Onward in Ch. 24 of Matthew

Last Thursday, we looked into the Messiah's word about Jerusalem and its destruction. We will continue that look with a few more questions:

1. 
   Side question: Why doesn't Blessed John mention the destruction of Jerusalem in his gospel account?
   
2. Does Jesus skip a beat when describing the destruction of Jerusalem, THEN the signs of His coming?
   
3. When Jesus was born, it was fitting that a herald should precede Him, known as John the Baptizer. At His second coming, will that be necessary?
   
4. How is it that the stars are visible at night but not during the day?
   
5. What will the sign of the Son of Man actually look like?
   
6. What kind of sign would cause a person to mourn? What do people mourn, normally?
   
7. Why does the sign come first, then Jesus Himself on the clouds? Why not just Jesus Himself, without the sign?
   
8. Will the humiliation of going to confession be too grievous, too large a labor to have carried in 2012 when, some time in the future, that trumpet blast sounds?
   

We can begin preparing for the Holy Spirit to help us by thinking over these questions.

Matthew 21

We now dive into Matthew's 21st chapter, which begins with Jesus formally entering Jerusalem to cries of praise. Here are a few questions to stir the pot:

1. Did the two blind men, now healed, follow Jesus into Jerusalem?
2. Had Jesus entered Jerusalem on other occasions, prior to this? Did he shake up the city?
3. Did Jesus previously teach the Twelve about giving up their possessions?
4. Did the owner of the ass and the colt make a complaint when giving up his property?
5. When do we sing the Jerusalem greeting, "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" at Mass? Why then?
6. It pleased Jesus to hear the little ones singing words of praise for him. Would it have encouraged the Twelve to hear the little children singing out to the Son of David?

OK, let's get ready for the Jerusalem events here at the end of Matthew's gospel.

The eye of the needle

My Lord and my God, take from me everything that distances me from you.
My Lord and my God, give me everything that brings me closer to you
My Lord and my God, detach me from myself to give my all to you.

- St. Nicholas of Flüe
CCC 226

Here are some questions with which to prepare for Thursday morning's look into Matthew 19:

1. In verses 17 and 21, Jesus unfolds a double reply to the rich young man. How is keeping the Commandments related to following the Messiah?
2. St. Nicholas of Flüe left a beautiful prayer for totally giving himself to God. Does it weaken a person if God takes these things away that Nicholas prays about?
3. Did Mary ever experience this unburdening, this taking away of things?
4. Did Elijah ever experience this unburdening, this taking away of things?

That is a short set of four good questions for tomorrow morning, plenty to think over. We will begin with these early tomorrow morning.

Findings

In our examination of Amos chapter 6, we had a slough of insights from the men, especially concerning this question:

5. Why would God use a shepherd -- as opposed to a Levite, for example -- to prophesy to these people?

Some of the comments showed excellent insight.

1. Joe: God likes to use the lowly.
2. Len: The lowly are closer to the victims of injustice.
3. Bob: Jesus lowered Himself to wash feet etc.
4. German: If you listen to the rich and powerful, it might be from envy of riches or the compulsion by power. If you listen to the lowly, however, it is a true response from the heart.

I especially like the answer from German.

Confessor

From the New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia, a short blurb about the word "confessor" --

The word confessor is derived from the Latin confiteri, to confess, to profess, but it is not found in writers of the classical period, having been first used by the Christians. With them it was a title of honour to designate those brave champions of the Faith who had confessed Christ publicly in time of persecution and had been punished with imprisonment, torture, exile, or labour in the mines, remaining faithful in their confession until the end of their lives. The title thus distinguished them from the martyrs, who were so called because they underwent death for the Faith...

In the beginning it was given to those who confessed Christ when examined in the presence of enemies of the Faith.

Questions

When we study 1 John 5 on Thursday morning, we can start with some of these questions:

1. John mentions confidence again, in v. 11. How is this confidence different or related to the confidence John mentions in 1 John 2: 28 and 1 John 4:17?
2. Do you see anything notable in John's use of water, blood and the Spirit as witnesses? Are these three special in everyday life?
3. How does the Gospel describe water, blood and the Spirit in the crucifixion of the Messiah Jesus?

