The Pontifical and Royal ECCLESIASTICAL FACULTIES

UNIVERSITY OF SANTO TOMAS Faculty of Sacred Theology

MAPALO, GERARD LOUIEZ I PEREZ REV. FR. ANGEL A. APARICIO OP

Bachelor of Sacred Theology I Instructor, Gospel 1: Mark and Matthew

DISCIPLESHIP IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Introduction
Aside from his sacrifice on the cross and his resurrection, making disciples was one of the most
important things that our Lord Jesus Christ did during his time on earth. Christ didn't write any
books, and he didn't start any businesses or organizations. He also didn't leave behind any
buildings or monuments to remember him. But he put the future of his work on earth in the
hands of his disciples, a small group of people who followed him around. If they hadn't done
their job, the Church of Christ would almost certainly not be around today.

As in the other gospels, Matthew ties the theme of faith to the life of a disciple, and the most
important part of being a disciple is to do what Jesus says: "Follow me" (4:19 and 9:9).
Matthew's unique contribution to the theme of discipleship is how important he thinks it is that
Jesus' followers are good students. The disciples, the special group of twelve people Jesus called,
are mentioned many times in the gospel (10:1-4). Sometimes they show how to follow Jesus, and
sometimes they don't understand or act right, showing how not to follow.1

This paper will try to take a quick look at what it means to be a disciple in the New Testament,
focusing on the Gospel of Matthew. We will also look at what it meant to be a disciple in
Matthew and who really is a disciple. We will also try to figure out what the disciple's mission is
and how it fits into Matthew's view of the world.

Discipleship in the New Testament

The idea of "discipleship" was not new to the people who lived during Christ's time. By the time
the New Testament was written, the words for "disciples" had changed in ways that are
important for us to understand. The most important thing for us to understand is how Our Lord's
idea of discipleship differs from that of His contemporaries, because this is where the biggest
differences between Jesus and His opponents come out. It is also where a lot of the wrong ideas
we have today began. In the New Testament, the picture of a disciple is not as clear or simple as

1
Warren Carter, Matthew: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers,
2008), 215.

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one might hope, because the words mathetes (which means "student" or "learner") and
akoloutheo (which means "to follow") are used in different ways.

John the Baptist (Matthew 9:14; 11:2; John 1:35, 37), the Pharisees (Matthew 22:16; Mark 2:18;
Luke 5:33), and even Moses all had followers (John 9:28). People who are called disciples of
Jesus in the Bible are very different from each other. John uses the word "disciple" in John 6:60
and 66 to talk about people who follow Jesus but don't believe in him and do it mostly out of
curiosity or bad desires. Disciples were also the name for the many people who came to believe
in Jesus and trusted him as their Messiah (John 8:30-31). Then, of course, the term was used
most often and most often of the twelve disciples (Matthew 10:1-ffg), one of whom was His
betrayer (John 6:70-71). In the circle of the twelve, Peter, James, and John made up an inner
circle of three (Luke 9:28). In the book of Acts, the words "disciple" and "believer" seem to
mean the same thing (cf. Acts 6:1-2,7).2

Discipleship in Matthew

As we've seen, the word for "disciple" is mathe-te-s, which means "one who learns through the
teaching of another." So, what are the people who follow Jesus supposed to learn? We already
said that Jesus shows people how to follow God. More specifically, Matthew shows him as
someone who didn't come to get rid of the Law and the Prophets, but to fulfill them (5:17). Jesus
does this in part because he is the best Torah teacher and shows the fullest meaning of the Law
and the Prophets. This shows what it means to bring out "the new and the old." As God's Son, he
teaches a greater righteousness (5:20) because he wants people to obey God and his will for
humanity more completely. Jesus' authoritative teaching is shown in 5:21–48, where he
"radicalizes" (gets to the heart of) Torah in three different ways. First, he talks about the inner
state that will lead to good actions and behavior. He warns against the dangers of letting anger
and lust control you. Second, Jesus demands that people always be faithful in their relationships
and tell the truth. Because of this, he condemns the pursuit of things that make it harder to be
faithful and tell the truth. Third, he tells people to be heroes by not getting back at their enemies
and loving them anyway. In this way, he teaches a higher level of kindness than any other code
of conduct.3

At the end of his gospel, Matthew reveals a big reason why he stresses how important it is to
follow Jesus. There, Jesus tells his followers, "Make disciples of all nations" (mathe–teusate)
(28:19).4 This involves not only baptizing but also ‘teaching them to observe all that I have
commanded you (28:20). The learners must, in turn, become teachers of Jesus’ “Torah,” the way
of faith.
2
Cf. Discipleship: Its Definitions and Dangers (Matthew 23:1-12) Bob Deffinbaugh
http://bible.org/seriespage/discipleship-its-definitions-and-dangers-matthew-231-12
3
Thomas D. Stegman SJ New Testament Portraits of Faith (1): Gospel of Matthew March-April
2013. http://thepastoralreview.org/index.php?option=com/matthew&catid=42:
4
Cf. David J. Bosch, Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission
(MaryKnoll: Orbis Books, 2011), 5.

