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.

In the vineyard

With chapter 20, we dive back into a parable about the first and the last, the famous parable of the vineyard workers. Here are a few questions we can use to think over the meaning of God's message here:

1. What would a rabbi of Jesus' day identify as "the vineyard" -- a real farming operation or something other than that?
2. Jesus populates the parables with sets of workers, grateful for a day's work. If the parable is meant for every age, including 2011, who should we consider to be the workers of the parable?
3. Who is the master of the household, making the decisions about work and pay?
4. Which sacrament of today has its origin in a vineyard?
5. How does a vineyard worker relate to the next words of Jesus, that he must go up to Jerusalem and pass through the crucifixion?

This chapter is loaded, and we will spend most of our time tomorrow morning in vv. 1-19. Be ready.

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.

19

Here are some questions to tackle while warming up your grey matter for chapter 19 of Matthew's gospel.

1. A camel can get through the narrow gate, so an unladen poor man should matriculate through there handily. Is that how the Twelve see it?
2. Why do the Pharisees come back for more punishment, asking another question of Jesus and hoping to trap Him? Is there a "make my day" type of situation ahead for them... again?
3. Hardness of heart and divorce lie on one side of marriage, and on the opposite side is holding oneself unmarried. To hold oneself unmarried is not from hardness of heart -- but what property must the heart have in order to remain unmarried?

These are three large questions. We will work on them and a few others early tomorrow morning.

Little ones and their safety

About the little ones, to whose safety Jesus assigns us, St. John Chrysostom wrote an analogy with soldiers in battle:

Straightway as we come out of our house, let us have this one object in view, this earnest care above all, to rescue him that is in danger...For in a war too, and in an engagement, the soldier who is looking to this only how he may save himself by flight, destroys the rest also with himself; much as on the other hand the noble-minded one, and he who stands in arms in defense of the others, with the others preserves himself also.

Questions for Thursday morning in Matthew 18

We continue our look into the Lord's teaching, as recorded my Matthew in his 18th chapter. A few questions to consider are:

1. Why is it significant to Jesus that a set of angels are able to look upon the face of God the Father? Why does the seeing of God's face by angels inspire you not to despise the little ones?
2. When Jesus speaks about cutting off a hand, he is actually using a figure of speech, to instruct us about something other than a hand. What is he talking about?
3. Jesus says we can gain after bringing a dispute to a brother. Why is it considered a profit? What goes in the profit column?
4. Is it eye-for-eye vengeance if the church executes the punishment, instead of the wronged individual?
5. Are the IRS tax collectors of that day beyond redemption? Can you think of one who was eventually redeemed by the Lord?
6. 70×7 = 490. Does God throw the book at you after #490?

The 18th chapter is also loaded with useful guidance for the man who would be a doer of the Word. Let's dig into it for more wisdom in the morning.

Comments on greatness, Oct. 27th

Here are a few insights from the men this past Thursday.

1. Is there something, perhaps several things, that a little child has but the greatest in our earthly kingdoms does not have?
   1. Joe: purity of heart, guileless. [This also is consonant with the beatitudes.]
   2. sinless
   3. Len: they look to parents for guidance.
2. v. 10, "...their angels in heaven always look upon the face of my heavenly Father."
   1. Len: A child looks upon parents as the angels look upon God.

Next Thursday we will carry over question 8 for starters:

8. Why does Jesus immediately follow his warning and lament about these men, in v. 7, by an admonition to the Twelve about their own conduct in vv. 8-9?

And more questions will be available midweek.

Greatness

We now dip forward to chapter 18 of Matthew's gospel and get some of the Lord's teaching on greatness. Here are a few questions to prime the pump and get the brainwaves moving:

1. When the disciples ask about who is the greatest? are they asking in general or are they asking about Peter?
2. Who is the greatest in the earthly "kingdoms" in which we currently live?
3. Is there something, perhaps several things, that a little child has but the greatest in our earthly kingdoms does not have?
4. When Jesus foretells that such things must come that cause little ones to sin, is He the cause of those things?
5. Why do these men exist, who cause such harms even to little ones?
6. If these things must come, are the men guiltless who cause harms to little ones?
7. Can the crime of abortion be compared to this kind of harm caused to little ones?
8. Why does Jesus immediately follow his warning and lament about these men, in v. 7, by an admonition to the Twelve about their own conduct in vv. 8-9?

We say that the Lord's Word is the perfect Torah of freedom and that we must be doers of this Word. In this section of Matthew's gospel, there is a lot to consider for those of us who desire to be doers.

More questions on Big Sixteen

We have only begun to look at this chapter. Here are some more questions to direct our study.

1. When was the last time your checking account was overdrawn?
2. How do you define a transaction at the store as
   1. a "bargain"
   2. a "ripoff"
   3. out of the question?
3. How would the Lord reward you when He comes with His angels?

Let's think these things over and see if they can help us become more effective doers of the Word.

Blessed God, who feedest me from my youth up,
who givest food to all flesh;
fill our hearts with joy and gladness,
that always having all sufficiency
we may abound unto every good work in Christ Jesus our Lord;
with whom be unto You glory, honor and might,
with the Holy Spirit, forever. Amen.
Glory to You, O Lord,
glory to You, O Holy One,
glory to You, O King,
that You have given us meat to make us glad.
Fill us with the Holy Ghost,
that we may be found well-pleasing before You, not being ashamed,
when You render to every man according to his works.

- hermit's hymn from early church

More about Big Sixteen

I call this chapter Big Sixteen, because it is loaded with apostolic concepts. Here are a few more questions that can help us understand what Jesus teaches here and what he draws out of his Twelve.

6. After seeing Jesus and Peter walking on water during the tempest, the Twelve confess that Jesus is the Son of God. Also, in John's gospel, Nathaniel confesses Jesus as Son of God, King of Israel. How are these two earlier confessions different from Peter's confession here in ch. 16 that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God?
7. Why is it significant that Jesus mention's Peter's father?
8. Is it a sign of weakness that Jesus will suffer? How would Blessed Sal answer this question?
9. Jesus rebukes Peter. Then he challenges the Twelve to take up their own crosses. How is this challenge connected to the rebuke?

Many concepts emerge that can help us become doers of the Word, and we will sort it out early tomorrow morning.