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Author Topic: St. Matthew: Chapter 8  (Read 2778 times)
lumengentleman
Member

Posts: 1,663


« Reply #20 on: November 21, 2005, 07:28:PM »

Quote from: lumengentleman

Questions for Discussion

1. How does Jesus heal the leper?  What is significant about the method He uses?

 

As was discussed, the emphasis is upon Jesus' touching the sick and diseased - which is a radical break with the Old Covenant.  In the Old Covenant ritual impurity was strong enough to infect anyone who came into contact with the unclean; in the New Covenant, a reversal takes place: Jesus touches the unclean, and they become clean instead of making Him unclean.

 

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2. Using a tool like www.blueletterbible.com, identify the two Hebrew words used in Is. 53:4 to describe "infirmities" and "sorrows."  What is the dual meaning that can be understood from these words, and how does that shed light upon St. Matthew's use of the passage here in the Gospel?

 

Vox pulled up the information on this one: the words can refer to either physical sickness or spiritual sickness.  Jesus heals the sick and diseased, but the deeper picture behind this is that He is also demonstrating His power over sin in the process.  This will become explicit in the next chapter.

 

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3. What other references in Is. 53 make that chapter associated with this chapter of St. Matthew's Gospel?

 

Nothing further to add ...

 

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4. After studying the source of the words used in the Mass, Domine non sum dignus, etc., how might we apply this knowledge on a personal level to deepen our appreciation of the prayer?

 

This is a personal question, so ... there really is no "answer."

 

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5. Why does Jesus tell the prospective disciple, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead?"  Isn't burying the dead a corporal work of mercy?  Why does Jesus seem to downplay this work?

 

I believe He is speaking of the spiritually dead burying the physically dead when He says "let the dead (spiritually) bury the dead (physically)." 

 

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6. Locate "Gerasens" on a map (sometimes spelled "Gadarenes" or "Gergesenes") - is there anything significant about the healing of the demoniacs, or the reaction of the townspeople, give this location?

 

Actually, I don't have an answer for this.  :-)  I was just throwing it out there for consideration ...

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lumengentleman
Member

Posts: 1,663


« Reply #21 on: November 21, 2005, 07:35:PM »

Quote from: lumengentleman
 

Some more questions for discussion ...

 

1. Compare 8:23-27 with Jonah 1:1-16.  How many parallels can you find between the events? (hint: the parallels can be between characters, actions, or even similar words used in the two texts)

 

Vox nailed this one.  The literary comparison is made on purpose by St. Matthew, I believe, because he's prepping us for Jesus' explicit self-comparison to Jonah.

 

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2. What is the significance of the above comparisons?

 

Jesus will compare Himself to Jonah very shortly; when we get there, we'll talk about what that comparison entails.

 

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3. Compare 8:21-22 with 1 Kings (3 Kings) 19:19-21.  What are the parallels here, and what is their importance?

 

The disciple of the prophet was alllowed to go back home and tend to his family needs first; the disciple of Jesus was not allowed this.  At the very least, we can draw some comparisons between Elisha and Jesus - as great a prophet as Elisha was, apparently Jesus is playing an even more serious game of hardball here.  The demands of the New Covenant appear, in this comparison, to be greater than the demands of the Old.

 

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4. Compare 8:32 with Ps. 69: (68:) 1-4 and Dan. 7:1-3.  What do the waters signify here, and what is the symbolic meaning of what Jesus does in 8:32?

 

In the Psalms, the waters are symbolic of evil spirits and danger; in Daniel, the four beasts come out of the waters.  Jesus appears to be reversing this here, driving wild beasts back into the waters, and once again demonstrating His power over evil.

 

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Extra Credit: Read St. John Chrysostom's Homilies on St. Matthew's Gospel, homily #28 (accessible here), and explain, in your own words, the moral/allegorical meaning of Jesus calming the storm.

 

No one's biting here?  Come on, this was a freebie ... I even told you where to find the document!  :-)

 

In other news, I found some really interesting stuff on the symbolism of leprosy in St. Augustine's Questions on the Gospels, but unfortunately, I only have it in Latin; so, our own "brennus" has graciously agreed to provide us with an English translation so that everyone can benefit from it - hopefully in a few days we'll have that posted here.

