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Previous Next Matthew 27:57-66 Jesus is buried: Some people take action; others wait and watch. Gustave Doré (1832-1883). The Burial of Christ . Woodcut. Detail. The illustration was originally published as one of 241 wood engravings created by Doré in La Grande Bible de Tours , issued in 1866. It is in the public domain due to copyright expiration. This image was reproduced from The Doré Bible Illustrations , Dover, 1974, and made available online by Felix Just, S.J. (see http://catholic-resources.org/Art/Dore.htm ) at https://catholic-resources.org/Dore/John19f.jpg , and its use is authorized by him. Tom Faletti May 17, 2024 Matthew 27:57-61 Jesus is laid in a tomb, under watchful eyes In verse 57, what does Matthew tell us about Joseph of Arimathea? He is rich, from Arimathea, and a disciple of Jesus. Mark adds that he is a respected member of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council that had condemned Jesus (Mark 15:43), and Luke adds that Joseph had not agreed to the council’s actions. Scholars aren’t sure where Arimathea was. The early Christian historian Eusebius, writing nearly 300 years after the time of Jesus, identified it as the Old Testament town of Ramathaim or Ramah where Samuel the prophet was born (1 Sam. 1:1; 2:11), approximately 5 miles north of Jerusalem. What does Joseph do? Jewish Law required that criminals be buried on the same day they were executed (Deut. 21:22-23), and it would have been particularly unseemly to leave Jesus’s body to scavenging dogs on the Sabbath. Joseph steps in, in place of the family members who ordinarily would have acted. What does Matthew want us to understand about (1) the way Jesus’s body was handled, and (2) the status of the tomb he was buried in? Joseph’s action would have called attention to himself with Pilate and also might have deepened the wedge between him and other members of the Sanhedrin. How is Joseph an example of courage? How might we imitate Joseph in situations we might face in our own lives? Where might this kind of courage be needed? Who is watching as Joseph buries Jesus? The “other Mary” was the mother of James and Joseph – see verse 56. John 19:25 suggests she is the sister of Jesus’s mother Mary and the wife of Clopas. Some scholars sort out the family somewhat differently and think that Clopas ws the brother of Jesus’s (adopted) father Joseph, which would make this “other Mary” the sister-in-law of Jesus’s mother. Either way, the women of the family are steadfast to the end. Why do you think these women continue to follow the action, to the bitter end? Their commitment to God no matter what bad things happen, reminds me of Job’s comment, “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in him” (Job 13:15, KJV). It is as though they are saying: “Though He may die, still we will be there for Him.” How is their example a witness to us? Matthew 27:62-66 Setting a guard to avoid a hoax Who goes to Pilate? What is their concern? The Pharisees were last referenced in Matthew 23:29. All of the drama since then has involved the chief priests and elders – the political and religious leadership – not the rank-and-file Pharisees who are so concerned about fervently living out every detail of their understanding of the Law. Why do you think the Pharisees are involved again now? Why do they care whether people make up stories about a dead Jesus? The day of Preparation was the day before the Sabbath. Matthew says they went to Pilate on the day after the day of Preparation. If we understand the timing he is suggesting, it means they went to Pilate on the Sabbath, which would be a significant violation of the Sabbath required by the Law and show how concerned they were about Jesus even after his death. What do they specifically ask Pilate for? Notice that Pilate does not offer a simple “Yes.” His answer in verse 65 is literally, “You have a guard.” (Some translations say, “Take a guard,” but that is an interpretation, not the literal words in the Greek.) Pilate’s unclear answer has led to two different interpretations: Interpretation #1 : Pilate agreed to their request and made Roman soldiers available. There is a problem with this interpretation: If the guard was a Roman guard, it is hard to believe the soldiers would have gone to the Jewish leaders after the resurrection (see Matthew 28:11) and joined in a hoax that, if found out, would have caused them to be executed for dereliction of duty. Interpretation #2 : Pilate indirectly rejected their request by reminding them that they have their own soldiers – the Temple guard, who helped arrest Jesus – and is telling them to set up their own guard if they are concerned. There is a problem with this interpretation: If it was Jewish guards, why would they have been concerned about Pilate hearing about their failure at the tomb (Matthew 28:14)? A possible answer is that when a person has failed a task, they don’t want anyone in power knowing about it, even if they aren’t directly under that person’s authority; and in this case it might be even more troubling since Pilate, in effect, commissioned them to do the task. On balance, Interpretation #2 seems more likely, but it doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of our faith who the guards were. In verse 66, what do the Jewish leaders and the guard do? What do you think they expect will happen next? Barclay remarks on the irony of Pilate’s last statement, regarding the plan to guard the tomb: “make it as secure as you can” (Matthew 27:65, NRSV). Barclay says, “It is as if Pilate all unconsciously said, ‘Keep Christ in the tomb – if you can.’” He adds: “They had not realized one thing – that there was not a tomb in the world which could imprison the Risen Christ” (Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , pp. 414). Every opponent of God would like to, in effect, keep Christ in his tomb. Why is that so important? If Jesus is risen, then he is still alive and active in the world today and must be confronted or accounted for; and many people would rather not have to explain what they are doing or not doing with regard to a man who said he was the Son of God and has come back to life – which no mere human could do. Are there ways that leaders in our societies do things that look like they are trying to keep Christ in his place rather than giving him free reign to work in our churches and communities? Explain. Are there ways that people in our churches do things that feel like they are trying to keep Christ in his place rather than giving him free reign to do his resurrection work in our churches and communities? Explain. What are some ways that we might unconsciously try to keep Christ in the “tomb” in our own lives rather than allowing the Risen Christ to have free reign? We have been exploring what happened to Jesus on Good Friday. The next passage describes what happens on Easter Sunday morning, the morning of Jesus’s glorious Resurrection. But there is a day in between – Holy Saturday. Take a minute to contemplate Holy Saturday – that day of waiting between Good Friday and Easter Sunday. Is there value in those days of waiting, between when we first experience pain and loss and when God helps us move to a new resurrection that rises above the pain and loss? What is the value of those days of waiting, between the dark and the dawn? How do times of waiting for God help build our character so that we become more like Jesus? How can we wait for God effectively? A footnote for the scholarly minded (feel free to skip): This story of the guard is only in Matthew’s Gospel, not in the other synoptic Gospels, even though other parts of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospels draw significantly from Mark. This bothers some scholars, leading some to suggest that it is merely apologetics (material developed to defend the faith against attacks) or is based in legend. One response is that perhaps Mark and Luke did not consider this story important to their audiences. Matthew’s community was a mix of Jewish and Gentile Christians, and, after Jerusalem was destroyed, the Jewish Christians were frequently challenged by Jewish leaders and even faced expulsion from synagogues. Those Jewish Christians would have valued this story as they tried to defend their faith against people who claimed that Jesus’s resurrection was just a stolen-body hoax. It would have been much less important to Luke’s and Mark’s largely Gentile audiences, who may not have been dealing so directly with that argument. We do not need to have this story to know that Jesus rose from the dead. We have abundant evidence