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.
The disciples are recipients of revelation. In 13,23 the good soil is interpreted to mean the one ‘who hears the word and understands it ... (and) bears fruit’. (Note: Mark 4,20 has ‘hear the word and accept it’; Luke 8,15 has ‘holds it fast in an honest and good heart’; only Matt 13,23 has ‘understands it’.) So the understanding is given by Jesus to the disciples and it produces fruit. That is, the revelation is empowering, enabling in their daily lives. The emphasis on ‘understanding’ continues to the end of the section on parables. In 13,51, only in Matthew does Jesus ask the disciples: ‘Have you understood all this?’ They answer: ‘Yes’. The Son has made his revelation to them and it has been effective/enabling/ empowering. They will bear fruit as good soil.
That the Father knows the Son was the first part of the sentence in 11,27. The Son’s revelation to the disciples has been confirmed in Matt 13. Now several passages indicate the Father’s role in the revelatory process as well. In 15,13 Jesus says: ‘Every plant which my heavenly Father has not planted will be rooted up. Let them alone; they are blind guides’. The reference is to scribes and Pharisees. The language contrasts these ‘wise ones’ with the disciples/babes. There are echoes of the parable of the weeds among the wheat (13,24-30). The blind ones are planted not by the Father but the enemy. They are to be left alone until the judgment. They have not been given the revelation. In 16,16-17 Peter makes his confession: ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’. Jesus responds: ‘Blessed are you [remember 13,16] ... flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven’. The Father knows the Son and has revealed his identity to Peter. In 17,5-6, on the mount of transfiguration, a voice comes from heaven to the three disciples: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him’. This echoes an earlier declaration (to John the Baptist at least) at the baptism in 3,17: ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’. One more passage attests the Father’s role in revelation. In 7,1-12 we find a thought unit that makes two main points. First, vv. 1-5 contend that one should not judge others until having first judged oneself. Second, vv. 6-12 affirm that it is necessary to discern between good and bad (v. 6), that this may be done with wisdom gained from God through prayer (vv. 7-11), and that any judgments made as a result should be in line with the golden rule (v. 12)51. In this text, moral