II. The King's Authority (5:1–9:38)
of the Gospels reveals that Matthew freely places things out of order. He is dealing with themes and broad concepts, not laying out a timeline.
The prophetic passages present a particular interpretive challenge. Jesus' Olivet Discourse, for example, contains some details that evoke images of the violent destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Jesus' words in 24:34 have led some to conclude that all these things were fulfilled—albeit not literally—in the Roman conquest of that era. This is the view known as "preterism." But this is a serious interpretive blunder, forcing the interpreter to read into these passages spiritualized, allegorical meanings unwarranted by normal exegetical methods. The grammatical-historical hermeneutical approach to these passages is the approach to follow, and it yields a consistently futuristic interpretation of crucial prophecies.
For a discussion of the Synoptic Problem, see Introduction to Mark: Interpretive Challenges.
Outline
I. (Prologue) The King's Advent (1:1–4:25)
A. His Birth (1:1–2:23)
1. His ancestry (1:1–17) 2. His arrival (1:18–25) 3. His adoration (2:1–12) 4. His adversaries (2:13–23) B. His Entry into Public Ministry (3:1–4:25)
1. His forerunner (3:1–12) 2. His baptism (3:13–17) 3. His temptation (4:1–11) 4. His earliest ministry (4:12–25) II. The King's Authority (5:1–9:38)
A. Discourse 1: The Sermon on the Mount (5:1–7:29)
1. Righteousness and happiness (5:1–12)