in the 4 Gospels, in subsequent books of the New Testament, and in the lives of believers for 2,000 years. But even today, people who do not want to believe in Jesus like to suggest that perhaps his followers stole his body; so perhaps the story still has special relevance for us today. Take a step back and consider this: The Jewish leaders of Jesus’s time were living in a world of “what-ifs”: What if the people are being fooled by Jesus and it was the devil who sent a wonder-worker named Jesus to turn people away from their historic Jewish faith? What if Jesus’s radically different preaching causes the people to get so riled up that the Romans come down hard on us? What if the disciples of Jesus went and stole the body? What if? What if? What if? “What if” is not always a bad question. Sometimes it keeps us out of trouble or helps us anticipate a problem that we can solve or deflect if we think ahead. But sometimes, “What if” becomes an excuse to avoid confronting the uncomfortable. How do you know when your “what-ifs” are reasonable and when your “what-ifs” are masking your own unjustified resistance to the truth? Is there something that maybe God has been nudging you to do, but you are so caught up in “What ifs” that you can’t get yourself to do it? If so, what might Jesus say to you to encourage you to respond to God’s nudges? Talk to him about it. Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Matthew 2:1-12 Wise men come to see the newborn king – and still do today! Tom Faletti February 13, 2024 Matthew 2:1-12 The wise men seek the newborn king, and unintentionally alert King Herod The “wise men,” or “magi” in the Greek, were, according to The New Oxford Annotated Bible , “a class of Parthian (Persian) priests, renowned as astrologers” (fn. to Matthew 2:1-12, p. 1749). That may suggest more certainty than we have; other scholars do not think it is so certain. We mustn’t think of “astrologers” as being like modern-day fortune-tellers. They were scientists, trying to make sense of physical phenomena and how those phenomena might affect humans. There were whole bodies of “knowledge” that had been developed, connecting different nations to different “stars” (actually, planets). Why did the wise men from the East come looking for a baby in Jerusalem? In Matthew’s mind, what is the significance of the fact that these were wise men from the East rather than people from Judea? Note: The star could have been a comet, but it was more likely a juxtaposition of planets (“stars”) that had auspicious meaning according to the wisest understandings of the natural world at that time. There is a reference to a star in the Old Testament: In Numbers 24, Balaam prophesied that “a star shall come out of Jacob, / and a scepter shall rise out of Israel” (24:17, NRSV) and “Edom will become a possession” (24:18, NRSV) – i.e., Edom will be taken over and lose its independence. Herod, with an ancestry reaching back to Edom, would have been especially troubled by this. Why do you think these men want to pay homage to a Jewish baby king? Note: Herod the Great was “king” from 37-4 B.C.E., most of that time as a vassal (a client state) to the Roman Emperor. He was known for his great building projects, including his marvelous renovation and beautification of the Temple in Jerusalem, but he was also known for his ruthless treatment of any rivals; he even had his own wife and several members of his family executed. He was not from Judea. He was from Idumea, south of Israel, part of a non-Jewish Edomite family, and although his people several generations earlier had been forced to become Jews, he was always suspect among strict Jews, both because of his ethnic heritage and because of his profligate lifestyle. Why do you think Herod was frightened or troubled by the news these wise men brought? We sometimes sanitize the Bible of its politics. This is a story with a huge element of politics. Why might “all of Jerusalem,” perhaps including the chief priests, have been frightened or troubled by the news from the wise men? The people of Jerusalem knew that Herod often killed whole groups of people when he thought someone was trying to challenge him. When a tyrant is upset, everyone around him is on edge. Incidentally, Bethlehem was 5 miles south of Jerusalem, so if Jerusalem was stirred up, it also would have stirred up people in Bethlehem. Matthew tells us that Herod immediately thinks this might have something to do with the Messiah. What does this tell you about Herod? Herod is tuned in to Jewish thinking and is very sensitive to any claims that might be made against him. The idea that Jesus might be a king will remain a dangerous concept all the way to the end of Jesus’s life. We see him accused of that in his trial, and it is ultimately what he is charged with when he is executed (see Matt. 27:11,29,37). Note that Herod might have been suspicious of the magi from the beginning if they were Parthians. Before Herod was king, he took the side of Hyrcanus II when Hyrcanus’s nephew Antigonus took the throne from Hyrcanus. The Parthians were on the opposite from Herod in that fight. Herod went to Rome to seek help to gain the restoration of Hyrcanus, but the Roman Senate unexpectedly appointed Herod king, if he could gain control of Judea, which he did. The chief priests and scribes were able to name an Old Testament prophecy that they thought told where the Messiah would be born. What does this tell you about them? The prophecy in verse 6 is taken from Micah 5:1-5a (the verse numbering might be off by one in your Bible, as the Hebrew versions of our Old Testament counted 5:1 as 4:14). What does that prophecy say about Jesus? Bethlehem was David’s hometown and the place where David was anointed as king (1 Sam. 16:1-13). It was also the hometown of Ruth’s mother-in-law and father-in-law and of Boaz, who she ultimately married (he was David’s great-grandfather). In 2 Sam. 5:2, when King Saul died in battle, all the tribes of Israel came to David and said, “The LORD said to you: it is you who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you who shall be ruler over Israel” (NRSV). Remember that Matthew set up in chapter 1 the importance of Jesus being the son of David. Matthew is making the connections for us here. Herod also professes to want to pay homage to the child (verse 8). That, we learn, is a lie. However, it raises questions for us. Why should we give homage to this child? What does it mean to “give homage” to Jesus? How can we do it genuinely and well? How does the faith of these Gentile wise men contrast with Herod’s attitude toward Jesus? How does the faith of the wise men prefigure the response to Jesus among Gentiles in Jesus’s own time and in the early church? The wise men were “overwhelmed with joy” (verse 10) when the star stopped and they knew they were near to finding the child they had been looking for. When have you been “overwhelmed with joy” at experiencing Jesus? What can you do to foster that joy? What can we learn from these wise men? They are open to other cultures; they are seekers of truth; they recognize that a future king could be poor – i.e., that poverty is not a defining limitation of a person. Note: In 2:11, Matthew tells us that: “On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother” (NRSV). “The house” indicates that when this takes place, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus are not in a cave or stable. However, they could have been in the lower quarters of a house where the animals were kept (with “bedrooms”or sleeping quarters for the normal residents upstairs). There is no evidence about how many wise men there were, but since Matthew lists three gifts, the tradition developed that there were three of them. What is the significance of the gifts of “gold, frankincense, and myrrh”? Gold is obviously costly, but so were frankincense and myrrh. How might these gifts have been, perhaps unwittingly, symbolically appropriate for Jesus? Gold symbolizes royalty. Jesus is our king. Frankincense symbolizes priesthood, in that priests offer incense as a sacrifice to God. When offered to Jesus, is suggests that Jesus is the Son of God. Also, Jesus is our great high priest, offering himself as a sacrifice for our sins. Myrrh was used for burial. Jesus’s death saved us. The myrrh symbolizes his humanity and his sacrifice for us. But also, myrrh was used in the tent tabernacle in the desert (before there was a Temple) to anoint the holy things (the tent, the ark of the covenant containing the tablets of the Law – God’s Word given to the Israelites, the sacrifice table, the utensils used in the sacrifices, etc.) and to