Lifting the Burden: Reading Matthew's Gospel in the Church Today

by Brendan Byrne

Judgment is a focal point for many interpreters of Matthew. To some people, God is seen as a server and helper to those in need, but to others He is seen as judging and accessible only to the elite. The burden of impending judgment can be a heavy load to carry, but does it need to be? Selecting passages from Matthew, Brendan Byrne demonstrates an awareness of Jesus as one who lightens humanity's burdens rather than adding to them. Lifting the Burden contains methods of interpretation that are sensitive to the concerns of Christianity and Judaism as it focuses on the elements of the Gospel that balance the importance of judgment and view judgment within a larger context.

264 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2004

Reviews

[Kim Shay · Rating 5 out of 5]

Early in my Christian life, in an evangelical (well, fundamentalist, actually) environment, I was told that Roman Catholics did not take the Bible seriously. I was cautioned that reading their writings would lead me astray. That was a long time ago, and I don't believe it. It's been a long time since I believed that. This book is a prime example of a Roman Catholic -- a Jesuit -- who takes the Bible seriously.

Byrne goes through the gospel of Matthew at a fairly fast pace (233 pages versus longer treatments, such as R.T. France and the well-known massive tome by Ulrich Luz) exposing the elements of mercy in the gospel. Jesus comes to judge, yes, but that judgment involves the lifting of people from their burdens. Having recently perused a number of commentaries on Matthew myself, from Protestant views both liberal and conservative, I was quite struck by the fact that Byrne is very consistent with his conclusions to what I have already read. And in addition, there are some brilliant insights I did not see in those other commentaries. There were no exhortations to embrace Catholicism or any teachings one may find objectionable as a Protestant. It was simply an encouraging book about how mercy in the gospel.

In addition to being a careful exegete, Byrne is a beautiful writer. Not all theologians are good writers, but he is. I attribute this to the fact that Jesuits are typically well-trained academically and well-read. Byrne is also gracious and honest. One of my favourite comments he made came at the end, as he discusses the Great Commission (Matt 28:16-20), and specifically that Jesus has "all authority" given to him:

We have recognized that far too often the "authority" which missionaries and others have gone out, appealing to this text, has been an authority modelled on and associated with the authority of colonial power, insensitive to other cultures and religious traditions. We need to revisit the "all authority" claim Jesus makes in this text and recognize that it is an authority to be understood light of the total gospel: an authority Jesus enjoys as the Son of Man who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. It is an authority, then, designed to liberate rather than to dominate.

In light of recent discussion on the damage of the Doctrine of Discovery, I found this encouraging.