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What are you called to do in the work of God’s vineyard? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 21:33-46 What are you called to do in the work of God’s vineyard? Jan Luyken (1649-1712). Gelijkenis van de pachters van de wijngaard [Parable of the wicked tenants] . 1703. Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Public domain (CC0), via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gelijkenis_van_de_pachters_van_de_wijngaard,_RP-P-OB-45.110.jpg . Tom Faletti August 7, 2025 Matthew 21:33-46 The parable of the tenants who kill the landowner’s son Recall that in the previous passage , Jesus was drawing a contrast between the chief priests and elders, who have failed to respond to the preaching of John and Jesus, and the “tax collectors and prostitutes,” who have come to believe and are therefore entering into the kingdom of God ahead of the chief priests and elders. Jesus tells a second parable that applies to the chief priests and elders. It uses the longstanding image of the Jewish people as God’s vineyard. The image appears especially in Isaiah 5:1-7, a passage the Jewish leaders would have known well. Read Isaiah 5:1-7 . In the Isaiah passage, in the first verses of chapter 5, what did the vineyard owner do? How does this represent God’s love for his chosen people Israel? What has he done for them? What did the vineyard do in response to the owner’s love (see verse 2 and verse 4)? In the Jewish mind, everything that happened was caused by God. They did not make a distinction between what God causes and what God allows . So they saw the destruction of the vineyard – i.e., Israel in Isaiah’s time – as the direct act of God. We, who see a difference between what God causes and what God allows , might see this as a case where God allowed the nations around Israel to attack and destroy Israel (verse 5: “take away its hedge”), rather than that God directly visited ruin upon them. Now return to Matthew 21:33-46 . Who does the landowner represent? Who do the tenants represent? Who do the servants of the landowner in verses 34-36 represent? Who does the owner’s son represent? In Mark 12:8, the tenants kill the son and throw him out of the vineyard. In Matthew, the order is reversed, as they throw him out of the vineyard and kill him. Some scholars see in Matthew’s order a reference to the fact that Jesus was killed outside the walls of the city of Jerusalem (John 19:17, 20; Hebrews 13:12-13). Who are the “other” tenants in verse 41 who the owner will subsequently bring on as his tenants? The usual interpretation of this parable is that the owner is God; the vineyard is Israel (or Jerusalem); the original tenants are the leaders of the people – the chief priests and elders; the servants are the Old Testament prophets, whom the nation of Israel often mistreated and sometimes killed (although Matthew adds that one of them was stoned, which could be a reference to Stephen – see Acts 7:54-60); the son is Jesus; and the new tenants are a new Israel (or the true Israel) composed of people who believe in Jesus. Matthew’s community, a people who received the kingdom, was a collection of Jews and Gentiles. In having so many connections to the story of salvation history, this parable is more like an allegory than most of Jesus’s parables. How does this story portray the chief priests and elders, who will soon ask the Roman authorities to put Jesus to death? What does this story say about the people who are putting their faith in Jesus? What does this parable tell us about God? Notice that the landowner, like God, trusts the workers without standing over them micromanaging every move. He is patient when they rebel. He cares so much about his vineyard that he sends his son. Although he is patient, he does bring judgment ultimately. What does this parable tell us about Jesus? He is not just a prophet; he is God’s son. He will be killed. However, there will be an accounting in the end. Where are we in this story? What does the parable tell us about ourselves? The stone In Matthew 21:42, Jesus ends the parable by pointing to a quote from Psalm 118:22-23 (“the stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”). It might also remind the chief priests and elders of the saying in Isaiah 28:16 where God says that he is laying a cornerstone in Zion (Jerusalem) that is a sure foundation for people’s faith. Who is this cornerstone? What happens to the cornerstone? Jesus, the cornerstone, is rejected by the builders – i.e., the leaders of Jerusalem. The quote from the Psalms say that God has done this and it is “marvelous” or “wonderful” in our eyes. How would you explain what is wonderful about Jesus being the cornerstone of our faith and of our relationship with God? When Jesus quotes this passage from the Psalms, how does it answer the question the leaders asked in Matthew 21:23, when they asked by what authority Jesus is doing what he is doing? In verse 43, Jesus speaks judgment upon the leaders. What does he say will happen to them? The passage about the vineyard in Isaiah has similar language. You can read Isaiah 5:11-16 to see that. In verse 43, Jesus says the kingdom will be taken away from them and given to a people who will produce the proper fruit of God’s kingdom. Who are those people, and what is the “fruit” they produce? The early Christians saw this statement by Jesus as being fulfilled when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and scattered the Jewish people. They saw the Church (the Christian people) as the “other tenants,” the people producing fruit. Verse 44 does not appear in many of the early manuscripts, but it is in Luke 20:18 (Luke’s version of this same parable), so it makes sense here. Jesus may be drawing on a couple of Old Testament images: Isaiah 8:14-15 has an image of God as a rock that both Israel and Judah will stumble over, and they will fall and be broken. In Daniel 2:32-35 and 43-45, Daniel interprets a dream that King Nebuchadnezzar had, in which a stone that was not made by human hands crushes a statue that represents the powerful nations of the world from the time of Babylon through the time of the Greeks. Verse 44 has been interpreted in many different ways: perhaps the first group is those who humble themselves before God and fall on Jesus in repentance, while the second group is those who resist the saving grace of Jesus. How have you found yourself needing to be “broken” as part of the process of embracing the call of Jesus in your life? In verses 45-46, we see the reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees. This is the first time Matthew has mentioned the Pharisees since Jesus arrived in Jerusalem. The recognize that Jesus’s parable refers to them. What would they like to do, but don’t do, and why? The lines have now been clearly drawn. The political die has been cast. As Jesus foretold before he came to Jerusalem, he is on a clear path to be executed by the leaders of his society. God never forces anyone to do evil. Each person who is opposing Jesus could have chosen a different path. What is Jesus offering to the leaders, as a way to get off of the tragic path they are on? In this story, we are among the “other tenants” who have been given a shot at working in God’s vineyard. What a great privilege that is! What are you doing with your opportunity? How are you working in God’s vineyard? What more could you be doing, to do the work of God? Take a step back and consider this: The range of people circling in and around God’s vineyard is vast. When people encounter Jesus, there are many different ways they might respond: Some are put off by the claims he makes, or the demands he makes, and they reject him without ever embracing him. Some may be living unruly lives when they encountered Jesus, but they see the truth in his calling, decide to follow him, and find themselves being transformed by the relationship they develop with him. Some are raised “in the faith” but do not discover a personal experience of Jesus. They go through the motions of the faith and then fall away or just keep going through the motions without developing a vital relationship with Jesus. These members of our community need a new encounter with Jesus to help them connect with him on an adult level and follow him on a personal level. Some are raised in the church, fall away, and then subsequently have a new encounter that helps them recommit their lives to following Jesus. Some are raised in the faith and develop a personal relationship with Jesus early on that matures into an adult commitment to him without ever falling away. Jesus wants all of them to be part of his team – the people who are working in his vineyard to produce the fruit of the kingdom. Every time the sun goes down, it is a chance to reflect on what we have done today. Every time the sun rises, it is a new day in the vineyard – a new chance to be open to the fruit of God’s Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23) and to “press on,” as the apostle Paul puts it (Phil. 3:14). Every day, Jesus invites us to take another step. We can ask: What would Jesus like to help you do today in the work of God’s vineyard? What can you do to help someone else stay true to their calling as a worker in God’s vineyard? Let us embrace our calling as tenants in the vineyard of the Lord, in whatever capacity he gives us and in whatever work he calls us to do. Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

