3. Four Concerns

Matthew stressed four themes:

First, and above all, he presented his community with a new understanding of their mission. They had been sent to "the lost sheep of Israel." But now they should devote themselves to the wider Gentile mission.(7)

Secondly, to carry out that mission, he urged them no longer to understand themselves as a sectarian group within Judaism. Recent developments indicated that they should accept their separation from Jamnia Pharisaism and claim an independent identity with roots in Jesus Christ and through him in their Jewish past.(8)

Thirdly, Matthew urged reconciliation, forgiveness, and mutual love within the community; for the Gentile mission would never succeed unless the community learned how to manage the confusion, tension and conflict that divided them one from another.(9)

Finally, as motivation for the Gentile mission, Matthew assured his community that, when the Son of Man comes, he would judge not only them but also the Gentiles to whom they were sent.(10)

4. New Understanding of Mission

During his ministry, Jesus stated explicitly: "My mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt 15:24). He sent his disciples on mission with the same directive (Mt 10:5b). The vision seemed clear: Jesus came to work for the salvation of Israel. This does not mean that Jesus had no contact with the Gentiles. The Gentile Magi recognized him at his birth (Mt 2:1-12), and the faith of the Gentiles had, at times, amazed even Jesus (Mt 8:10; 15:28). During his preaching, moreover, Jesus had hinted that changes would come. The parables of the two sons, the wicked tenants, and the marriage feast (Mt 21:28-22:14) had all focused on the infidelity of the Jews and the passing of salvation to others (Mt 21:34).

By the time Matthew wrote, the mission to the Gentiles had become a major issue of Church policy. When describing the end of the world, only Matthew's Jesus states explicitly that "this good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world as a witness to all the nations. Only after that will the end come" (Mt 24:14). Matthew calls his Church to an extended mission, reminding them that the end will not come until the mission to the Gentiles is accomplished. Although limited to Israel during the life of Jesus, Christian mission in the post-Easter period is a broad, all-embracing commitment to all nations of the world. The risen Christ, endowed with full authority, commands and missions his followers to make disciples of the whole world (Mt 28:19). Exegetes have long recognized that the final commission "to make disciples of all nations" (Mt 28:16-20) dominates Matthew's historical and theological perspective.

As Matthew's community struggles with its own sense of identity and purpose, Matthew unites them in a common sense of ministry to the world. His call and vision imply a new sense of Church, and energize his followers to corporate action.

As Matthew's community began to consolidate and expand, it became profoundly aware of its own authority, and struggled to identify structures through which that authority could be channeled.

Composed of several groups, each with its own value system, Matthew's community needed him to call them all to a spirit of reconciliation and a sense of communion.

As a reaction to outside pressures and persecution, the faith of many weakened. The Church needed to be called back to an appreciation of the centrality of Jesus and the need for a living, fruitful faith in him.

Finally, in the changing world of the post-Easter Church, the loss of a sense of purpose and direction needed to be challenged. Matthew focused his community's commitment, launching out to a visionary mission of world conversion.(11)