1 In those days John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea 2 [and] saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 It was of him that the prophet Isaiahc had spoken when he said: “A voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.’” 4 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him 6 and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins. 7 When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. 9 And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. 10 Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 11 I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. 14 John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” 15 Jesus said to him in reply, “Allow it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed him. 16 After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. 17 And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son,* with whom I am well pleased.”
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For those who follow along with the posts, you might have seen a previous post explaining that our "Walk Into the Bible" will become more in depth with actual Bible Study posts. Enjoy. And as always, please let me know if there something you would like to suggest or discuss further. Matthew Chapter 1 & 2 cover the infancy narrative. These two chapters are our introduction to a miraculous tale. There are a few themes that are introduced in this section: 1) The Jewish roots of the Messiah- the genealogy is included because such things were important. It was also included to show that Jesus was deeply rooted in Jewish history. He was not an outsider coming to preach to the people of Israel: he was one of them. With his death and resurrection, and our acceptance of his grace, His message is spread to the whole world. The Magi coming from a foreign culture show the inclusion of the Gentiles. 2) Fulfillment of prophecy- quotations from the Old Testament, and the echoes of the Exodus (see footnotes for Chapter 2) show the continuity from the Old Testament to Jesus. As far as can be possible, 1:2-16 attempt to distill the entire history of Israel, making it the backdrop for the birth of Jesus. 3) "To the least of my brothers"- as Jesus later says. His poor birth, his family's flight into Exodus, his humble beginnings: all show Jesus' identification with those who are suffering. His humble beginnings contrast sharply with the richness of King Herod in Jerusalem. 4) Emphasis of Jesus' name and his two-fold nature- Matthew emphasizes the name "Jesus Christ." Jesus (the Greek form of Joshua) now means "savior," but originally and more correctly meant "Yahweh, help!." Christ (the Greek form of messiah) means "the anointed" (a practice for those who royal, priestly, prophetic). We see him as both a divine savior and also see him as the son of man. 5) The divinity of Jesus- C.S. Lewis sums up my viewpoint on those who claim Jesus was merely a 'a great human teacher' and ignore the other side of the gospels. "You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon; or you can call at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." ~C.S. Lewis in 'Mere Christianity' We will see these themes explored further as we continue with the Book of Matthew. 2:1 King Herod reigned (as a vassal under the Roman emperor) from 37 B.C. to 4 B.C., hence the birth of Jesus could not have been in the year "1". This is due to the fact that the Gregorian calendar was "invented" in 525 (and became more widely used after 800). Jesus' birth was estimated on the calendar, and later scholarship and archeology have corrected the date. 2:1 Magi is the designation for the priestly caste of Persia, variously associated with dream interpretation, Zoroastrianism, astrology, and magic. 2:2 An ancient belief was that a new star appeared with the birth of a ruler. If such an event occurred, scientific explanation could be a supernova, meteor, or planetary conduction. The Chinese recorded a large comet in the year 5 B.C....the position of said comet also matches Biblical description of location. 2:4 Chief priests refers to the high-ranking priests of the temple who performed the sacrifices and purification rites required by Hebrew law. The following were most likely included in their numbers: ruling high priest, Caiaphas and former high priest, Annas. Both were members of the Sanhedrin. 2:11 Later tradition gave significance to each of the gifts. Gold signifies the kingship of Jesus; incense signified his divinity; and myrrh his suffering (or virtue, prayer, and suffering). Also note that while there were three gifts, nothing states there were three magi; this was a later addition/expansion. 2:13 Those in danger in the Palestine region often fled to Egypt, which was a place of refuge. Thus the choice of this location both makes sense with the practices of the time and allows Jesus to "relive" the Exodus of Israel. 2:16 The slaughter of the male children parallels the Exodus story in which Pharaoh ordered the death of the male children during the time of Moses' birth. This slaughter is quite in character with Herod: he had countless people put to death including one-time friends, priests, nobles, and family (generally done out of fear that they were desirous of his throne). 2:22 With the agreement of the Roman emperor Augustus, the son of Herod (Archelau) was given half of his father's kingdom, including the area of Judea. He reigned from 4 B.C. to 6 A.D. His other sons Herod Antipas and Philip were also given regions. 1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." 9 After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11 and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. 