The poor; the goods of the earth, debt, economic priorities; synodality. (Paragraphs 15-17 of Spes Non Confundit) Previous Next Jubilee Year 2025: Embrace God’s Hope and Extend It to All Session 5: Where signs of hope are needed today, part 3, and broader appeals for hope The poor; the goods of the earth, debt, economic priorities; synodality. (Read paragraphs 15-17) Link to S pes Non Confundit Photo by Tom Faletti, Berlin, Germany, June 20, 2024. Tom Faletti November 16, 2024 Some of the greatest divisions in the world seem to revolve around economics and religion. In the paragraphs of Spes Non Confundit that we will explore in this session, Pope Francis first voices God’s special concern for the poor. He then offers proposals for responding to the divide between wealthy and poorer nations. Finally, he highlights the Church’s long history of synodality as part of a call for greater unity among God’s people in the Church. Our study guide questions will help us explore how we can live lives that show greater solidarity with the poor, how we might appeal to our leaders to place a greater priority on meeting the needs of the poor and providing justice for all, and how we can promote unity in the Church. Rather than shaking our heads in despair at the challenges around us, we are called to find ways to work for justice and unity in our world and in our Church. Our loving God stands on the side of responsive hope rather than idle despair. Read paragraphs 15-17 in preparation for this session. Paragraph 15 (the poor) 🔗 In paragraph 15, Pope Francis gives an impassioned plea on behalf of the poor. What are some of the ways he sees them being neglected and impoverished? Pope Francis says that when we see “the constant tide of new forms of impoverishment, we can easily grow inured and resigned” (par. 15). What does he mean? Why do we become “inured or resigned”? How does poverty drain people of hope? How can you live a life that is more fully identified with the poor as an act of solidarity? Read 1 John 3:16-17 According to 1 John 3:16, who is our example for how we should treat others, and what do you think it calls you to do as a follower of Christ? What does John tell us in 1 John 3:17? What are some concrete things you could do, on your own or with others, to respond to some of the poverty around you? If Christians engaged in more concerted efforts to help the poor, it naturally would lift the hopes of the poor. How might it also give greater hope to you or others who are doing the helping? Now return to what Pope Francis wrote in paragraph 15. Why does he say that it is “scandalous” that “the poor continue to be the majority of the planet’s population” (par. 15)? Pope Francis is not only concerned with our individual responses to the poor; he is also concerned about the actions of leaders in the international economy. Why does the world need more than just our individual responses? In what ways might it be said that, for world economic leaders, the problems of the world’s poor “are brought up as an afterthought” (par. 15)? How might political and economic leaders do a better job of addressing poverty? Suggested Activities: Explore the work of Catholic Relief Services , which provides developmental assistance to communities in need all over the world and provides opportunities for church members to advocate for governmental action to address poverty around the world. Consider a more frugal and earth-sustaining lifestyle. Distinguish between needs, wants, and luxuries when you are considering purchases. If you save money this way, consider giving some of it to organizations that serve the poor. (Section 4) Appeals for hope In this section, Pope Francis discusses some broader ways of thinking about the issues we face. Paragraph 16 (the goods of the earth, debt, and economic priorities) 🔗 Pope Francis says that the goods of the earth are for everyone, not for a privileged few. This runs contrary to the prevailing view that whatever you own is yours – period, end of story. In paragraph 16, Pope Francis make a specific request of the rich. What does he ask them to do? In the same paragraph, Pope Francis makes a specific request of governments. What does he ask them to do with the money spent on weapons? What do you think about Pope Francis’s requests? Pope Francis is raising questions about the priorities of those who have the greatest impact on how the world’s resources are used. Let’s look at this question of priorities on a personal level and on a societal level. Read Matthew 25:41-42 and 25:45 What does Jesus say about our failure to provide food and water to those who need it? There is enough food in the world to feed everyone, but the food is not distributed equitably enough to meet all people’s basic needs. What does this say about our priorities? What changes is Pope Francis asking us to make in our priorities, and what would your response be? What are one or two things you could do – either directly or as an advocate appealing to people in power – to try to reduce poverty and increase access to food and water? What could people in power do to increase access to food and water? Suggested Activity: Explore the work of Bread for the World , a Christian organization that is the leading anti-hunger voice in the halls of Congress. This group helps church members and other people of good will become advocates for action as it calls on our leaders to take the necessary steps to end malnutrition and hunger in our nation and our world. Read Leviticus 25:13-17,23-24 The Law of Moses prescribed that every 50th year (the jubilee year) all land would be returned to its original owner, so that families would not be indebted forever. Pope Francis quotes from Leviticus 25:23, where the Lord tells the Israelites that they are tenants on the land, not permanent owners, because the land belongs to God. If we viewed land this way in our society, how might that lead to changes in the situation of the poor? We might not be able to implement the full vision of Leviticus 25:23, but what might we do to move closer to a society where people are not mired in debt? In the second part of paragraph 16, Pope Francis raises the issue of debt relief for countries that cannot repay their loans. Debt relief can help address the lingering effects of past injustices related to colonization. Pope Francis notes that economic disparities can be exacerbated by the disproportionate use of the earth’s natural resources by wealthy countries. Would you be willing to support debt relief programs that try to help indebted countries get a fresh start? Why or why not? What might you do to learn more about the history of colonial practices that impoverished so many nations in Africa, South America, and South Asia and the economic imbalances that still affect them? Suggested Activity: Do some research to learn more about the history of colonization, the ways wealthy and powerful nations have extracted wealth from poorer and weaker nations, and how the power imbalances of the past continue to hold back the development of the nations of the global South today. Share what you learn with a friend or neighbor. Paragraph 17 (synodality) 🔗 In paragraph 17, Pope Francis notes that 2025 is the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea, where bishops approved the bulk of the Nicene Creed that we proclaim at Mass every Sunday. The Pope does not mention this merely to remind us of Church history and doctrine, but to illustrate the value and importance of church synods in the life of the Church. Synodality is the idea that we must include all of the People of God as we journey together and discern what God is doing and wants to do in our Church. In paragraph 17, Pope Francis discusses the concept of synodality, which goes back to the early days of the Church. Why does Pope Francis say that synodality is important? How might a synodal approach to Church life help build unity? At the end of the third part of paragraph 17, Pope Francis quotes Jesus’s prayer for unity, which appears in John 17:21. What does Jesus’s call for unity say to us, and how should we respond? According to Jesus’s prayer, how can unity in the Church have an effect that goes beyond the Church itself? How can we support the Church’s efforts to express unity through synodality? Suggested Activity: Reach out to someone in your parish who thinks differently than you on issues related to the Church or politics. Invite them to get together with you for coffee so that you can listen to their perspective. Let the conversation proceed without any intention to convince the other person – just listen and learn. The very act of listening is part of what synodality is about. It helps build unity, even when we don’t agree. Closing question: In these paragraphs, Pope Francis is trying to build a unity of purpose that transcends economic differences, reaches out across national boundaries, and draws together the entire Church. What needs to change in people’s hearts in order for this unity of purpose to be fostered? What needs to change in your heart to help you more fully embrace this unity of purpose? Bibliography See Jubilee Year 2025 - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/jubilee-2025/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Jubilee 2025 Contents Next

John the Baptist comes to prepare the way for one greater than him. Previous Mark List Next Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist comes to prepare the way for one greater than him. Tom Faletti Mark 1:1-8 In verse 1, how does Mark describe this book he is writing? Leaving aside the religious meaning for a moment, what does it mean to you when you have "good news"? In the context of our faith, what is "the good news of Jesus Christ"? Mark describes Jesus using two titles in verse 1. What are those titles and what do they mean? The first term is "Christ," which is a Greek translation of the Hebrew term "Messiah" – both meaning "anointed one." Why did it matter to the Jews whether Jesus was the "Messiah"? What did that word mean to them? Jews expected a messiah who would overthrow the Romans, end their oppression, and usher in a new age of freedom and peace. The other title in verse 1 is "Son of God." This phrase does not appear in many of the earliest manuscripts but was a well-established part of the Gospel by the second century (Daniel J. Harrington, S.J., "The Gospel According to Mark," The New Jerome Biblical Commentary , p. 599). Since Jesus's identity as the Son of God seems to be a key theme for Mark, it is fitting for the title to be used here at the beginning of his Gospel. In the Hebrew Scriptures (the Old Testament), references to a "son of God" or "sons of God" generally appear to mean angels, so for the Jews of Jesus's time this phrase would have been more ambiguous than it is to Christians. Jesus's appropriation of the term and assertion that he is not only the Son of God but one with the Father leads us to understand the term literally. What does "the Son of God" mean to you? (to be continued) Bibliography See Mark - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/mark/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Mark List Next