Let's take these three and look again into God's deep wisdom.

A few questions

Here are some questions for today.

1. What does it mean to confess Jesus?
2. Does God act based on our love or lack thereof?
3. How does on recognize the Holy Spirit has been given to someone?
4. How is fear cast out?

Comments concerning the mission of the Messiah

Some of the comments of the men last week:

1. Al: It is interesting that the Messiah is wrapped in a shroud at death, just as his parents wrapped their son in swaddling clothes at birth.
2. Bob: They mocked Jesus at the cross just like politicians do today -- when there is no evidence, you mock.
3. Dave: a person "sees the light," and this is why including all three types -- soldiers, bystanders and chief priests and scribes -- complete with mockery, is helpful for the mission of Peter.

In legal terms, the inclusion of mockery and all the other bad things spoken against the Messiah and done against Him, if it were a court of law, would be called "admission against interest." The witness makes a statement that might lead to his harm, but continues to testify: that is a statement against his own interests. These kinds of statements have a presumption of truth in a legal proceeding. In this case, the evangelist Mark includes statements against interest because he has a bigger mission than his own self-interest. Cf. federal rules of evidence, Rule 804 (b)(3).

What is the sign? What is the σημειον?

The section of Mark's Gospel 13:1-31 is loaded with meaning, since it is the reply of Jesus to the Twelve, who asked, "What is the sign that these things are about to come to an end?"

The meaning of some of these words comes into view if we look over the Greek words and how the Greeks used them, and if we find that they connect to any familiar words in English. Here is a list of a few of the vocabulary terms.

1. σημειον, semeion, has a variety of uses for an ancient Greek:
   1. mark by which something is known
   2. sign
   3. signal made of flags
   4. landmark for property boundaries etc.
   5. device upon a shield, like the shield held by the Greek soldier on the ancient Greek vase, at right.
   6. watchword
   7. in reasoning, it meant proof
   8. symptom
   9. in mathematics, a geometric point in time.
   Our English word semaphore comes from this Greek root.
   
2. εγω ειμ, ego eimi, literally, "I am." In v. 6, Jesus warns against those who say this, a phrase with intense meaning for the Jews. Cf. Exodus 3 for the story of Moses and the Lord at the burning bush, where the Lord reveals his name to Moses.
   
3. πλανησουσιν, planesousin, meaning to lead astray, wander. We have an English word, planet, based on this Greek word. The planets are not fixed in the night sky; they wander. E.g., Venus is sometimes visible as a morning star, sometimes as an evening star.
   
4. σεισμοι, seismoi, meaning earthquakes. We have an English word for earthquakes: seismic.
   
5. μαρτυριον, marturion, meaning witness, testify. Our language has the word martyr from this Greek usage.
   
6. βδελυγμα, bdelugma, meaning abomination, a Greek word for which I know no connecting English words. In Greek usage, it means nauseating, filth, or coarse, beastly behaviors.
   
7. ερημωσεωσ, eremoseos, meaning desolation. In Greek usage, it is a word for isolated, "of the desert," or "in the wilds." Mark uses this concept a few times in chapter 1, for instance. English derives hermit from this Greek root.

Many people attempt to nail down the identity of the nausea from the desert that stands where it ought not stand. Could it mean King Herod from Red Edom? Could it mean Adolf Hitler, Anwar Sadat, Michael Gorbachev or the eagle atop the standard of a Roman legion? We agreed that the main lesson in this regard is quite clear, the very first words spoken by Jesus here: "Take heed that no man deceive you!"

Hic est hæres

There are several kinds of greetings to the Messiah, coming to Jerusalem, both actual greetings and greetings in a parable:

1. Bartimaeus, outside Jericho: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy upon me.
2. General crowds at the gates of Jerusalem: Hosanna!
3. Tenants in the parable of the vineyard: "Hic est hæres," Here is the heir, let's kill him.

It is a somber comparison, because we also know EXACTLY who this last one is, the only Son of the Father. Are we closer to good and faithful Bartimaeus or to the wicked tenants in the parable?

Jesus binds the "strong man" and rescues US.

While studying Mark 3:20-30, blasphemy of the Holy Spirit, we discussed the ideas of

1. final impenitence -- shutting the door in God's face -- and
2. the attribution of the Holy Spirit's action to the enemy.