13 When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." 14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more." 19 When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21 He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. 23 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean." Note: yes, I have posted this before, but as I'm now actively working on the site again, I figured I'd post it in order, where it is supposed to go! 1:1 Hebrews kept extensive records of family ancestry for a variety of purposes (inheritance, rights, establish person's heritage, etc.) thus knowing the genealogy of Jesus is in keeping with the practices of the time. 1:1-1:17 While there discontinuity in the genealogy (as pointed out by many critics), many believe this section is simply to show that Jesus was the culmination of the kingship of Israel. A bit of a stretch (in my opinion), is the following: "These 'irregularities' culminate in the supreme 'irregularity' of the Messiah's birth of a virgin mother"10. If interested in the genealogy, the footnotes of many Bibles will include an explanation of the importance of each individual that is included. 1:17 Since Matthew specifically emphasizes that each section has fourteen, it is unlikely that that the thirteen of the last was due to his oversight. While some theorize that Jesus counts for two, it is more likely that this slip is the fault of a later scribe. 1:18-1:25 Virginal conception as fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel". 1:18 A Jewish betrothal was considered a binding pledge- much more so than we view it today- that was legal and only breakable by divorce. As to whether sexual relations were allowed at this time, sources differ: some say 'yes,' some say 'no.' 1:19 As the betrothal was considered as binding as marriage, her pregnancy would be viewed as adultery, the penalty for which was death. Joseph, wishing to spare Mary this fate, but also maintain his dignity/righteousness, planned a quiet divorce. 1:21 Jesus: in 1st century Judaism, the Hebrew name Joshua meaning "Yahweh helps" was also interpreted as "Yahweh saves" 1:24 Like the patriarchs in Genesis, we see Joseph as obedient to the divine instructions given to him.1 1:25 This verse is cited by many Protestants as proof that Mary was not a perpetual virgin. One should note that the word "until" does not imply nor exclude "relations" after the birth of Jesus. I take no stand on the matter and believe there are more important things to focus on than the bed of Joseph and Mary. (Note: see "New Testament" main page for list of sources) The purpose of the Gospel- the intention of its writers- is multifold. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary has perhaps the most concise explanation that doesn't cut down on the complexity of the issue. "He has a number of purposes in writer: to instruct and exhort members of his community; perhaps to provide liturgical reading and sermon material; but also to offer a missionary address to outsiders of good will, as well as apologetics and polemics directed to hostile critics and rivals." This aim is achieved by both the "story-telling" (or narrative) sections as well as with more "formal" discourse. In reading Matthew, we, by keeping these multifold purposes in mind, can find a greater appreciation for the subtleties of some sections. A thorough reading of footnotes will also aid in this understanding. Source: Brown, R.E., Fitzmyer, J.A., and Ronald E. Murphy (O. Carm). (1990). The Gospel According to Matthew. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc. I've started a new Bible study guide, which will provide the basis for a lot of the future questions & points to ponder. (I'm also going to do more of an actual Bible study, not just readings and the basic footnotes). Thus, I'm updating the outline to flow with the new study guide. I WILL continue to use a variety of guides and Bible versions as well as more than one commentary. So not much will actually be changing. Outline: I. The Infancy Narrative (1:1-2:23) II. The Proclamation of the Kingdom (3:1-7:29) III. Ministry and Mission in Galilee (8:1-11:1) IV. Opposition from Israel (11:3-13:53) V. Jesus, the Kingdom, and the Church (13:54-18:35) VI. Ministry in Judea and Jerusalem (19:1-25:46) VII. The Passion and Res 1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, "Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage." 3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 6 'And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.'" 7 Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the child. When you have found him, bring me word, that I too may go and do him homage." 9 After their audience with the king they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11 and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way. 13 When they had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the child to destroy him." 14 Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed for Egypt. 15 He stayed there until the death of Herod, that what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, "Out of Egypt I called my son." 16 When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. 17 Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet: 18 "A voice was heard in Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more." 19 When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt 20 and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are dead." 21 He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a dream, he departed for the region of Galilee. 23 He went and dwelt in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, "He shall be called a Nazorean." 