WORD BIBLICAL COMMENTARY Volume 33A Matthew 1-13 DONALD A. HAGNER WORD BOOKS, PUBLISHER • DALLAS, TEXAS _______G eneral &lltors ______ David A. Hubbard Glenn W. Barker t ______O ld 'n!stament &litor'_ ____ John D. W. Watts ______N ew 1estament &lltor' _____ Ralph P. Martin Word Biblical Commentary Matthew 1-13 Copyright © 1993 by Word, Incorporated All rights reselVed. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without the written per mission of the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-PublicatioD Data Main entry under title: Word biblical commentary. Includes bibliographies. 1. Bible':""'Commentaries-Coliected works. BS491.2.W67 220.7'7 81-71768 ISBN O-H499-0232-O (v. 33A) AACR2 Prilllc'" ill Ihc' LJllitc'n Slilles of America Thc' alllhllr's IIWllll'OIlIslalioll ofille' Sniptuf(' WXI i1ppc'al1i in italic typ<' unner the heading Translation. To Beverly Contents Editorial Preface x Author's Preface xi Ablmviations xiv Commentary Bibliography xxx General Bibliography xxxii lNTRODUCTION xxxix About the Present Commentary xxxix The Papias Tradition concerning Matthew xliii Matthew's Sources xlvi Oral Tradition in the Gospel of Matthew xlviii The Structure of Matthew I Matthew's Use of the Old Testament lili The Genre and Purpose of Matthew 1vii Matthew's Theology Iix The Original Readers of Matthew )xiv The Sitz im Leben ("Life Setting") of Matthew's Community lxv On Matthew's "Anti:Judaism" !xxi Date and Provenance Ixxiii Authorship lxxv TEXT AND COMMENTARY THE BIRTH AND INFANCY NARRATIVES (1:1-2:23) 1 The Ancestry ofJ esus (1:1-17) 2 The Birth and Naming ofJ esus (1:18-25) 13 The Magi Worship the Newborn King (2:1-12) 22 The Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight to Egypt (2:13-23) 32 THE PREPARATION FOR THE MINISTRY (3:1-4:11) 43 John the Baptist (3:1-12) 43 The Baptism ofJ esus (3:13-17) 53 The Temptation ofJ esus (4:1-11) 60 GALILEAN MINISTRY (4: 12-25) 71 Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee (4: 12-17) 71 The Calling ofthe Disciples (4:18-22) 74 The Ministry ofJ esus Encapsulated (4:23-25) 78 THE FIRST DISCOURSE: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT (5:1-7:29) 82 The Setting of the Sermon (5:1-2) 84 Introduction (5:3-16) 87 The Foundation of Righteous Living: The Beatitudes (5:3-12) 87 The Essence of Discipleship: Salt and Light (5:13-16) 97 The Main Body of the Sermon (5:17-7:12) 102 The Relation between the Old and the New Righteousness (5:17-48) 102 Continuity with the Old (5: 17-20) 102 viii CONTENTS The Surpassing of the Old: The Six Antitheses (5:21-48) 110 On Murder (5:21-26) 113 On Adultery (5:27-30) 118 On Divorce (5:31-32) 121 On Oaths (5:33-37) 126 On Retaliation (5:38-42) 129 On Loving One's Enemies (5:43-48) 132 Outward vs. Inward Righteousness (6:1-18) 136 Almsgiving (6:1-4) 136 Prayer and the Lord's Prayer (6:5-15) 141 The Setting of Prayer (6:5-6) 141 On the Right Way to Pray: "The Lord's Prayer" (6:7-15) 143 Fasting (6:16--18) 153 Dependence upon God (6:19-34) 155 Serving God Rather Than Wealth (6:19-24) 155 The Disciple and Anxiety (6:25-34) 160 Various Teachings and the Golden Rule (7:1-12) 167 On Not Judging Others (7:1-5) 167 Discernment in Proclaiming the Gospel (7:6) 170 The Answering Father (7:7-11) 172 The Golden Rule (7:12) 175 Conclusion (7:13-27) 177 The Two Ways (7:13-14) 177 The False and the Genuine (7:15-23) 180 Warning concerning False Prophets (7:15-20) 180 The Insufficiency of the Charismata (7:21-23) 184 The Parable of the Two Builders (7:24-27) 189 The Astonishment of the Crowds (7:28-29) 192 THE AUTHORITATIVE DEEDS OF THE MESSIAH (8:1-9:38) 195 The Healing ofa Leper (8:1-4) 196 The Curing of the Centurion's Son (8:5-13) 200 The Healing of Peter's Mother-in-Law and Others (8:14-17) 207 Two Comments on Discipleship (8:18-22) 211 Excursus: Son of Man 213 The Stilling of the Sea (8:23-27) 219 Exorcism of the Gadarene Demoniacs (8:28-34) 223 The Healing of a Paralytic (9:1-8) 229 The Call of Matthew and a Dinner Party with Tax Collectors and Sinners (9:9-13) 235 Combining New and Old (9: 14-17) 240 The Healing of the Hemorrhaging Woman and the Raising of the Ruler's Daughter (9:18-26) 