{"id":14099,"date":"2011-01-02T20:09:14","date_gmt":"2011-01-03T01:09:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/?p=14099"},"modified":"2011-01-02T20:09:14","modified_gmt":"2011-01-03T01:09:14","slug":"nt-sunday-school-lesson-2-luke-1-matthew-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/2011\/01\/nt-sunday-school-lesson-2-luke-1-matthew-1\/","title":{"rendered":"NT Sunday School Lesson 2: Luke 1, Matthew 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Ms\"We are all familiar with these chapters, so familiar that I suspect we often read them or hear them read without paying a lot of attention\u2014if<\/em> we read these chapters at all. It is as if we go on automatic pilot when we they come up. However, there is a great deal going on in them.<\/p>\n

Matthew 1<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Verses 1-16<\/em><\/a>: It is clear that Matthew is not giving an exact genealogy. For example, he tells us that there were fourteen generations between each of the three important events in Israel\u2019s history\u2014from Abraham, to David, to the Babylonian captivity, to the coming of Christ: three groups of fourteen generations each, culminating in the birth of Jesus. But if we compare this genealogy to the other genealogies in the Old Testament we can see that they disagree. Why would Matthew knowingly give us a genealogy that differs from what we find in other scripture? (Notice that Ezra does something similar: he omits six generations of priests from his genealogy. Compare Ezra 7:1-5<\/a> to 1 Chronicles 6:3-15<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Notice also that Matthew says that there are fourteen generations in each of the three groups (verses 17-18<\/a>), but he puts only thirteen in the last group. It is unlikely that Matthew didn\u2019t know that he had only thirteen in that group, so how do you explain that oddity? What might Matthew have intended readers to infer as the fourteenth name?<\/p>\n

Perhaps the most surprising of all is that, though genealogies in the Bible rarely mention women, this one mentions four: Tamar (spelled \u201cThamar\u201d here, verse 3<\/a>), Rahab (verse 5<\/a>, spelled \u201cRachab\u201d), Ruth (verse 5<\/a>), and Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (spelled \u201cUrias,\u201d verse 6<\/a>). Why would Matthew mention these women? What are the stories about these women? Do those stories have anything to do with the story of Mary and Joseph? If Matthew\u2019s audience is the Jews, why might he include these particular women in the genealogy?<\/p>\n

Verse 1<\/em><\/a>: By using the phrase \u201cbook of the genealogy [\u201cgeneration\u201d in the King James translation],\u201d Matthew deliberately imitates passages such as Genesis 2:4<\/a> and 5:1<\/a>. Why? What is he trying to tell us about what follows?<\/p>\n

Look back at some of the genealogies in the Old Testament. They take their names from the first person in the genealogical list, the oldest grandfather. (See, for example, Genesis 5:1<\/a>.) But this genealogy takes its name from the last person in the genealogy. So what?<\/p>\n

Why does Matthew say \u201cJesus Christ\u201d rather than \u201cJesus the<\/em> Christ\u201d? The word Christ<\/em> means \u201canointed one\u201d or \u201cmessiah.\u201d Why omit the definite article? How does the use of the word change without it? What does that change tell us about what Matthew is doing?<\/p>\n

Why does Matthew begin this genealogy with a prologue, \u201cthe son of David, the son of Abraham\u201d? What would \u201cson of David\u201d have meant to Matthew\u2019s contemporaries? What would \u201cson of Abraham\u201d have meant?<\/p>\n

Why does this genealogy begin with Abraham rather than Adam?<\/p>\n

In Jewish thinking at the time of Jesus, the \u201cnumber\u201d of David\u2019s name is fourteen. (Jewish numerologists added up the number values of the consonants in names and believed that those numbers were significant. The Hebrew letter that we transliterate as \u201cd\u201d is the fourth letter in the Hebrew alphabet and the letter that we transliterate as \u201cv\u201d is the sixth letter, so the number of David\u2019s name is 4+6+4, fourteen.) Does that tell us anything about why Matthew has constructed his genealogy as he has?<\/p>\n

Verse 5<\/em><\/a>: Who is this Rahab \/ Rachab? It doesn\u2019t seem that she can be the Rahab of Joshua 2 unless the chronology is seriously misaligned, for Boaz and Ruth lived about 200 years after Joshua. If that is the person Matthew has in mind (and most commentators think it is), what does that tell us about what Matthew is doing?<\/p>\n

Verse 6<\/em><\/a>: Why is David\u2019s name followed by \u201cthe king\u201d? Would there have been any doubt about which David Matthew had in mind?<\/p>\n

Verse 16<\/em><\/a>: According to Matthew, how is Joseph important? We would expect a genealogy to say \u201cAnd Joseph begat Jesus,\u201d but this one doesn\u2019t. Notice that Matthew switches to the passive voice in describing Jesus\u2019 birth. Why is it important that we know that Jesus\u2019 birth was not like the births of ordinary mortals?<\/p>\n

