During the summer we'll be reading a "community book", the gospel of Matthew. Each week we'll read 2 chapters, and the preaching text during worship will be a pericope from those 2 chapters. So, chapters 1 and 2 for this week; here we go!
Matthew begins with a rather long genealogy; a lot of "begats" if you're reading King James Version (which I don't particularly recommend, unless it's your favorite and you're familiar with it). DO NOT SKIP the genealogy! You don't have to take in every name there, but read it to get a feel of the rhythm of the language and the weight, in importance, of the one to whom this genealogy leads: Jesus, the Messiah of God.
Q: How many generations back can you name in your family tree?
Q: Notice the names of the 4 women in this genealogy, when lineage was traced through fathers. What is the significance of these 4 women? Do you know "the rest of" their stories?
Matthew is writing to a Jewish audience at a time of upheaval and uncertainty in his world. His "slant" is almost a persuasive argument about why Judaism-pointing-to-Jesus is the best religious stance to take at this time. He's trying to establish the credibility of Jesus by showing us this fine line of Jewish leaders and heroes from whom Jesus is descended. You will notice throughout the book that Matthew is concerned with how the Jewish leaders act (scribes and Pharisees) contrasted with the New Way in Jesus.
Next is the birth narrative, verses 18-25.
Q: how is this different from what you think you know about the Christmas story? Who's missing? Note: Notice the angel in this story, and dreams; these are the first of many angels and dreams in Matthew.
Note: Notice, in v. 23, the quotation from Hebrew scripture; another way of establishing Jesus, and his new Way, as legitimately located in the Jewish tradition.
Q: What is the significance of JOSEPH being the one who names the child?
Chapter 2 brings us our first bad guy: Herod. Historically, Herod ruled from 37-4 BCE, which requires an adjustment in our "dating" of Jesus' birth. He was part of the Roman machine, loyal to himself and to the Empire; certainly wouldn't stand for a coup, even if the perpetrator was a newborn infant.
Q: what's different in this part of the story from what you know of the Christmas story? Why do you think Matthew does not include the registration in Bethlehem, angels, shepherds?
Q: what is the significance of "wise men from the East" traveling to see Jesus?
Another angel, another dream, and they are sent, ironically, to Egypt for safety. Remember the Jewish audience here; their minds would immediately return to Moses fleeing Egypt because of oppression; now they return to Egypt because of oppression. Rome is the new Egypt, Herod the new Pharaoh.
The slaughter of the innocents is a troubling episode, power and paranoia taken to extremes. Although there is no secular historical recording of the event, it is consistent with Herod's behavior of killing those he perceived to be a threat to him; and it stands here in the gospel of Matthew.
Q: why does Matthew keep this awful story?
Q: what are we, as people of faith, supposed to learn from it about God's saving activity?
Q: how do you feel about Jesus being saved when others were killed?
Notice there are 5 quotations from the Hebrew scriptures in these first 2 chapters.
My good student self feels obliged to answer all the questions, but I'd really rather not think that hard nor write an essay, so I'll stick to a few.
ReplyDeleteYour question about the women in the genealogy: it's interesting that they include these women, as it usually is interesting that they ever include stories of women (ha). I always get reminded of how close Rahab and Ruth are in this genealogy (since Ruth has her own book, I lose her chronologically), and I wonder if Rahab was alive long enough to know Ruth, and if they talked, told each other their stories, etc.
Next Q: wise men from the East coming- just speculating, but it makes it a 'global phenomenon' right from the beginning- something big is happening here and even the non-Jews know it's a big deal. (and I totally made that up)
For your last set of questions: the Jews kept a lot of awful stories in their history, so for them it was probably not an odd thing. In some ways they are a very realistic and down to earth people, and they accept the reality of human imperfection (sometimes maybe too well). God's saving activity is bigger than our human imaginations and notions. Lastly, God is utilitarian (pseudo-sarcasm).