How to pray: The Lord’s Prayer shows the way. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 6:9-15 How to pray: The Lord’s Prayer shows the way. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti May 18, 2024 Matthew 6:9-15 The Lord’s Prayer: How to pray This prayer has two parts: 3 petitions focused on God and 3 petitions focused on our needs. How does the prayer known today as “the Lord’s Prayer” or the “Our Father” begin? What does this first part – "Our Father who art in heaven" – say about the nature and character of God? “Heaven” tell us God is not human, or like a human. “Father” tells us what God is like – what God’s character is, relative to us. Note: Matthew is writing in Greek and here uses the Greek word for “father.” However, if Jesus taught the prayer in Aramaic, he might have used the more intimate Aramaic word “Abba,” which means “Daddy.” “Abba” only appears 3 times in the New Testament – in Mark 14:36; Romans 8:15; and Galatians 4:6 – but it casts a new light on our relationship with God that is not taught prior to Jesus. What does this beginning of the prayer say about our relationship to God? . . . and our relationship with each other? This part of the prayer establishes that we are children of God – and therefore that we are brothers and sisters of each other. What does “hallowed be thy name” mean? “Hallowed” establishes that God, by his very nature, is holy. In combination with “heaven” it establishes that God has a supreme degree of holiness, and this indicates a distinction between God and us. Is this just about treating God’s name with respect, or is there more to it? What are some ways we can “hallow” God’s name in our everyday living? Verse 10 has the form of a typical Jewish couplet: two statements that say the same thing in different ways, so that the second amplifies the first (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 211-212). How do “thy kingdom come” and “thy will be done on earth as in heaven” make the same point? How does the second petition in verse 10 – “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” – go further than or further explain the first of these petitions? The petitions in verse 10 suggest that wherever God’s will is done, there the kingdom of God is. Anywhere on Earth where the will of God is being done is part of the kingdom. What does this say to you about how you live your life? Barclay suggests that the last 3 petitions in this prayer focus our attention on 3 great human needs that are related to the present, past, and future: bread now, forgiveness for what we have done in the past, and help in future temptation. He also suggests that these petitions point us to God the Father as Creator (bread), God the Son as savior/redeemer (forgiveness), and God the Holy Spirit as source of strength and guidance (in temptation) (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 199). What do you think Jesus meant by “bread”? Is it just about meeting our physical need for food? Is it about all of our material needs? Is it expressing a desire for spiritual food? Is it about the Eucharist? Is it about desire to participate in the heavenly banquet to come? Throughout the ages, people have found benefit in all of these interpretations. What might be the significance in praying for “our” daily bread, not “my” daily bread? The word usually translated “daily” is uncertain. It is used in the New Testament only here and in Luke’s version of the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:3), and it only appears once in other Greek literature outside the New Testament. Scholars suggest that it could mean “daily” or “tomorrow’s” or “needful” or “future” (Viviano, par. 39, p. 645). Although in the Lord’s Prayer today many people pray, “Forgive us our trespasses,” the word is better translated as “debts,” which is what we find in both the NRSV, the NABRE, and most other modern translations. The word “debts” is a metaphor for our sins. If we are talking about sin, what does “Forgive us our debts” mean? What does the word “debt” suggest about our sins? What does “as we forgive those . . .” mean? “as” means in the same proportion or to the same degree – with the same measure. So we are asking God to forgive us to the same degree that we forgive others, or using the same measure we use to measure out forgiveness to others. How do verses 14-15 amplify the message of the importance of forgiveness? Why is forgiveness so important? Forgiveness isn’t always easy. How can we move to a place of forgiveness when we have been deeply hurt? It is important to acknowledge the hurt, and sometimes we need time to process the hurt. But ultimately, when forgiveness is hard, it comes down to a decision. We can decide to hold on to the hurt or to give it to God and decide as an act of the will to stop holding it against the other person. This does not necessarily mean “forgetting” the offense; for self-preservation we sometimes need to remember what has been done to us. But we can still decide to stop holding it against the other person. Sometimes, when we do this, we find that letting go of it provides a release for ourselves as well, allowing us to put the matter in the past and move forward. In the Lord’s Prayer as we pray it today, we say, “Lead us not into temptation” (verse 13a). There is a lot going on behind the scenes in this verse. First, although we pray, “Lead us not into temptation,” the word “temptation” is not the best translation of the word. Modern translations often say “test” or “trial” in verse 13. The Jews of Jesus’s time expected that there would be a time of severe testing before the coming of the Messiah. A common understanding of the petition is that it is asking God to spare us that trial. Second, although the first part literally means “Lead us not,” we know that God does not lead people into temptation – see James 1:13-14. Therefore, it is better to interpret this metaphorically. The Catholic bishops in a couple of countries in Europe have sought and received approval from the Vatican to rephrase this part of the prayer in their liturgies to remove the implication that God might lead us into temptation. They are adopting other wordings that might be translated into English as: “Do not let us fall into temptation” or “Do not abandon us to temptation.” The point is that, while God allows people to be put to the test, we want to ask him to spare us from that trial. Where is God when you are tempted – leading you into the temptation or trying to lead you out of it ? Explain. What is the test or trial you need to ask God to keep you from? In the Lord’s Prayer, we usually pray, “Deliver us from evil.” This acknowledges that evil is real, along with temptation. What is the response to evil that Jesus is calling us to take? In modern translations, the "deliver us" line in verse 6:13 is translated: “rescue us from the evil one” (NRSV) or “deliver us from the evil one” (NABRE), because the Greek word is sometimes used for the devil (for example, Matthew 13:38) – i.e., evil personified, not some abstract notion of evil. What does this add to your understanding of what we are praying here? Compare this prayer to your picture of the heaped-up, empty phrases Jesus rejects in Matthew 6:7. How is this prayer different? How can you capture some of the Lord’s Prayer’s simplicity and directness in your personal prayers to God? For some people, this prayer has become so rote that it has lost some of its power. If we could reclaim this prayer – every petition of it – so that it was a conscious expression of our intimate reliance on God as we face life in the real world, how might that affect our lives? Which of these petitions is speaking must directly to your heart today, and why? What might you consider doing differently because of today’s study? Take a step back and consider this: Barclay writes: “In the Lord’s Prayer, Jesus teaches us to bring the whole of life to the whole of God, and to bring the whole of God to the whole of life” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 199). How does this prayer invite us to make God the center of all that we face in life? How can you use the Lord’s Prayer to help you invite God into “the whole” of your life? What are the short, simple, direct things you need to say to God right now? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

How many times must I forgive someone who does something wrong to me over and over again?  How is God a model for the answer? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 18:21-35 How many times must I forgive someone who does something wrong to me over and over again? How is God a model for the answer? Lawrence W. Ladd (fl. 1865–1895). Parable of the King and His Servants . Circa 1880. Cropped. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC. Public domain, via Smithsonian American Art Museum, https://americanart.si.edu/artwork/parable-king-and-his-servants-14161 . Tom Faletti June 29, 2025 Matthew 18:21-35 Forgiving others; giving and receiving mercy In this parable, Jesus tells a story that has multiple layers. But it starts with a question from Peter. What does Peter ask Jesus and what is he really a sking? Let’s remember the context for this parable. In the previous passage, Jesus has just said that if your brother sins against you, you should approach your brother about it; and if your brother listens to you, you will have regained a brother. But Peter is thinking ahead. He is saying to himself: Suppose my brother apologizes and admits he was wrong, and I forgive him; but then he goes and does it again. How many times do I have to forgive him? What is Jesus’s initial answer? Jesus says either 77 times or 70-times-7 times, signaling a number larger than one would try to count: an unlimited number of times. Here is why scholars disagree as to whether Jesus said (70 plus 7) times or (70 times 7) times. In English, we have a word for two times (twice) and a word for 3 times (thrice), but we don’t have words beyond that. In Greek, there is a word formation that can be used for any number: five-times, seven-times, ten-times, etc. Peter uses that word formation to ask, Seven-times? Jesus uses the same word formation with seventy (seventy-times) and then follows it with the word seven. So in the Greek, Jesus’s answer is: Not seven-times, but seventy-times seven. Is “seventy-times seven” equivalent to our “seventy-seven” (i.e., seventy and seven, 77)? Or is it equivalent to our seventy times seven (490)? Scholars don’t agree on the answer. But the specific number isn’t the point. The key is that it is a