Stuff about stories:

• We read stories and let them have their way with us and then we read them again and again and marvel at how they work.
• The Gospel of Matthew is just such a story and deserves to be honoured in this way.
• Matthew too has a plot. It begins with a story about the birth of Jesus the Christ. As an adult, Jesus begins a ministry to Israel in Galilee and then moves to Jerusalem. This ministry is characterized by an increasing conflict with the leaders of Israel which leads to his death in Jerusalem. We become increasingly aware of Jesus moving towards this impending death and the difficulty of Jesus’ disciples accepting the positive resolution of this conflict. The story ends with an appearance, a task and a promise.
• For Matthew’s development of characters (Jesus, Jewish leaders, disciples), location, the narrator and all those other good things, see JD Kingsbury’s Matthew as Story. It is the equivalent of Rhoads and Michie’s Mark as Story, but not as satisfying to read (that's my opinion).
• Have you read the Gospel right through yet?