Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global popula ...

, the term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by

Jesus Jesus, likely from he, יֵשׁוּעַ, translit=Yēšūaʿ, label= Hebrew/ Aramaic ( AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ or Jesus of Nazareth (among other names and titles), was a first-century Jewish preacher and relig ...

within the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

.''The Cradle, the Cross, and the Crown: An Introduction to the New Testament'' by Andreas J. Köstenberger, L. Scott Kellum 2009 pages 194-196 The five discourses are listed as the following: the ''

Sermon on the Mount The Sermon on the Mount ( anglicized from the Matthean Vulgate Latin section title: ) is a collection of sayings attributed to Jesus of Nazareth found in the Gospel of Matthew (chapters 5, 6, and 7). that emphasizes his moral teachings. It ...

'', the ''

Mission Discourse Matthew 10 is the tenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. This chapter opens with Jesus calling some of his disciples and sending them out to preach and heal. This section is also known as the ...

'', the '' Parabolic Discourse'', the '' Discourse on the Church,'' and the ''Discourse on End Times''. Each of the discourses has a shorter parallel in the

Gospel of Mark The Gospel of Mark), or simply Mark (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). is the second of the four canonical gospels and of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells of the ministry of Jesus from his baptism by John the Baptist to h ...

or the

Gospel of Luke The Gospel of Luke), or simply Luke (which is also its most common form of abbreviation). tells of the origins, Nativity of Jesus, birth, Ministry of Jesus, ministry, Crucifixion of Jesus, death, Resurrection of Jesus, resurrection, and Ascensi ...

Structure

Biblical scholars generally agree on the existence of the five separate discourses, although discussions and differences of opinion exist about specific details.''The Gospel of Matthew'' by Craig S. Keener 2009 pages 37-38''Preaching Matthew's Gospel'' by Richard A. Jensen 1998 pages 25 & 158 There are occurrences of the closing formula "when Jesus had finished speaking": 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and 26:1. Most scholars consider chapters 23 to 25 to be the final discourse, but some take it to be merely 24 and 25. Beginning with B. W. Bacon in the early 20th century, some scholars have argued that there are five corresponding narratives (plus a prologue and an epilogue) in Matthew that pair with the discourses, but others (e.g.

Jack Kingsbury Jack Dean Kingsbury (born 1934) is the former Aubrey Lee Brooks professor of theology at Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, now an emeritus professor. He is a scholar of the New Testament, specializing in the Book of Matthew and ...

or Craig Blomberg) see three major segments in Matthew in which the 5 discourses take place.''Jesus and the Gospels: An Introduction and Survey'' by Craig L. Blomberg 2009 pages 143-146 Blomberg showed how the five-discourse structure can be used to relate the top-level structure of Matthew with Mark, Luke and John. In his mapping Chapter 13 of Matthew is its centre, as is Mark 8:30 and the beginning of Chapter 12 of John. He then separates Luke into three parts by 9:51 and 18:14. Each of the discourses has shorter parallel passages in the

and the

. The first discourse relates to Luke 6:20-49. The second discourse relates to Mark 6:7-13 as well as Luke 9:1-6 and Luke 10:1-12. The corresponding unit for the third discourse is Mark 4:3-34. The fourth discourse relates to Mark 9:35-48 and the final discourse to Luke 21:5-36 and Mark 13:5-37.''The Gospel of Matthew'' by R. T. France 2007 page
Google-books link
/ref> A number of scholars have compared the five discourses to the five books of the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the ...

, but most contemporary scholars reject the idea of an intentional parallel.

The five discourses

The first discourse

The first discourse (Matthew 5–7) is called the Sermon on the Mount and is one of the best known and most quoted parts of the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

.''The Sermon on the mount: a theological investigation'' by Carl G. Vaught 2001 pages xi-xiv It includes the

Beatitudes The Beatitudes are sayings attributed to Jesus, and in particular eight blessings recounted by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and four in the Sermon on the Plain in the Gospel of Luke, followed by four woes which mi ...