large number. How do you think Jesus wants Peter to interpret Jesus’s answer? Is he saying Peter can count 77 times (or 490 times) and then stop forgiving, or is he saying something else? What is the point of Jesus’s answer? Jesus may be remembering an exchange in Genesis 4:23-24. In Genesis 4:15, God says, “If anyone kills Cain, vengeance will be taken against him sevenfold” or “seven times as much.” In 4:24, Lamech says, “If Cain is avenged sevenfold, / then Lamech [will be avenged] seventy-sevenfold.” The Jews did not have a word for infinity, and seven was seen as a number representing perfection, so seventy-seven might have suggested double-perfection, unlimited perfection – or in this case, unlimited revenge. Jesus turns it on its head, using the concept of seventy-seven for unlimited forgiveness. What does this exchange say to us? What does it say to the church? This interaction between Peter and Jesus follows immediately after the instructions about how to deal with someone in the church who is doing something wrong, and the giving of the binding and loosing power to the church. How are the previous passages and this passage related? Jesus tells a parable to bring his point to life, and he chooses numbers that make it extreme. We miss his extreme exaggeration in the translations. What happens in the first part of the parable? What does the king do, what does the slave request, and how does the king respond? Although many translations say “servant,” Matthew uses the Greek word for a slave ( doulos ), not the word for a servant ( diakonos ). At the time of Christ, perhaps 20% or more of all the people in the Roman Empire were slaves. Slaves in the Roman Empire often performed very high-level jobs with a great deal of responsibility, unlike the situation in the American and European colonial slavery systems. In the second part of the parable, what does the slave do, what does the fellow slave request, and how does the first slave respond? In a parable, the key elements of the story stand for something else of a spiritual nature. Parables often use an everyday human situation as a metaphor for a spiritual truth about God or God’s interaction with people. In this parable, who does the king represent? Jesus tells this parable when Peter asks how many times he must forgive someone. Matthew is trying to use Jesus’s teachings to guide his community in how it should handle conflicts. Considering that context, who does the first slave stand for? In our own lives, who does the first slave stand for? The slave owes 10,000 talents. A talent was worth 6,000 denarii, where a denarius was roughly a day’s wage for a laborer ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , Matt. 18:24 fn., p. 1773). This means that the value of one talent was the value of nearly 20 years of wages for a common laborer or soldier. If we translate that value to our time, the value of one talent, translated to the wages of low-skilled workers in the United States today, would be somewhere between $275,000 and $600,000 (as of 2025; the range is so wide because different jurisdictions have widely varying minimum wages). But this slave owed 10,000 talents . That is a sum of money comparable to something like $5 billion today. How does the meaning of this story change when you understand that the first slave owed $5 billion in today’s economic terms and was forgiven? What does the forgiveness of such an enormous sum say to us? The second slave owed 100 denarii. A denarius was the standard wage for a day’s work for a common laborer ( The New Oxford Annotated Bible , Matt. 18:28 fn., p. 1773). In terms of the minimum wage scale in the United States in 2025, 100 denarii would be somewhere between $5,800 and $12,000. The second slave owed something like $10,000 in today’s economic terms. When you understand that, you realize that the debt was not trivial, even though it was tiny compared to the first slave’s debt. What does the king expect the first slave to do, when he is owed $10,000? Now remember the context for this parable: Jesus is talking about forgiving others who have hurt us. Even when the offense is big, what is he telling Peter and us to do? According to the parable, why should we forgive others? What happens to the first slave? What do his fellow slaves do, and what does his master do? Recall from our work in Matthew 13:1-23 that there is a difference between a parable and an allegory: “A parable is not an allegory; an allegory is a story in which every possible detail has an inner meaning; but an allegory has to be read and studied : a parable is heard . We must be very careful not to make allegories of the parables, but to remember that they were designed to make one stabbing truth flash out at a man the moment he heard it” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 63). This parable is not a theological exposition on how God judges people. Jesus is describing what an ordinary, human, perhaps cruel and sinful king would do. In that human scenario of a king, the slave might be tortured for two reasons: to get the truth out of him as to where he is hiding the money he claims he does not have; and perhaps to extort payment from family members who would not want their loved one tortured. God doesn’t act like that. But we have to ask: How do you think God deals with people who fail to show mercy, and why? Why might it be impossible to live with God in heaven if you do not forgive others? How is forgiveness a fundamental characteristic of God, making it impossible to be like him and live with him if we lack that characteristic? Are there other Scriptures that echo this teaching that God does not forgive those who do not forgive others? Yes. Consider these passages: Matthew 6:12,14-15 (forgive us our trespasses; if you do not forgive, neither will your Father). Matthew 7:1-2 (with the judgment you make, you will be judged). Mark 11:25 (when you stand praying, forgive, so that your Father may forgive you). Luke 6:37-38 (forgive and you will be forgiven; with the same measure you use, it will be measured back to you). James 2:13 (judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy). Read these passages on forgiveness. Why does God care so much about whether we are merciful and forgiving? We are called to be like God, and he is merciful and forgiving. We owe God a big debt that he has chosen to forgive. Yet we are often harsh and unforgiving toward those who sin against us, as the slave is harsh and unforgiving toward those who owe him money. God wants us to be like him. In Matt. 18:35, Jesus tells us to forgive “from the heart.” What do those extra words “from the heart” mean, and why are they important? When have you forgiven someone who has hurt you, when it might have been difficult? How did it happen? What difference did it make? What does this parable suggest about how we should deal with those who sin against us? What is this passage calling you to do differently, or how is it calling you to think in a different way? Now let’s connect this parable to the previous passage about dealing with someone who has done something wrong to us. If we take this parable to heart and apply it to the cases where we have been sinned against, how often would we be likely to take an offender before the entire local Christian community? How would Jesus want us to deal with situations where we think someone has done something wrong to us? Consider again Peter’s original question: How many times must I forgive someone who sins against me? What do you think Jesus’s response is? Take a step back and consider this: Just because a person is a Christian doesn’t mean they find it easy to take Jesus’s teachings about forgiveness to heart. According to a survey of Christians conducted by the Barna Group in 2019, 27% of practicing Christians can identify someone who they don’t want to forgive, and 23% can identify a person they can’t forgive ( Barna Group ). The offenses against them may have been great, so I am not judging them. Yet forgiveness appears to be a fundamental attribute of God that he wants us to embrace. For many people, merely receiving a command from God to forgive does not make it easy to do so. Perhaps we can become more like God in this attribute if we try to think like God and be like God all the time, not just when we hit a point where it is difficult to forgive. It might also help if we can see the invitation to be like God as a great privilege, rather than as an order or a requirement that we must fulfill in order to be forgiven or to get to heaven. God has sent each of us a personal invitation to be like him and to receive his Spirit to empower us so that we can think, speak, and act in ways that are in accord with his character. It is a gift to get to be part of Team Jesus: the people who are invited to live, moment by moment, in the presence of God. How can we embrace that opportunity more fully? How does it feel to be invited to live a life that is always united with God? Is there someone you struggle to forgive? How would Jesus like to help you forgive that person? What is one step you can take to allow God to further transform your mind and heart so that you are more like him in everything you think, say, and do? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Bible study leadership materials: how-tos for small-group leaders to help people grow in faith. Leading a Small-Group Bible Study Almost anyone can lead a small-group Bible Study if they believe in Jesus, are willing to prepare in advance, have an open heart, and have an awareness of social dynamics. Good leaders work to accomplish at least three important goals: Increase people’s understanding of the Bible, Foster spiritual growth through the application of God’s Word, and Provide a place to experience Christian community. Although leaders have different styles, every group benefits if the leaders seek these goals. Here are some handouts I have used in parish Leadership Training programs to help prepare people to lead well. Preparing to Lead a Small-Group Bible Study Meeting How do you prepare a small-group Bible Study meeting? Leadership Techniques for Good Bible Study Discussions How do you manage what goes on in a Bible Study meeting that you are leading? Important Functions of Leaders What are your goals as a small-group Bible Study leader, and what do you need to do to fulfill the role you have taken on? Image at top  provided by Wix.

