EXAM 2

Question 1

Explain the use of “until” concerning Joseph not knowing Mary “until” she bore a son

Answer 1

There’s no English grammar rule that states “until” signifies a change, it’s more like a bookend/framed reference; therefore, we can’t say definitively that Joseph “knew Mary” sexually after she had Jesus; additionally, Matthew’s gospel is leading up to a huge event, and it’s likely that he wouldn’t see the need to obscure that fact with other less important things

Question 2

What is the significance of the Star that signified Jesus’ birth?

Answer 2

The oracle of Balaam from the OT, who was hired to curse the Jews, kept receiving prophecies instead that pointed to a star coming forth from the line of Jacob that would rise over Israel; the pagans had an awareness of this Jewish prophecy; the wise men, who were astronomers, recognized the star’s appearance and, knowing of the prophecy, followed it

Question 3

Explain the significance of the gifts of the wise men

Answer 3

Gold (kingship), Frankincense (priestly), Myrrh (death and burial)

Question 4

King at the time of the BIRTH of Jesus

Answer 4

Herod the Great

Question 5

King at the time of the DEATH of Jesus

Answer 5

Herod Antipas

Question 6

How does Jesus address non-Jews?

Answer 6

Through examples they understand, like nature (see the Wise men + the star)
This shows that Jesus’ preaching and Kingdom is not confined to the Jewish people

Question 7

What is the meaning of Bethlehem?

Answer 7

Literally, house of bread; additionally, Jesus was laid in a “manger” which literally means “to eat” (this is a early Eucharistic imagery)

Question 8

Where did the wise men come from? How long would it have taken them to reach Jesus?

Answer 8

Persia/the East; it would likely have taken a whole year to reach Jesus; as Epiphany is January 6th, it could mean that they either arrived to the child Jesus right after he was born, or a year after

Question 9

What is the significance of Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, and Wise men being with Jesus at the time or his birth?

Answer 9

Mary and Joseph- since they were privy to his birth, it shows that Jesus came to save everyone, including those in his own family tree
Shepherds- came to save everyone in the line of Judah
Wise Men- came to save Gentiles as well

Question 10

Explain the title “King of the Jews” in relation to Herod and Jesus Christ

Answer 10

The inscription on the cross where Jesus was crucified read “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” and Herod’s official title was was “King of the Jews;” what made Herod so mad was that, even as an infant, Jesus had “taken his title”

Question 11

Explain what Matthew means when he says the wise men saw Jesus with Mary HIS mother:

Answer 11

If the wise men came during the day, they wouldn’t have seen Joseph as he would have been working; if not, it’s a subtle reminder that Joseph is NOT Jesus’ biological father while Mary IS

Question 12

Explain the significance of the three wise men’s gifts

Answer 12

Gold- denotes royalty, it’s always a suitable gift for a ruler
Frankincense- type of resin that burns, signifying the lifting up of our hearts and minds to the Lord in prayer; denotes Jesus’ priesthood because only a priest could burn incense, as well as divinity because you only offer incense to God himself
Myrrh- signifies Jesus’ humanity, an extremely expensive thing used in preparing a body for burial, denotes Jesus’ prophetic death for us

Question 13

Why were Mary and Joseph instructed to go to Egypt?

Answer 13

Egypt was the land of witchcraft and the occult, and by Jesus entering it he essentially sanctifies it; Jesus goes to Egypt so he can participate in the Israelite’s bondage and plight from Egypt, identifying with the Hebrew slaves; to bring a new Exodus, as Jesus would also have to leave

Question 14

Explain the connection between Herod’s order to kill all the firstborn/the massacres of the innocents

Answer 14

Herod commands all male children under the age of 2 to be killed in light of the birth of Christ; this means many innocent children died in place of Christ; they are upheld in the church as martyrs, and the only thing that can rival this is the deportation of the tribe of Benjamin/the Babylonian exile

Question 15

Explain the first words of John the Baptist: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”

Answer 15

Repent: John is calling for metanoia, a profound change of heart and soul
Kingdom of Heaven: This is Christ Incarnate, the Kingdom of God incarnate

Question 16

Why did Jesus get baptized if he was already God?