anoint the priests (Exodus 30:22-33). Jesus is the tabernacle (the holy place that God resides) and he is the ark of the covenant (the Word of God in human flesh), anointed by God to bring us into a close relationship with God (and ultimate to take up residence in us through the Holy Spirit) and to deliver the fullness of God’s Word to us. Note: Some scholars think Matthew is adding details that go beyond the story, perhaps drawing from Psalm 72:10-11 (where the psalmist prays: may the kings of other lands bring gifts to the great future king of Israel) and Isaiah 60:6 (which says that people from Sheba will bring gold and frankincense); however, if Matthew was doing that, he would have called attention to those passages as additional “fulfillment prophecies”, and he does not do that. So it is unlikely that Matthew is making up details here to fit Old Testament passages. In 2:12, the wise men do not return to Herod but go a different way. In order to follow God faithfully, we too are sometimes called to avoid things we might have been involved with previously and “go a different way.” What is something in your life that you might need to avoid in order to follow God, and how will you “go a different way”? Take a step back and consider this: Christians delight in the story of the wise men. We honor their passion to find the new king of a far-off land. But Christians sometimes have attitudes that directly conflict with this praise for the wise men. The wise men studied the signs and evidence in nature that could expand their understanding of God’s activity in the world. Yet Some Christians disparage the work of people in our day who think hard and study carefully all of the evidence they can find in the natural world, in their search for truth (in our day, we call them “scientists”). The Scriptures don’t attack the wise men for following the evidence in the natural world wherever it leads, and neither should we attack those who follow the evidence in the natural world today. We can object when they go beyond the evidence to make claims not supported by evidence, but we need to honestly evaluate the evidence they find before rejecting it. Throughout history, Christians have suggested that God speaks to us in two “books”: the book of the Scriptures and the book of Nature. When you learn from Scripture, you are learning about God. When you learn from science, you are learning about God’s work in the world. We need to be open to the truths that arise from our careful study of nature, because nature is authored by God. Psalm 19:1-4 affirms that God speaks to us through the natural world: “The heavens are telling the glory of God; / and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. / Day to day pours forth speech, / and night to night declares knowledge” (Psalm 19:1-2, NRSV). In other words, the natural world tells us about the work of God. When Christians belittle the importance of using our minds to expand scientific understanding – whether it is about diseases or vaccines or changing climate patterns or how stars are developed or how species change over time – they are acting exactly the opposite of how the wise men in today’s Scripture passage acted when they studied the heavens so carefully. If we close our minds to people who seek truth in the natural world that God created, we may miss important truths about God’s creation that would allow us to serve God better and take better care of his creation and his people. How can you be more open to the truths discovered by scientists? Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next John 1:1-18 In the beginning, Jesus was God, with God, but he chose to come and live with us. Image by Stephanie Leblanc, made available through Unsplash. Tom Faletti This article will explore the deep insights in the first verses of the Gospel of John. Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Matthew 28:11-20 Everyone can participate: Sharing and living the good news. Tom Faletti May 31, 2024 Matthew 28:11-15 The guards’ dilemma As we discussed in Matthew 27:57-66, it is not clear whether the guards were Roman guards or Jewish guards. If they were Roman guards, it is hard to understand why they would have gone to talk with the Jewish chief priests. If they were Jewish guards, some observers wonder why they would have been concerned that the governor Pilate might cause them trouble; but one can understand their desire to avoid looking like they were derelict in their duty. On balance, it seems more likely that the guards were Jews, but we do not know. In verse 28:11, Matthew says the guards told the chief priests “everything that happened” or “all that had happened” (NRSV and NABRE, respectively). What in particular do you think the guards said? What plan do the chief priests and elders come up with to address what happened? Why would the guards need to be paid a large sum of money to say this? The chief priests might have been seen as guardians of the Torah or Old Testament Law, but now they have constructed a lie, in direct violation of the Torah, to avoid confronting a new truth that confirms the truths Jesus spoke that they already rejected. The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible describes the story concocted in verse 15 as: “A desperate fabrication by the Jerusalem leaders. Their bribe of the Roman soldiers illustrates how willful blindness hardens the heart to resist uncomfortable truths, even in the face of evidence” ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , fn. to 28:15, p. 60). Why is it that people sometimes sacrifice the truth to maintain the status quo? In what ways might we be at risk of resisting uncomfortable truths? Consciously or unconsciously, people sometimes choose to ignore evidence that disagrees with what they think. This can happen in matters of spiritual belief, religious observance, political analysis, business practices, social expectations, and family relations. How might we be at risk of resisting uncomfortable truths in these areas of our lives? How important is it to you to know the truth, to believe what is true, and to speak “the whole truth and nothing but the truth” regardless of the consequences? Matthew 28:16-20 The Great Commission Where do the disciples go? In Matthew, mountains are places where important things happen – for example, the Sermon on the Mount. We do not know what mountain this is. It could have been the mountain upon which Jesus was transfigured (Matthew 17:1-8). The rest of what happens in this passage occurs after they “saw” him. Why is seeing important for believing? In what ways does seeing the Lord in action give us strength to do what we are called to do? What do you think it means when Matthew says they worshipped him but some doubted? This could be an oblique reference to Thomas’s doubting before he saw the Lord (John 20:24-29) or others doubting the resurrection. If so, “some doubted” might be a parenthetical comment, not a statement of what happened after “they worshipped him.” The point is that worship was not the automatic or immediate reaction of everyone. Harrington suggests, “Their doubts (v. 17) may involve the possibility of having such an experience at all or the propriety of worshiping Jesus” (Harrington, The Gospel According to Matthew , p. 113). Matthew does not tell about any ascension of Jesus into heaven. Perhaps he thought that was implicit. Or perhaps he thought that how Jesus returned to the Father in heaven was of little importance compared to the importance of the material he is ending with – that Jesus’s followers were directed to spread the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20, often called “the Great Commission”). Go back and re-read the first part of Matthew 28:7 and 28:10. Back at the tomb, what is the first thing the women were asked to do? Why was their task of sharing important, even though they are not among the “eleven” here? Some people have big roles that draw a lot of attention. Some people have smaller or less visible roles where they pass along the word of God in a quiet, unobtrusive way or perform other necessary but often unnoticed tasks. God uses different people in different ways. All of the roles are important. What are some ways that you might be being called or used by God in behind-the-scenes ways to help spread the good news of Jesus? How might you honor those who do the behind-the-scenes work that help make the more public and visible work of God possible? Sometimes a simple, quiet word of appreciate goes a long way. In verse 18, Jesus says that “all authority” (NRSV) or “all power” (NABRE) has been given to him. What does this mean? As