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Paul
Member

Posts: 2,592


« Reply #22 on: November 21, 2005, 11:27:PM »

Quote from: lumengentleman

In other news, I found some really interesting stuff on the symbolism of leprosy in St. Augustine's Questions on the Gospels,  but unfortunately, I only have it in Latin; so, our own "brennus" has  graciously agreed to provide us with an English translation so that  everyone can benefit from it - hopefully in a few days we'll have that  posted here.

 
  Is this it?
 
  A Homily by St. Augustine the Bishop
  Lib. 2 quæst. Evang. cap. 40
  The ten lepers lifted up their voices and said : Jesus, Master, have  mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them : Go, shew  yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass that, as they went,  they were cleansed. Question : Why did the Lord send them unto the  priests, that, as they went, they might be cleansed? Lepers were the  only class among those upon whose bodies he worked mercy, whom we find  that he sent unto the priests. Thus it is written that he said to a  leper whom he had cleansed : Go, and shew thyself to the priest, and  offer for thy cleansing, according as Moses commanded, for a testimony  unto them. We ask then, of what was leprosy a type, whereof they that  were ridded of the same were said, not to have been healed, but rather,  to have been cleansed.
 
 Leprosy is a disease which doth first  appear in the skin, but destroyeth not immediately the strength, nor  the use of feeling and the limbs. By lepers, therefore, we may not  unreasonably suppose such to be figured as have not the knowledge of  the true Faith, but do shew forth divers parti-coloured teachings of  error. They hide not their witlessness, but do use all such wit as they  have to make it manifest, and proclaim it in high-sounding phrases.  There is no false doctrine but hath some truth mixed up with it. A  man's discourse then, with some truths in it unequally mingled with  falsehoods, and all confounded in one mass, is like to the body of one  that is stricken with leprosy, whereon all manner of foul colours do  appear in this and that place along with the true colour of the skin.
 
  Such men as these are banished out of the walls of the Church, to the  end that haply when they stand afar off they may lift up their voices  and to cry to Christ for pardon, just as those ten men that were  lepers, which stood afar off, outside the village, lifted up their  voices and said : Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. That they styled him  Master, (by which title I know not if any others are said to have  besought the Lord for bodily healing,) doth sufficiently shew (or so I  think) that leprosy signifieth false doctrine, whereof the Good Master  doth cleanse us.
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lumengentleman
Member

Posts: 1,663


« Reply #23 on: November 23, 2005, 07:10:AM »

Thanks to Brennus for the full translation below, taken from St. Augustine's Questions on the Gospel, 2, 40.

 

Italicized parts are Brennus' own comments.

 

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In the 10 lepers whom the Lord cleansed whenhe said "Go show yourselves to the priests" there is mucn to be asked which rightly motivates those who inquire. Not only concerning the number -- what it might mean that there are 10 and that one of them alone gave thanks, these (questions) can indeed freely be asked, not indeed that (these things) are investigated, but that nothing or little impede the intention of the readers -- But moreso than that, why he sent them to the priests so that when they went they would be cured.

 

No one of those to whom he performed corporal benefits is he found to have sent to the priests unless they were lepers. And indeed,he cleansed him of leprosy to whom he said "Go, show thyself to the priests and offer for theyself the sacrifice which Moses prescribed in his testimony" (Luc V 13,14.) Therefore what sort of spiritual cleansing can be understood of them whom he had refuted to have stood out ungrateful?

 

Concerning the body, indeed it is easy to be able to see a man to not have leprosy and, however, to not be of a good mind. Regarding the signification of this miracle however, it stirs up those considering (it), how can the ungrateful be said to be clean?

 

It is to be asked therefore what leprosy itself will signify. Indeed , they are not said to be healed but cleaned, those who have suffered it. Indeed, the defect is of the color, not the strength and integrity of the senses and members. Therefore, it is not absurd to understand the lepers to be (he means symbolically here) those who, not having knowledge of the true faith, profess various doctrines of error. Indeed, or else they are hiding their inexperience but professing the sum of their experience in the light, they show themselves (to be) boasting by their conversation. Further, there is no false doctrine that does not mix in some truth. The true therefore is inordinately mixed with the false in one disputation or narration of a man, just as in the appearance by the color of one body, leprosy is indicated, just as it changes and stains human bodies with true and false hues of color. (Color was a lot more important to ancient people than to us in the artificiality of moder times. Augustine would have thought of a body as having a "true" color and leprosy was not it.)