1:17 Since Matthew specifically emphasizes that each section has fourteen, it is unlikely that that the thirteen of the last was due to his oversight. While some theorize that Jesus counts for two, it is more likely that this slip is the fault of a later scribe. 1:18 A Jewish betrothal was considered a binding pledge- much more so than we view it today- that was legal and only breakable by divorce. However, sexual relations were not to occur during this time. 1:19 As the betrothal was considered as binding as marriage, her pregnancy would be viewed as adultery, the penalty for which was death. Joseph, wishing to spare Mary this fate, but also maintain his dignity/righteousness, planned a quiet divorce. 1:25 This verse is cited by many Protestants as proof that Mary was not a perpetual virgin. One should note that the word "until" does not imply nor exclude "relations" after the birth of Jesus. I take no stand on the matter and believe there are more important things to focus on than the bed of Joseph and Mary. While I normally do a second post with additional discussion, specifically common misunderstandings and difficulties in understand, I am going to skip it for this chapter. The main arguments surround the genealogy and Mary's perpetual virginity. In my humble opinion, let us go feed the hungry, help the poor, and heal the sick...then argue about these issues. 1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. 2 Abraham became the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers. 3 Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar. Perez became the father of Hezron, Hezron the father of Ram, 4 Ram the father of Amminadab. Amminadab became the father of Nahshon, Nahshon the father of Salmon, 5 Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab. Boaz became the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth. Obed became the father of Jesse, 6 Jesse the father of David the king. David became the father of Solomon, whose mother had been the wife of Uriah. 7 Solomon became the father of Rehoboam, Rehoboam the father of Abijah, Abijah the father of Asaph. 8 Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat the father of Joram, Joram the father of Uzziah. 9 Uzziah became the father of Jotham, Jotham the father of Ahaz, Ahaz the father of Hezekiah. 10 Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh, Manasseh the father of Amos, Amos the father of Josiah. 11 Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the Babylonian exile. 12 After the Babylonian exile, Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel, Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel, 13 Zerubbabel the father of Abiud. Abiud became the father of Eliakim, Eliakim the father of Azor, 14 Azor the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Achim, Achim the father of Eliud, 15 Eliud the father of Eleazar. Eleazar became the father of Matthan, Matthan the father of Jacob, 16 Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary. Of her was born Jesus who is called the Messiah. 17 Thus the total number of generations from Abraham to David is fourteen generations; from David to the Babylonian exile, fourteen generations; from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah, fourteen generations. 18 Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about. When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, but before they lived together, she was found with child through the holy Spirit. 19 Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man, yet unwilling to expose her to shame, decided to divorce her quietly. 20 Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. 21 She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." 22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel," which means "God is with us." 24 When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home. 25 He had no relations with her until she bore a son, and he named him Jesus. |
Jennifer Becker Landsberger
Who am I? Freelance writer (magazines, websites, & copywriting), Catholic, military wife, and Mensan. Double Bachelor's in History & Psychology. Witnessing by charity and love are above all. Studying the Bible and beyond helps me on this quest. Feel free to join my walk into the Bible.
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Oh creator of the universe, who has set the stars in the heavens and causes the sun to rise and set, shed the light of your wisdom into the darkness of my mind. Fill my thoughts with a loving knowledge of you, that I may bring you like to others. Just as you can make even babies speak your truth, instruct my tongue and guide my pen to convey the wonderful glory of the Gospel. Make my intellect sharp, my memory clear, and my words eloquent, so that I may faithfully interpret the mysteries what you have revealed. Categories
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I promise: 1. I will pray that God's grace helps illuminate all of our interactions- both those of simple reading and more active conversations. 2. I will communicate with you respectfully and civilly. These are (rightly) issues which we feel passionate about. But even in disagreements, I will respect you fellow "seekers of truth." 3. I will not fall into negative behavior or words, such as insinuations, exaggerations, blames, or personal attacks. I respectfully ask you to do the same. 4. I will pray we will all find the truth and strive to fulfill the two greatest commandments: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31) This site will occasionally feature paid posts! I always 100% verify everything I endorse. You will not see posts for products or sites I would not use myself.
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