he walked the earth, the fully God but fully human Jesus was restricted in space and time, and as a human exercised only limited power on earth. Having risen from the dead, he has been given, by the Father, all power and authority in heaven as well as on earth. “All authority” means that he can do whatever he chooses to do, and no other power can stop him. Notice that the Great Commission (verse 19) begins with “therefore,” meaning that it follows from Jesus’s statement about his authority in verse 18. Why does the Great Commission flow from Jesus’s authority? Do we live our daily lives as though this is true, that all authority or power has been given to Jesus? Explain. In verses 19-20, what does Jesus tell the disciples to do? What is the significance of baptizing people? What is the role of baptism in our faith? When Jesus tells them to teach people to obey everything he commanded, what do you think is included in the “everything”? Where would you look for the content of what should be taught? Matthew has been making it clear throughout his Gospel that the message of Jesus is for all people of all nations, so this ending is not surprise. As early as chapter 2 (vv. 1-12), Jesus is worshipped by Gentiles (the wise men/Magi). In Matthew 4:24-25, we see Jesus’s message reaching beyond the Jews to people in Gentile territory. In Matthew 8:5-13 he heals the servant of a (Gentile) centurion. In chapter 15, Jesus is teaching and healing Gentiles more broadly. So these final verses are the culmination of a message Matthew has been stressing throughout his Gospel. How important is the universality of the gospel to the Christian faith? How central to the faith is the idea that the gospel is meant for everyone? Different faith traditions think about the Great Commission in different ways. Some consider it to be particularly a charge for the original disciples. Some see it as a mandate for the Church as a whole, but with different people called to different tasks and not all people called to evangelize. Some consider it a command directed toward all Christians. What role do you think you are called to play in spreading the good news and making disciples? Do you think we, the Church as a whole, are doing enough to bring the gospel to “all nations”? Explain. Verse 19 is probably the clearest statement of belief in the Trinity found in the New Testament. This Gospel was probably written in the 80s A.D., which shows that even as early as then Christians recognized that God needed to be described in terms of three Persons. Some skeptics like to claim that the idea of the Trinity was created in the 300s under Constantine. This is simply not true. Although some of the final doctrinal language was worked out then, Matthew 28:19 shows that the concept of the Trinity had already been around for more than 200 years before the Council of Nicaea in A.D. 325 codified the doctrinal language we use to describe the Trinity. How does talking about God in terms of all three Persons of the Trinity help us to get to know God better? Do you find yourself relating more to one of the Persons of the Trinity than another – for example, do you focus more on God as Father, or relate more to Jesus than you do to the Holy Spirit? What value might there be in trying to relate to God in all three Persons of the Trinity? In verse 20, Matthew ends his Gospel with an assuring statement. What does Jesus say? Considering how daunting it might seem to spread the good news to the entire world, how is this statement comforting? How might Jesus’s assurance that he is with us always be an encouragement that spurs us on to greater efforts? Where in your life right now do you need to hear these words: “I am with you always,” even to the end of time? If you had 30 seconds to tell someone the core of the gospel, what would you include in your short testimony or witness or summary of what the Christian faith is all about? If someone asked you why they should care about Jesus – what difference does it make – how would you respond? Conclusion of Matthew’s Gospel Look back through the entire Gospel of Matthew before answering these two questions: What do you think Matthew wants his readers to do in response to his account of the life and teachings of Jesus? Please don’t stop at something simple like, “He wants us to believe.” Yes, of course he does. But what would that look like? What does he want us to do or how does he want us to live our lives as our response to Jesus? What is your favorite story, quote, or teaching from Matthew’s Gospel, or what part of this Gospel strikes you as most important or most meaningful, and why? [If you are studying together in a small group, ask everyone to respond to at least one of these questions and perhaps both, starting with the first questions and then moving to the second question after everyone who wants to share on the first question has done so.] Take a step back and consider this: Matthew’s Gospel is a call to “go” and “do” – to help those in need, to share the good news, to live a transformed life. Matthew is not content with words; he wants to us to put our faith into action. That is the core of his Gospel. Matthew hopes his Gospel will help us understand at least 5 things: First, Jesus seeks to transform our thinking in response to his downside-up view of the world, to see things from the perspective of those at the bottom of the social scale. Second, Jesus calls us to make changes in how we live our everyday lives, in order to be all that God intends us to be and not just avoid breaking the rules of the Law. Third, Jesus expects us to help those most in need and recognize that when we minister to them, we are ministering to him. Fourth, Jesus calls his followers to share with others what he has taught them and help people become part of the kingdom of heaven. Fifth, this message is meant for all people in all nations, not just an exclusive group or those we like or get along with easily. The good news is for everyone. The kingdom of heaven is open to everyone who responds. This is a visionary life we have been called to, and we have been given the privilege of receiving Jesus’s invitation to live it fully, with him. We can’t do everything, everywhere, all at once. As you end this study of the Gospel of Matthew, what is one thing you might consider doing differently starting right now – perhaps, focusing on one change you can make in how you think, how you live, who you help, how you share, and who you welcome in the life you have in Christ? Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Matthew 12:38-50 Two reactions to Jesus: disingenuous skepticism and genuine commitment. Tom Faletti September 11, 2024 Matthew 12:38-42 The scribes and Pharisees ask for a sign The scribes and Pharisees request a “sign” from Jesus. What do they mean by a “sign”? They are looking for something dramatic. What do you think of their request for a sign. Was that a reasonable request? After he had done so much, it is hard to understand how they possibly could have needed something that they didn’t already have. Compare Matthew 11:2-6 to this passage. What kinds of “signs” has Jesus already done? What does the desire of these scribes and Pharisees to see a “sign” tell you about them? Jesus describes the people of his time as an “evil and adulterous generation.” He is using “adulterous” as a spiritual metaphor. The Old Testament uses that metaphor – see, for example, Jer. 3:6-11 and Hosea 3:1-5. When Jesus uses the metaphor of adultery, what is he saying about the scribes and Pharisees and those who share their skepticism about him? When Jesus says he will be in the earth for 3 days and 3 nights, what is he hinting at as the sign he will give? What is the story of Jonah? To whom was Jonah supposed to be speaking the word of the Lord when he ended up instead in the belly of the whale? What is the “sign of Jonah”? How does Jonah’s story prefigure Jesus? Jonah’s survival after three days in the whale prefigures Jesus’s resurrection. Also, Jonah’s calling to preach to the Gentiles (Ninevah) prefigures Jesus’s ministry to Gentiles, which we already saw in Matthew 8:5-13 and will see again in Matthew 15:21-38. In what way was Jonah’s ministry a sign of love for the Ninevites, and how is that also a prefiguring of Jesus? God loves those who are spiritually distant from him. He cared enough about the Ninevites to send Jonah to them and Jesus cares enough about the scribes and Pharisees to continue to engage them and call them to repentance. That the message conveys both God’s love and his call to repentance is a sign that the message is true. Why will the people of Nineveh condemn