God with Us: A Pastoral Theology of Matthew’s Gospel
Overview
In this creative approach, Mark Allan Powell inquires into the thrust of Matthew’s Gospel in categories related to pastoral theology rather than systematic theology. Fresh insights are gained into the intentions of the evangelist. This volume discusses Matthew’s understanding of key Christian subjects.
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- Analyzes the Gospel of Matthew from a pastoral perspective
- Discusses the intentions of Matthew with fresh insight
- Considers the situation in which the Gospel of Matthew was initially presented
- Mission
- Worship
- Teaching
- Stewardship
- Social justice
Top Highlights
“Our central thesis, then, is that the mission of the church is, for Matthew, a continuation of what God has begun to accomplish in the mission of Jesus on earth.” (Page 3)
“When we examine this narrative we discover that Jesus saves his people from their sins in three ways: (1) by announcing and effecting the eschatological rule of God so that sins may now be authoritatively forgiven; (2) by fulfilling the law and the prophets so that sins may now be avoided; and (3) by calling sinners into a new community where the eschatological forgiveness and ethical restraint of sins is a lived reality. Matthew’s description of Jesus’ mission, then, has an eschatological character, an ethical dimension, and a communal focus.” (Page 7)
“Jesus is not to save his people from persecution or from political oppression, or from any number of other evils that might derive from the sins of others.13 Jesus’ mission is to save his people from their own sins. We note, further, that Matthew does not present Jesus’ mission as being to save people from sin but from sins.” (Page 6)
“What has come near is not simply the transcendent rule of God that has governed all of God’s dealings with Israel but, specifically, the eschatological rule of God that brings fulfillment of all God’s promises.” (Page 9)
“The mission of Jesus is summarized in Matthew’s Gospel as being to ‘save his people from their sins’ (1:21).” (Page 3)
Powell has rendered a great service to scholars and pastors by interpreting Matthew’s Gospel according to a ‘pastoral’ reading that corresponds in a remarkably satisfying way to the intentions of the Gospel and the situation out of which it was originally addressed. This is the kind of book about which one is tempted to ask, ‘Why hasn’t anyone thought of this before?’
—David R. Bauer, Ralph Waldo Beeson Professor of Inductive Biblical Studies, Asbury Theological Seminary
- Title: God with Us: A Pastoral Theology of Matthew’s Gospel
- Author: Mark Allan Powell
- Publisher: Fortress Press
- Publication Date: 1995
- Pages: 168
- Christian Group: Lutheran
- Resource Type: Monographs
- Topic: Biblical Studies