LUTHERAN THEOLOGICAL REVIEW - Brock University

LTR XV (Academic Year 2002-03): 92-96
BOOK REVIEW:
HELP IN THE QUEST FOR THE HOLY GRAIL
Paul D. Landgraf
David P. Scaer. Discourses in Matthew: Jesus Teaches the Church. St. Louis:
Concordia Publishing House, 2004. 415 pages, hardcover.
T
o be helpful, I’ll include some prolegomena. First of all, given the
popularity of David P. Scaer in some Lutheran circles, I will state my
previous connections to him. The number of times I have heard him
speak could probably be counted on two hands. Although he is well known
for his quick wit, most people have the sense, and rightly so, that his words
which will last far into the future are those which appear on paper. I consider
Dr Scaer a friend, but in my mind even more important than that friendship
is my “friendship” for the past few years with the Gospel according to
Matthew.
I would hope that you would not consider me given to exaggeration,
especially when dealing with such an important topic, but I consider the
authentic structure of Matthew to be the “holy grail” of today’s biblical
studies. The Gospel according to Matthew is at a critical position in the
Scriptures, heavily dependent on the Old Testament and heavily influential
on the New. Its importance is especially clear when examining the writings
of the early church fathers. With such a critical book, it is no coincidence
that modern scholarship lacks consensus when explaining its structure.
The purpose of the Gospel which Scaer proposes in his new book pushes
us another step forwards in our quest to find that illusive grail. The Gospel
follows the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, and is therefore inherently
structured. The Gospel according to Matthew also sets down a series of
discourses, the conclusions of which have been clearly marked (“And when
Jesus finished these sayings …”; 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, 26:1). Some recent
scholars have gravitated towards one or the other of these structural
indicators. B. W. Bacon of Yale University is often credited with an
emphasis on the five discourses; while even more recently, Jack Dean
Kingsbury of Union Theological Seminary has essentially emphasized the
life of Christ (“From that time Jesus began to …”; 4:17, 16:21). Although B.
W. Bacon is never directly quoted within Scaer’s book (which was
surprising), he treats the discourses as a significant indicator of the Gospel’s
entire purpose. Rather than seeing the structure of Jesus’ life and that of His
discourses as mutually exclusive alternatives, Scaer pushes forward and sees
both aspects working together. Rather than seeing the final chapters of the
Gospel as a conclusion to the discourses and therefore secondary in