What is a healthy view of wealth? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 6:19-24 What is a healthy view of wealth? Image by Mathieu Stern, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti May 19, 2024 Matthew 6:19-24 Money and wealth Verses 19-21 What does Jesus tell us not to do in verse 19? What does Jesus tell us to do in verse 20? Jesus offers a practical reason for these two arguments. Why does Jesus say the one kind of treasure is better than the other? The problems Jesus identifies with trying to preserve the world’s treasures relate to the kinds of ways people might store up treasures in Jesus’s time: Moths eat fine clothing, which is something that wealthy people might put their wealth into – recall the parable of Lazarus and Dives (Luke 16:19-31) where the rich man dressed in purple and fine linen. The word for rust literally means “eating,” which could refer to rust corrupting metal but could also refer to vermin eating away at storehouses of grain. Thieves could break into houses and steal gold, silver, or other treasures. The contrast Jesus draws between the two kinds of treasures revolves in part around treasures that can be corrupted or taken away from us, and the secure and incorruptible treasures that will remain with us in heaven. What “treasures” do we have now that would still have value in heaven? Jesus describes these as treasures we “store up” now, so they are things that we at least partially experience now, before we go to heaven. So be not talking just about “heavenly” treasures, but also things that we experience at least partially on earth but that have lasting value in heaven. Here are some possible examples: The character we develop and demonstrate by showing patience, fortitude, or other virtues, which we will still have in heaven; the ways we experience Jesus as we respond to him by feeding the hungry, helping the poor, comforting those who are mourning or sick, educating others, etc.; the ways we live the teachings of Jesus by working to make peace or promote justice or to encourage others to live for God; etc. “Who we are” goes to heaven, so our virtues, character, and godly ways of living that made us who we are will still be there in heaven. What are some examples of earthly treasure that are corruptible or lacking in eternal value and will not be treasure in heaven? What does “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be” mean to you? How can we train ourselves to focus on the “treasures” that have heavenly value and not just earthly value? Verses 22-23 This passage is not based on the modern science of the eye but on a more simple idea that light enters our body through your eyes. A “healthy” or “sound” eye (Matthew 6:22, NRSV and NABRE, respectively), allows the light to come in fully and easily. We might think about the effect of cataracts on human eyes. A cataract clouds your eye so that not as much light gets in and what gets in is more blurry. To use that as a metaphor for our approach to wealth, In the context of the surrounding teachings, Jesus may be using the idea of the eye and light as a metaphor for the need for his disciples to have a clear view about wealth or riches. What are some spiritual or metaphorical cataracts that might keep the light of Jesus’s teachings from shining clearly into your eyes? Some of the things that might block the light are: Anxiety, fear, prejudice, pride, the desire to be thought well of by others, confirmation bias or other cognitive biases, self-centeredness, excusing our own actions in ways we would not excuse others. What are the effects or results when those things keep the light from getting in? What kind of eye do we need? What would make for a “sound” or “healthy” eye? How does the attitude expressed in the Lord’s Prayer – “Give us this day our daily bread” – which Jesus taught in the previous passage, offer guidance about how to let the light of God’s teaching about possessions shine clearly through healthy eyes in our lives? In what ways do you need a new way of “seeing” wealth if you are going to take a Christ-like approach to money, wealth, and possessions? Verse 24 What does Jesus say in this verse? The last word of the verse is the Greek word mammon , which can mean money or wealth or possessions. “Wealth” better captures the point, since there are various forms in which we might be focused on riches or possessions or assets rather than God. What are some forms of “wealth” we might be tempted to become devoted to? Regarding verses 19-20, St. Jerome said: “This must be understood not of money only, but of all our possessions. The god of a glutton is his belly; of a lover his lust; and so every man serves that to which he is in bondage; and has his heart there where his treasure is” (quoted in Thomas Aquinas, Catena aurea , p. 244). What does Jesus say about the possibility of serving two masters at once? Why do we sometimes think we can serve more than one master? Why doesn’t it work to try to serve two masters at once? Jesus does not reject all forms of wealth-holding. It is worth noting that his ministry was funded in part from the resources of wealthy women – see Luke 8:2-3. St. Jerome suggested that there is a difference between being a slave or a master of one’s money: “Let the covetous man who is called by the Christian name, hear this, that he cannot serve both Christ and riches. Yet He said not, he who has riches, but, he who is the servant of riches. For he who is the slave of money, guards his money as a slave; but he who has thrown off the yoke of his slavery, dispenses them as a master” (quoted in Thomas Aquinas, Catena aurea , p. 248). Jerome’s insight is that a person may have wealth yet be the master rather than the slave of it by how they regard it and what they do with it. In our time, it is considered irresponsible as well as imprudent to go through one’s whole work life and approach retirement without having saved up some wealth, because our social system does not provide a way for us to live in dignity in our old age if we do not have assets saved up to spend down in retirement. How can a person have riches and yet not become a servant of riches? How do we find balance in our handling of wealth? What are the practical attitudes and actions that would help us not become slaves or servants of the wealth or assets we have? In 1 Cor. 7:29-31, Paul talks about having possessions and dealings with the world but living as though you do not have them. It might be possible to apply that idea here. There are several dimensions that could be considered. First is our focus : How much attention do we give to our wealth? What is one practical thing you could do to reduce your focus on money, wealth, or possessions? Second is our spending : How much do we spend on ourselves? Just because we have wealth (if we do) does not mean we have to spend it on ourselves. Instead, we could be on the lookout for ways to use it for the kingdom of God. If you don’t currently tithe (give 10% of your income to the work of God – i.e., church, service agencies, groups working for justice, etc.), could you increase your giving to the level of a full tithe? If you already tithe and you don’t need to spend all the money you earn, could you increase your charitable giving? Regardless of your level of tithing, how could you become more open to opportunities to help others who need help? What is one thing you could do differently that would shift your amount of spending somewhat from yourself to others? Take a step back and consider this: Many Christian denominations have found value in the concept of “stewardship” – the idea that what we have is not ours, to be used for our own benefit, but a gift or loan from God to be used for his service. This might lead to a shift in our attitude toward our paycheck: Instead if thinking of it as “what I have earned,” we could think of it as “what God has given to me.” If we can get there, we can consider a further mind-shift, from “what God has given to me” (which is still me-centered), to “what God allowed me to receive in trust for his purposes.” What we hold in trust, we hold for another’s benefit. If we can view all we have as being entrusted to us by God for his benefit and the benefit of his children (i.e., for the common good), it can help us avoid becoming a slave to our money, wealth, or possessions. Then we can see the things we do with our wealth as acts of service to God, as we acknowledge him as our master, rather than ourselves or our wealth. John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement in the Church of England, understood this view of stewardship. In a sermon on money in 1760, he said: First: “Gain all you can” through your labor and effort without hurting yourself or anyone else. Second, “save all you can” and don’t waste any of what you have gained on unnecessary expenses. Third, “give all you can.” In deciding how to give, Wesley said you should think about it this way: God “placed you here not as a proprietor [owner], but a steward: As such he entrusted you, for a season, with goods of various kinds.” As a faithful steward of what the Lord has “for the present lodged in your hands,” you should first meet your own genuine needs and the needs of those dependent on you, and then “give all you can; nay, in a sound sense, all you have,” giving for the purpose of doing good to all people, and particularly to help the poor. Every expenditure we consider, he suggested, could be evaluated by whether the spending would be the action of a steward or the action of someone who thought he or she was the owner of what they possess. When we act like a steward rather than like an owner, then we are recognizing that all we have has been entrusted to us by God (Wesley, “The Use of Money” ). How would you approach wealth, money, or possessions differently if you routinely thought of them as things entrusted to you by God rather than as things you have earned or received on your own account? What is one step you might take in response to today’s insights? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Jesus is baptized, subjected to temptation, and starts preaching. Previous Mark List Next Mark 1:9-16 Jesus is baptized, subjected to temptation, and starts preaching. Tom Faletti Mark 1:9-15 Why do you think Jesus chose to be baptized by John? (to be continued) Bibliography See Mark - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/mark/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Mark List Next