, the

Lord's Prayer The Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father or Pater Noster, is a central Christian prayer which Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gosp ...

and the Golden Rule. To most believers in Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship. The Beatitudes are a key element of this sermon, and are often expressed as a set of ''blessings''. Jesus presents the Beatitudes as a list of those he considered "blessed," or "fortunate," (due to his arrival and their subsequent invitation into the "Kingdom of Heaven"), as opposed to

Ben Sira Ben Sira also known as Shimon ben Yeshua ben Eliezer ben Sira (שמעון בן יהושע בן אליעזר בן סירא) or Yeshua Ben Sirach (), was a Hellenistic Jewish scribe, sage, and allegorist from Seleucid-controlled Jerusalem of th ...

's list of "blessed" peoples (Ben Sira 25:7-11). The Beatitudes work as a welcoming statement to this group of people, and as an introduction to the sermon.''A Dictionary Of The Bible'' by James Hastings 2004 page 15-19''The Synoptics: Matthew, Mark, Luke'' by Ján Majerník, Joseph Ponessa, Laurie Watson Manhardt 2005 , pages 63-68

The second discourse

The second discourse in Matthew 10 provides instructions to the

Twelve Apostles In Christian theology and ecclesiology, the apostles, particularly the Twelve Apostles (also known as the Twelve Disciples or simply the Twelve), were the primary disciples of Jesus according to the New Testament. During the life and minist ...

and is sometimes called the ''Mission Discourse'' or the ''Missionary Discourse'' or the ''Little Commission'' in contrast to the

Great Commission In Christianity, the Great Commission is the instruction of the resurrected Jesus Christ to his disciples to spread the gospel to all the nations of the world. The Great Commission is outlined in Matthew 28:16– 20, where on a mountain i ...

. This discourse is directed to the twelve apostles who are named in Matthew 10:2-3. In the discourse Jesus advises them how to travel from city to city, carry no belongings and to preach only to

Israelite The Israelites (; , , ) were a group of Semitic-speaking tribes in the ancient Near East who, during the Iron Age, inhabited a part of Canaan. The earliest recorded evidence of a people by the name of Israel appears in the Merneptah Stel ...

communities. He tells them to be wary of opposition, but have no fear for they will be told what to say to defend themselves when needed: "For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.", as also stated similarly in Luke 12:12.

The third discourse

The third discourse in Matthew 13 (verses 1-52) provides several parables for the

Kingdom of Heaven Kingdom of Heaven may refer to: Religious * Kingdom of Heaven (Gospel of Matthew) ** Kingship and kingdom of God, or simply Kingdom of God, the phrase used in the other gospels * Kingdom of Heaven (Daviesite), a schismatic sect, founded by Wil ...

and is often called the ''Parabolic Discourse''. The first part of this discourse, in Matthew 13:1-35 takes place outside when Jesus leaves a house and sits near the Lake to address the disciples as well as the multitudes of people who have gathered to hear him.''Matthew'' by Charles H. Talbert 2010 (Discourse 3) pages 162-173 This part includes the parables of the Sower,

the Tares The Parable of the Tares or Weeds (KJV: ''tares'', WNT: ''darnel'', DRB: ''cockle'') is a parable of Jesus which appears in . The parable relates how servants eager to pull up weeds were warned that in so doing they would root out the wheat as ...

, the Mustard Seed and

the Leaven ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the ...

. In the second part Jesus goes back inside the house and addresses the disciples. This part includes the parables of

the Hidden Treasure The Parable of the Hidden Treasure is a well known parables of Jesus, parable of Jesus, which appears in Gospel of Matthew, Matthew]13:44 and illustrates the great value of the Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven. It immediately precedes the parabl ...