Jesus’s generation? The story of Solomon and the queen of Sheba appears in 1 Kings 10:1-13. She comes to Solomon with questions. She wants to find out if he is as wise as he is reputed to be. When she sees him in action, she recognizes his great wisdom and is deeply impressed by him. Why will the queen of Sheba condemn Jesus’s generation? Nineveh and Sheba were Gentile lands, not Jewish territory. Jesus says these non-Jews will judge the Jews of Jesus’s time. How does that add additional nuance and effect to Jesus’s denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees? Sometimes, skeptics in our time seem to have “signs” they want from God before they might be ready to believe. What might be some of those kinds of “signs” skeptics want in our society today? Sometimes even people in the church seem to be skeptical about God’s role in their lives, always wanting more proof that God is really present and at work. What kinds of “signs” do Christians sometimes want from Jesus in our time, before they commit more fully to him? How can you try to gauge whether skepticism is genuine or disingenuous? In what ways does our generation have advantages that might make us particularly worthy of judgment when we do not respond appropriately to Jesus? Luke tells the story slightly differently (Luke 11:29-30). He leaves out the 3 days and 3 nights part and says that Jonah (himself) was a sign to the people of Nineveh and Jesus (himself) is a sign to this generation. If Jesus is the sign, what is he a sign of? How is our generation missing that Jesus is the sign we seek? Matthew 12:43-45 An empty house This passage should not be analyzed primarily as a literal description of literal evil spirits. It is a metaphor. Recall that Matthew brings together related things Jesus said that he might not have said all at the same time. Matthew is telling us about discussing involving evil spirits, so he places these words here. Jesus referred to the scribes and Pharisees as an “evil generation” in verse 39 and he repeats that phrase here. The focus is on the scribes and Pharisees, not on some unidentified evil spirits; the evil spirits are a metaphor. In Luke, shortly after the discussion of Jonah (Luke 11:29-32), Jesus tells a Pharisee, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness” (Luke 11:39 NRSV). That is another metaphor to get to the same point, which is about the things the scribes and Pharisees are focused on. In what ways is the “house” of the Pharisees “empty, swept, and put in order” (Matthew 12:44)? In what ways is the life of the Pharisees “clean” and yet still evil? In what ways are we at risk of “cleaning” our “house” yet leaving it empty and exposed to bad influences instead of filling it with Jesus? Does modern Christianity focus more on sweeping out sins than on what should take the place of those sins? Explain. Matthew 12:46-50 “Who are my mother and brothers?” Matthew has been leading us through a long segment of his Gospel that has focused on opposition to Jesus and the fundamental choice that each person must make. Now he brings it home. Where are Jesus’s family – his mother and brothers – as he has been contending with the Pharisees? Protestants take the word “brothers” literally. The Catholic Church has always maintained that Jesus’s mother Mary was a virgin throughout her life and that “brothers” here is to be interpreted as “relatives”. There is one theory that would make them step-brothers – sons of Joseph from a prior marriage; but there are also arguments for considering them to be his cousins. No one other than Jesus is ever referred to in the Gospels as a child of Mary. Two of the men referred to as “brothers” of Jesus in the Gospels have the same names as the sons of another “Mary” named in Matthew 27:56, whom John 19:25 suggests might be the sister of Jesus’s mother. Catholics also argue that when Jesus was hanging on the cross, he would not have entrusted Mary to John if she had other sons. And in both the Old and New Testaments, “brother” is used for a variety of relationships, figurative and literal, especially because the Hebrew did not have a word for “cousin” ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , Matthew 12:46 fn., pp. 29-30). This is not a question that can be resolved in a small-group Bible Study. If different members of the group disagree, it is best to note that the Body of Christ is divided on this question and that we should not let it divide us from learning together from the Word of God. We don’t need to resolve that issue to gain important lessons from what Jesus says here. What question does Jesus ask, and how does he answer the question? According to Jesus, who are his mother and brothers? What do they do that makes them his mother and brother (or sister)? Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven – i.e., whoever does the will of God – is a brother or sister of Jesus. What opportunity does this present to us? What does this tell us about the family of God? What does genuine commitment to Jesus look like in our day? What challenge does this passage present to you? What might God be asking you to do that you are currently not doing? Let’s look back over this entire chapter. There is a progression in the Pharisees’ opposition to Jesus. They move from: watching him with suspicion (12:1-8, where they object to the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath), to trying to entrap him (12:9-14, where they ask him if a cure at that moment would be permissible), to plotting to kill him (12:14), to impugning his character so that there would be a pretext for eliminating him (12:22-32, when they accuse him of acting by the power of Satan), to demanding a sign to discredit him (12:38), as though he hasn’t already provided a multitude of signs. Looking over the whole chapter, how does Jesus respond to the growing opposition to him? My Bible Study group saw all of the following: confidence, determination, preparedness, explanation, refutation, defiance, warning, and invitation. You may see other things. Take a step back and consider this: St. Francis of Assisi had an interesting perspective on Jesus’s statement on his mother and brothers, and he connected it to Matthew 5:16, where Jesus tells us to let our light shine. Francis said that “we are brothers, when we do the will of His Father, who is in heaven (cf. Mt 12:50); mothers when we bear Him in our heart and body (1 Cor 6:20) by love and by a pure and sincere conscience; we give birth to Him through holy work, which should shine upon others as an example (cf. Mt 5:16)” (Francis of Assisi, “Letter to the Faithful II,” . The Writings of St. Francis of Assisi, Parts I & II , translated from the Latin Critical Edition by Fr. K. Esser, O.F.M., http://www.liturgies.net/saints/francis/writings.htm ). The first part of this quote is a restatement of what Jesus said in Matthew 12:50: we are brothers of Jesus when we do the Father’s will. But in what sense might we also be Jesus’s mother? Francis offers a beautiful, poetic insight: First, like a mother , we bear (i.e., carry) Jesus in our heart and body, like a pregnant woman carries her child, with love and a pure heart. Second, we figuratively give birth to Jesus when we do the “holy work” that shines the light of Christ to others. When we give a tangible embodiment of Christ to others when we let Christ show forth in our actions. Jesus is very clear that it is our doing the will of God that makes us his mother and brothers, and Francis sees us doing that not just as an act of obedience but as an expression of love that gives of ourselves to bring the work of God to life – to give birth to God’s work in our world. How might your perspective and attitude change if you saw your willingness to do the will of God, your willingness to do the work God calls you to, as being an opportunity to give life to God’s work, to give birth to something new by your work? Is there somewhere right now where you need to make a decision to do the will or work of God in some way? In what way might God be calling you to give birth to some new action on that will allow God’s light to shine through you? Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Matthew 5:38-42 Jesus takes retaliation in a new direction. Tom Faletti May 4, 2024 Matthew 5:38-42 Retaliation After reading Matthew 5:38-42, read Exodus 21:23-24 and Leviticus 24:17-20 . (Optionally, you could also read Deuteronomy 19:16-21.) What did the Old Testament prescribe as the limit of retaliation or punishment for hurting another person? This system is known by its Latin name, lex talionis , which means the Law of Retaliation, in which people receive retribution in kind: whatever the offender did to someone else, the offender receives roughly equal treatment. It is often called “an eye for an eye” because of the Old Testament examples that are given. When it was established by the Israelites, it was a restriction on vengeance or retaliation at a time when it was common to kill someone who injured you or to have your entire tribe attack the entire tribe of someone who inflicted an injury. It was saying: Only one eye for an eye; only one life for a life. Deuteronomy 19:18 indicates that this system of penalties was to be carried out by the society through the courts; the Law was not establishing a private right of action where you could go after the person who hurt you and do the same thing to them. The Jewish rabbis did not believe that God wanted people to be literally maimed, so they developed methods of calculating how much a person should pay in money, rather than having body parts taken (William Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 162). We would call this “compensatory damages” today. What is Jesus’s new way of approaching the problem? Jesus says, don’t resist, don’t demand retribution; instead, give more. Another part of the Old Testament Law said, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Lev. 19:18, NRSV). This seems to contradict the eye-for-an-eye mentality. Jesus weighed in on the side of not taking vengeance. But Jesus went further. Matthew 5:39a states the general principle, followed by 5 different practical applications of it that move progressively further and further away from the original issue of violence. What are the 5 specific cases Jesus cites and how to deal with them? Someone hits you, sues you, forces you to go a mile, begs from you, or asks to borrow from you. Let’s look at each of these examples to see what insights and concerns they raise. 1. Someone hits you. This example is often misunderstood. Most people are right-handed, and the example assumes a right-handed person. If a right-hander is going to hit you on the right cheek, it will have to be done with the back of the hand, not with a fist. This implies an insult slap. (If someone slugs you with their right fist, the right fist will generally hit your left cheek, not your right cheek. Only a backhanded slap lands on the right cheek.) If you have been insulted with a back-of-the-hand slap to your right cheek, offer them your left cheek, which can be hit even more forcefully. What is Jesus saying? One possible extension of what Jesus is saying is: Do not get all worked up when people insult you. How can we learn to not seek retaliation when we are mistreated? Another possible extension of what Jesus is saying is that Jesus’s approach may have a greater likelihood of changing your opponent's behavior than hot-headed retaliation would. Read Romans 12:19-21 . (What Paul writes here is based on Proverbs 25:21-22.) What does Paul tell the Christians in Rome, and how does it relate to Jesus’s teaching here? Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote: “[W]e must not seek to defeat or humiliate the enemy but to win his friendship and understanding. At times we are able to humiliate our worst enemy. Inevitably, his weak moments come and we are able to thrust in his side the spear of defeat. But this we must not do. Every word and deed must contribute to an understanding with the enemy and release those vast reservoirs of goodwill that have been blocked by impenetrable walls of hate” ( Strength to Love , Beacon Press, Boston, 1963, p. 46). How might responding to insult or mistreatment by turning the other cheek defuse a situation and give you an opportunity for reconciliation and a better outcome? 2. Someone sues you. Jesus says, If you are sued for your inner garment, of which a person would probably have more than one, give also your cloak – the outer garment, of which the typical Jew would have only one (Barclay, Gospel of Matthew, Volume 1 , p. 165). Under the Old Testament Jewish Law, you had a right to your cloak at night, even if you had to give it to someone during the day as the pledge for a loan (Exodus 22:26-27). Jesus says, give up even your cloak. One interpretation is that Jesus is saying that you should not insist on your rights. How can we be like that? When we do this, it might open up the possibility of bridging the gap between us and the other person, which might make it possible to restore the relationship. (But don’t count on it. This is not a magic. There may be times when we just have to leave justice in the hands of God. And there may be times when we need to stand up for our rights.) 3. Someone forces you to go a mile – i.e., inconveniences you. Roman soldiers could press a person into service to carry a burden for them, as Simon of Cyrene experienced with Jesus’s cross. Jesus is saying to do more than what we are asked when we are inconvenienced. How can we be like that? 4. and 5. Someone begs from you or asks to borrow from you. We have all experienced times when people have begged or borrowed from us. Begging and borrowing are not the same thing. How are they different? Despite the differences between begging and borrowing, in what ways do both types of requests put us in the same position? What is Jesus’s response to both situations, and why do you think that is his prescription? How can we be like that? Considered together, these examples deal with much more than retaliation. They describe a way of approaching life – a mindset – that is at odds with our human nature and with what the world teaches us. How would you describe the fundamental attitudes or mindset that underlie this approach to life? At How can we transform our hearts and minds so that these kinds of reactions come more naturally? Where in your life right now might God be asking you to try to accept this mindset and do things differently?How can we transform our hearts and minds so that these kinds of reactions come more naturally? Where in your life right now might God be asking you to try to accept this mindset and do things differently? root, they involve a deep reliance on God. Do any of these seem especially unrealistic or difficult? Discuss it. Jesus would listen intently to your concerns. How do you think he would respond? Take a step back and consider this: It would be easy to see the Sermon on the Mount as replacing the old Law with a new Law – a new, stricter set of rules that we should follow. That is not what Jesus is doing. More laws will not create the kind of people Jesus is seeking to form. He wants to create new hearts, not new laws. One of God’s great projects on Earth is to work his character into our hearts. The more we become like him, the more instinctively we will be able to live out his teachings. What are the underlying changes of heart and mind that would be needed in order to live out Jesus’s instructions in this passage more easily? How can we transform our hearts and minds so that these kinds of reactions come more naturally? Where in your life right now might God be asking you to try to accept this mindset and do things differently? Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Look for the Perspective that Allows You to See Joy Your attitude determines what is a “win.” Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti February 21, 2024 A mother called in to the Internet radio station K-Love at 9:55 a.m. EST on January 25, 2023. The DJs were asking listeners to fill in the blank in this sentence: “I am wealthy because . . . (not necessarily wealthy monetarily, but wealthy in some way).” In response, the mother told a story about making dinner. She made a casserole with chicken, broccoli, and rice. When she went to serve it to her 12-year-old son, he said, “I don’t want any broccoli.” So she gave it to him without the broccoli. He went to a drawer in the kitchen and pulled out a sauce packet from Chick-fil-A. He poured the sauce on his dinner and ate it. When he was done eating, he said, “That was the best dinner I’ve ever had!” As she told this story on the air, this mother summed it up this way: “Mom for the win! Any time you can make a dinner and your middle-schooler loves it, it’s a win.” Your attitude determines what is a “win” As I listened, I thought about all the ways this mother could have had a different attitude. She could have objected to her son not eating the broccoli. She could have grumbled about his adding the Chick-fil-A sauce to her casserole. Instead, she accepted the situation for what it was and found joy in her son’s joy. Your perspective influences your attitude If she had approached the situation from the perspective that her son’s daily intake of vegetables was deficient, she wouldn’t have been able to call it a “win.” If her perspective had been that she makes good meals and doesn’t need “improvements,” she wouldn’t have been able to call it a “win.” In either of those cases, she wouldn’t have been able to share in her son’s joy. Mom for the win? It all depends on what you focus on, and what you choose to see. St. Paul wrote, “[W]hatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Phil. 4:8, NRSV). He also wrote: “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Rom. 12:15,NRSV). Sharing in the joy of others is one of the secrets of a joyful Christian life. We are encouraged to find a perspective that allows us to look see joy. Your perspective influences the joy of others American film producer Samuel Goldwyn, founder of MGM, has been quoted as saying, “When someone does something good, applaud! You will make two people happy.” This mother’s son left the table happy about a good meal but also happy in his mother’s appreciation of his joy. If she had scolded him, there would have been no joy in that house for either of them that night. Our decision to look for joy can make ourselves and everyone around us happier. Whenever you can, share in the joy of others! Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next God Reveals Himself in Scripture and in the Natural World, through Faith and Science God teaches us through faith and science. Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti March 18, 2024 I saw a meme that said, “I don’t follow the Science. I follow Jesus.” This statement deserves further thought. I am a follower of Jesus. I believe He is God (John 1:1). He is the Author of life (Acts 3:15). All of the created world was created through Him (John 1:3; Col. 1:16). God reveals Himself through creation (Rom. 1:20). God Reveals Himself in Scripture and in the Natural World The heavens and the earth – i.e., all of the natural world – tell the glory of God and proclaim His handiwork (Psalm 19:1). In other words, God reveals Himself and His truths both through Scripture (2 Tim. 3:16) and through the natural world He created (Prov. 30:24-28). Since God is always true (John 3:33), He cannot reveal truth to us in one part of revelation and lie to us in another. All of God’s revelation is true – both that which is found in Scripture and that which is found in the natural world He gave us. Therefore, we can find truths revealed by God in Scripture, and we can find truths revealed by God in the natural world He authored. Science The word “science” refers to a well-developed set of processes people use to understand truths about the natural world. Although scientists wouldn’t say it this way because they are looking for natural evidence, since God is the author of all creation, when they find things that are true in the natural world, they are finding truths that God has revealed to us in the natural world. God teaches us through faith and science. The word “science” is also used to describe the body of truths that humans have discovered as they use the processes of science to explore the natural world. We see “science” in every part of our lives. Scientists used the processes of science to understand the nature of penicillin and its healing properties. As a result, we have a body of scientific knowledge about antibiotics. Scientists used the processes of science to understand the nature of fuels, providing us with the scientific knowledge to provide power to our tractors, our automobiles, and our power plants. Scientists used the processes of science to understand how to improve the yields of plants and animals, leading to the science of agronomy that helps us feed the world. Observing God’s Orderly Universe All of this is possible because God created an orderly universe with laws that govern that universe, and because He allowed people to discover the truths about the natural world that are hidden in that orderly world. (Even the seemingly disorderly parts of the natural world contain truths that humans can and do discover about the natural world.) The Scriptures speak approvingly of attitudes and actions that are Bible-era precursors of modern science. The Book of Proverbs applauds those who carefully observe the natural world in order to apply it to their own situations (Prov. 6:6-11; 30:24-28). Jesus calls attention to those who observe signs from nature to predict the weather and suggests that we should have a similar attitude in reading spiritual signs (Matthew 16:2-3; Luke 12:54-56). Jesus also tells a parable in which he speaks well of a gardener who seeks to experiment with the soil in order to increase the likelihood of a good harvest (Luke 13:6-9). These passages reflect God’s approval of our use of the processes of science – observing, experimenting, drawing conclusions, etc. Using All of God’s Tools to Understand Truth God has given humans the ability to search out the truths of the natural world through science, just as He has enabled us to search out the truths of the spiritual world through Bible Study. To say, “I follow Jesus but I don’t follow the science,” would be like saying, “I follow Jesus but I don’t follow Bible Study.” They are both just tools – methods of learning. Science is a method used to understand what God reveals through the natural world. Bible Study is a method used to understand what God reveals through Scripture. One and the same God reveals Himself in both places – in Scripture and in the natural world, through Bible Study and through science. Thank God that He has chosen to reveal Himself in both places and has given us these tools – Bible Study and science – to make sense of His truths in both places. God teaches us through faith and science. Blessed is the person who listens to all of God’s revelation, wherever He chooses to reveal it. Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Where is God? - Part 2 Active in the timeline Tom Faletti (to be continued) Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next Matthew 11:20-30 Will we accept the direction of the Lord or resist? Tom Faletti September 8, 2024 Matthew 11:20-24 Judgment for those who do not respond To understand this passage, you need to know where these cities are. Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum were cities in Galilee (the province where Jesus grew up, in the northern part of Israel). Recall that when Jesus began his public ministry after John the Baptist was arrested, he moved to Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:13). The other two towns were within 5 miles of Capernaum. These were places where Jews lived and Jesus preached. Tyre and Sidon were north of Israel. They were pagan or Gentile cities on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the province of Syria. Jesus rebukes Capernaum using a quote in Isaiah 14:13-15 about being exalted or brought down that is a prophecy against the king of Babylon. (Similarly, Ezekiel 26:20 says that Tyre will be brought down to the Pit – i.e., the place of the dead.) Barclay tells us that the Greek word for “woe” in “Woe to you,” which is sometimes translated as “Alas,” “expresses sorrowful pity [at] least as much as it does anger” ( The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 13, emphasis in the original). Liddell and Scott similarly describe the word as an exclamation of pain and anger ( A Greek-English Lexicon , entry for οὐαί ). Why might Jesus be feeling sadness or pain for them? How might things go better on Judgment Day for pagans in Tyre and Sidon, and the people in Sodom (the proverbial Old Testament example of evil), than for the Jews that Jesus is talking to here? Do you think that some non-believers might find a better reception on their day of judgment (i.e., when they die) than some people who are part of the faith/church? Explain. Matthew 11:25-30 Rest for those willing to accept Jesus’s yoke Matthew now eases up on the heavy tone. There are two parts to this little passage: a discussion of who receives wisdom and an invitation to come to Jesus and find rest in his yoke. Verses 25-27 Who receives an understanding of God’s message and who does not? Jesus calls attention to the “infants” (NRSV) or “childlike” (NABRE) in contrast with the supposedly wise and educated people. Many commentators interpret the “infants” as referring to the simple, uneducated people who were embracing Jesus (including his disciples) even as the scholarly scribes and those who followed them were not (Harrington, p. 50; ( Ignatius Catholic Study Bible , Matthew 11:25-27 fn., p. 26). If “infants” means the simple, uneducated people, what