Can these two ideas be self-consistent? Yes. It is good to remember what Pope John Paul II wrote in 1986, concerning the Lord and Giver of Life,

How should this blasphemy be understood? St. Thomas Aquinas replies that it is a question of a sin that is "unforgivable by its very nature, insofar as it excludes the elements through which the forgiveness of sin takes place."

According to such an exegesis, "blasphemy" does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words; it consists rather in the refusal to accept the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit, working through the power of the Cross.

For the first action of the Holy Spirit in an individual is not expelling a demon per se, but it is the grace of repentance, and attributing it to the enemy is one mode of rejecting that grace.

Finally, we make take peace from the lead of Pope John Paul II, who wrote that those who convert are led by the Holy Spirit out of the range of this blasphemy. When we celebrate the sacrament of confession, we can be peaceful. Our Messiah, Jesus, has rescued US.

Wrong message, right message

The concept we came back to several times was the distinction found in Jesus' admonition to tell no one. He wanted people to give out the right message, for the right reasons, not the wrong message for the wrong reasons, the new wine and new wine skins, not the old wineskins. We see this especially in Mark's message about baptism and repentance.

Comments from today

Here are a few of the comments from the guys at this morning's Bible study session.

1. Why does Jesus undergo the baptism of John the Baptist?
   
   1. God the Father appears and verifies the Son.
   2. Jesus is showing us the way: he chooses to fulfill all righteousness in obedience to God the Father's plan, just as we ought to do. This is the foundation of the other questions.
   
   
2. Why does Jesus instruct so many NOT to tell others who he is?
   
   1. He does not want people to follow him so that he can become an earthly king or so that they can snag a free lunch.
   2. Instead of propagating the wrong message, he wants people to accept him on his own terms, or...
   3. New skins for new wine!
   4. As 1:38 says, "It is for this reason that I have come." He and his Abba have a reason.
   
   
3. If Jesus can heal leprosy, is it important to seek Him in the sacrament of confession?
   
   1. Afflictions, in old view, were because of sins or parents' transgressions.
   2. Are you going to confession for a free lunch or for love of God?
   3. Confession can be a stumbling block for some people. They accept the Church's teachings except for making confession.
   
   
4. In chapter 2, Jesus acts twice for a paralytic man. Why did he take the second action, healing the paralytic man's body?
   
   1. First off, this story is really about the 4 buddies who lowered the paralysed friend down from the roof.
   2. Never misunderestimate the power of prayer.
   3. Jesus has power and authority in both areas, so this is like Jesus saying, "Make my day."
   4. Man has body and soul, so Jesus heals both.
   5. The second healing visually confirms the unseen act of forgiveness.
   6. The "make my day" act is like Jesus saying, "This is the new wineskin!"
   
   
5. What was the price Jesus paid when he healed the paralytic man's body?
   
   1. Wrath of the Pharisees was the price he paid.
   2. Also, he continued to experience crowds and being jammed out into the wild places before he and his men could catch their breath or get 40 winks.
   3. Eventually, he would pay the ultimate price, at the Cross.
   
   
6. Why did Jesus openly have dinner with Levi and the other sinners and IRS agents?
   
   1. It was the reason he was on Earth: to call the sinners.
   2. He wanted to show his disciples how to be compassionate with sinners.
   3. It affirms that his forgiveness is true.
   4. This also connects to another famous dinner, the wedding at Cana.
   5. Another meal he has with us sinners is the Eucharist, the ultimate meal and act of worship, the source and summit of the Christian life.
   
   

Questions for next time

On July 23 we will finish up Mark 1 and push deeper into chapter 2. Here are some questions to think about for next time:

1. Why does Jesus undergo the baptism of John the Baptist?
   
2. Why does Jesus instruct so many NOT to tell others who He is?
   
3. If Jesus can heal leprosy, is it important to seek Him in the sacrament of confession?
   
4. In chapter 2, Jesus acts twice for a paralytic man. Why did take the second action, healing the paralytic man's body?
   
5. What was the price Jesus paid when he healed the paralytic man's body?
   

We will discuss these and other question on early this Thursday morning!