Verses 18-19<\/em><\/a>: What does \u201cespoused\u201d (verse 18<\/a>) mean? What does \u201cprivily\u201d (verse 19<\/a>) mean? At least ideally, Jewish divorce law, unlike the laws and customs of other people at the time, who it seems allowed men merely to get rid of an unwanted wife, required that divorce be formal: a man wishing to divorce his wife (to do so, he had to find \u201csome uncleanness in her\u201d or \u201csomething indecent about her\u201d\u2014Deuteronomy 24:1<\/a>), had to give her a document nullifying their marriage contract. She was then free to remarry. What does this story tell us about Joseph\u2019s character? Why do you think that Matthew focuses on Joseph but Luke says very little about him?<\/p>\n

Betrothal usually took place when a girl was about twelve or thirteen and was solemnized in marriage about a year later (Donald A. Hagner, Word Biblical Commentary, vol 33A: Matthew 1-13<\/em> [Dallas, TX: Word, 1993], 17).<\/p>\n

Verse 19<\/em><\/a>: Does \u201cbeing a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example\u201d mean that he was obedient to the law but didn\u2019t want to make an example of her\u201d or does it mean \u201csince he was a just man, he didn\u2019t want to make an example of her\u201d? What would the concept of righteousness or justice have meant to Matthew\u2019s audience?<\/p>\n

Verse 20<\/em><\/a>: Is it significant that Joseph is a dreamer, like Joseph of old? Is the meaning of Joseph\u2019s name significant to the story, \u201cto take away my reproach\u201d? Why does the angel emphasize that Joseph is a son of David?<\/p>\n

Verse 21<\/em><\/a>: The angel says that Mary\u2019s child\u2019s name should be \u201cJesus: for he shall save his people from their sins\u201d (verse 21<\/a>). How does the fact that he will save us explain his name? If the child is to be named \u201cJesus,\u201d then why does verse 23<\/a> say his name will be \u201cEmmanuel\u201d? (Verse 23<\/a> quotes Isaiah 7:14<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Verse 23<\/em><\/a>: Why does Matthew end this part of his story with a quotation from Isaiah?<\/p>\n

Verse 25<\/em><\/a>:<\/p>\n

\u201cJoseph . . . took unto him his wife\u201d tells us that Joseph hastens the second part of the wedding formalities, the marriage itself. He could either put her away quietly, his original plan, or he could marry her quickly to make it less likely that she would be looked down on by others.<\/p>\n

Luke 1<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Verses 1-4<\/em><\/a>: Luke is the only writer who begins his gospel by telling us why he is writing it. Why does he do that? Luke recognizes that have written their narratives of Jesus\u2019 life. Is he criticizing those narratives by deciding to write his own? If he is, what is the criticism? He says that he will \u201cset down an account,\u201d emphasizing that it will be an orderly one: \u201cset forth in order a declaration.\u201d Is that emphasis part of his criticism? Originally what we call the books of Luke and Acts were one book. Is his inclusion of what happened after Jesus death and resurrection part of his criticism?<\/p>\n

Verse 3<\/em><\/a>: Luke may be implicitly criticizing writers, like Mark, who begin with Jesus\u2019 ministry rather than with his birth. What might Luke think is wrong with ignoring Jesus\u2019 birth when bearing witness of who Jesus was and is?<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know who Theophilos was, but in Greek the phrase \u201cmost excellent\u201d is a title, comparable to \u201cyour honor\u201d in our culture, so he was probably a civil official of some kind.<\/p>\n

Verses 5-25<\/em><\/a>: Why does Luke begin with John the Baptist\u2019s birth rather than with Jesus\u2019 birth? Notice the parallels between his description of the two births: the parents are introduced (verses 5-7<\/a> and 26-27<\/a>), an angel appears to announce the birth (verses 8-23<\/a> and 28-30<\/a>), a sign is given (verses 18-20<\/a> and 34-38<\/a>), and a woman who has had no children becomes pregnant miraculously (verses 24-25<\/a> and 42<\/a>). Why has Luke taken so much care to make these two stories parallel?<\/p>\n

Zacharias was chosen to burn incense on the incense altar, the holiest place in the temple, just outside the Holy of Holies. Since the priests making the offering were chosen by lot and there were only two times a year when any particular group (\u201ccourse\u201d) of priests was eligible, the chances of this happening at all were slim; the chances of it happening to the same person twice in his lifetime were nil. Why do you think that the Lord chose that occasion to make the announcement of John the Baptist\u2019s birth? What did the burning incense represent? Is that relevant to understanding this event?<\/p>\n

