Introduction

The episode about the two greatest commandments appears in all Synoptic gospels in different contexts. In Mark and Matthew, it appears within a a series of disputations with the power groups of Jerusalem. In Luke, it appears in the context of Jesus' journey towards Jerusalem and introduces the parable about the Good Samaritan. Matthew follows the outline of Mark in presenting the episode. The Pharisees are out to "test" Jesus. In Matthew's gospel, this has been happening since the time Jesus heals a man with a withered hand in a synagogue (Matthew 12:14). The resolve then was to "destroy" Jesus (12:14). Since then, Matthew presents the question about a sign (16:1-4) and the question about divorce (19:1-12) as specific examples by which the Pharisees carry out their plan. After Jesus' entry into Jerusalem and the commotion he causes in the Temple, he is approached first by chief priests and elders who ask him about his authority, then by students and Pharisees and Herodians (22:15-22), Sadducees (22:23-33) and finally by the Pharisees themselves.

Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem is recalled by the Church at the beginning of Holy Week. It is reenacted before the beginning of the Mass for Passion Sunday, so called because the Gospel proclamation for that particular day is about the Passion of Jesus. Palm fronds are used in the reenactment where olive branches would not be available. The passage about Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem is read at the doorway of the Church and is followed by the priest's entrance and procession towards the altar for the beginning of the Eucharistic celebration. In Year A, the Church reads Matthew 21:1-11 for the reenactment. Matthew's account of Jesus' entrance is not so much a report about what happened two thousand years ago, but a proclamation of the significance of Jesus' final entrance into the city that he loved and often visited (cf. the many times Jesus goes to the Temple in the Gospel of John). Matthew retells the story of Jesus' entrance in order to invite his hearers to see in Jesus the "Son of David" who chooses the way of humility and obedience and so enters his glory as the Christ (see Matthew 28:18-20)

Introduction

The account of the Passion of Jesus is the oldest layer of the Gospels, understood in its literary form. When Mark incorporated it into his Gospel, he provided other Christian writers with an impartial and descriptive record of Jesus' last days on earth. In writing his Gospel, Matthew rewrites the Passion in a way that fits his "theology" of Jesus. He is "the Christ, Son of God" who submits himself totally to the Father's will and in his person fulfills the prophecies of old. Our discussions will follow the presentation of the liturgical reading of the Passion of Jesus for Palm Sunday, Year A.

The account of the Transfiguration is closely associated with the Confession of Peter and Jesus' response to Peter's protest against his suffering and death. The synoptics provide us with common elements in the story:

Right after Jesus' baptism and before he begins his ministry in Galilee as the light that shines on those who sit in darkness, Jesus is tempted by the Devil. Matthew (4:1-11) follows Mark's outline here and like Luke expands the narrative to include the dialogue between the Tempter and Jesus.

Matthew 5:1-7:29 is the famous Sermon on the Mount. It is the first major discourse of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew and is the first time that Jesus is formally presented as the New Moses. In Matthew 2:13-23, Matthew had presented Jesus as the New Moses through well-placed fulfillment passages within a story about Jesus escaping a king's paranoidal attempt to prevent anyone grabbing his throne. Here, Jesus actually lays down the constitutions of the kingdom that he proclaims.

After a brief description of Jesus' temptation in the Desert (Mk. 1:12-13), Mark immediately proceeds to narrate the beginnings of Jesus' ministry (Mk. 1:14-15) and the call of the first disciples (Mk. 1:16-20). Matthew for his part, while retaining the Marcan outline builds up the narrative with his own materials and in so doing adds more nuances to the account of the beginning of Jesus' ministry (Mt. 4:12-17), and the call of the fishermen (Mt. 4:18-22). The liturgy of the third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) adds the beginning of the summary section of the healing activity of Jesus (4:23-25) which was intended to explain the "crowd" in Mt. 5:1, the audience of the Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:1-7:29).

Luke's narrative of Jesus' childhood ends with the account of Jesus' finding in the Temple in Luke 2:41-52. It is a sort of snapshop of the twelve-year old Jesus who now begins to go about his "Father's business" by staying in Nazareth under the guidance of Mary and Joseph. The narrative is somewhat similar to the one previous to it where Jesus is presented for the first time at the Temple (2:22-40). There, Jesus is presented at the Temple for the redemption of the first-born and Mary's purification, (b) while there, Simeon and Anna present the infant to Mary, and finally (c) Jesus' parents bring him back to Nazareth.

Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism is a rewriting of traditional materials so as to explain why Jesus "the One Mightier" had to be baptized by John. Below is a table showing the accounts of Matthew, Mark and Luke in the NAB translation (click on the image for a larger, printable view)

Matthew 2:1-12 continues the story of Jesus' birth which began with Matthew 1:18. At the same time, it is the first part of a sub-plot that will show how Divine Providence protects "its investment" through Joseph (cf. Matthew 2: 13-23). Here however, Matthew's intention is to recount the meeting of the magi with "the child ... and his mother".