Wells Cathedral Sermon, Canon Dr Graham Dodds - Sept 21 2014 - We have a
Gospel to Proclaim
‘We have a gospel to proclaim, Good news for men in all the earth.’ Edward Burns’
hymn, written in 1968 may not have caught up with the movement to promote
inclusive language,1 but it certainly was a forerunner in the movement to encourage
mission in the Church of England.
Burns was ordained in 1961 and wrote this hymn in response to the 1968 Blackburn
diocesan initiative entitled, ‘Call to Mission’. He said he wrote it ‘out of the conviction
that as a church we have been too hesitant in the vital matter of proclaiming the
message’. And in this sense he articulated an opinion others would follow.
With the emphasis on mission in the 1988 Lambeth Conference, the decade of
evangelism in the 1990s, the birth of the missionary Springboard team, and the
report Mission Shaped Church in 2004, the Church has placed its eggs in the
mission basket. And rightly so, for as Jesus said at the end of Matthew’s gospel in
Chapter 28 - As you are going, make disciples of all nations. I preached on that
theme on Trinity Sunday earlier in the year and I’ve been musing on Matthew’s
gospel since then. So today as we celebrate St Matthew I’d like to share my musings
and reflection on Matthew’s gospel
There’s so much written about it and too much to cover in the time we have here, so
I’ll also put on the website with this sermon one or two books references that I’ve
found helpful by John Fenton, R.T. France and Benedict Green. So perhaps this is
more of a meditation on the whole gospel part of which was read just a moment ago
in the service.
Like any book of the Bible, scholars have spent oodles of time trying to decode the
authorship, date and circumstances of Matthew’s gospel. We could spend a lot of
time this morning thinking about sources such as Q and M and how much of Mark’s
gospel is included in Matthew and so forth, but I suspect I might just bore you to
sleep, so just a couple of relevant points about the background.
It is more than likely that the ‘Matthew’, in whose name the gospel is written, is the
same as Levi in the gospel reading this morning. If that is so, then Matthew the
Levite was one of the apostles named in the lists in Matthew 10, Mark 3 and Luke 6.
Although it is technically possible that the apostle Matthew wrote the gospel, it is
probably unlikely that he did. My personal belief is, and it might be wishful thinking,
that it was written within a community of which Matthew was, at sometime, a part.
Historic sources such as Bishop Papias, Ignatius of Antioch and Eusebius, the early
historian, all link the piece of writing to a person named Matthew and so maybe there
is some link back to the apostle. But that is speculation.
As to when it was written, most scholars date it about 80-90 AD and almost all
accept it was written in the aftermath of the tragic and brutal Roman Jewish wars of
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There are versions of the hymn now that are inclusive
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the late 60s. This date, after AD 70, is important because it suggests something of
the nature of the gospel.
We’ve heard much about nations seeking independence over the last days and here
in the 1st century, the fractious relationship between the Jews and the Romans in
Israel had reached breaking point.
Roman economic oppression of the Jews had been one of the causes of the Great
Jewish Rebellion of 66 AD and tax collectors were hated. So it is quite surprising that
the gospel of Matthew is written, at least in the name of one who was known as a tax
collector – a seeming enemy of the people. It is a provocative gospel. The gospel
was written in a time of huge uncertainty. The Great Rebellion led to the destruction
of the temple and the ferocious sacking of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Religious people fled
to hideaways and what was needed was some encouragement. Matthew’s gospel is
devised to be both a courageous and a comforting gospel. Third, the followers of
Jesus were at the crossroads of deciding whether to remain Jews, reform Judaism or
form a separate church. And although the gospel encourages an argument for
Jewish reform - to incorporate Christ, it doesn’t compromise the distinctiveness of
the message of Jesus, and so almost inevitably becomes a gospel of a new
movement.
And so it is in the midst of this context that the embryonic gospel of Matthew makes
its appearance, and by 115 AD had become established as a significant piece of
writing.
It is a synoptic gospel, meaning it gives a synopsis of Jesus life,2 but its structure is
interesting for it forms five sections within the narrative of Jesus’ life and times.
These five discourses, as they are called, have one central theme – the kingdom of
Heaven. And this emphasis on the Kingdom, in the light of the chaos of the wars and
persecutions and dilemmas I spoke of a moment ago, hints at what good news is.
So I’d like to spend time considering these five discourses with some extracts and
I’m grateful to a colleague for reading them for us.
