Charles H. Talbert, «Indicative and Imperative in Matthean Soteriology», Vol. 82 (2001) 515-538
It is usually thought that Matthew emphasizes the imperative at the expense of the indicative, demand over gift. Identifying Matthew’s indicative is difficult because in chapters 5–25, insofar as disciples are concerned, the narrative is told in terms of ‘omnipotence behind the scenes’. In Matt 5–25 four techniques appropriate to such a method of narration speak of the divine indicative in relation to the imperative. They are (1) I am with you/in your midst, (2) invoking the divine name, (3) it has been revealed to you/you have been given to know, and (4) being with Jesus. They show Matthew’s soteriology is by grace from start to finish.
this perspective does not involve Jesus. It takes place between a person and God the Father. Whether it occurs or not depends on the person’s own initiative. There is no need for Jesus’ atoning death. Jesus is, however, the End-time judge who decides on the basis of a person’s deeds in this life. There is nothing that would lead one to see the first perspective as the underlying structure embracing all else. So in Matthew, the emphasis on the law is very much at odds with the parts of Matthew that focus on Jesus as redeemer. Matthew never consolidates these two portraits of Jesus presented by the building blocks he used. ‘We can see Matthew wrestling with his traditions, and we can see them wrestling back. In this case, they seem to have won the match’18. Matthew never quite brings the two, the indicative and the imperative, together. ‘They are ... there, like an unharmonious choir demanding to be heard’19.
(4) Yet another group of scholars see indicative and imperative as present in Matthew and attempt to explain how the indicative has priority. Frankemölle20 and Kupp21 are representative of this stance. Both affirm that the concept of Jesus’ presence with the disciples, rooted in the Old Testament view of God’s compassionate and caring presence among His people, is Matthew’s leading idea. Out of the God-with-us theme Matthew’s entire plot is constituted. The expressions ‘with us/you’ and ‘in your midst’ are synonyms in both OT and in Matthew22. Over one hundred occurrences of this formula are found in the OT, mostly in the historical books and mostly with individuals, though sometimes with the whole people. The formula mostly drops out of use in post-biblical Judaism. The formula signals empowerment of God’s people. This formula applied to Jesus (1,23; 18,20; 28,19-20) is part of Matthew’s christology which makes possible his soteriology23. This is a significant advance toward understanding the relation of indicative and imperative in Matthew. It enables one to see how God is present in Jesus; how Jesus is present with the disciples or in their midst; how this presence enables both