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.
are Jesus’ disciples. Then Jesus states that ‘no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him’. The second part of this statement portrays Jesus as the one with a knowledge of heavenly mysteries and as the one who can reveal them to others. Two backgrounds have been proposed as an aid to understanding this text. The first is wisdom. Just as God knows wisdom (Job 28,12-27; Sir 1,6-9; Bar 3,32), so also the Father knows the Son. Just as wisdom knows God (Wis 8,4; 9,1-18), so the Son knows the Father. Just as wisdom makes known the divine mysteries (Wis 9,1-18; 10,10), so also Jesus reveals God’s hidden truth. Just as wisdom calls people to take up her yoke and find rest (Sir 51,23-30), so Jesus extends a similar invitation48. The second is the Teacher of Righteousness. The similarity with the Teacher of Righteousness at Qumran has been noted at least since the 1950’s49. God has disclosed the mysteries to the Teacher of Righteousness (1QpHab vii 4-5; 1QH xii [=iv] 27-28) and he has disclosed them to many others (1QH xii [=iv] 27-28; 1QH x [=ii] 13-18). In both cases the revelation has to do with the proper understanding of the eschatological moment. This, the Matthean Jesus’ disciples have been given by the Son. Both sets of comparative materials enable one to read the Matthean text in light of ancient Jewish thought. The two sides of the revelatory focus are treated in Matthew in other texts.
This theme of revelation comes up again in Matt 13. Here the focus is on the revelatory function of the Son. In 13,11-12 Jesus tells his disciples:
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven (...). For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance (cf. 13,16-17).
The latter part of the statement surely points to a post-Easter setting when the revelation will continue. In 13,16-17 Jesus says to them:
Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears, for they hear. Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it50.