, Parable of the Pearl, the Pearl and

Drawing in the Net Jesus' parable of drawing in the net, or the parable of the dragnet, appears in and refers to the final judgment. This parable is the seventh and last in Matthew 13, which began with the parable of the Sower. It directly follows the Parable of ...

The fourth discourse

The fourth discourse in Matthew 18 is often called the ''Discourse on the Church''. It includes the parables of

The Lost Sheep The Parable of the Lost Sheep is one of the parables of Jesus. It appears in the Gospels of Matthew () and Luke (). It is about a shepherd who leaves his flock of ninety-nine sheep in order to find the one which is lost. It is the first member ...

and

The Unforgiving Servant The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (also known as ''Ungrateful Servant'', ''Unmerciful Servant'', or ''Wicked Servant'' but not to be confused with the parable of the Two Debtors) is a parable of Jesus which appears in the Gospel of Matthew. ...

which also refer to the Kingdom of Heaven. The general theme of the discourse is the anticipation of a future community of followers, and the role of his apostles in leading it. Addressing his apostles in 18:18, Jesus states: "what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven", see also

Binding and loosing Binding and loosing is originally a Jewish Mishnaic phrase also mentioned in the New Testament, as well as in the Targum. In usage, ''to bind'' and ''to loose'' simply means ''to forbid by an indisputable authority'' and ''to permit by an indisput ...

. This power is first given to Peter in chapter 16 after Peter confesses that Jesus is the "son of the living God". In addition to the powers of binding and loosing, Peter is given the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and is sometimes considered the "rock" on which Christ built his Church. The discourse emphasizes the importance of humility and self-sacrifice as the high virtues within the anticipated community. It teaches that in the Kingdom of God, it is childlike humility that matters, not social prominence and clout.''Matthew'' by Larry Chouinard 1997 page 321''Behold the King: A Study of Matthew'' by Stanley D. Toussaint 2005 pages 215-216

The fifth discourse

Although assessments of its scope vary, the final discourse can be taken to include Matthew 23, 24, and 25. Jason Hood outlines the academic discussion about the extent of the last discourse. Matthew 24 is usually called the Olivet Discourse, because it was given on the

Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...

; it is also referred to as the ''Discourse on the End Times''. The discourse corresponds to Mark 13 and

Luke 21 Luke 21 is the twenty-first chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the observations and predictions of Jesus Christ delivered in the temple in Jerusalem.Halley, Henry H. ''Halley's Bible Handbook'': a ...

and is mostly about judgment and the expected conduct of the followers of Jesus, and the need for vigilance by the followers in view of the coming judgment.''The Gospel according to Matthew'' by Leon Morris 1992 pages 593-596 The discourse is prompted by a question the disciples ask about the "end of the age" (

end times Eschatology (; ) concerns expectations of the end of the present age, human history, or of the world itself. The end of the world or end times is predicted by several world religions (both Abrahamic and non-Abrahamic), which teach that nega ...

or end of this world and beginning of the

world to come The world to come, age to come, heaven on Earth, and the Kingdom of God are eschatological phrases reflecting the belief that the current world or current age is flawed or cursed and will be replaced in the future by a better world, age, or ...

), and receives the longest response provided by Jesus in the New Testament.McArthur, J. (1989), ''Matthew 24-28'', The discourse is generally viewed as referring both to the coming destruction of the

Temple in Jerusalem The Temple in Jerusalem, or alternatively the Holy Temple (; , ), refers to the two now-destroyed religious structures that served as the central places of worship for Israelites and Jews on the modern-day Temple Mount in the Old City of Jeru ...

, as well as the End Times and

Second Coming of Christ The Second Coming (sometimes called the Second Advent or the Parousia) is a Christian (as well as Islamic and Baha'i) belief that Jesus will return again after his ascension to heaven about two thousand years ago. The idea is based on messia ...

, but the many scholarly opinions about the overlap of these two issues, and exactly which verses refer to which event remain divided and complex.

References

{{Sermon on the Mount Gospel of Matthew Christian terminology