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Tue May 3 10:41:24 EDT 2011


introduces the 11 disciples as the participant group interacting with Jesus
as the other main participant. In the Greek discourse of the NT, it is
common to refer to major participants with a pronoun, once they have been
introduced. Since we have AUTOIS in v. 18, it is most likely that it refers
to the groups of participants, the 11. The PROSELQWN only indicates that he
came closer to the group and/or that he brought himself in a position to
speak to them. If the address had been to those who doubted specifically, I
would expect a specific noun reference, maybe with a participle of DISTAZW.
Without this, the default reference of the pronoun would be the group
introduced as the main group in the discourse unit. In addition, if a
contrast had been intended between certain ones and the whole group, that
contrast should have moved the reference to the contrastive group up towards
the front of the sentence, and probably a demonstrative used rather than a
plain personal pronoun. (And/but to those who doubted Jesus spoke.)
Of course, what Jesus tells the group would be reassuring to the whole
group, and especially to those who were still in two minds, wavering between
believing that Jesus was really the Messiah or whether he was not the
Messiah after all.
>
> Otherwise, Matthew leaves the doubt unresolved. Why even bring it up?

Because Matthew is trying to convince his doubting fellow Jews that Jesus
was the Messiah. In the preceding verse 15, Matthew tells us about the
common story among the Jews of his time that the disciples had stolen the
body, implying that it was all a hoax, and Jesus was not the Messiah. I
think Matthew is saying to his doubting readers that it is OK to be in two
minds (DIS-TAZW). It is indeed a difficult thing to believe, and it takes
time to change one's way of thinking concerning the Messianic expectations
prevalent among the Jews at the time. Judas Iscariot could not accept that
Jesus was so different from his expectations, and the other disciples had a
difficult time, too. Even after the resurrection some of Jesus' own
disciples were still not sure. They needed more time, and they did
experience events later that further confirmed it, such as the ascension and
Pentecost.

That's my reading of it,
Iver Larsen




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