Do you think that John was a Nazarite (verse 15<\/a>)? (Read about the Nazarites in your Bible Dictionary.) If so, what are your reasons for thinking he was? If he was a Nazarite, what does that say about his life and mission?<\/p>\n

How does Gabriel describe John the Baptist\u2019s mission in verse 17<\/a>? How does his mortal mission relate to his post-mortal mission?<\/p>\n

Joseph Smith tells us that Gabriel, the angel who made these announcements, is Noah (History of the Church<\/em> 3:386). Why is it significant that Noah \/ Gabriel make these announcements? Does 1 Peter 3:20-22<\/a> suggest any reasons for Gabriel being the one to make the announcements?<\/p>\n

How does this story compare to the story of Abraham and Sarah and the birth of Isaac? What is the significance of that comparison?<\/p>\n

Verses 26-38<\/em><\/a>: What do you make of Gabriel\u2019s address to Mary in verse 28<\/a>? How ought we to think of her? Compare Mary\u2019s response to the angel to Zacharias\u2019s response. What do their responses tell you about each?<\/p>\n

Gabriel describes Jesus\u2019 mission in verses 32-33<\/a>. Do they describe both his mortal ministry and the ministry that will begin with his Second Coming? How in each case?<\/p>\n

Verses 39-56<\/em><\/a>: Why might Elisabeth\u2019s reaction (verses 42-45<\/a>) have been reassuring to Mary? How does Elisabeth know that Mary will be the mother of the Lord? What is Elisabeth saying in verse 45<\/a>?<\/p>\n

Given your reading of the Old Testament, can you explain the importance of the themes of Mary\u2019s hymn in verses 50-54<\/a>? What do those themes have to do with the birth that she is expecting?<\/p>\n

Verses 57-66<\/em><\/a>: Zacharias\u2019s name means \u201cwhom Jehovah remembers\u201d and John\u2019s name means \u201cfavored by Jehovah.\u201d Does the meaning of those names tell us anything about why the angel told Zacharias to name the child John and why the family and friends wanted to name him after his father? How would the family have understood the name Zacharias to be meaningful in this case? How have we seen Zacharias remembered by the Lord in our reading for this week? How is the name John meaningful in this case? In what way was John favored by the Lord?<\/p>\n

Verses 67-80<\/em><\/a>: What does Zacharias tell us about Jesus in his blessing of John? How does what he says about Jesus reflect what we saw the prophets of the Old Testament saying? Zacharias specifically says that Jesus has come to make it possible for Israel to perform the mercy that was promised and to remember the covenant. Reread Exodus 19:5-6<\/a> to recall the promise of the covenant. Given that promise, what does Zacharias foresee Jesus restoring? The Greek word translated \u201cserve\u201d in verse 74<\/a> specifically refers to temple service. What do you make of the fact that the priest who has been serving in the temple is prophesying that Jesus will come and make temple service possible? Given the first-century controversy concerning the authority of the high priest of the temple, how might many have understood Zecharias\u2019s prophecy? How might we understand it?<\/p>\n

What does Zacharias tell us about John in this blessing? Why does Zacharias call Jesus \u201cthe dayspring,\u201d in other words, the dawn? Be sure to consider the connection between verses 78 and 79<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Does Herod\u2019s decree (Matthew 2:16<\/a>) perhaps explain why John was raised in the desert? Did his decree extend to children beyond Bethlehem? Some have speculated that John was raised by Essenes or a similar group. If John were raised by such a group, what might that suggest about his family\u2019s relation to the temple and its priesthood? (Remember who the Zadokites, i.e. Saduccees, were and what some of the disputes were in Israel at the time.) Why might it be appropriate that the forerunner of the Savior be raised among those who felt that way about the high priest of the temple?<\/p>\n

Please respond to this post at Feast upon the Word<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are all familiar with these chapters, so familiar that I suspect we often read them or hear them read without paying a lot of attention\u2014if we read these chapters at all. It is as if we go on automatic pilot when we they come up. However, there is a great deal going on in them. Matthew 1 Verses 1-16: It is clear that Matthew is not giving an exact genealogy. For example, he tells us that there were fourteen generations between each of the three important events in Israel\u2019s history\u2014from Abraham, to David, to the Babylonian captivity, to the coming of Christ: three groups of fourteen generations each, culminating in the birth of Jesus. But if we compare this genealogy to the other genealogies in the Old Testament we can see that they disagree. Why would Matthew knowingly give us a genealogy that differs from what we find in other scripture? (Notice that Ezra does something similar: he omits six generations of priests from his genealogy. Compare Ezra 7:1-5 to 1 Chronicles 6:3-15.) Notice also that Matthew says that there are fourteen generations in each of the three groups (verses 17-18), but he puts only thirteen in the last […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":14101,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-corn"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/01\/Ms.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14099","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/13"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14099"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14099\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14107,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14099\/revisions\/14107"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/timesandseasons.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}