Matthew vs. Luke -- Law/Jewish and Grace/Gentile Audience/Mentality: Sermon on the Mount

Matthew's Gospel originally targeted the Jews, though the Gospels certainly minister to every believer.

The telling differences between Matthew and Luke's accounts of the Sermon on the Mount also reveal the division of the Old and New Covenants, with Matthew's Gospel ministering to men and women who were still living (or trying to live) under the Old Covenant of demand, sacrifice, and obedience under Moses, compared to Luke's audience, Gentiles who were not laboring under the Old Covenant, who did not have a "Law Mentality"

The diverging elements between the Matthew's and Luke's Gospels expose this difference, and can help us receive great truths about what Jesus has given us through His death and resurrection.

"24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
25Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. " (Matthew 6: 24-34)

Here is Luke's account:

22And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what ye shall put on. 23The life is more than meat, and the body is more than raiment. 24Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls? 25And which of you with taking thought can add to his stature one cubit? 26If ye then be not able to do that thing which is least, why take ye thought for the rest? 27Consider the lilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 28If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; how much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 29And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 30For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things. 31But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. 32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12: 22-32)

Matthew's Gospel describes the tension of trying to serve two masters:

"24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."

I believe that Matthew is indicating the Two Covenants, the Covenant of Moses, of laws, sacrifices, and obedience to the letter; and the Covenant of Grace, in which the Spirit of God moves in the believer because of Christ Jesus' final sacrifice and ministry on our behalf. For the Jews, they were under the law, with its ordinances and requirements. This message pertains to us today, as many churches, as many communities are trying to mix Law and Grace together, and it cannot be done.

When we take thought for our lives, we are under law, convinced wrongly that our lives are our responsibility.

In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus gives God a new, more intimate title:

"26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

and

"31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things."

For the Jews, "God as Father" was still a new concept, one which they were not used to, even though the prophets throughout their ministries referred to God as Father, in connection with the Coming Messiah:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9: 6)

and

"Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting." (Isaiah 63: 16)

In Luke's account, "Father is mentioned only once, yet in a passage which underlines the Grace of God:

"32Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom."

In a sense, Matthew's audience already knew that they were "sheep" of the Lord, yet the Gentiles to whom Luke was writing probably did not share the same sentiment. The open offer of the Kingdom belongs to everyone, not just to the Jews, and Luke emphasizes this.

I also believe that Luke, in writing to the Gentiles, who were not under law, did not believe that he would face any opposition or rebuffing from Gentile readers, who would not be struggling with a conscience of sin, as the Jews under law struggled, even after receiving Jesus as the Messiah.