Answer 16

1) Everyone else would be baptized in order to have their sins forgiven, just Jesus, being perfect, sanctifies water itself by being submerged into it; it becomes a vehicle for the supernatural
2) Jesus, by being singles yet getting Baptism, unites Himself with sinners by standing in their place (symbolizes/prefigures it “being finished” on the cross); Baptism is BOTH womb and tomb, a death to old self and life in the image of the Resurrected Lord

Question 17

Differences between John’s Baptism and Jesus’ baptism of “fire and the Holy Spirit”

Answer 17

John: a symbol that represented conversion, newness, purity, people would confess their sings to him and then be baptized, he used water as a natural sign of cleansing (but still a sign pointing beyond itself)
Jesus: Baptism in fire and the Holy Spirit, which he himself mentions in the gospels, it is cause—>effect, because it beings about what it signifies

Question 18

How does Baptism correspond with Yom Kippur (Jewish feast, Day of Atonement)

Answer 18

A feast where the high priest would sprinkle blood from the sacrifice in the holy of holies and onto the people symbolizing forgiveness of sins; BUT NOW, with the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and Fire from Jesus, blood is more than a sign and actually has an effect

Question 19

How does Baptism and the Great Flood complement each other?

Answer 19

It’s another significance of Jesus’ baptism; a sign of God’s restoration and reconciliation with His people (seen in the Dove resting on Jesus’ head at His baptism in a theophany, God the Father’s voice is heard, the Son is being baptized, the Spirit is resting upon him); this is the institution of Baptism as one of the 7 Sacraments that will be endowed by His supernatural life

Question 20

Explain the significance of the time/timing of the Temptations of Jesus

Answer 20

Not only does he go to be baptized, but immediately after he goes to the desert to pray and to be tempted for 40 days and 40 nights; in this, he’s entering into our place as sinners; additionally, the number 40 is significant in Scripture meaning cleansing.
We remember this in our 40 days of Lent; OT references: The Great Flood, Moses fasting before receiving the 10 Commandments, Israelites wandering in the desert for 40 years, Elijah fasting, Before Abraham went to sacrifice Isaac

Question 21

How does the devil “know you”

Answer 21

Not by your mind or heart, but by your exterior actions, words, virtues, and habits

Question 22

Why does Jesus purposefully go out to the desert to be tempted?

Answer 22

He wants to provoke and combat Satan, to give us an example of how to overcome and defeat temptation in our own lives

Question 23

When/how does satan go after Jesus, and why does it fail?

Answer 23

satan goes after Jesus when he thinks he’s at his weakest (after fasting and praying), but in reality Jesus was at his strongest (spiritually)

Question 24

Explain in detail the First Temptation of Jesus:

Answer 24

The first temptation recounted in Matthew is when the devil tempts Jesus to turn stones to bread. This corresponds with the deadly sin of gluttony, appealing to an inordinate attachment to material things. In response, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 8:3. This temptation would have led us to a merely humanitarian understanding of Jesus, who fed people but never convicted them of sin or offered/preached salvation. It heartens back to manna in the wilderness; additionally, when Jesus would feed people, they would try to make him king. However, he was not merely a social worker or political figure; he is God. His blood and His body are the true food.

Question 25

Explain in detail the second temptation of Jesus:

Answer 25

This second temptation was for Jesus to jump off the temple building and be unharmed, which is the sin of vain glory and appeals to an inordinate desire for pleasures of various kinds. In response, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:16 in response to the devil quoting Psalm 91:11-12 that says God will send angels to save you lest you dash your foot against a stone. The audacity. This temptation is proof against superstition; Jesus was in the holy of holies and was still tempted. The devil here is actually intimidated and threatened by Jesus, and is trying to get Jesus to commit suicide, which would lessen martyrdom if Jesus would have. The devil tempts us, but cannot make us follow through.

Question 26

Explain in detail the third temptation of Jesus:

Answer 26

This temptation was to worship Satan, appealing to the sin of pride/power/dominion, and appeals to an inordinate desire for authority over others. In response, Jesus quotes Deuteronomy 6:13. It can be interpreted here that the devil really does control most of the world because most leaders are corrupt, which is a scary thought. Jesus says you shall not tempt the Lord your God, making a statement about who he is. Later on in the Gospel of Matthew, Matthew mentions Jesus is given all power and authority by the Father himself. Immediately after the temptations, angels come and minister to Jesus (in opposition to how Jesus was tempted to jump off the temple and expect angels to catch him, they come to Him to serve Him)

Question 27

What is the difference between exegesis and eisegesis?

Answer 27

Exegesis: the study, learning, and understanding of Scriptures through what they say
Eisegesis: projecting your own opinion onto the Divinely inspired Word of God

Question 28

What is Jesus getting at, quoting Deuteronomy all the time?

Answer 28

He’s heartening the SHEMA, a daily Jewish prayer that says you shall love the Lord with all your 1) heart, 2) soul, and 3) might. Each of these corresponds to a temptation:

Heart: counters physical temptations
Soul: counters spiritual/immaterial temptations
Might: counters temptations of power

The three temptations are three ways to violate the central dogma of Judaism.

