Matthew: The Musical (Essay‪)‬

Hearing Matthew's Gospel through the lections of Year A in the common lectionary is rather like seeing the film version of a favorite novel. First, the previews run. During the Advent and Christmas seasons, particularly dramatic parts of Matthew's story are played out of sequence: the voice in the wilderness on the second Sunday of Advent (3:1-12), the imprisonment of John the Baptist on the third Sunday of Advent (11:2-11), Jesus' conception on the fourth Sunday of Advent (1:18-25), the flight into Egypt and Herod's slaughter of the infants on the first Sunday after Christmas (2:13-23), Matthews judgment scene on New Year's Day (25:31-36). Beginning with Epiphany, the feature film begins. The Epiphany story (2:1-12) is Matthew's signature moment in the lectionary, since it occurs in all three lectionary cycles and has become an annual benchmark in Christian worship. After the Epiphany, lections in Year A conform more closely to Matthew's chronological order, with some notable exceptions. Jesus' baptism (3:13-17) follows on the Sunday after Epiphany. We hear portions of the Sermon on the Mount (5-7) in the Sundays after the Epiphany, then jump forward to chapter 17 on Transfiguration Sunday. The lectionary rearranges Matthew's chronology again on Ash Wednesday with teachings about prayer and fasting from the Sermon on the Mount (6:1-6, 16-21), then turns to the temptation of Jesus (4:1-11) on the first Sunday of Lent, the transfiguration (17:1-9) on the second Sunday of Lent, Jesus' entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (21:1-11), and parts of Matthew's passion and resurrection narratives during Holy Week and Easter. The conclusion of Matthew's Gospel, the great commission (28:16-20), occurs on Trinity Sunday. Then, in the season after Pentecost, Year As lections turn back the clock and narrate events from Matthew's account of Jesus' ministry more or less in order, beginning with the call of Matthew (9:9-13, 18-26).