245 The Healing of Two Blind Men (9:27-31) 251 The Healing of the Mute Demoniac (9:32-34) 255 A Summary and Ihe Call for Workers (9:3!1-3H) 258 Tm: SECOND DISCO! IRS\':: 'I'm: MISSIONARY DISCOURSE ( 10: I-II: I) 262 Tht' Elllpow('J"ill~ of I h(' Twl'lw Aposll('s (10: 1-4) 263 Mission IIlSIIIlC'liolls (10::1-1 :1) 267 Contents IX The Experience of Persecution (10:16-23) 274 The Maligning of Both Teacher and Disciples (10:24-25) 281 Have No Fear of Your Persecutors (10:26-31) 283 Confession and Denial (10:32-33) 287 Division and Discipleship (10:34-39) 289 A Concluding Note on Receiving the Servants of Christ (10:40-11: 1) 294 THE NEGATIVE RESPONSE TO JESUS (11:2-12:50) 298 Jesus' Answer to the Baptist's Question (11:2-6) 298 Jesus' Estimate ofJ ohn the Baptist (11:7-15) 302 The Dissatisfaction ofIsrael (11:16-19) 309 Oracles ofJ udgment (11:20-24) 311 The Mystery of Election and the Central Significance of the Son (11 :25-27) 315 A Renewed Invitation (11:28-30) 322 Plucking Grain on the Sabbath (12:1-8) 326 Healing a Withered Hand on the Sabbath (12:9-14) 331 The Gentle, Healing Servant (12:15-21) 335 Can Beelzebul Be against Himself? (12:22-30) 339 The Question of Unforgivable Sin (12:31-32) 345 Speaking Good and Evil (12:33-37) 348 The Sign ofJ onah (12:38-42) 351 The Parable of the Returning Demons (12:43-45) 355 The True Family ofJ esus (12:46-50) 358 THE THIRD DISCOURSE: TEACHING IN PARABLES (13:1-58) 361 The Parable of the Soils (13:1-9) 365 The Purpose of Parables (13: 10-17) 369 The Explanation of the Parable of the Soils (13:18-23) 376 The Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (13:24-30) 381 The Parable of the Mustard Seed (13:31-32) 384 The Parable of the Leavened Loaves and a Further Comment on the Reason for the Parables (13:33-35) 387 The Explanation of the Parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (13:36-43) 391 The Parables of the Treasure and the Pearl (13:44-46) 395 The Parable of the Dragnet (13:47-50) 398 The Scribe Trained for the Kingdom: The End of the Discourse (13:51-52) 400 The Unbelief of the People of Nazareth (13:53-58) 403 Editorial Preface The launching of the Word Biblical Commentary brings to fulfillmen t an enterprise of several years' planning. The publishers and the members of the editorial board met in 1977 to explore the possibility of a new commentary on the books of the Bible that would incorporate several distinctive features. Prospective readers of these volumes are entitled to knowwhatsuch features were intended to be; whether the aims of the commentary have been fully achieved time alone will tell. First, we have tried to cast a wide net to include as contributors a number of scholars from around the world who not only share our aims, but are in the main engaged in the ministry of teaching in university, college, and seminary. They represent a rich diversity of denominational allegiance. The broad stance of our contributors can rightly be called evangelical, and this term is to be understood in its positive, historic sense of a commitment to Scripture as divine revelation, and to the truth and power of the Christian gospel. Then, the commentaries in our series are all commissioned and written for the purpose of inclusion in the Word Biblical Commentary. Unlike several of our dis tinguished counterparts in the field of commentary writing, there are no translated works, originally written in a non-English language. Also, our commentators were asked to prepare their own rendering ofthe original biblical text and to use those languages as the basis of their own comments and exegesis. What may be claimed as distinctive with this series is that it is based on the biblical languages, yet it seeks to make the technical and scholarly approach to the theological understanding of Scripture understandable by-and useful to-the fledgling student, the working minister, and colleagues in the guild of professional scholars and teachers as well. Finally, a word must be said about the format of the series. The layout, in clearly defined sections, has been consciously devised to assist readers at different levels. Those wishing to learn about the