Adultery, lust, and divorce start in the heart. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 5:27-32 Adultery, lust, and divorce start in the heart. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti May 2, 2024 Matthew 5:27-30 Adultery and lust What does the Old Testament say in Exodus 20:14 and Deut. 5:18? What is lust? Why would Jesus say a person who lusts has already committed adultery in their heart? Is there a difference between committing adultery “in your heart” and committing physical adultery? What is Jesus prohibiting here? Jesus prohibits not only the action but the intense thoughts that underlie or can lead to the action. While Jesus is telling us to reject the thoughts that can lead to the action, we need to make a distinction between uninvited thoughts and the thoughts we nurture. Thoughts pop into our minds all the time. When uninvited, instinctual desires pop into our mind unbidden, that is not, in itself, a sin. When we intentionally nurture those thoughts and enjoy the fact that they are arousing our sexual passions, that is when we are embracing the lust that Jesus is telling his followers to reject. We cannot help looking at people, and our bodies sometimes react to what we see. But when we allow our eyes to linger so that our desires can be fed, then we have crossed the line. Why does he prohibit even entertaining the thought of adultery? What difference does a thought make? Actions begin with thoughts. Choosing to entertain the thought of lust means imagining that you are relating sexually with someone who is not your spouse. To choose to desire something which would violate the marriage commitment, Jesus says, is already a violation of that commitment to have only your spouse. When we look at another person as someone to have sex with, we are looking at them primarily as a body rather than as a whole person. We are called to treat all people as being made in the image of God, to treat them as people carrying infinite human dignity. In what ways does looking at someone with lust violate this principle of human dignity? In verses 29-30, do you think Jesus is actually recommending that people pluck out an eye or cut off a hand to avoid lust? (Would that actually solve the problem of lust, or could a one-handed person still lust?) What is Jesus’s point? Jesus is not speaking literally here. He is using the traditional Jewish technique of exaggeration or hyperbole to emphasize the importance of what he is saying. He is telling us to take our thought life seriously and not to allow our thoughts to linger in places they do not belong. Jesus clearly takes our inner thought life very seriously. Daniel J. Harrington tries to explain the thinking behind what Jesus is saying in this way: “The salvation of the whole person is of more value than the preservation of any one part that may lead to sin” ( The Gospel According to Matthew , p. 29). Myron S. Augsburger says, “We should understand these statements attitudinally, just as the previous injunction is addressed to our thoughts and attitudes. This means taking literally the basic intent of the passage, rather than physically removing the eye. The loss of one eye or one hand cannot in itself prevent a lustful look or thought. The word-picture is to emphasize deliberate, decisive action in dealing with our propensity to sin” ( Matthew , p. 74). Does our culture take our thought life as seriously as Jesus does? What is the prevailing attitude regarding thinking about things that would be sinful if acted upon? Do you take your thought life as seriously as Jesus does? The word translated “hell” in this passage is literally the Greek word Gehenna , which Jesus also uses in verse 22. Gehenna was the valley of Hinnom, a valley running along the south and southwest side of Jerusalem that had an ugly history. More than 700 years before Christ (in the 700s B.C.), it was a place where children were burned in sacrifice to the god Moloch (see 2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Jeremiah 7:31-33; and Jeremiah 32:35). That location later came to be known as a garbage dump where refuse was burned, leading to its being used as a metaphor for hell. How can we avoid or fight lust and sins that involve our thoughts? It is a well-known principle that you can’t banish a thought by saying you won't think about it The more you try to “not think" it, the more you tend to focus on it. The only ways to get one thought out of your mind is by replacing it with another thought. So in this case, we need to replace the lustful thoughts with thoughts about good things. Barclay also suggests that a life of action helps. He says of the person struggling with sinful thoughts, “[H]e will certainly never defeat the evil things by withdrawing from life and saying, I will not think of these things. He can only do so by plunging into Christian action and Christian thought. He will never do it by trying to save his own life; he can only do it by flinging his life away for others” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 147). A life filled with good actions and good thoughts has less room for lust. Matthew 5:31-32 Divorce Read Deuteronomy 24:1-4. According to Deuteronomy 24:1, for what reasons might a man give his wife a certificate of divorce? There were two great Jewish scholars in the years before Jesus’s time – Hillel and Shammai – who launched two primary “houses” or schools of thought. The school of Hillel believed in marriage but interpreted Deut. 24:1 so loosely that a man could divorce his wife for any reason, while a woman could never divorce her husband without his consent. The school of Shammai was far less lenient about divorce. In contrast, the Greeks and Romans of Jesus’s time had an extremely low regard for marriage and little disapproval of sexual relationships outside of marriage. Having concubines and lovers other than your spouse was a normal part of society. In all of these cultures, obtaining a divorce was simple. In Israel and Rome, a man could have a divorce by simply writing a statement of divorce witnessed by two people. The Greeks didn’t even require a written statement; a man could simply dismiss his wife in the presence of two witnesses, although the woman at least got her dowry back (Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 148-155). How might Deut. 24:1 have been interpreted more permissively or less permissively? What impact would the permissive practices of these cultures have had on the security of women? How does Jesus redefine the law of divorce? How does this transform the thinking about divorce? Note: Matthew allows an exception in 5:32, which is translated in the NRSV as: “except on the ground of unchastity.” Older translations of the New American Bible said, “lewd conduct is a separate case,” but the current NABRE retranslates it in a way that more clearly upholds Catholic Church teaching on divorce: “unless the marriage is unlawful.” The Greek word that is here is porneia , which was used to describe a range of illicit/unlawful sexual activity and might refer to adultery or might refer to other unlawful situations such as incest. Most Protestant denominations interpret it to refer to adultery and allow divorce in cases of adultery. Catholic scholars argue that if Jesus had meant “adultery” rather than other kinds of “unlawful” situations, he would have used the more common word for adultery, which he uses later in the same sentence. In practice, the Catholic Church offers an annulment process for marriages, allowing annulments in situations where the marriage was founded on a misunderstanding of true marriage, and that misunderstanding of true marriage in some cases might be demonstrated in part by an unwillingness of a spouse to be committed to the sexual exclusivity of Christian marriage. We will hear more about marriage in Matthew 19:3-9. The New Testament also includes Ephesians 5:21-33, which sees the marriage covenant between husband and wife as an image of Christ’s covenant with his people, the church. How does Jesus’s new law on divorce change the status of marriage? How does Jesus’s new law on divorce affect the status of women? Where does our society today fit on the scale of possible views of marriage and divorce? How does it compare to the teaching of Jesus on marriage and divorce? What difference does it make how our society views divorce? What can we do to encourage strong marriages? Take a step back and consider this: Although Jesus’s teachings about adultery, lust, and divorce here could be seen as simply a series of “don’ts,” in the broader context of the Sermon on the Mount these teachings might be better seen as calling for a transformation in a married couple’s thoughts and attitudes toward each other. In marriage as Jesus sees it, husbands and wives are committed to each other. They aren’t thinking about having sex with anyone else. They aren’t looking for a way to get out of their marriage commitments. They are committed to finding their fulfillment in each other. What might we say or do to help reclaim the vision of marriage as a union of committed love where the desire to stray is never nurtured because the commitment to mutual fulfillment is paramount? How can we help married couples to keep their eyes on their mutual commitment to love each other, when the marriage is tested and the temptation to “look at another with lust” arises? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

Murder, anger, insulting others – how are they related, and what can we do about them? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 5:21-26 Murder, anger, insulting others – how are they related, and what can we do about them? Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti April 26, 2024 Matthew 5:21-26 Anger Jesus here begins a series of six teachings, in Matthew 5:21-48, where he states a Jewish law and then provides his own teaching. Each teaching begins with, “You have heard it said . . . but I say. . . .” They are sometimes called the “six antitheses” because some scholars see them as presenting the opposite (anti-) of a principle taught in the Old Testament (thesis). However, they usually go beyond rather than directly rejecting the Old Testament principle, so “antithesis” is not a good term for them. Some scholars call them the six “hypertheses,” because the prefix “hyper” can signify going beyond the thesis or principle that has previously been stated. In each case, Jesus re-interprets and expands on or transforms the Old Testament injunction. Often, he prohibits not only the action but also the thought that underlies the action or leads to the action. In verse 21, what is the Old Testament law Jesus cites? In verse 22, Jesus takes the principle much further in three ways. What does he say about anger? Still in verse 22, what does he say about using abusive or insulting language? In the third part of verse 22, some translations give us the Aramaic word Jesus uses – “Raqa” or “Raca” – which was a term of contempt used to call someone a fool or empty-headed or an idiot. What does Jesus say about using this kind of especially contemptuous language toward another person? Notice that each sin incurs a more serious consequence than the previous one, moving from being liable to judgment , which invokes an image of being brought before a local court of village elders; to being liable to the Council or Sanhedrin , which invokes an image of being brought before the highest court; to being liable to the fires of Gehenna , a word of Hebrew origin that is often translated as “hell’ but actually refers to the Valley of Hinnom southwest of Jerusalem, where there was a garbage dump that was thought of as always having a fire burning. In what ways are these three steps progressively worse – from anger, to insult, to contempt? How are these things related to murder? In what ways do they all start from the same place? When Jesus says that if we do these things we will be “liable” to these kinds of judgment, what do you think he means? Is he speaking literally (about courts and Gehenna) or metaphorically? And if metaphorically, what is he trying to tell us? Why is anger such a serious matter? Is anger always wrong? Is there an appropriate time for anger – what people sometimes call “holy anger”? Mark describes Jesus as being angry once, when Pharisees resisted the idea of a person being healed on the Sabbath (Mark 3:5), and Jesus certainly appears to be angry when he clears the Temple of the moneychangers (Matthew 21:12-13; John 2:13-17). St. Paul says, “Be angry and do not sin” (Eph. 4:26), which indicates that anger is not necessarily sinful. Anger often arises as a physiological response to situations; it’s what we do with it that determines whether it is a sin. How can we stay open to the kind of “holy anger” that pushes back against injustice, yet avoid the kind of anger that Jesus is telling us to avoid? Why is abusive language such a serious matter? Abusive language has become such an embedded part of our culture – a standard part of television shows, comedy acts, etc. – that we might not even realize we are echoing or imitating it. How can we control our own language, the things we personally say? What are some examples of people in our time using the kind of contemptuous, dehumanizing language Jesus is talking about when he uses the word “Raqa”? The principle of human dignity calls us to recognize that every person has an inalienable dignity given to them by God – even the people who may be seen as our enemies. How is this kind of contemptuous