Page 79 - A Dissertation for Doctor of Philosophy

organizing the teachings of Jesus on particular theological themes other than arranging them

chronologically. When he explains some characteristics of the structure of Matthew’s Gospel,

Ned Bernard Stonehouse describes it as “careful planning and arrangement of its contents,

29
and....stereotyped expressions to invite his readers’ attention to its structure.”
According to Benjamin W. Bacon the Gospel of Matthew is topically outlined using the

30
“five great discourses,” each one concluding with the phrase, “Now when Jesus had finished
saying these things” (Matt. 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and 26:1). These five discourses are as

follows: The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7); The Missionary Discourse (Matt. 10); The

Parable Discourse (Matt. 13); The Church Discourse (Matt. 18); and The Eschatological

31
Discourse (Matt. 24-25). Supplementing these five sermons are a preamble (Matt. 1-2) and an
32
epilogue (Matt. 26-28). If this structural analysis is correct, Matthew is attempting to portray
Jesus as a preacher of the Kingdom of God.

It becomes much clearer if C. H. Lohr’s interpretation of the structure of Matthew’s

Gospel is correct. He insists that the evangelist utilized a literary chiasm in structuring his

29
Ned Bernard Stonehouse, The Witness of Matthew and Mark to Christ (Philadelphia,
PN: The Presbyterian Guardian, 1944), 131.

30 Benjamin W. Bacon, "The ‘Five Books’ of Matthew Against the Jews," The Expositor
vol. 15 (January 1918), 56-66.

31 Donald Guthrie, New Testament Introduction (Downers Grove, IL: Intervarsity Press,
1990), 40; Benjamin W. Bacon, Studies in Matthew (New York: Henry Holt and Company, Inc.,
1930), 81-2. Bacon goes further to maintains that the five discourses are identified, each one
corresponding to the five books of Moses, and the Gospel as a whole is understood as a Christian
Torah that provides a ‘Pentateuch’ as the new law for the new Christian community that is new
Israel. For the critique of this extreme view of Bacon, see J. D. Kingsbury, “Form and Message
of Matthew,” Interpretation 29 (January 1975): 13-23, and Ibid., Structure, Christology,
Kingdom (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 1989).

32 Bacon, Matthew, 82, 265-335.