by O. Wesley Allen Jr.
Fortress Press, Minneapolis. 285 pages.
Commentaries on the Gospels are unusual books. They are typically written and consulted as resource books, treating each pericope as a self-contained unit for the preacher, teacher or student who brings particular questions about specific texts. At the same time, the Gospels themselves are narratives, with beginnings, middles and ends, following a deliberate structure for telling the story as the evangelist intends. In the Fortress Biblical Preaching Commentary on Matthew, O. Wesley Allen Jr. has provided a commentary that overcomes that gap between the narrative structure of the Gospel and particular interests of the reader. Using what he calls a “cumulative reading” of Matthew’s Gospel, Allen’s commentary provides a way for the reader to remember the overall narrative flow of the story in which the particular pericope is embedded. That provision is particularly valuable for preachers who follow the Revised Common Lectionary, to whom many of Allen’s comments are directed.
Allen perceives a geographically-based flow to Matthew’s story, hence he divides his commentary into major sections around the areas of Bethlehem to Nazareth, Capernaum, the journey to Jerusalem, the suffering, death and resurrection in Jerusalem, and the new beginning in Galilee. Each pericope comment, then, is located within those geographical movements, with attention to what Matthew establishes about the particular place and how that fits within the movements as a whole. There may be other legitimate ways to name Matthew’s structure, but Allen’s way seems warranted by Matthew’s story and results in a very readable, wise and helpful commentary. In addition, Allen’s 24-page introduction should be required reading for preachers and is an excellent introduction to the Gospel for all readers. Allen shows, again and again, keen insight to the meaning of the text, but also to the promise and challenges of preaching a word of God for today from the texts. Allen’s commentary should be on the shelf of every lectionary preacher.
However, Allen’s commentary cannot be one’s only commentary on Matthew. There are many occasions where the cumulative reading leaves too many questions unanswered, where a word study or finer exegesis is just as critical to good preaching as the narrative flow. In addition, for those whose interests in Matthew’s story are not driven by lectionary or preaching concerns, Allen’s bounty of attention to such matters would be a distraction. That is not a criticism of Allen’s arguments or writings, just an acknowledgement of the limitation of the book. It really is a “biblical preaching” commentary. The chief weaknesses of the book, however, are editorial. There are numerous misspellings and the graphics are simply inexcusable in an age of digital technology. I honestly had to check to see if I had an advance copy of the book, because many of the graphics looked like bad photocopies. (Alas, it was not an advance copy). It is a shame that a book with this much wisdom to offer was not afforded another layer or two of editorial attention.
Even so, Allen’s book is what it intends to be: a biblical commentary that is particularly valuable for preaching that follows the lectionary readings. As such, it is a welcomed addition to this preacher’s shelf and a resource to which I will return again and again for its insights.
D. Mark Davis is the former pastor of Heartland Presbyterian Church in Clive, Iowa.
