Luke 2:22-32 - The Presentation of Jesus in the Temple (Gospel for February 2, 2013)

Luke connects the Presentation of Jesus in the temple with the Old Testament requirements of the Laws of Moses, namely:

- Every woman who gives birth to a boy must do two things: a) have the boy circumcised on the eighth day after birth, and b) on the fortieth day, she should present a lamb or, if she cannot afford it, two pigeons to the Temple for her purification. (See Leviticus 12:2-8.  Incidentally, a different rule for purification applies if the baby is a girl).

- Secondly, every first born must be offered to Yahweh in thanksgiving for being delivered from the slavery of Egypt.

Luke combines these two legal requirements to communicate:

1. Jesus, and his parents, were Law-abiding.  This is part of Luke's theme that Jesus and his teachings were not contradictory to Judaism.  

The Jews found Jesus' teachings as contradicting Judaism because they interpreted the Jewish laws literally, while Jesus preached the spirit of the law based on love of God and neighbor. (A classic example is the woman caught in the act of adultery -- the Jewish law required death by stoning; Jesus on the other hand forgave the woman).

2. Jesus is presented to the temple to identify Jesus as wholly dedicated to God.  Luke takes the effort to connect Jesus with the Jewish religion and Old Testament practices to convey these messages:

- Jesus never intended to undermine the Jewish religion but only wanted to bring back the original intent of their faith: love of God and neighbor, and not simply to strictly follow laws and rules.

- Jesus message of love and forgiveness is universal, for both Jews and Gentiles.  This explains Simeon's canticle: "My eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for your people Israel." (Underscoring mine).

Other Trivia:

Simeon and Anna represent devout Jews.  This reenforces Luke's intent to present Jesus and his family as law abiding Jews.  

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Sources:

- Raymond E. Brown et al (eds), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990), 683-684.

- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), 280-283.

Matthew 4:12-23: The Call of the First Disciples.  (Sunday Gospel for January 26, 2013).

The gospel mentions several historical places and the map shows their locations.  Note that:

1. Capernaum - this is where Jesus "withdrew" when John the Baptist was arrested, probably to stay away from the eyes of the authorities. Nazareth was too close to Sepphoris (see map) which was a government center.  (Jerusalem, which was THE political capital, is even further away at more than 100 kms from Nazareth).

2. Zebulun and Napthali - are no longer seen in the map during Jesus' times as these were the first places invaded by the Assyrians around 700 BC, and therefore were converted to the religions of the invaders (thus, considered pagans by the Jews).  Nazareth, where Jesus lived, remained a Jewish enclave.

3. Sea of Galilee - the first four disciples were all fishermen, which was likely but natural since Jesus wanted to recruit from the common folk, and fishing was one of the predominant occupations in the area.

Jesus' active ministry started at what we would consider as provincial (think Pozorubio, Pangasinan, for example).  His reputation grew in and around Galilee but he and his disciples had to go to Jerusalem in order to make a significant impact in their preaching of the Kingdom of God.

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Other Trivia:

Sea of Galilee, about 12 miles by 7 miles in area.

What was Jesus Life in Galilee Like? Jesus was a Nazarene. He lived most of his life in the town of Nazareth within the province of Galilee. Although a small village, Nazareth was close to nearby commercial centers but which were Gentile areas (or non-Jewish).  Nazareth was a Jewish enclave. It was also relatively poor and overpopulated; there was a scarcity of natural resources such as water and fertile soil. 

Nonetheless, Nazareth could not be called destitute. Jesus came from a family of craftsmen or carpenters which suggests a reasonable socio-economic standard of living.

Education was a priority for Jewish people. Jesus would have learnt the Bible at the village school (until the age of twelve) and at the local synagogue. This accounts for Jesus' knowledge of Hebrew (the language of the Bible) and Aramaic (the language in which religious discussion was held). 

It was also the custom of the time for young adults to attach themselves to a local teacher or sage. Although we know little of Jesus' young adult life, we do know that he eventually chose to be a disciple of John the Baptist. Certainly, by the time of his 'public ministry', Jesus was well versed in the Scriptures and the Jewish tradition. This suggests that he spent many years learning and discussing his Jewish faith and heritage.

