Spring 1999 - Quarterly Review

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coming of the kingdom (9:35), they were to proclaim the coming ofthe kingdom. Indeed, they were to repeat the very message of Jesus(see 28:20), announcing that the kingdom of heaven has come near(4:17), just as Jesus himself had echoed the message of John theBaptist (3:2). Like Jesus (15:24), they were to fulfill their missiononly among the lost sheep of Israel (10:6; cf.l0:23). The twelve wereexpected to be like Jesus in what they said and did. Their mission wasto be exactly like his, in word and in deed.Matthew provides the reader of his Gospel with a list of the namesof the twelve (10:2-4), a list he has borrowed from Mark (3:16-19). Atthe head of the list stands the name of Simon, to whom Jesus hadgiven the nickname "Peter." In 16:16-19, the evangelist explains themeaning of this sobriquet. At the bottom of the list stands the name ofJudas Iscariot, soberly portrayed as the one "who betrayed him." Thetragic story of the betrayal will be told in the Passion narrative(26:14-16, 21-25, 47-56; 27:3-10). The evangelist Matthew hassomewhat modified the order of the ten names that appear on the listbetween Simon Peter and Judas Iscariot.In Mark's list the names of Peter, James, and John appear at thebeginning. Then comes the name of Andrew. Mark highlights the threedisciples who are, as it were, Jesus' inner circle. In Matthew's list,however, the name of Andrew is moved up to the second rather thanthe fourth place. Mark tells his reader about the nickname given toJames and John. Jesus called them "Boanerges, that is, Sons ofThunder" (Mark 3:17), but Matthew does not mention this nickname.The changes that Matthew has made on Mark's list are subtle but veryimportant for his story about Jesus.What has Matthew accomplished by omitting the nickname given toJohn and James? First, he has characterized John simply as James'sbrother. A story about the pair and their role among the twelve will betold in 20:20-28; it is not a story which was to bring them honor.Matthew also leaves the reader with the impression that Simon alonereceived a nickname from Jesus, and the omission draws attention toSimon's nickname and highlights the explanation of it in 16:16-19.Finally, Matthew has simplified his list. He begins the list of thetwelve with the names of two pairs of brothers, Simon and Andrew,James and John. The gathering of the twelve appears to be a familyaffair. This is perhaps a not-too-subtle reminder that the twelvepatriarchs were brothers. Fraternity was a feature of the constitution ofthe twelve disciples, a group called together by Jesus to reflect and98 QUARTERLY REVIEW / SPRING <strong>1999</strong>
ing to its eschatological conclusion the function of the patriarchs ofold.Another significant feature of the evangelist's list of the twelve isthe identification of Matthew as the tax collector. Matthew is the onlyone of the twelve whose profession is identified in 10:2-4. The authorof the Gospel according to Matthew is truly a man of letters. Thevarious parts of his story relate to one another. When he uses hiseditorial skill to rework the text that he has from Mark, he does sowith a purpose.The evangelist's identification of Matthew as a tax collector (10:3)recalls the story of the calling of the tax collector (9:9-13). Thetraditional story (Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32) clearly portrays the taxcollector as one whom Jesus called to be a disciple. "Follow me" (9:9)is an invitation to discipleship. The tax collector did follow Jesus, andin doing so he was clearly earmarked as one of the disciples. Earliertradition identified the tax collector by name (Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27).Matthew does as well, and has therefore included the name of the taxcollector on the list in 10:2-4. The evangelist considers his list of thetwelve to be a comprehensive list of Jesus' twelve disciples. Bycalling Matthew a tax collector, the evangelist has been able to getonto the list of the twelve the names of all disciples whose story oftheir call was known to tradition. These were Simon and Andrew(4:18-20), James and John (4:21-22), and Matthew, the tax collector(9:9-13).In Mark's list of the twelve (Mark 3:16-19), on the other hand,there is no identification of Matthew's profession; nor could therebe. Mark identified the tax collector as a man named Levi (Mark2:14). Luke followed Mark's example by similarly identifying thetax collector as a man named Levi (Luke 5:27). This was notacceptable to the author of the Gospel according to Matthew. If thetax collector was truly a disciple of Jesus—and there could be nodoubt that he was—then his name had to appear on the list of thetwelve. So the evangelist changed the name of the tax collectorfrom Levi to Matthew.By changing the name of Levi to Matthew, the evangelist was ableto portray a consistent vision of the twelve disciples and their role inthe history of salvation. Doing so, he earned for himself the nicknameof Matthew. His story about Jesus was anonymously written, as wereall four of the canonical Gospels. Nonetheless, early Christiantradition identified the author of his narrative as Matthew. His taleEARLY SUMMER READING: REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL LECTIONS 99
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Editorial BoardTed A. CampbellWesle
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add to it add to it To add complete
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Thomas E. FrankMinding What We Say:
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ulbs into the bright sunshine. But
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and reinforces the individual's ide
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question is not whether all persons
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marketed to consumers. To achieve t
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Kairos is also a word central to Je
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Notes1. "Large Minutes" of the Meth
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You have nothing to do but to save
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Jesus promises that those people wh
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and living space of others. Others
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Son of God which stills the hunger
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than just recruiting new church mem
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validates our lives, whether we are
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eaches out to those who desperately
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7. Coll and Response: Biblical Foun
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does in his "Letter to Dr. Middleto
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God's will, but because he resists
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foundation of liberty and personal
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forms of evangelism and revivalism
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Christ." 31The topic here is knowle
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conclusion: "By this means, on the
Page 54 and 55: Whether we can be happy at all here
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Page 60 and 61: seemed to me that both projects cal
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Page 66 and 67: PERIOD Phase 1: Phase 2: Phase 3: P
Page 68 and 69: and 1745 to the effect that works a
Page 70 and 71: tension between the Wesleyan herita
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Page 79 and 80: Douglas W. RuffleHoliness and Happi
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Page 89 and 90: Kenneth G. DavisStill Gringo after
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Page 97: ecause I cannot be other than what
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Page 102 and 103: Jesus was not, however, a crowd-ple
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Page 108 and 109: Although the message comes from the
Page 110 and 111: would strike at the very fabric of
Page 112 and 113: these little ones." The parallel an
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Page 116 and 117: July 18,1999—Eighth Sunday after
Page 118 and 119: Matthew's "little apocalypse" descr
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Spring 1999 - Quarterly Review

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