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Sifre Deuteronomy

Halakhic Midrash

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Chapter 49

(Devarim 11:22) "to walk in His ways": Which are the ways of the Holy One Blessed be He? (Shemoth 34:6-7) "The L-rd, the L-rd, G-d of mercy and grace, slow to wrath and abundant in mercy and truth, keeping lovingkindness for thousands, forgiving transgression, offense, and sin, and cleansing …" And it is written (Yoel 3:5) "All who will be called by the name of the L-rd will escape": Now how is it possible for a man to be called by the name of the Holy One Blessed be He? But, (the intent is) just as the L-rd is called "merciful and gracious," you, too, be merciful and gracious, and give gratuitously to all.⁠ Just as the Holy One Blessed be He is called "righteous," viz. (Psalms 145:17) "Righteous is the L-rd in all His ways and saintly in all His acts" — you, too, be righteous. Just as the Holy One Blessed be He is called "saintly," — you, too, be saintly. This is the intent of "All who will be called by the name of the L-rd will escape." And it is written (Isaiah 43:7) "… everyone that is called by My name. For My honor I have created him, and formed him, and fashioned him." And it is written (Proverbs 16:4) "The L-rd has created all for His sake." (Devarim, Ibid.) "and to cleave to Him": How is it possible for a man to ascend the heights and cleave to Him? Is it not written (Ibid. 4:24) "For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming fire"? and (Daniel 8:9) "His throne was like a fiery flame and its wheels like burning fire"? But, (the intent is) cleave to the sages and to the disciples, and I will account it to you as if you had ascended the heights and had taken it (the Torah). And not as if you had taken it peacefully, but as if you had waged war and taken it.⁠ And thus is it written (Psalms 68:19) "You ascended on high; you took spoils; you took gifts for man." The expounders of metaphor say: Do you wish to recognize the One who spoke and brought the world into being? Learn haggadah. For if you do so, you will come to recognize the Holy One Blessed be He and cleave to His ways. And if you do yours, then I will do Mine, (Devarim 11:23) "and the L-rd will drive out, etc."

Texts in conversation

Compare Matthew 11:12 and Sifre Deuteronomy 49

New Testament · Rabbinic

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Summary

In Matthew 11, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven built on struggle, similar to Rabbinic tradition in Sifre Deuteronomy, which connects the pursuit of the Torah with war-like struggle, describing something important taken, not passively received.

Passages

Matthew 11:12

New Testament
11 “I tell you the truth, among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is! 12 From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. 14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. 15 The one who has ears had better listen! 16 “To what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, 17 “‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; we wailed in mourning, yet you did not weep.’
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

Sifre Deuteronomy 49

Rabbinic · Halakhic Midrash
"and to cleave to Him": How is it possible for a man to ascend the heights and cleave to Him? Is it not written (Ibid. 4:24) "For the L-rd your G-d is a consuming fire"? and (Daniel 8:9) "His throne was like a fiery flame and its wheels like burning fire"? But, (the intent is) cleave to the sages and to the disciples, and I will account it to you as if you had ascended the heights and had taken it (the Torah). And not as if you had taken it peacefully, but as if you had waged war and taken it. And thus is it written (Psalms 68:19) "You ascended on high; you took spoils; you took gifts for man."
200 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Sifre Deuteronomy

References

"... There are some intriguing features about Matthew’s use of Sirach: Most of these parallels are unique to Matthew among the gospels. Included here are the structuring of the beatitudes (5:3–12), the makarism concerning those who mourn (5:4), the antithesis against adultery (5:27–28), the warning against prayers that use empty phrases (6:7), warnings against laying up treasure on earth (6:19–24), advice about judging good from bad fruit (7:16), the allusions to Elijah (11:14) and (17:11), Jesus’ teaching concerning the heavy yoke (11:28–30), the parable of the treasure hidden in the field (13:44), the warning that the son of man will repay grievances (16:27), and the separation of the sheep and goats (25:34–40). In other words, these texts and themes are singular to the Matthean mindset and thus are not typical of the remaining evangelists. (2) The vast majority of these usages are related to the topic of wisdom and instruction, a theme naturally derived from Sirach that clearly adds to Matthew’s standing as a gospel focused on teachings and contemplative sayings. But these lessons are not simply sapiential in orientation. In many cases they are associated with eschatological concerns, as with those parallels that appear (6:14), (6:20), (11:14), (16:27), #18 (17:11), and (25:34–40). Thus, regardless of whether Jesus of Nazareth was actually concerned for a futuristic eschatology, Matthew finds within the materials of Sirach a working source by which to portray his teachings as such ..."
Clayton N. Jefford, “The Wisdom of Sirach and the Glue of the Matthew–Didache Tradition,” in Intertextuality in the Second Century, ed. D. Jeffrey Bingham and Clayton N. Jefford, BAC 11 (Leiden: Brill, 2016), 8–23.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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Matthew 11:12 and Sifre Deuteronomy 49

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