Source: Lifted from -http://dlibrary.acu.edu.au/staffhome/gehall/xtology2.htm)

Matthew 18:1-5.10: The Children As The Greatest (Sunday Gospel for January 19, 2014, the Feast of the Sto. Nino).

I consider this passage as one of my personal favorites, not for its reference to the feast of Sto. Nino, but because of its powerful message if we accurately understand how "children" were perceived during biblical times; and secondly, due to the context of this passage.

1. "Children" - Children played a mixed role in Jewish as well as Greek-Roman tradition. (Biblical times were a mix of Jewish culture with influence from Greek and Roman.)  Among the Jews, children were regarded as a divine gift, a source of great joy, and sign of God's blessings.  But children were also considered as "ignorant, capricious and in need of strict discipline." 

The Greek-Roman culture looked at children as loved by parents and considered indispensable by the state for economic, cultural and military purposes.  At the same time they were also viewed as "fundamentally deficient, not yet human in the full sense, and mentally deficient who spoke nonsense."*

Why then would Jesus use children as an analogy to communicate greatness in the kingdom?  To show that it is precisely the helplessness of humble children (not their innocence of "cuteness" which are often the misinterpretations of this passage) that is the prerequisite in experiencing the Kingdom of God.  Adults often lean on their own skills and capability.  But a helpless child, totally dependent on others, will always see God's power, plan and providence in all things.  Karl Rahner, a prominent theologian, uses the term "infinite openness to the Infinite" to refer to children.

It is for this reason that I chose Joey Velasco's painting of "Hapag ng Pag-asa" (Table of Hope), which depicts Jesus's last supper with streetchildren, as a more appropriate image for the Feast of Sto. Nino.

2. The Context - this passage is part of Chapter 18, the entire chapter being a series of teachings most likely compiled by Matthew for the early church to use as their reference.  As Matthew's gospel was written sometime around 80-90 AD, then the early Christians were already more than just a movement, but were becoming to have its own organizational structure.  

Like any organization, it would be unavoidable that there would be some arguments and disputes based on position, rank, and authority.  In Jesus' set of values the humble are more important than the powerful for dependence on God is what makes one open to God's rule; and so the little child is held up as an example.**

During the Feast of Sto. Nino, let us remember: God is in control, we serve based on God's rule, and we lead as servant-leaders.

Other Trivia:

- In the Philippines, this Sunday's gospel reading is different from the rest of the Catholic world because we celebrate the Feast of the Sto. Nino (as approved by Pope Innocent XIII sometime in the 18th Century to be celebrated on the third Sunday of January).

- Further to how children were perceived during Biblical times, the Roman father's authority was supremely demonstrated in his power of life and death over his children, and could decide whether to recognize a newborn and raise it, or to expose it in a public place, to be left to die, or picked by strangers in which they might be raised as slaves, prostitutes, or beggars. ***

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* Judith M. Gundry-Volf, "The Least and the Greatest: Children in the New Testament", in The Child in Christian Thought, ed. Bunge (Michigan/Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2001), 34-36.

**Raymond E. Brown et al (eds), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990), 191-192.

***Gundry-Volf, 33-34.

Matthew 3:13-17 - Baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (Gospel for Jan. 12, 2014)

Note that the baptismal rite was already there as part of Jewish tradition, long before the time of John the Baptist and Jesus.

In the Old Testament, cleansing rituals were required for, say, people who touched a corpse or leper before they can enter and sacrifice in the temple.  This ritual usually consists of washing with water.  The ritual was later expanded to also include welcoming those who wish to convert to Judaism by requiring them to undergo a ritual cleansing, (together with circumcision).

John the Baptist however carried out a different kind of baptism, that of the "baptism of repentance."*  His brand of baptism required not just performing the ritual, but behaving accordingly afterwards based on God's precepts.  Those who went to John to be baptized were expressing their intention to repent and reform.