textual witnesses on which the translation is offered are invited to consult the section headed Notes. If the readers' concern is with the state of modern scholarship on any given portion of Scripture, they should tum to the sections on BibliographyandFonn/Structure/Setting. For a clear exposition of the passage's meaning and its relevance to the ongoing biblical revelation, the Comment and concluding Explanation are designed expressly to meet that need. There is therefore something for everyone who may pick up and use these volumes. If these aims come anywhere near realization, the intention of the editors will have been met, and the labor of our team of contributors rewarded. General Editors: David A. Hubbard Glenn W. Barkert Old Testament: John D. W. Watts New Testament: Ralph P. Martin Author's Preface Commentators are generally tempted to sing the praises of the book on which they comment. They do so because they have the privilege of studying the book in great detail, often over a long period of time, and hence are able to come to a special appreciation of it. The present writer is no exception. It is no surprise to me that the Gospel of Matthew was as popular as it was in the early Church. Each Gospel, of course, has its own beauty, and it would be invidious to make compari- 5Ons. Furthermore, it is impossible in just a few lines to do justice to this wonderful document. Matthew's story ofJ esus, however, is a masterpiece. The drama of the gospel of the kingdom, as it is seen in the alternating accounts of the deeds and the words of Jesus, is exceptionally powerful. From the wonder of the infancy narrative to the glory of the resurrected Christ commissioning his disciples, the sweep of Matthew's salvation-historical perspective is breathtaking. Matthew's for mula OT quotations, with their stress on promise and fulfillment, show the magnificent unity of God's purposes and the continuing importance of Israel's Scriptures to the Church. Matthew's distinctive compilations of the teaching of Jesus in the five discourses have understandably been treasured by Christians down through the ages. The Sermon on the Mount is itself an incomparable di gest of the ethical teaching ofJ esus. More often than not we know the teaching ofJ esus in the striking and balanced cadences of Matthew's formulations. And if Matthew was the most quoted Gospel in the early Church, it may well be true that it is the most quoted today, certainly of the Synoptics at least. Commentators who have come to appreciate a work will often feel inadequate to the challenge of conveying its meaning to others. Again the present writer is no exception. The problem lies not merely in attempting to explicate the diffi cult passages-a challenge not to be minimized-but also in doing justice to the "ordinary" passages. But in Matthew, even the "ordinary" has often an extraordi nary character. The commentator knows that a monograph could be written on every pericope, which he or she must treat in only a few pages. What commenta tor, after finishing comments on any particular passage, has ever felt really satisfied? She or he must only hope that the reader has been given a glimpse of the mean ing and significance of the material in view and has been pointed in the right direction for future study. Those who buy commentaries will have noticed the trend toward ever larger commentaries. Two-and three-volume commentaries are becoming common. One reason for this is the constantly growing amount of secondary literature. If one is going to take account of all (most) of it and interact with some of it, one will need a great amount of space indeed. There are commentaries on Matthew un derway that provide virtually encyclopedic coverage. I see no reason for every commentary to do this, however, and I have thus made a concerted attempt to resist the trend, keeping more to the original conception of the Word Biblical Commentary. I have tried above all to give a fresh reading of the Gospel of Mat thew as I see it, exegeting the text using mainly the primary tools of research, interacting with the most important secondary literature only at selected points,