Summary
This commentary on Matthew is a substantial academic reading that engages the Gospel as a carefully crafted narrative shaped for a community of disciples. The author discusses structure, themes, and the distinctive features of Matthew, often interacting with scholarship on sources, tradition history, and the Gospel genre. The work aims to explain how Matthew communicates its message within its first context rather than to serve as a confessional guide for preaching Christ from Matthew.
Strengths
There is often good help with Matthew as a whole. The author pays attention to narrative movement, repeated patterns, and the way major teaching blocks function within the book. Readers will gain from the discussion of discipleship, the kingdom of heaven, and the sharp moral seriousness that marks Matthew. Literary observations can be strong, especially where Matthew uses fulfilment language, frames conflicts with religious leaders, and portrays Jesus as teacher and authority. The commentary may also help readers see how Matthew addresses a community under pressure, calling for perseverance, humility, and integrity.
Limitations
The limitations are significant for confessional use. The volume frequently treats historical and critical questions as primary and may handle fulfilment and christology in ways that flatten the evangelists theological intent. For pastors who preach Matthew as Scripture that bears witness to Christ as the promised Messiah and risen Lord, this can be a real constraint. The commentary can also be less helpful in showing how individual pericopes land on the congregation with gospel force. Application is not developed in a way that naturally serves sermon preparation, and the theological conclusions can remain within a horizon that does not speak with the clarity expected in Christian proclamation.
How We Would Use It
Use this as a background consultation when you want to understand a debated interpretive issue, examine how critical scholarship frames a passage, or check literary observations about structure and flow. If you do so, hold tightly to your own hermeneutical priorities: the immediate context, the argument of Matthew as a whole, and the canonical witness to Christ. Pair this with a more confessionally aligned commentary for preaching. It may also be used in advanced study settings where students can evaluate method and presuppositions rather than absorb them uncritically.
Closing Recommendation
A serious academic resource with real strengths in literary and structural observation, but it is not a safe primary companion for preaching. Consult selectively and with discernment.
M. Eugene Boring
M. Eugene Boring was an American New Testament scholar of the late twentieth and early twenty first centuries, shaped by mainline academic biblical studies.
He is known for work on the Gospels and early Christian literature, including substantial contributions to scholarly commentary writing and to discussion of New Testament theology. His writing often balances historical questions with close attention to narrative and theological themes.
Boring remains valued for careful scholarship and measured judgement. For advanced readers, he offers a reliable map of critical discussion and a steady guide to the text, though his approach is more academic than confessional.
Theological Perspective: Non-Evangelical/Critical