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St. John the Evangelist Parish
11301 W. 93rd Avenue, St. John, IN 46373
219-365-5678 :: http://www.stjohnparish.org/
11301 W. 93rd Avenue, St. John, IN 46373
219-365-5678 :: http://www.stjohnparish.org/
There are many questions when reading the bible. A lot of it is accepted without a complete understanding. Thank you Fr. Maletta for spiritually enriching our lives and helping us understand the word of God with such convenience! God bless you.
ReplyDeleteMy question is from Matthew 1:25 - Why did Joseph name Mary's son Jesus and not Emmanuel like it says in Matthew 1:23?
Maybe Father Maletta can expound upon or correct this but my thought is that Matthew 1:23 and Matthew 1:25 represent two different contexts. Matthew 1:25(the name Jesus) would be the common name that Jesus would be referred to by his parents, comrades etc. Also a legal name in that he is identified further as Jesus of Nazareth or Jesus the Son of Joseph(see John 1:45).
ReplyDeleteJesus was a very common name for 1st century Jews. Joshua(Yehoshua) in Hebrew. Jesus in Greek. Further Joseph in Matthew 1:21 is also instructed by the angel to name him Jesus.
Matt 1:23 represents a fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah, namely Isaiah 7:14.
Further Jesus has been given other names as well especially in regard to fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. For example in Isaiah 9:5 or 6(depending on your translation) it says, "and his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace." All names for the coming Messiah that Jesus would fulfill.
What is the significance of 14 generations? (Matt 1:17). Why the list of geneology starting with Abraham and not Adam? And why the pause at David and the Babylonian exile as opposed to any other event?
ReplyDeleteIn my AP English Class, the topic of numerology comes up many times in class. Numerology is any study of the purported divine, mystical, or other special relationship between a count or measurement and life. So in short, numerology is finding significance in numbers.
ReplyDeleteThe number 14 appears in the bible 50 times, so I will try to sum up what the Norton Anthology and other sources say about religious significance to the number 14.
According to Jacob Boehme, the number 14 represents, “the Holy Spirit being spread in the freedom and in the nature, although the nature does not know it.”
The number 14 is also the number of good and charity.
Fourteen is the numerical value of the name of David, and of the words "hand" and "gold" in Hebrew, this last one being the symbol of the original purity of the matter.
This is the major importance I want to address. David is a major leader in the time around Christ and has such a number that represents his name. Another interesting tie is to the math problem 2x7=14. Seven is considered the whole number. The number seven shows the full cycle, much like the days of the week. Twice this is 14.
You may be wondering how David is 14, but with numerology, each letter represents a number and when you add them all up, you are left with the sum, which is the number of the person. One misconception that is very commen is the number 666 and the devil. The number 666 is the sign of the beast, which is referring to the emperior Nero. The number 666 first appears in the text of Revelations, which is written by John, who was coincidentally exiled by Nero. Sorry for the side note.
Some examples from the text are:
The fourteen generations of Abraham to David, just as of David to the deportation of Babylon, and the deportation of Babylon to the Christ. (Mt 1,1-17)
The fourteen epistles written by saint Paul, having on the whole 100 chapters and adding up 2335 verses.
The weddings of Tobit and Sara lasted fourteen days. (Tb 8,20)
With the return of Exile, after the rebuilding of the Temple, the Israelis celebrated the Passover the fourteenth day of the first month. (Ezr 6,19)
Jacob worked fourteen years for his uncle Laban in order to be able to marry his daughter Rachel. The first period of seven years he allowed him to take Leah for woman, the older sister of Rachel, and after the second period of seven years, he could finally marry Rachel. And Jacob had of Rachel fourteen son and grandsons. (Gn 29,15-30 and 46,22)
The sufferings of the Christ would have begun fourteen days before Passover to finish with his passion.
Every year, the celebration of the Easter is never done in the same date, contrarily to the feast of Christmas which is always celebrated on December 25. At the fourth century after Jesus Christ, one established that this major feast of the liturgical calendar would be celebrated the first Sunday following the 14th night of lunation of March, if this one presents it on March 21, to the equinox of the spring, or after this date.
The James apostle, tells the Major, was killed fourteen years after the crucifixion of the Jesus Christ.
The Virgin Mary was 14 years old at the time of Annunciation according to the visions of Mary Agreda, that is to say exactly 14 years, 6 month and 17 days.
When you think of the number 14, the best thing to do is to think David and how he ties into the text. Thankfully this is talking about the generation the sprang forth from him.
Through some research- i understand Matthew was a tax collector. who is Matthew's audience? Starting with the genealogy and then fast forwarding to John the Baptist - it seems Matthew is explaining the greatness of Jesus Christ , but to whom?
ReplyDelete1-5-12
ReplyDeleteMt 5:13 - Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world. what does that mean?
Writings from the Fathers of the Church agree in stating that St. Matthew wrote his Gospel for the Jews. This is supported by considering that he does not explain Jewish customs and usages, as is done by the other Gospel writers when addressing Greek and Latin readers. Furthermore, he goes to great lengths to prove that Jesus is the Messiah and is from the house of David, as was foretold by OT prophets. This would be of little significance to those not well-versed in OT scripture and Jewish beliefs. [Source: newadvent.org - Catholic Encyclopedia]
ReplyDeleteMy question is about Mt 5:39 "But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well." This is a hard saying! In trying to be protectors and providers for our families and in the business world, how do we live this without being run over?
ReplyDeleteI so agree. How difficult to stand there in the middle of evil warfare and turn the other cheek. The only saving grace is that by turning the other cheek you are not reacting and engaging in the same behaviour as the striker. By acting, we act out of our Christian hearts, and that will make all the difference in the outcome. But what courage and strength that takes...I'm embarassed to admit.....
ReplyDeleteSorry to get a late start here. Why do they describe Jesus' lineage with Joseph's bloodline as Joseph was his "stepfather"?
ReplyDelete