After the first few chapters on the lineage, birth and preparation for Jesus’ ministry,
the gospel outlines what it means to be a disciple in the kingdom of heaven, and we
come to what I regard as one of the most beautiful passages in the whole New
Testament – Chapter 5, the Sermon on the Mount, and in particular the Beatitudes:
[Reader]
Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
The synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark and Luke means that the synopses of Jesus’
life and times may be compared by putting them alongside each other. The ‘synoptic
problem’, as it is often termed concerns itself with how the gospels were written.
Which was written first? Who borrowed material from the others, and what extra
material was available? This has given rise to sources such as Q, from a German
word (Quelle) meaning source, and other sources, sometimes termed M.
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Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they shall be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is
the kingdom of heaven.
This pure poetry has been inspirational for so many people throughout the ages. It
forms a basis for our hope, a foundation for our behaviour and a goal for our
devotions. Chapters 5-7 give way to the description of the calling of Matthew the
Levite as one of the twelve disciples, read as the gospel this morning and this leads
into the second discourse in Chapter 10 about the mission of Jesus:
[Reader]
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out
impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness…
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among
the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep
of Israel. As you go, proclaim this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven has
come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy,
drive out demons. Freely you have received; freely give.
This second discourse shows how Jesus called his disciples to a vocation – to share
the healing and transformative works of God. The good news of God is that within
the kingdom is a chance of a new start, our damaged-ness repaired, our broken lives
made whole.
Having inspired us in the first discourse with the beatitudes and persuaded us of the
potential of a holistic life in the second through the sending out of the disciples, the
gospel then tantalizes us with the mystery of the kingdom of heaven in chapter 13.
Here are some extracts:
[Reader]
That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. And great
crowds gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat down. And the
whole crowd stood on the beach. And he told them many things in parables,
saying: “A sower went out to sow…
He put another parable before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is like a
grain of mustard seed…
The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three
measures of flour, till it was all leavened…
The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found
and covered up…
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The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on
finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it…
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and
gathered fish of every kind…
This kingdom of heaven both is and isn’t like this world – it turns the values of the
world upside down, gives hope and new life, forgiveness and grace.
The first discourse - Inspiration and the promise of living life to the full, the second –
sent out to share the good news, the third – mystery and adventure in finding the
kingdom – the disciples are intrigued and want to know more about who will inhabit
this kingdom? The fourth discourse in chapter 18 tells it quite plainly:
[Reader]
At this time the disciples came to Jesus and said, 'Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of Heaven?' So he called a little child to him whom he set among
them. Then he said, 'In truth I tell you, unless you change and become like
little children you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven. And so, the one
who makes himself as little as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of
Heaven. 'Anyone who welcomes one little child like this in my name welcomes
me.
Whether we are aunts or uncles, mothers, fathers or grandparents, one thing we all
share in common is that we were once children, and indeed we are always children.
To forget the vocation to be a child is to lose the grace God gives and this fourth
discourse makes it clear that we should treat each other with care, as our heavenly
Father treats us.
So how do we attain this good news kingdom? The fifth and final discourse gives the
answer at the end of Chapter 25:
[Reader]
The King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has
blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the
foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome, lacking
clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came
to see me."
Then the upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry
and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger
and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you? When did we find
you sick or in prison and go to see you?" And the King will answer, "In truth I
tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine,
you did it to me."
Who will attain the kingdom? – those who provide sustenance for life, who give
hospitality, who preserve human dignity, who are compassionate to whoever they
meet.
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Gospel means good news. So I ask myself how does my life proclaim good news?
How do I show others the kingdom of heaven - my friends; family; neighbours –
those with whom I work with; those who I encounter in the street; those who I don’t
know but see on the news each night?
And so I have mused on Matthew’s gospel. And maybe during this week we might be
persuaded to read it again. That we might be inspired by the beatitudes; we might
hear the call of Jesus sending us; we might recognise the mystery of the kingdom
and become child-like as we engage with others; in order that we might proclaim the
gospel – good news for us, in all the earth. And I pray that as the Church of God, as
this Cathedral in Wells, as followers of Christ, as citizens of the world we might
inherit the kingdom of heaven:
Now we rejoice to name him King
Jesus is Lord of all the earth
This gospel message we proclaim
We sing his glory tell his worth
Book references
Below are the titles of just four commentaries about Matthew’s gospel worth looking
at for their different points of view, of course there are many others:
Saint Matthew by John Fenton, published by Penguin Books
The Gospel according to Matthew by H Benedict Green, published by Oxford
University Press
The Gospel of Matthew (The New Century Bible Commentary) by David Hill,
published by Marshall, Morgan and Scott
Matthew – Evangelist and Teacher by R.T. France, published by Paternoster
Press
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