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The Mission of the Disciples

Matthew sees Jesus as both the Messiah of Israel and the Lord of all people. The disciples'
mission to the rest of the world is based on Jesus' mission to Israel. This is implied by the fact
that the stories about Jesus' interactions with Gentiles are included, and it's clear from what Jesus
says about Gentiles (2:1-12; 8:5-13; 8:28-34; 10:14-15; 11:20-24; 12:41-42; 15:21-28; 27:11-26;
27:27-54).5 Christ's work in the world could be put into three groups: teaching, preaching, and
healing. During his public ministry, only Christ taught with authority. In chapter 10, the apostles
are told to preach and heal, but in chapter 28:20, they are only told to teach. 6 In Matthew 10:5-8,
Jesus told his disciples to go out and preach, not to the Gentiles, but to the lost sheep of the house
of Israel. Many people find it hard to believe that Jesus ever said anything like this. This seems
very out of character for him, and it has been suggested that this quote was put in his mouth by
those who wanted to keep the gospel for the Jews in later years. These were the same people who
fought Paul hard when he wanted to take the gospel to the Gentiles. 7 We know for sure that it
wasn't a permanent order. Jesus' interactions with the Samaritan woman, the healing of the
daughter of a Syro-Phoenician woman, and his final command to his disciples to go into the
whole world and bring all nations into the gospel (28:19–20) could show that he didn't just care
about Jews. Barclay suggested three reasons for the first mission of the twelve. First of all, the
Jews had a very important place in God's plan, so they had to be the first ones to hear about the
gospel. Second, the Twelve were not ready to preach to people outside of Israel. They didn't have
the right background, knowledge, or skills. Before the gospel could be effectively spread to the
Gentiles, a man with Paul's life and background had to appear. Lastly, smart commanders know
that they need to limit their goals. They have to focus their attack on one point. The more limited
their immediate goal must be, the smaller their forces must be. Jesus is smart, and he didn't
spread out his forces. Instead, he focused his attack on one limited goal so that he could win a
final and universal victory.8

Matthew thinks that the Twelve are in charge of the mission to Israel (10:5–42; 23:34–37) and
the mission to the rest of the world (22:2-14; 24:14; 26:13; 28:18-19). Jesus' command to go to
"all nations" ends the rule that missionary work can only be done in Israel (10:5), but that doesn't
mean Israel isn't part of the disciples' mission. Eckhard Schnabel says that the following five
observations show that this is true. In Mt 24:7, 24:14, and 25:32, the word v means "all nations"
without any restrictions. In the same verse, 28:19, Jesus says that God has given him "all
authority in heaven and on earth." This claim, which is based on Daniel 7:13–14, says that the

5
Florian Wilk, Jesus und die Völker in der Sicht der Synoptiker (BZNW 109; Berlin: De Gruyter,
2001), 133-146.
6
John P. Meier, Matthew (Wilmington: Michael Glazier Inc., 1985), 35.
7
William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, vol.1 (Bangalore: Theological Publication, 2010),
419.
8
Ibid, 420.

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missionary commission cannot be limited in any way. Matthew says that Jesus gave his disciples
clear instructions when he told them that they could only do missionary work among the Jews of
Galilee (Mt 10:5). After his death and resurrection, Jesus took away this rule. If he added a new
rule at the same time, we would expect Matthew to give clear information about how Israel
would no longer be included in their missionary work. 4. In Mt 10, Matthew doesn't talk about
when the Twelve came back from their missionary work in Israel. Based on how the Gospel of
Matthew is put together, this means that the mission to Israel is still going on. 5. Matthew says
that Jesus faced not only opposition and rejection but also faith and acceptance. In Galilee, there
were a lot of people who liked and followed Jesus. This shows that Matthew had a good chance
of succeeding in his missionary work among Jews in the future. So, Matthew says in 28:18–19
that Israel is now a part of the world of the nations. Israel's status as the one and only people of
God is no longer absolute because more people will join God's people. We don't know if the
Jewish-Christian people who read Matthew's Gospel were shocked by the end. Matthew says that
Israel has finished her part in the history of salvation because Jesus' death on the cross,
resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God marks the end of his work to save people. 9