language a violation of human dignity? Why is this kind of dehumanizing language so dangerous? What kinds of things can it lead to? Oppression, murder, discrimination, and even genocide sometimes starts with this kind of language, from the dehumanization of Black people in the history of the American South, to the dehumanization of Dalits in Indian history, to the use of the word “cockroaches” that preceded the Rwandan genocide. A brief look through history can bring forth many similar examples, and they continue in our time. Politicians in many countries are using dehumanizing language to delegitimize people they do not like – often with deadly results. Where is the part of this discussion that might make you uncomfortable? Where might you need to adjust how you manage your anger or your language, in order to be more like Christ? In verses 23-26, Jesus shifts the focus slightly. In verses 23-24, what does he tell us to do? Why would God say that reconciling with a brother or sister is more important than making an offering to God? In verses 25-26, Jesus broadens the idea of reconciliation by moving from a religious context to a legal context. What does he say? How is an openness to reconciliation important for avoiding bad court judgments? How might our society be a better place if there was more focus on reconciliation between offenders and those they have harmed? Both of the examples in verses 23-26 presume that we are at fault. We are often not very good at recognizing our own faults. How can you become the kind of person who recognizes when you are at fault? Looking at this whole passage, what is the most important point for you in what Jesus says about murder, anger, abusive language, contempt, and reconciliation? Take a step back and consider this: In the United States and many other countries, there has been a coarsening of social discourse and political discourse. Many social media voices and political leaders treat those who disagree with them with disrespect and contempt and blatantly distort their views – and rack up millions of views, “likes,” and reposts in the process. Christians might consider ways to push back against this ungodly trend. For example, we might decide that we will never forward or “share” a post that uses disrespectful language about another human being. We can find other articles that express the same views more respectfully. Many of us remember being told by a parent, “If you can’t say something good, don’t say anything at all.” While there is a place for criticizing the views of others, we should be able to accurately state the other side’s claims before showing why we think they are wrong, and our arguments for why they are wrong should be based on facts and evidence, not based on distortion and innuendo. If we can’t do that, we aren’t treating them as people made in the image of God. We might consider a 21st century version of our parents’ maxim: “If you can’t say something that respects the humanity of the other person, don’t say anything at all.” Or perhaps: “If you can’t state your opponent’s position in a way that would allow them to say, ‘Yes, that’s what I’m saying,’ then you shouldn’t try to characterize their views at all.” How can you contribute to a more civil public discourse in your country’s social and political life? And what about anger? Anger sometimes comes unbidden – a visceral reaction that arises from the physiology of our humanity. But we can choose whether to nurture that anger and help it grow, or tame it and give it the perspective it needs to be harnessed for good. What do you need to do to tame or harness your anger so that it is serves the good rather than becoming a trigger that leads to sin? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

The cursing of the fig tree was a prophetic action, where Jesus stands against those who are "all leaf and no fruit." Is our metaphorical fig tree producing fruit or withering? Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 21:18-22 The cursing of the fig tree was a prophetic action, where Jesus stands against those who are "all leaf and no fruit." Is our metaphorical fig tree producing fruit or withering? Image by Wyxina Tresse, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti August 5, 2025 Matthew 21:18-22 Jesus curses a fig tree What do you think is going on in this incident? On his first day in Jerusalem, Jesus uses tactics we have seldom seen him use in the past. He is no longer concerned about attracting attention. He has made a dramatic entry into Jerusalem on a donkey, driven money changers and sellers out of the Temple, healed people in the Temple under the indignant noses of the chief priests, and now cursed a fig tree. What is going on? One way to interpret this is that Jesus is doing what many Old Testament prophets did: he is using dramatic public actions to illustrate symbolically what the leaders have ignored when he has merely spoken. These kinds of actions might be thought of as acted-out parables . (Protest movements would call it “street theater.”) Here are some of the things Old Testament prophets did that seem to be similar to Jesus’s actions in these acted-out parables: At the Lord’s direction, Jeremiah called the elders and senior priests together and destroyed a clay jug in their presence, telling them that this is what God would do to their houses and the house of the king if they did not repent (Jer. 19:1-13). Ahijah bought a new garment and tore it into 12 pieces to dramatize the breakup of David’s kingdom (1 Kings 11:29-31). Ezekiel baked bread on dung in the sight of the people and ate it for a year (Ezek. 4:9-17). When the people did not wake up to the calamity they faced, Ezekiel cut off his hair, divided it into three pieces, and then burned one-third, went around the city striking one-third with a sword, and scattered the last third to the wind, symbolizing what would happen to the nation (Ezek. 5:1-12). Isaiah took off his clothes and went naked and barefoot for 3 years to symbolize the coming defeat that would result in the people being led away naked and barefoot into captivity and exile (Is. 20:1-6). Jesus is using prophetic actions , direct actions similar to these, to try to wake up the religious leaders. American Catholic novelist Flannery O’Connor wrote stories that were often considered violent, disturbing, and even grotesque. He explained why: “When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs you do, you can relax a little and use more normal ways of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your vision apparent by shock – to the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large and startling figures.” (qtd. in Austin Dominic Litke, O.P. “ Reading Flannery O’Connor in our times .”) Many people are bothered by the idea that Jesus might have cursed a poor tree, and they are even more troubled when they see that Mark says it was not the time for figs (Mark 11:13). Scholars have a variety of sometimes contradictory explanations: Some say that in fact figs do grow on fig trees in Israel at the time of year when the Passover occurs, and this tree was deficient. Others say that leaves don’t grow on fig trees until later in the Spring, so this tree had leaves when it should not have had leaves, a sign that it was not flourishing properly and would not produce fruit at the proper time. Others say that fig trees start with a knob that is not a delicious fig but can be eaten, and the tree should have had these knobs by this time of the year. A tree with no “fruit” (i.e., no knobs) at this point in the growing cycle would not produce fruit later in the year. Others point to the fact that the word Mark uses when he says that it was not the “time” for figs is the Greek word kairos , which is usually used in the New Testament to speak of a special kind of time: God’s time, the appointed time. So the tree should have had fruit because it was God’s time for that tree to have fruit for Jesus, but it was not responding to God’s time, just as the Jewish leaders were not responding to the unique moment or “time” they were in, a time when they should have been welcoming Jesus as the Messiah. Since this action of Jesus seems to be a prophetic action or acted-out parable – an action taken to make a broader point – let’s focus on the metaphor and the broader point Jesus is making, not the tree. If Jesus’s action is a metaphor, what do you think the fig tree and its lack of fruit stand for? The fig tree was sometimes used in the Old Testament as a reference to Israel – for example, in Jeremiah 8:12-13 and Hosea 9:10. Israel, as represented by their leaders, is not producing the fruit God expects to find. Mark tells the story of the fig tree in two parts, happening on successive days, with the cleansing of the Temple happening in-between. Since his Gospel was written first, it is possible that his sequencing of the story is closer to the actual timeline of what happened. His narrative establishes a clear connection between the cleansing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree. Matthew condenses the fig tree story but still keeps it adjacent to the cleansing of the Temple. When we see the connection, we realize that Jesus’s action is not about this tree’s fruit. The tree sacrificed its life so that the Lord of the Universe could perform a dramatic prophetic action to try to wake up the Jewish leaders. If the fig tree stands for Israel, i.e., the Jewish people, what is Jesus trying to tell the Jewish leaders? The Jewish leaders might be described as all leaf and no fruit. What kind of fruit should the leaders have been showing? How can we avoid being all leaf and no fruit? What should our “fruit” look like? Perhaps the most surprising thing about this passage is that Jesus does not explain his action. He does not talk about the tree or the fruit. He does not talk about the leaders. When he is questioned by the disciples, he makes a separate point that has nothing to do with the leaders, the fruit, or the leaves. Perhaps he concluded that the acted-out parable did not have the desired effect so he decided not to belabor the point, or the disciples didn’t remember his point, or the Gospel writers didn’t think there was value in explaining the point or thought we would grasp the point without it being said. He will make the point again in some of the parables he will tell in the next few days, as he returns to prophetic teaching rather than prophetic acting: Our actions need to conform to what we profess or claim about ourselves. We need fruit, not just leaves. How is the metaphorical fig tree of the Church (God’s people) doing these days? In what ways is it producing fruit or withering? How is your metaphorical fig tree doing? In what ways are you producing fruit or withering? How does Jesus respond in verse 21, when the disciples ask how the tree withered so fast? Rather than warning people that they might be at risk of suffering what the tree suffered, Jesus unexpectedly suggests that the disciples might be able to do the same thing he did if they have faith. In verse 21 and at the end of verse 22, what does he ask his followers to exhibit? What does this passage say to you about your own faith life and prayer life? Do you think Jesus is talking literally about trees and mountains (that if I have enough faith, I could cause a tree to wither or a mountain to move?), or is he speaking metaphorically? What are the “trees” and “mountains” that we might need to talk to God about with undoubting faith? Christians tend to like the mountain metaphor: we see obstacles, call them mountains, and pray that they will be removed. Can the fig tree be a useful metaphor for us as well? What might be some things we could approach God about in prayer, that we would like to see wither away so that God’s will would be done in our lives? How can we build the kind of faith that is not about getting God to do what we want, but rather about living in such union with God that we can ask for the right things and trust him completely that he will work in and through us? Take a step back and consider this: The clearing of the Temple and the cursing of the fig tree can raise many questions in our minds. Let’s not lose sight of the big picture. Jesus is calling us to live lives totally devoted to God, and this dedication should be manifest in our public lives: in the “Temple,” in marketplace, in our workplaces, in our families, everywhere. If the chief priests and scribes had believed in Jesus, he would never have felt the need to cause a fig tree to wither as a metaphor for their lack of faith. But the point was never about the fig tree; the point was that the nation was withering because of the lack of faith of the chief priests and scribes. Perhaps our lack of faith also causes things to “wither” that would flourish if we had faith. When we fail to trust that God has our back, we may be tempted to do inappropriate things that wither our spiritual life rather than giving life. When we fail to believe in and support the people around us, our actions or inaction may wither the life in them and us. When we do the easy thing instead of the right thing, and do it again and again, our connection to God will gradually wither. Every day, we face choices that lead us to cry hosanna to the Son of David or to take actions that contribute to the withering of our life with Christ. How can you recognize and consciously reject actions that cause faith to wither? How can you help your own faith and the faith of the people around you to produce fruit? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next

