CHAPTER 5 INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 5 INTRODUCTIONHRE 4M1

Who is “You” in this poem? You faced injustice, hate and strife.

You fought for what should be.You risked and finally gave your life,

So others could be free. You could have hated, but you chose

To love and understand,Rejecting violence to oppose

An evil in our land. You'd not inflame, but still inspire,

With hope that wouldn't yield.You called for boycotts, not for fire,

With faith your only shield. You marched in protest for the poor

Of every shade and hue.So many hardships you'd endure

For those who needed you. You stirred a nation's heart and mind;

Your message still is clear:That color's not how we're defined.

Your memory's always near.

What if this was the hidden verse? Then who is the ‘you’?

Each year your birth's a holiday.The nation honours you,

And wonders when we'll see the day

Your dream at last comes true.

Exegesis Analyzing texts in

their ORIGINAL context (history, culture, linguistics, etc.) to discover the original intent of the author

Connections stay within the time period it was written

The discipline of exegesis has existed for over 2000 years

Hermeneutics

Takes exegesis one step further

Way of interpreting texts & events to help us understand what they mean for us in the 21st century

Discover meaning in the Bible for our lives and era

MATTHEW’S GOSPEL (80-90 CE)What was going on when

Matthew was writing? Temple in the City of

Jerusalem is destroyed (70 CE) Division deepened between

Jews who followed Jesus and Jews who didn’t

Followers of Jesus became known as Christians (the Early church), and the non-followers formed Rabbinic Judaism

Apostles were getting old too; needed to preserve Jesus’ teachings

MATTHEW’S GOSPEL (80-90 CE) Interpreted Jesus’

words and actions to address the concerns of his (Matthew’s) community

Focused on: remaining united, refrain from judging one another, accept sinners, accept stable structure (church)

Matthew’s Jesus – “I am with you always, to the end of age”

Jesus is the Church’s ultimate teacher

Matthew shows Jesus’ authority to teach through:

a) A powerful genealogyb) An even more

powerful origin (God)Why?To show that Jesus was a

legitimate teacher who’s words were meant to be followed

Jesus as the new Moses

Jesus as the new MosesJesus Moses

Infant life threatened by the Pharaoh

Commandments from Mt. Sinai

The Ten Commandments

Saviour of the Israelites

The five books of the Torah

Infant life threatened by King Herod

Sermon on the Mount The Beatitudes Saviour of Humanity Five Teachings of the

new TorahTHE KEY DIFFERENCE: Jesus doesn’t only teach Israel, He teaches all nations with

authority. Matthew attempts to pass on to us the truth of Jesus’ authority as a teacher. In doing so, we are expected to pass this truth

on to future generations.

Why compare Jesus to Moses? Matthew was writing to

a Jewish audience Moses was a greatly

respected figure in Jewish history

Moses taught the Torah to Israel; Jesus teaches the new Torah

In showing connections to Moses, it would have been easier for the Jews to see Jesus as a person sent for their salvation (much like Moses helped them out of slavery)

APOCALYPSE By definition, is a

universal destruction causing the end of existence

APOCALYPTIC LITERATUREWhere Did It Come From? Jewish society felt loss of

identity and hopelessnessi. Ruled by Romansii. High priests of the

Temple were corruptiii. Forced to adopt Greek

Cultureiv. Memory of ancestors

being exiled Jewish society wondered

if God abandoned them or is simply testing them

APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE Came to the

conclusion that the bad events will lead to the coming of God

God will arrive soon to overpower evil (Hope is in God)

Apoc. writers showed the end as a huge catastrophe (wars, earthquakes, disasters, etc.)

End = Good over Evil

MATTHEW’S APOCALYPTIC LITERATUREHow does Matthew

differ? God’s arrival is not

a frightening sight He arrives with

goodness , “the blind receive sight, the lame walk”

God comes as a free gift of salvation (a way to be saved)

FROM APOCALYPTIC LITERATURE TO ‘KINGDOM OF HEAVEN’

Kingdom of heaven or Kingdom of God = symbol/metaphor for God

Kingdom of God has come to you = God is now among you

Jesus portrays God as being near

Through Jesus and His teachings, God has entered into history

SO WHAT’S THE POINT? God’s arrival is no

longer filled with doom but filled with....LOVE

All people, esp. the sick, sinners, and outcasts experienced generosity

Jesus starts the Kingdom of God in human history (without earthquakes, wars, fires, disasters)

The Church and the Kingdom of Heaven The Church =

people who follow Jesus; accept God’s offering of salvation

The Church = “first fruits” or “first result”; community where Kingdom of God is at work

“I am with you always, to the end of age”

Through Jesus, God’s kingdom has come and is present in history

God’s Kingdom continues to break into history through the Holy Spirit in the lives of the just

God’s kingdom will come in fullness when Jesus returns at the end of time