186 Wim J.C. Weren point of which (Galilee), the range (all nations) and the duration (till the end of the age) are indicated, whilst concrete details on the stages of the journey are not mentioned at all. These observations lead me to the conclusion that, on the basis of the topographical information that differs greatly in itself, we can distinguish three patterns: Pattern 1: Jesus flees from his enemies and thus expands his radius of action. Pattern 2: He voluntarily travels to Jerusalem, where he is to suffer and die and be raised up by God. Pattern 3: From Galilee, Jesus sends his disciples out to teach all nations until the end of the age. These three patterns are connected to one another. Pattern 2 is partly a reversal of pattern 1, whilst pattern 3 is an extension of pattern 2. The three patterns are not separated from each other by rigid caesuras. Pattern 1 ends in the same textual unity (16,13-28) with which pattern 2 begins. In turn, pattern 2 reaches its peak in a textual unity (27,55–28,20), the last scene of which (28,16-20) touches on pattern 3. c) Kernels with satellites or pericopes with a hinge function? Having reached this point, I want to draw attention to a number of new insights in the structure of Matthew that are a result of a narrative analysis of this book. According to F. Matera, a long and complex story such as that of Matthew is more than just a sum of individual incidents (27). An important question is why the story that is being related passes in the way it does. This question concerns the plot or the intrigue of the book, that is to say, to the phenomenon that the individual incidents are arranged in a certain way in relation to one another by their mutual temporal and causal relations. Each individual episode does not weigh equally in the determination of the book’s plot. Certain events initiate a turning point that influences the continuation of the story. Following S. Chatman, Matera calls such events “major events” or “kernels”. They contribute to the fact that it becomes more and more likely that the story will end in a certain way and, in that sense, they are essential for the development of the plot of the book. According to Matera, a turning point occurs as a rule in a relatively short passage that is followed by a series of sub-texts in which events are presented that are a consequence of the new step that has been (27) F. MATERA, “The Plot of Matthew’s Gospel”, CBQ 49 (1987) 233-253.