Deck 6: Jesus, the Jewish Messiah: The Gospel According to Matthew

Question 1

As specifically as you can, discuss the elements of the Sermon on the Mount. How does this sermon continue Matthew's portrayal of Jesus in the first part of the narrative, and how do these themes continue through the rest of the Gospel?

Answer 1

The Sermon on the Mount contains both the Beatitudes (words of comfort to those oppressed) and the Antitheses (fuller explanations of the commandments of the Law). This sermon is the first of five blocks of Jesus' teaching in the Gospel of Matthew, an arrangement that may imitate the five books of Moses. In this sermon, Jesus is portrayed as the new Moses who stands on a mountain and delivers the laws of God to God's people. By casting Jesus as a lawgiver like Moses, Matthew continues the portrayal of Jesus as the new Moses that began with the birth narrative.

Question 2

Discuss the ways Matthew portrays Jesus as the new Moses. Why is this particular parallel important in Matthew's Gospel?

Answer 2

Matthew compares Jesus to one of the most important prophets in Jewish history: Moses. Matthew's Gospel seems to have been written for a Jewish-Christian audience that was concerned about the relationship between their Jewish heritage and their new belief in Jesus as the Jewish messiah. By casting Jesus in a particularly Jewish light, as the new Moses, Matthew assures his community that there is no contradiction in their beliefs. Some of the important stories in Matthew's Gospel that reveal this connection between Jesus and Moses are the birth narrative and the Sermon on the Mount.

Question 3

Discuss the reasons scholars think Matthew's community was composed of both Jews and gentiles.

Answer 3

On the one hand, of the canonical Gospels, Matthew seems most Jewish. He traces Jesus' lineage back to Abraham, the father of the Jews; he compares Jesus to Moses, the prophet who freed the Jewish people from oppression; and he emphasizes the continuity between Judaism and Christianity. On the other hand, Matthew's Jesus teaches that some gentiles will enter the kingdom of God ahead of Jews. Moreover, the Gospel ends with the "Great Commission," Jesus' commandment to spread his teachings to all nations. By including this commandment, Matthew may be explaining to his community how gentiles came to be included not only in the kingdom of God but also in their own church.

Question 4

Read the account of Jesus' baptism in Mark 1:9-11 and Matthew 3:13-17. Employing the redactional method, discuss the changes Matthew made to Mark and what these changes reveal about Matthew's emphases.

Question 5

The Gospel of Matthew was written in _____.

A) Greek
B) Hebrew
C) Aramaic
D) Latin

Question 6

According to the four-source hypothesis, Gospel of Matthew used all of the following sources except _____.

A) Mark
B) Q
C) M
D) L

Question 7

The Gospel of Matthew was probably written _____.

A) in Palestine around 60-65 CE
B) outside Palestine around 60-65 CE
C) in Palestine around 90-95 CE
D) outside Palestine around 80-85 CE

Question 8

The Gospel of Matthew is _____.

A) a biography
B) an apocalypse
C) a novel
D) a history

Question 9

Matthew traces Jesus' lineage to _____.

A) Abraham
B) God
C) Adam
D) Moses

Question 10

Matthew divides his genealogy into the three generations of fourteen listed below except _____.

A) Adam to Abraham
B) Abraham to David
C) David to the deportation to Babylon
D) the deportation to Babylon to the messiah

Question 11

In Hebrew, the consonants in King David's name, DVD, add up to _____.

A) 7
B) 14
C) 21
D) 24

Question 12

Matthew's birth narrative centers mostly on _____.

A) Anna
B) Joseph
C) John the Baptist
D) Gabriel

Question 13

At the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew, Mary and Joseph live in _____.

A) Nazareth
B) Bethlehem
C) Jerusalem
D) Caesarea

Question 14

All of the following are included in Matthew's infancy narrative except _____.

A) Jesus' birth in Bethlehem
B) Herod's slaughter of children
C) Gabriel's appearance to Mary
D) Jesus' family moving to Egypt

Question 15

Scholars refer to Matthew's use of the Hebrew Scriptures to show Jesus is the messiah as _____.

A) fulfillment citations
B) proof texts
C) scripture references
D) prophetic sayings

Question 16

In Matthew, Jesus' birth story is most reminiscent of whose birth?

A) Samuel's
B) Moses'
C) Abraham's
D) Isaac's

Question 17

First-century Jews thought the messiah might appear in any of the following manifestations except _____.

A) a warrior king
B) a cosmic figure
C) an authoritative priest
D) a suffering man

Question 18

Matthew's genealogy refers to all of the following women except _____.

A) Hannah
B) Ruth
C) Rahab
D) Tamar

Question 19

Matthew's birth narrative includes all of the following except _____.

A) Magi
B) star
C) shepherds
D) Herod

Question 20

In Matthew, John the Baptist _____.

A) readily baptizes Jesus
B) is hesitant to baptize Jesus
C) does not baptize Jesus
D) is baptized by Jesus

Question 21

Redaction criticism focuses on _____.

A) Jesus' divinity
B) an editor's work
C) the genre of a piece of literature
D) a criticism of a writer's style

Question 22

Matthew portrays Jesus as the new _____.

A) David
B) high priest
C) Moses
D) Pharisee

Question 23

According to the four-source hypothesis, much of the Sermon on the Mount is taken from which one of these sources?

A) Mark
B) Luke
C) M
D) Q

Question 24

Which of the following is a major part of the Sermon on the Mount?

A) beatitudes
B) baptism
C) miracles
D) temptation

Question 25

In Matthew, Jesus _____.

A) abandons the Law
B) agrees with the Pharisees about the Law
C) teaches that his followers should follow the Law
D) does not talk about the Law

Question 26

For Matthew, the core of the Law is _____.

A) the commandment to love
B) the commandment against adultery
C) the commandment to sacrifice
D) a belief in Jesus' death and resurrection

Question 27

In Matthew, Jesus explicitly teaches against _____.

A) circumcision
B) keeping the Sabbath
C) keeping dietary laws
D) the Pharisees' hypocrisy

Question 28

Matthew assumes that _____.

A) Jesus came to bring an entirely new Law
B) his community will reject all the Jewish Law
C) his community will follow traditional Jewish Law
D) his community will reject all laws except circumcision

Question 29

Matthew _____.

A) insists that gentiles become Jews
B) insists that gentiles must not become Jews
C) does not explicitly discuss the gentile's relationship to Jewish Law
D) insists that gentiles be circumcised

Question 30

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus' main opponent(s) are _____.

A) the Jewish people
B) the Jewish leaders
C) Pilate
D) Herod

Question 31

Which of the following occurs only in Matthew?

A) Jesus' trial before Pilate
B) Jesus' trial before Herod
C) Pilate's washing of his hands of Jesus' blood
D) the Jews' preference to release Barabbas instead of Jesus

Question 32

At the end of Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells his disciples to teach the gospel and baptize the nations. This passage is called _____.

A) the Great Commission
B) the resurrection
C) the ascension
D) Pentecost

Question 33

The Gospel of the Nazareans is similar to Matthew, but _____.

A) lacks a birth narrative
B) was composed in Hebrew
C) rejects the maintenance of the Jewish Law
D) is among the Dead Sea Scrolls

Question 34

Which non-New Testament Gospel is famous for its walking-talking cross?

A) Gospel of Nicodemus
B) Gospel of Thomas
C) Gospel of Judas
D) Gospel of Peter