This brings us to the way Matthew introduces Jesus: he is the humble servant of Yahweh.  Matthew tries to explain the awkward, if not incomprehensible, act of Jesus submitting to John's baptism.  The roles are reversed, and it is Jesus that is acting as a repentant sinner.   Yet, Jesus insists on it in order to "fulfill all righteousness" (Mt 3:15).  Biblical experts interpret this phrase to mean as willing "to do whatever is right because one is obedient to the will of God." **

The Spirit received by Jesus is the same Spirit who inspired the prophets of the Old Testament.  We know this because the verse "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased" is a lift from the Isaiah 42:1: "Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one with whom I am pleased, upon whom I have put my spirit."***

This is the Jesus in Matthew's gospel: guided by the Spirit, He is humble and absolute in his obedience to God's will.

Other Trivia:

- It is in this passage that Jesus speaks for the first time in Matthew's Gospel.

- We often imagine this scene as happening before a crowd.  Note that Matthew does not mention any reference to a crowd.  Moreover, in Matthew 3:16, it was Jesus ALONE who "saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove"; not a crowd.  Matthew intended to say that the vision was a personal experience of Jesus and not revealed to the rest. 

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GOSPEL TRIVIA is a series of Gospel commentaries I'm starting in 2014. Trivia refer to details or information of usually very little value. This series, posted every Friday, highlights details of the Sunday gospels that are often missed but provide meaningful insight to a better understanding of the message of the gospel.

* For more on the history of baptism, see http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/asktheexpert/mar14.html

** Raymond E. Brown et al (eds), The New Jerome Biblical Commentary (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1990), 637.

*** Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Makati: St. Paul's Publications), 137.

Matthew 2:1-12 - The Epiphany (Sunday Gospel Jan. 5, 2013)

The visit of the magi (the bible does not say whether there were two, or three or more) appears only in Matthew's gospel.  It is not mentioned in Luke's gospel, which has an elaborate account of Jesus' birth; the gospels of Mark and John do not have any account of the birth of Jesus.  Matthew, on the other hand, does not include any mention of the "shepherds," "angels" and "manger"; in Matthew, the magi visited Jesus in a "house."

This means that the visit of the magi has a special meaning in the message that Matthew wishes to proclaim in his gospel.

"The Greek term majos has various meanings: Persian priests, magicians, religious propagandists.  Here it could refer to Babylonian astrologers who may have had some contact with Jewish messianic traditions; nothing indicates that they were kings.  By the 3rd century, the magi were progressively imagined as kings.  Since they had three presents, they were seen to be 3 in number (5th century).  By the 8th century, popular devotion gave them names: Gaspar, Melchior and Balthazar."*

But whoever they are, and regardless of their number, the significant thing is that the magi were non-Jews, or pagans.  Here lies the message: it is the pagans who were searching for the Savior.  On the contrary, "all of Jerusalem" together with Herod were "greatly troubled."  This included the "chief priests" and "scribes" who were the educated and knew their bible.  

Matthew's message is a proclamation that God became human to redeem EVERYONE.  No exclusivity, no intolerance, but acceptance that all peoples are made in the image and likeness of God.  

Pope Francis mirrors the message in a recent homily: 

"The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone! And this Blood makes us children of God of the first class! We are created children in the likeness of God and the Blood of Christ has redeemed us all! And we all have a duty to do good. And this commandment for everyone to do good, I think, is a beautiful path towards peace. If we, each doing our own part, if we do good to others, if we meet there, doing good, and we go slowly, gently, little by little, we will make that culture of encounter: we need that so much. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”**

"Epiphany" refers to a "moment of great revelation" as well as "the Christian feast when Jesus is manifested to Gentiles, as represented by the Magi."  This is a great revelation, indeed.

Other trivia:

- King Herod died around 4BC, and since he was the king when Jesus was born then, Jesus's birth is on or before 4BC.

- The star of Bethlehem is likely a literary creation of Matthew.  There is no known record of such a star.  It should also not be confused with the conjunction of Jupiter and staurn (which took place in 7 BC).***

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*Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), 120-121.

**http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/05/22/pope_at_mass:_culture_of_encounter_is_the_foundation_of_peace/en1-694445 
of the Vatican Radio website   

*** Guillemette, 122.