Five Discourses of Matthew

In Christianity, the term Five Discourses of Matthew refers to five specific discourses by Jesus within the Gospel of Matthew.

The five discourses are: the Sermon on the Mount, the Missionary Discourse, the Parabolic Discourse, the Discourse on the Church and the Discourse on End Times.

Each of the discourses has a shorter parallel in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke.

Biblical scholars generally agree on the existence of the five separate discourses, although discussions and differences of opinion exist about specific details. There are occurrences of the closing formula "when Jesus had finished speaking": 7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and 26:1. Most scholars consider chapters 23 to 25 to be the final discourse, but some take it to be merely 24 and 25.

Beginning with B. W. Bacon in the early 20th century, some scholars have argued that there are five corresponding narratives (plus a prologue and an epilogue) in Matthew that pair with the discourses, but others (e.g. Jack Kingsbury or Craig Blomberg) see three major segments in Matthew in which the 5 discourses take place.

Blomberg showed how the five-discourse structure can be used to relate the top-level structure of Matthew with Mark, Luke and John. In his mapping Chapter 13 of Matthew is its center, as is Mark 8:30 and the beginning of Chapter 12 of John. He then separates Luke into three parts by 9:51 and 18:14.

Each of the discourses has shorter parallel passages in the Gospel of Mark or the Gospel of Luke. The first discourse relates to . The second discourse relates to as well as and . The corresponding unit for the third discourse is . The fourth discourse relates to and the final discourse to Luke 21:5-36 and .

A number of scholars have compared the five discourses to the five books of the Pentateuch, but most contemporary scholars reject the idea of an intentional parallel.

The first discourse (Matthew 5-7) is called the Sermon on the Mount and is one of the best known and most quoted parts of the New Testament. It includes the Beatitudes and the Lord's Prayer. To most believers in Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount contains the central tenets of Christian discipleship. The Beatitudes are a key element of this sermon, and are expressed as a set of blessings. The Beatitudes present a new set of Christian ideals that focus on love and humility rather than force and exaction; they echo the highest ideals of the teachings of Jesus on mercy, spirituality and compassion.

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