Following these introductory stories, Matthew continues his gospel by narrating the events in Jesus' public career in the same sequence as they are found in Mark. As mentioned before, this sequence is interrupted at appropriate intervals for the insertion of discourses that Jesus delivered on various occasions. This scheme enables Matthew to combine Jesus' teachings and events in one continuous narrative. While the author of the Gospel of Mark seems to have been impressed most of all with the wonderful deeds that Jesus performed, Matthew places the major emphasis on the marvelous things that Jesus taught. Some of the teachings were spoken directly to the inner group of disciples, but at different times and places Jesus addressed the multitudes, among whom were many who gladly heard him. Often Jesus spoke in parables, for in this way he could communicate his ideas concerning the kingdom of heaven in language that the people could understand because the parables were drawn from people's own experiences.
One of the important issues in the early history of the church was the attitude that Christians should have concerning the laws that are recorded in the Old Testament. Paul insisted that salvation is obtained by faith and not by obedience to laws. This insistence led some Christians to believe that whether or not these laws should be obeyed was a matter to be decided by an individual's own conscience. Many Jewish Christians did not agree with this individualistic attitude. The author of the Gospel of Matthew appears to have been one of them. According to his version of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, Jesus stated, "I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished." And he also said, "Anyone who breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven." Some scholars maintain that this last passage directly refers to Paul and his followers. Of this we cannot be sure, but evidently Matthew was far more sympathetic toward the religion of Judaism than was true of other writers. In the story of the Canaanite woman who comes to Jesus imploring help for her daughter, who is possessed by a demon, Jesus says to the woman, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." When the woman responds, "Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table," Jesus commends her for her faith and heals her daughter.
