Just as a modern reader would look to the back cover of a book to obtain information about its contents, the first chapters of Matthew orient readers and help them to understand what to expect in the remainder of the work. While the opening story highlights the significance of Jesus to Jews and Gentiles alike, some scholars suggest that many facets of the story were invented to dramatize the fulfillment of scriptural expectations that precipitate throughout Matthew. According to Margaret Davies, the location of Jesus's birth may not have exactly satisfied the prophecies set forth by the Old Testament: While both Matthew and Luke place Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem as a result of the call to enroll by Caesar, it is well documented in the Bible that Jesus in fact came from Nazareth in Galilee (Davies, Matthew). The later books of Matthew, Chapters 26-28, describe the passion narratives of Jesus? death and resurrection. The scenes depicted in these chapters reemphasize what the Matthean author tries to prove throughout the entirety of his work. Frequent references to Jesus as the Son of God and King of the Jews remind the reader that Jesus? persecution and crucifixion should not be interpreted as a tragic event but instead as his willing fulfillment of God's purpose. .
Though the author takes us full circle in the life of Jesus Christ, the chapters that comprise the rest of Matthew provide greater insight into the structure-function relationship due to their symmetry. These chapters can be divided into five sections, each comprised of a narrative and a discourse (The Open Bible, 971):.
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I. The Kingdom of Heaven Proclaimed .
a. Narrative Section .
b. The Sermon on the Mount.
II. The Kingdom of Heaven is Preached .
a. Narrative Section: Ten Miracles.
b. The Instruction of the Apostles.
III. The Mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven.
a. Narrative Section.
b. The Sermon of the Parables.
IV. First-Fruits of the Kingdom of Heaven.