Question 29

Connections between 3 Temptations and Original sin:

Answer 29

The woman saw the tree was good for 1) food 2) a delight for the eyes 3) devised to make one wise

Food: physical temptations
Delight: immaterial temptations
Wise: temptation for power

Connects Jesus with Adam, as the type/new Adam

Question 30

Connections between 1 John 2:15-16 and 3 Temptations:

Answer 30

The things of the world are 1) lust of the flesh 2) lust of the eyes, 3) pride of life (not of the Father)

Flesh: physical temptations
Eyes: immaterial temptations
Life: power/dominion

This combines the two previously mentioned (SHEMA and original sin accounts) events into the Gospel message

Question 31

What’s the matter with differences in the order of temptations in Matthew vs. Luke?

Answer 31

While Matthew accounts the temptations as stones, temple, worship, Luke has stones, worship, temple. Matthew presents a more historical version of the events that happened in ADAM’s life, while Luke presents them in a thematic context (like Matthew’s sermon on the mount). In Matthew, there is chronology, whereas in Luke there is thematics. Does order mean anything?

-Luke’s gospel treats the Temple as a pinnacle in Jesus’ life, so it follows that Luke would place the temptation at the Temple as last for thematic emphasis and consistency. This is okay and allowed! The evangelists were writing to accommodate their audience.

Question 32

Explain the Proclamation of the Kingdom and Jesus’ calling of the first Apostles:

Answer 32

As opposed to informative speech with states facts and simple information, Jesus speaks performatively (what He says happens). This is first seen in Genesis with God’s WORD beginning everything. God’s WORD affects what it signifies (calling for a metanoia/transforming of human heart). In proclaiming the Kingdom, the Kingdom IS. In calling the first Apostles, there is an ecclesial dimension. Jesus calls them in pairs, and elevates familial bonds to spiritual bonds. Some leave their families, but Jesus is saying that while family bonds are important, they are not everything.

Question 33

Explain the Sermon on the Mount:

Answer 33

Jesus gives the Beatitudes, which are essentially a veiled Christology. The Beatitudes are what the interior, spiritual life of Jesus looks like. Here, there is a correlation between Moses going up Mt. Sinai to pray + fast for 40 days, then receive God’s law. Jesus goes UP the mountain to GIVE the law to the people, and Matthew’s Jewish audience would see this connection. Jesus adds HIMSELF to the 10 commandments, that changes everything.

Question 34

Difference between first 7 and last 2 Beatitudes:

Answer 34

The first 7 would have been common to the Jewish people as they were also parts of Jewish law, but the last 2 would have caught people off guard. Jesus says that those who hear him will be persecuted BECAUSE OF HIM, implying Divinity because only God can speak like that. He also says to seek righteousness, where the Jewish people would wonder why someone would ever be persecuted for being righteous.

Question 35

Explain Jesus’ “But I say to you…” statements:

Answer 35

In all of these, Jesus is saying in HIS OWN name what the Torah says in God’s name. He is building, adding, and teaching, as well as appealing to Divinity.

Question 36

What does “Be perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” mean?

Answer 36

This is to say we are to be the people God made us to be, by asking Him to give you the grace to bring to completion the good he has begun in you in order to reach your end (telios to telos). This statement does not entail perfectionism, but rather calls us to live fully in who we were created to be. We should not sin, because every sin complicates for the worst the way we understand God, ourselves, and others. We cannot be perfectly ourselves if we sin and lose understanding of ourselves.

Question 37

What are the Traditional Three works of Jewish piety?

Answer 37

Prayer, fasting, almsgiving, which we still hold in regard today.

Question 38

What is the Lord’s Prayer?

Answer 38

A specific prayer given to us by Jesus Himself in which he summarizes the entire Gospel message. Aquinas says that it’s the most perfect prayer because it was given to us by Jesus. It begins by acknowledging “Our Father;” while God has no gender, there is perfect paternity and generation of life in God, so we acknowledge him as Father.

Question 39

Break down the 7 petitions of the Our Father:

Answer 39

These are connected/related to the 10 commandments.
3 GOD Petitions
1) May your name be revered and acknowledged as holy (His name IS Holy and it should be known)
2) May your kingdom come (God, rule through our hearts and our choices)
3) May your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven (that his will would always be done on earth)

4 Petitions to Neighbor/Ourselves
4) Give us this day our superstar tail bread (give us each day all we need to survive)
5) May our sings be forgiven to the extent that we forgive others (our forgiveness is in direct relation to our willingness to forgive those who sin towards me)
6) May we not yield to temptation (not asking Jesus Not to tempt us because he doesn’t)
7) Deliver us from the evil one (the evil one is concrete evil, free us from the being we call Satan who is the father of lies and the evil one)