Reading Matthew for the Effect I laid out in another article an approach to reading the New Testament that places the focus where it lay for the authors of the texts–on the transformation of human lives (see “Interpreting a Gospel Passage: Part I“). Whether we engage the documents as believers or skeptics, I suggested that…
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God’s New People in Matthew
God’s New People More than the other Gospels, Matthew is focused in large part on the life of the Christian community. It is only in Matthew that the word “church” (ekklesia, ἐκκλησία) appears on Jesus’ lips as a term for his circle of disciples (Matt 16:18; 18:17). This has seemed unlikely to many historians, who…
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Jesus as the New Moses in Matthew
The Good Law How has the Jewish scribe who penned Matthew’s Gospel re-shaped Mark’s portrait of Jesus? One of the ways is by exploring the relationship between the Messiah’s work and the Jewish law, the Torah of Moses. For many of us today this makes Matthew a difficult book to read well. In the religious…
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The Origins of Matthew’s Gospel
A Faithful Scribe in the Kingdom As we approach the Gospel of Matthew, let us imagine that we are there in the room with the book’s author. His back is turned to us, so we cannot yet see his face. He is seated on a low writing bench, the fresh papyrus roll balanced on his…
Read MoreInterpreting a Gospel Passage: Part I
Reading for the Effect When we interpret a passage in one of the gospels, one of our primary goals is to understand the text. But what does “understanding” mean here? I don’t think it should mean distilling down the “essence” or “theology” of the text, so that we no longer need to consult the book…
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The Shape of Mark’s Narrative
The Gospel Plot When we read any book of the New Testament it is easy to miss the forest for the trees. We are often used to hearing or reading short snippets in isolation. What we can overlook, when we read it this way, is that Mark gives his account of Jesus’ mission a clear…
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Jesus’ Unfolding Identity in Mark’s Gospel
A Crucified Messiah If we ask who Jesus is in Mark’s Gospel, one of the first answers to come to mind will usually be the Messiah. Indeed, this is the title Mark gives to Jesus in the opening sentence of his narrative. Although the people around Jesus within the story do not have the advantage…
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Repent and Believe: Jesus’ Call for Response in Mark
In Mark’s Gospel Jesus announces that God is conquering the perversity of a broken creation and restoring it to life and harmony under his reign as king. Mark assumes that this restoration will not be “good news” for everyone. Those who are not sheltered by the cross, who have not joined Jesus in the new…
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The Origins of Mark’s Gospel
The First Written Gospel If we had been part of Mark’s first audience, we would not have picked a bound book up from the shelf of a library or bookstore. In fact, we would not likely have been reading it at all. For years we would have been used to hearing the stories of Jesus…
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The Idea of Inspiration and the New Testament
The “Word of God” The Church has, for most of its existence, confessed that the New Testament is not simply a human book. It is in some sense the “Word of God.” In the 19th and 20th centuries more traditional Christians have re-affirmed this confession as a central part of their life and faith. For…
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Ian W. Scott 