Church. Listen for Jesus to confront leaders who oppose him before he establishes his Church. 2,000 years later, we easily miss an otherwise simple ritual Jesus bring forward from the old, but Matthew’s audience of converts would certainly know its meaning. Look for Jesus to further fulfill the hoped for kingdom with something from the Old.
An Old Testament king once removed Shebna from his role as the king’s “master of the palace” (a position much like a prime minister today) and replaced him with Eliakim. He gave Eliakim full authority to act on the king’s behalf by placing on his shoulder a key, symbolizing that Eliakim had full authority to open and shut in the king’s absence. Thus, when establishing the New Testament kingdom, Jesus includes the earlier role of prime minister by giving his authority to Peter. He will then distribute that authority among the others. The emphasis is on their care for one another’s faith, while teaching them that they still will have to go the way of the cross.
“I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church.” [Matthew 16:18]
Late September–November: The Road to the Cross. The tempo builds as Jesus and his disciples move closer to his Passion and the Cross. Confrontation with authorities becomes more intense and slowly comes to a head. And that climax was the Gospel proclamation on Passion (Palm) Sunday.
Throughout the stories, miracles, parables, sermons, and teachings of these next months, Matthew will focus on Jesus’ teachings about bringing the kingdom from the Old into the New and, thus, be its fulfillment. Jesus will form his Church, with its prime minister and other teachers, to continue to teach what Jesus taught. This diamond will glisten at the Cross with a question for disciples of every generation: Will you recognize Jesus as the promised Messiah and live the life he calls you to live?