Discipleship and the Theology of Matthew’s Gospel

The most important Jewish-Christian book in the New Testament is Matthew's Gospel. Matthew
sees the story of Jesus as the story of his own community, which was called from Israel by the
real Jesus and is now being sent to the Gentiles because Israel turned them down. Matthew's
story about Jesus is about as important to his community as the Pentateuch is to Israel. This is
why his theology is so deeply Jewish. Matthew doesn't see a big difference between Judaism and
Christianity. Jesus, who did what the Law and the prophets said he would do, is the real Israel.
He thinks that the main disagreement with other Jewish groups, especially the Pharisees, is about
what the real Israel is. The Matthean community thought of itself as a Jewish group that
represented the real Israel. Matthew's faith is based on Jesus, his story, and what he taught.10

The Lord sends out his disciples to turn all men and women into disciples. So, in Matthew,
discipleship is a synonym for the Christian life. The role of the disciples can only be fully
understood by looking at the mission of their Master (Jesus). From the gospel, we learn that
Jesus came to be the shepherd of God's people Israel (2:6). So, His disciples were to be His
helpers. That is, they were to "fish for people" (4:19). The disciples are the ones Jesus teaches
about the kingdom of heaven (chapters 5-7). They are the salt and the light, and they are told to
act in a way that brings glory to God (5:13-16).

The disciples were then to help Jesus do his job as both shepherd and savior of the house of
Israel. Even though Jesus' disciples didn't seem to be important and even worked against his

9
Eckhard J. Schnabel The First Gospel and Matthew’s Mission Narrative, Theological and
Historical Perspectives (Philadelphia: Society of Biblical Literature, November 2005), 11.
10
Ulrich Luz, The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,
2003), 148-149.

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mission, like when Peter tried to stop Jesus from going the way his mission would be
accomplished (by dying), discipleship is still a big part of what he taught.

The disciples will be the ones to tell others about the transfiguration vision after the resurrection
(17:9). They will have the power to bind and loosen in the church (18:18–20). They will sit on
the twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel (19:28). They will be the ones to spread
the gospel of the kingdom all over the world (24:14). Most importantly, they will spread the
good news of the resurrection.

With Jesus' death on the cross, his resurrection, and his power over the whole world, he was able
to start a new group of people who would be saved. So, everyone Jesus saves from their sins is
now part of a group of people from all over the world who are tied to him through baptism and
following his rules (28:19-20). With this in mind, the disciples had two important jobs: they were
the ones Jesus would use to build this new community. This will happen when they "make
disciples," which is another way of saying "baptize." And second, they were meant to show what
it means to be a part of that community.

The official teaching office of the Church, called the Magisterium, has a special role to play in
carrying out Jesus' mission. But the most powerful way to teach others about Jesus' ways is to
live out his "Torah" in real-world situations and needs. In this way, everyone who follows Jesus
is called to be a teacher and a witness to the way of faith that Jesus taught. Jesus doesn't tell his
followers to be "the salt of the earth" (5:13) and "the light of the world" (5:12) for no reason
(5:14).

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Bibliography

Barclay, William. The Gospel of Matthew, vol.1 Bangalore: Theological Publication, 2010.

Bosch, David J. Transforming Mission: Paradigm Shifts in Theology of Mission. MaryKnoll: Orbis
Books, 2011.

Carter, Warren. Matthew: Storyteller, Interpreter, Evangelist. Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 2008.

Luz, Ulrich. The Theology of the Gospel of Matthew. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2003.

Meier, John P. Matthew. Wilmington: Michael Glazier Inc., 1985.

Schnabel, Eckhard J. The First Gospel and Matthew’s Mission Narrative, Theological and Historical
Perspectives. Philadelphia: Society of Biblical Literature, November 2005.

Wilk, Florian. Jesus und die Völker in der Sicht der Synoptiker. BZNW 109; Berlin: De Gruyter, 2001.

Internet Materials
Discipleship: Its Definitions and Dangers (Matthew 23:1-12) Bob Deffinbaugh
http://bible.org/seriespage/discipleship-its-definitions-and-dangers-matthew-231-12

Thomas D. Stegman SJ New Testament Portraits of Faith (1): Gospel of Matthew March-April2013.
http://thepastoralreview.org/index.php?option=com/matthew&catid=42: