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The Gospel of Matthew.
A | Birth (genesis, 1: 1-18).
B | Baptism in water.
C | Threefold temptation in wilderness. "Kingdoms of the World."
D | SON OF DAVID (Solomon).
a | 3: 17. Voice from heaven, "Beloved Son."
b | 16: 16. Confessed by Peter (Israelite).
4: 17. "From that time began Jesus to preach"--Kingdom.
D | SON OF ABRAHAM (Isaac).
a | 17: 5. Voice from heaven, "Beloved Son."
b | 27: 54. Confessed by Centurion (Gentile).
16: 21. "From that time began Jesus to show"--Death and Resurrection.
C | Threefold agony in the garden. "The cup."
B | Baptism in death.
A | Resurrection ("This day have I begotten thee", gennaō).
It will be observed that the two sections D & D are in most respects parallel.
Both open with the voice from heaven. It is evident that the Transfiguration commences
something fresh, by the way in which it echoes the Baptism of John at the beginning.
Both sections ends with the confession. The Davidic sections ends with the confession of
Peter, an Israelite; the Abrahamic section ends with the confession of the Centurion, a
Gentile. Not only so; each section has a definite time mentioned connected with these
two distinct phases.
4: 17.
"From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent, for the
KINGDOM of the heavens is at hand."
16: 21.
"From that time Jesus began (absolutely identical with 4: 17) to
shew unto His disciples how He must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the
elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day."
These time divisions are not merely human or arbitrary, they are inspired. The
apparent recommencement in 17:, on the Mount of Transfiguration, the balancing of
the Israelite and Gentile confession that Christ was the Son of God, are entirely in line
with these inspired divisions, and further, they exactly coincide with the statement in
Matt. 1: 1 that Jesus Christ was (1) The Son of David, (2) The Son of Abraham. This
twofold character of the Gospel therefore must be kept in mind if our understanding is to
be clear. It is a case of "rightly dividing" that meets us here--as everywhere.