March 18th, 2023

This Sunday is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, and the Gospel text is from John 9[:1-41 or 1-7, 13-17, 34-39]. The writings on this website are following a much slower path. We are currently making our way through the Gospel according to Matthew.

Last week’s writing contained a translation of the last use of that special word ‘Father’ within the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), and it was certainly a significant use. Jesus called the Father MY Father. The closest he came previously to that occurrence was the middle use of ‘Father’ in the sermon, where he said we could call God OUR Father in what is commonly known as the Lord’s Prayer.

This progression of Jesus toward himself is certainly understandable, especially given his special birth and his special name (see Matthew 1). And I do not think that it should be considered a coincidence that, after the initial title sentence, at the middle and at the end of that section of the naming of Jesus is that very special name ‘Jesus’ (see Matthew 1:18b-25).

One can continue to go back even farther into the past to see this structure. People have compared the five sermons of Jesus in the Gospel according to Matthew to the first five books of the Bible, the five books of Moses, also known as the Pentateuch. Given that this is the first of the five sermons, one can see a couple connections of this Sermon on the Mount to the book of Genesis.

For example, the number of times that the word ‘bless’ appears in some form within the first few chapters in Genesis also numbers about ten, the number of beatitudes in the first few verses of the Sermon on the Mount. (If you would like to look at them a bit more closely, they are Genesis 1:22, 1:28, 2:3, 5:2, 9:1, 9:26, 12:2—2 times, 12:3—3 times). And there is also the form of blessing ‘you’ near the end, which is also similar to the beatitudes (see Matthew 5:11).

Moving on into the rest of Genesis, taking out of consideration the first ten chapters or so (because of the structure of blessing within that part), there is a connection to the phrase that appears near the middle and the end of the work: ‘Am I in the place of God?’ This structure is similar to Jesus’ connection to the special use of 'Father' in the Sermon on the Mount.

The first time this is spoken (30:2), it is spoken by Jacob in response to Rachel, who was getting frustrated because she had not yet given birth to a child. The next time it is spoken (50:19), it is spoken by Joseph, after his brothers had done so many bad things to him. (The only difference in the original language of these two sentences is that the word ‘I’ is more emphatic the first time the phrase appears. And this could be considered normal since it could be easily passed over, since it is in the middle of a sentence and since it is not normally a structural marker.)

This question ‘Am I in the place of God?’ helps to get the reader or listener to the heart of the issue as to who Jesus is.

A chronological similarity to this literary structure of a midpoint and an endpoint may be seen in the two comings of Jesus. Although we certainly do not know when the second point will be, it has been determined by God, the Father, and it is up to his people to receive it, when it comes, as nothing but gift. Because of the fact that we are in his hands, there is a peace which the world cannot give—to which the ‘Collect for Grace’ makes reference (see Lutheran Service Book, page 228). And, with that in mind, whatever comes our way, floods or extremely dry weather, we continue toward that wonderful end.

The Sermon on the Mount also continues, and the last part of it is below, along with its response by the people (and the following is a somewhat-literal translation of Matthew 7:24-29):

‘Therefore, everyone who hears of me the words, these, and he does them, he shall be compared to a man, wise, who built of him the house on the rock. And it came down, the rain, and they came, the rivers, and they blew, the winds, and they fell against the house, that, and not it fell, for it had been founded on the rock. And everyone, the hearing of me, the words, these, and not doing them, he shall be compared to a man, foolish, who built of him the house on the sand. And it came down, the rain, and they came, the rivers, and they blew, the winds, and they beat against the house, that, and it fell, and it was, the fall of it, great.’
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And it happened when he finished, Jesus, the words, these, they were amazed, the crowds, at the teaching of him. For he was teaching them as authority having, and not as the scribes of them.