Matthew: Israel's Messiah (and the nations' too)

Sources: Graham Stanton, The Gospels and Jesus (Oxford, 1989); David Wenham and Steve Walton, Exploring the New Testament: A Guide to the Gospels and Acts (IVP, 2001); Paul J. Achtemeier et al., Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology (Eerdmans, 2001), Jonathan Pennington, Heaven and Earth in the Gospel of Matthew (Baker, 2009); Luke Timothy Johnson, The New Testament Writings: An Interpretation, rev. ed. (Fortress, 1999).

I. What Matthew Does with Mark
Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" feat. Stevie Wonder's "Pastime Paradise" is an invitation to source, redaction, and tendency criticism.
Since Matthew draws on Mark, scholars can discern Matthew's distinctives, e.g.:
Matthew Mark special to Matthew
1   'the genesis' (3 sets of 14 generations; Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, all 'non-Jews'; Mary)
2   birth narratives (including the first fulfillment quotations)
4:1-11 1:12-13 wilderness temptations (expanded with dialogue and Deuteronomy quotations, #20)
5-7   Sermon on the Mount (on a mountain; the Kingdom of Heaven, to which earth is being reconciled; discipleship and obedience; Jesus is fulfiller of Israel's Scriptures; failings of scribes and Pharisees; Jesus' authority)
7:28   "when Jesus had finished" (cf. Matt. 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, and especially 26:1, each ending one of five blocks of teaching)
8:16-17 1:32-34 "he took our infirmities," #38
10 (6:7-13, 3:16-19, 13:9-13) "Missionary Discourse" teaching disciples (in Israel — 10:5, 23)
12:1-8 2:23-28 "greater than the Temple," #111
13:1-52 (4:1-20, 30-34) parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (#122-134), understood; some unique (wheat and tares, treasure, pearl, net, trained scribe)
15:1-2 7:1-4 handwashing customs not (wrongly) explained, #150
16:13-23 8:27-30 Peter's confession, #158
18 (9:33-37, 42-47) teaching on the church
23:13-39   woes
24:42 13:35 Lord versus Master of the house
24-25 (13) readiness before the coming of the Son of Man (#287-300)
27 (15) crucifixion (Judas' remorse #335; Pilate and his wife on Jesus' innocence #339; Jews' responsibility #341; tombs opened #347; Jesus' tomb is guarded #351)
28 (16) resurrection (Jesus appears to disciples #353; worship on a Galilean mountain #359)
28:18-20   commission to all nations and presence 'to the end of the age' #359
Source criticism investigates the source materials writers draw on;
redaction criticism investigates the editorial judgments that authors make when using them;
tendency criticism draws inferences about the editor's stance and agenda.
For instance, Matthew tidies up and tightens Mark's Greek and sometimes rambling storytelling style.
But Matthew revises Mark's Gospel in deeper, specific ways that display his priorities and purposes.
II. Features of Matthew's Gospel
Matthew uses more Scripture (see Krister Stendahl, The School of Matthew):
often typologically, and
sometimes very distinctively (especially the formula quotations, q.v. below).
Many scholars wrongly infer that Matthew is oblivious to OT context; he sees Jesus in terms of Israel's return from exile.
Mark is rushed; Matthew repeatedly pauses the narrative to teach disciples.
It works: disciples slowly come to understand (‘little faith’ #136; John as Elijah #162; scribes trained 13:52).
Matthew can be plausibly ordered into more than one structure:
Three stages — preparation (1:1-4:16), proclamation of the Kingdom (4:17-16:22), and the way of the cross (16:23-28:20) — separated with "from that time on" (4:17, 16:23).
Five teaching blocks that end in turning points — "when Jesus was finished" — alternating with often-matching narratives.
The two combine nicely. An inclusio of two announcements (1:20-21, 28:20) frames the whole.
Mark is ironic; Matthew is concerned with righteousness/justice (a term not found in Mark), obedience, hypocrisy, and apocalyptic readiness.
Mark seems written for Gentiles; Matthew seems ethnically Jewish (5:22 raca 'fool', 18:17 gentile/tax collector, 27:6 blood money) yet dispossessed from Jews (21:43 Kingdom taken away, 27:25 blood be on us, 10:17+4:23+9:35 their synagogues), and oriented toward Gentiles (28:19) yet persecuted by them (10:17-18 dragged before governors and kings, 24:9 hated by all nations).
Mark counterposes Jesus and the disciples, whereas Matthew sees 'the church' as an object of Jesus' attention (16:18 on this rock, 18:15 you've gained your brother).
Mark seems focused on Christ's power. Matthew shifts focus on Jesus' identity and disciples' fruitful response.
III. Some Matthean Highlights
Fulfillment Quotations (which aren't stripped from their contexts!): 1:22 cf. Isa 7:14; 2:6 cf. Micah 5:2+Ezek 34:23, 2:15 cf. Hosea 11:1, 2:16-18 cf. Jer 31:15, 2:23 cf. ??, 4:15-16 cf. Isa 9:1-2+Isa 42:7, 8:17 cf. Isa 53:4; 12:17-21 cf. Isa 42:1-3+Isa 61:1+Isa 42:4, 13:14 cf. Isa 6:9-10, 13:35 cf. Ps 78:2, 21:4 cf. Zech 9:9, 27:9-10 cf. Zech 11:13.
The Sermon on the Mount (the Baptist canon-within-the-canon): interpret it according to Matthew's cross-focused plot.
Church/ethical focus (Richard Hays: a 'Wesleyan' Gospel).
Torah and prophets fulfilled (Powell: "binding/loosing the Torah" as it applies in the Kingdom; see Matt 12:1-8 cf. Deut 5:14, Matt 15:1-20, #54ff, Matt 23:23 #284).
Uniformly negative depiction of Jewish leaders ('rabbi' v. 'lord' #310; #282, #138).
Powell: Presence of God-in-Jesus-in-church-in-world (Emmanuel; 'I am with you'; sheep among wolves; 11:27's 'bolt out of the Johannine blue'),
yielding apostleship, worship/doubt, mission, realization (28:16-20).
Matthew adds these distinctives while basically affirming Mark's narrative,
incorporating Mark's themes rather than abandoning them.
So is Matthew accepting Mark's invitation and pressing its implications?
Mark seems a better 'missional' or destabilizing Gospel, whereas Matthew seems a more suitable disciples' Gospel.