To follow Jesus, we need to make some choices. Previous Matthew List Next Matthew 8:18-34 To follow Jesus, we need to make some choices. Rembrandt (1606-1669). Christ in the Storm on the Sea of Galilee . 1633. Detail. Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rembrandt_Christ_in_the_Storm_on_the_Lake_of_Galilee.jpg . The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston, MA, https://www.gardnermuseum.org/experience/collection/10953 , stolen in 1990. Tom Faletti July 31, 2024 Matthew 8:18-22 Jesus cautions people who claim they want to follow him There are two stories here. The first story involves a scribe. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus undermined the common understanding of many Old Testament passages by his novel interpretation of the Scriptures. Yet now a scribe, a scholar trained in analyzing the Law, comes to him and says he will follow Jesus. Why is it significant that a scribe expresses interest in following Jesus? Jesus’s response if rather cryptic. What is the meaning of his reply to the scribe (verse 20)? What is Matthew hoping we will take from this story about the scribe? In verse 21, another man approaches Jesus. This man is a “disciple” – in other words, someone who has already been following Jesus around. What does he say? Scholars suggest that when he says, “Let me go and bury my father,” he probably doesn’t mean that his father just died. Rather, he is saying: I will follow you after my father dies. This might be meant literally, but it also might be meant figuratively: When I am no longer under his authority, or when I no longer have any obligations to him, or when I won’t have to deal with his disapproval of my following you. In any of these cases, it might be years before this “disciple” could actually envision following Jesus with his whole self. When or how do we sometimes put off following Jesus, or put off getting more serious in our commitment to him? What is the meaning of Jesus’s reply? Some scholars think that “let the dead” means let those who are unresponsive to the new life Jesus is proclaiming. If so, what is Jesus saying? Sometimes people are unresponsive to new ideas because they don’t want to question what they already believe – they’re too embedded in their comfortable mental ruts. My high school drama teacher Tom Beagle, the teacher who had the greatest impact on my life, was fond of saying, “People who stop thinking are as good as dead. They haven’t lain down yet, but they sure do stink up the place.” What is Jesus implying in calling some people “dead”? The key to this passage may be the word "first" in verse 21, which involves the issue of priorities. Matthew is trying to make a point about discipleship – about being a follower of Jesus. What is he trying to tell us? How important is it to be a 100%, all-in follower of Jesus? What do these two interactions with Jesus say to you about your own level of discipleship? Do these passages make you more or less eager to be a follower of Jesus? Explain. In the next set of 3 miracles, Jesus expands beyond the narrow realm of physical healing. Matthew 8:23-27 Jesus rebukes the storm There are anecdotal stories of sudden, fierce storms on Lake Kinneret, the modern name for the Sea of Galilee. The lake is nearly 700 feet below sea level, in a valley surrounded by rugged and arid terrain, and it is affected by Mediterranean sea breezes as well as the temperature dynamics in the valley. What is the disciples’ reaction to the storm in verse 25? What is Jesus’s response in verse 26? What does his rebuke say to them and to us? Note that Jesus doesn't say they have "no" faith – just "little" faith. How might this be an encouragement to us? What does Jesus do? What is the meaning behind the question the disciples ask in verse 27? What are they really wondering? In Jesus’s time, how might this kind of miracle – calming a storm – have been considered a sign of even greater power than physical healings? What does this miracle tell us about Jesus? People often see this incident as metaphor for how we deal with the storms of life. What does it say to you personally as a metaphor for life? Matthew 8:28-34 Jesus, men, demons, and pigs There is uncertainty about the location of this event, because Mark 5:1 says it is in the land of the Gerasenes, whereas Matthew says Gadarenes. Gerasa was 35 miles from the Sea of Galilee. Gadara is a more likely location. It was a predominantly Gentile town (one of the 10 cities of the Decapolis) just 6 miles southeast of the Sea of Galilee ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , Matthew 8:28 fn., p. 21) . However, the early church father Origen believed it happened in Gergesa, a town that was directly on the shore (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 326), and that name appears in some of the later manuscripts ( New American Bible, revised edition , Matt. 8:28 fn. ) and ended up in the King James version of the Bible. It was common for Jews in Jesus’s time to think that demons were everywhere and were behind every bad thing that happened. This incident happens in a town that had many Gentiles. We know this because Jews would not have had a herd of pigs, since it was forbidden to eat pork – even dealing with live pigs was considered unclean. This is the second miracle (the first involved the centurion) where Matthew shows that Jesus is for all people – Gentiles as well as Jews. How do you think the people in this town felt about the two demon-possessed men, as they approached Jesus? What do they shout at him in verse 29, and what does it mean? In Jesus’s time, many Jews expected that the Messiah, when he came, would vanquish demons as well as earthly powers. The demons are implicitly recognizing Jesus as the Messiah and suggesting that he is acting before his appointed time. What do the demons ask of Jesus? Why do you think Jesus agreed to do this? People sometimes object to the possibility that Jesus might have caused the death of these innocent pigs. Those of us who eat pork and do not have a religious objection to pigs might be more sympathetic to the pigs than a Jewish audience would have been. Barclay has an interesting response. In Jesus’s time, many people believed that legions of demons were all around them everywhere they went in their daily lives. Jesus might have realized that it would be hard for the two men to believe that they had been freed from their demonic tormentors without some visible sign. The stampeding of the pigs served as physical evidence that the demons were no longer in the men. And since it was believed that demons are killed by water, it would be clear that these demons are now dead and could no longer torment them or anyone else. In this view, a herd of swine is not too high a price to pay to save two men ((Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , pp. 329-330). How do you think that Jews observing this would have felt about what happened? Why would Jesus’s power over demons have been seen as a greater power than even power over the storm? What does Matthew want his readers to understand about Jesus? The swineherds run off and tell the whole town what happened, and the people come out to Jesus. But whereas the people who heard about Jesus from the woman at the well in the Gospel of John came out to learn from him and ultimately believed in him, the people of this town had a different reaction. How do the people of the town react? What do the ask Jesus to do? Why do you think that is their reaction? They probably were concerned about the economic impact of the loss of the swine. They may also have had other fears. Isn’t it sad that the people of this town, when given an opportunity to spend time with the Messiah, ask him to leave? Compare this tragedy to the loss of the swine. Are there ways in which we ask Jesus to stay at a distance from us because of fear that he might ask us to do things that would affect our pocketbooks or finances? How might it be true that we don’t even see the choices we are making, small and large, that keep Jesus from being an integral part of our lives? If you were God, how would you respond to the fact that some people don’t want quite such a powerful, active, and personal God? Take a step back and consider this: Previously, Jesus healed people, showing his power over illness and therefore, in a sense, his power of the human body. In these two miracles – the calming of the storm and the freeing of the demon-possessed men – we see Jesus revealing his power over nature and over the demons in the unseen spiritual world around us. This is monumental power he is showing. And since how power comes from his Father in heaven, he is showing that he has been given authority over all of creation – both visible and invisible, seen and unseen. Most Christians do not see God working in such dramatic, physical ways. But to tell the truth, most Christians would be uncomfortable if God did act in such dramatic, physical ways. Is it possible that we don’t often see God working in dramatic ways because, deep down inside, we’re not sure we want to be quite so close to such a powerful, active, personal God? What might hold us back? Are there ways in which you might be afraid of the uncertainty of living with a God who acts so powerfully? Are there ways in which you might be afraid that you might have to give up too much of what you own, if you give your life totally to this kind of God? Are there ways in which you might be afraid of the level of discipleship and commitment this powerful and active God might want of you? How would Jesus respond to your concerns? As he got in the boat and left that town, he probably did so reluctantly, with deep sadness in his heart. He would have wanted to stay, and teach them, and share with them the love of his Father. He wants to be with us and teach us, and love us, and work through us. What is Jesus saying to you as you consider this story? Bibliography See Matthew - Bibliography at https://www.faithexplored.com/matthew/bibliography . Copyright © 2025, Tom Faletti (Faith Explored, www.faithexplored.com ). This material may be reproduced in whole or in part without alteration, for nonprofit use, provided such reproductions are not sold and include this copyright notice or a similar acknowledgement that includes a reference to Faith Explored and www.faithexplored.com. See www.faithexplored.com for more materials like this. Previous Matthew List Next