 

These however are so much to be shunned in the Church (false teachers, not lepers necessarily) that if it is possible, further removed, they interrupt Christ with a commotion, just as the ten stood at a distance and lifted up their voices crying "Jesus, teacher, have mercy on us," Indeed, and in that they called him by "teacher," by which name I know not whether anyone interrupted the Lord for corporal medicine, it is satisfactory, I think, to indicate the leprosy of false doctrine, which the good teacher wipes away.

 

Truly, hardly anyone of the faith doubts the priesthood of the Jews to be a figure of the royal priesthood to come which is in the church, by which all who are connected to the body of Christ are consecrated, the high and true priest of priests. For now all are annointed while formerly it was done to Kings and priests, and which Peter said to the Christian people, writing "royal priesthood" (I Pet. II, 19) and whether he declared that name to be fitting to that people to which that annointing pertained.

 

Moreover therefore, the Lord cured and corrected defects of health as if of the soul of the members as well as the senses, just as more inwardly by the conscience and understanding.

 

Truly, doctrine, whether of imbuing through the sacraments, or of catechizing through spoken sermons, as well as reading, where a certain color is understood true and sincere, because it is easily evident outside (not indeed in hidden thoughts but by manifest works these (I think he means the sacraments here) are done) is appropriately joined with the Church. Therefore Paul heard by the audible voice of the Lord "why does thou persecute me?" and "I am Jesus whom thou persecutest." However he sent him to Annias that by the priesthood which is established in the Church he would take possession of the sacrament of the true faith and that his true color would be proven. Not because the Lord can not do all things himself - for who else is it that does everything in the Church - but that the society itself of the congregation of faith, by approving each other as well as by communicating the doctrine of the true faith, in all which is said by words or signified by the sacraments, just as it draws forth one aspect of the true color. To this pertains what the apostle himself said "Then after 14 years I again went up to Jerusalem with Barnabas taking Titus with me. And I went according to revelation, and communicated to them the gospel that I preach among the gentiles, but apart to them who seemed to be something, lest I perhaps should run or had run in vain . . . and when they had known the grace that had benn given to me, James and Kepha and John, who were reputed to be pillars, gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship that we shouold go unto the gentiles and they unto the circumcision." (Gal II 1,2,9).

 

This collection (of passages) itself demonstrates one aspect of doctrine exempt from all variation which indeed he safely warns the Corinthians saying "Now I beseech you brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that you all speak the same thing and that there be no schisms among you, but that you be perfect in the same mind and in the same judgement." (I Cor I 10) and Cornelius when "while Peter was yet speaking these words the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word" (Acts X 44) which in keeping (with what I have been saying) now it is easy to see that, it is possible that everyone in the society of the Church followed the intact and true doctrine, and explained everything following the rule of Catholic faith, that he distinguish the creature from the Creator and by him (the Creature) is manifested by the variation of lies, just as he had suffered leprosy. (this next sentence doesn't really make sense to me. I'm sorry) And however, the ungrateful one would be (so) to God and to the Lord, the one who had made him clean. Because he was elated by pride he is not stirred by the pius humility of graces to be given and he is compared to them of whom the apostle said "Who when they have known God they did not glorify God or give thanks" (Rom I 21). Because indeed he said they knew God, he showed them indeed to have been cleansed of leprosy, but indeed immediately accused them of being ungrateful.

 

And on that account, such remain just as the imperfect ones, in the enumeration of the nine. If indeed one is added to the nine, a certain likeness of unity is filled from which it should be so complete that no further number can proceed unless it returns to one, and this rule is preserved though the infinity of numbers. That nine indeed lacks one, by a certain form of unity, it is coagulated that they be ten. One, however, needs nothing of them that is preserve its unity. On which account that the nine who did not give thanks are made reprobate, they are closed from the cnsortium of unity, thus the one who gave thanks, by signification of the Church is approved and praised. And because they were Jews, they are declared to have been lost through pride to the Kingdom of Heaven, where the greatest unity is preserved. The one indeed who was a Samaratine - which is translated "Guard" (I don't know if this etymolgy is correct, maybe it is - Brennus) - to him from whom he received he paid what he received and ina certain measure singing that in the Psalm "My strength I preserve to thee" (Psalm LVIII 10) through the action of grace he is subject to the king and by humble devotion preserves the unity of the kingdom.

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