is Jesus saying about them in comparison to the scribes and others who think they are wise? Why do you think this upside-down result happens, that the scholarly are unable to grasp what the simple people understand? Jesus is not condemning intellectual exploration. If we thought he was, we wouldn’t be participating in this Bible Study. How can we use the scholarly and intellectual gifts God has given us and still make sure we are on the right side of this simple vs. wise divide? Barclay suggests, “We must be careful to see clearly what Jesus meant here. He is very far from condemning intellectual power; what he is condemning is intellectual pride ” ( The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 15). False wisdom thinks it knows better than God. Simple wisdom submits itself under the tutorship of God. Jesus praises God that the childlike are the ones who “get it.” They are the ones who receive the revelation from God and accept it. Does it seem like Jesus almost enjoys the idea that the wise and intelligent are less able to “get it” than the childlike? If so, why might that be? How does it fit with God’s general approach to humanity? How can we be more like the “infants” and not be found lacking like the “wise and intelligent”? We can be more open and malleable; not see ourselves as smart or important but keep the focus on the straightforward, direct, life-changing message of Jesus. In verse 26, Jesus says to the Father: “such was your gracious will” (NRSV). Do you think it was God’s gracious will that the simple received Jesus’s revelation, that the “wise” did not, or both? Verse 27 sounds like many things Jesus says in the Gospel of John: Jesus’s relationship with God is as the relationship of Father and Son. How does he describe that relationship? Verse 27 suggests that if it weren’t for Jesus, we couldn’t know God; we can know the Father only because Jesus chooses to reveal the Father to us. This means our knowing God is a privilege, not a right. What does this say to you? How is verse 27 important in your life? The fact that Jesus “knows” the Father suggests a real intimacy (he doesn’t just know about the Father). Jesus us draws us into that intimacy. How fully do you think Jesus wants us to know the Father? Who falls within the category of the “anyone” to whom Jesus chooses to reveal the Father? Is this an exclusive little club? If not, what is the implication of this point? Do you show appropriate appreciation for Jesus’s decision to allow you to know the Father? How do you show that appreciation? Are there things you can do to invite more people to, through Jesus, know the Father? Verses 28-30 In verses 28-30, Jesus offers us a tremendous invitation. What does the fact that Jesus says to you, “Come,” mean for you in your life? Jesus recognizes that many are weary and carry heavy burdens. How is it important that he knows that? Do we do what Jesus calls us to do here? If not, why not? Sometimes, we think we have it all figured out or think we should have it all figured out. We think we should be able to manage on our own. Or we may be uncomfortable, or fearful, or don’t want to know what God wants of us. What do you think it means when he says, “I will give you rest”? What do you think “rest” means, in practical and spiritual terms? What is a yoke? What does a yoke symbolize? A yoke symbolizes submission – a willingness to submit to the direction of the one who places the yoke on us. In this meaning, it also symbolizing being given guidance and direction . But a yoke also means an opportunity for service . Animals were yoked when it was time to work. How can taking on Jesus’s yoke provide “rest”? We are not animals, and the yoke is not literal. This is some kind of metaphor. What do you think it means? The rabbis saw the Torah – the Law of God – as a yoke. Jesus, in effect, replaces the Torah-giver (i.e., God) with himself: God gave the Torah as their yoke; now Jesus is giving them his teachings and his guidance as our yoke. How does Jesus describe his yoke? What do you think it means when Jesus says his yoke is “easy”? Barclay says “easy” means “well-fitting,” so it doesn’t chafe ( The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2 , p. 19). Perhaps that means we don’t feel constrained or bound when we take Jesus’s yoke. How can that be? In what ways is Jesus’s burden “light”? Many people resist faith in Jesus because they think Christianity involves a heavy load of rules to follow. How is Jesus’s burden “light”? How can Jesus’s well-fitting yoke produce rest for our souls? We know physical rest. What is “soul” rest – rest for our souls? Christians can face many burdens, challenges, illness, pain, and loss, even when they tak on Jesus’s yoke. (Jesus even said some of his followers would face persecution.) How can his yoke be “easy” or “well-fitting” even in the hard times? How can it still provide rest? Describe a time when you made a conscious decision to accept Jesus’s yoke/direction even though it wasn’t what you really wanted to do. How did that go? Was the yoke as difficult as you expected? What do you need to do at this point in your life to accept and lean into Jesus’s yoke more fully or effectively? Take a step back and consider this: We noted above that a yoke is a symbol of submission. Some people find it harder than others to accept direction from another person. Some people just want to be their own boss. In the same way, some people find it easier than other people to accept direction from God. The people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum found it difficult to accept Jesus’s leadership. The scribes and their followers found it difficult to accept Jesus’s authority. The religious leadership couldn’t imagine itself taking direction from him. How good are you at taking direction from God and submitting to his guidance? What are the circumstances or times where it is easier or harder for you to let go of your own plans and do what God is calling you to do? Why are those times easier or harder? A master doesn’t explain to a service animal why the animal is being asked to do what is required. But Jesus does in many cases (not always, but often) tell us the “why.” He has revealed to us his plan to transform us into his image, to shine his light to others, to address the needs of the least among us, to love even difficult people so that they too can come to love him, to share his good news with others, etc. How does knowing the big picture goals of the Lord help as we try to embrace his yoke in our lives? Bibliography Click here for the bibliography . Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next You Have a Purpose Actually, you have many purposes! Image provided by Wix. Tom Faletti You have a purpose! In fact, you have multiple purposes in many different dimensions of your life. You are part of God’s great plan for the human race, a plan that depends on your active cooperation and creativity. You are made in God’s image, and God is working to reveal that image in you and through you. God is also working in every person around you. Your mission, your calling if you accept it, is to shine forth the image of God fully, in your unique way, and to help others do the same in their unique ways, so that the world may become what God has always intended it to be. You are not an accident. God designed the universe so that it had the capability to produce a person with your unique abilities and interests. He did this with a goal: so that you could freely choose to take on the character of God and let it shine forth in your own unique way. Because of your unique nature and experiences, you have the opportunity to reflect the image of God in your own distinct and special ways. This is one of the many beautiful things about God‘s creation: that each person has the potential to show forth the very image of God in their own unique ways. You are not alone in this potential. It is inherent in every human being. We all are made with a purpose and a unique role to play in bringing the image of God to life in this world. In order to reflect God‘s image accurately, we need to know what God is like. Fortunately, God did not leave us groping in the dark for an understanding of His nature and character. He sent his son Jesus to show us who He is. Jesus became one of us to show us how to live — how to be like Him in our own unique ways. Jesus talked about the kingdom of God — the place where what God desires for humans actually happens. He said the kingdom of God is “near” or “at hand” (Mark 1:15; Luke 10:9). He wants us to embrace God‘s ways and infuse them into every aspect of our natural lives. When we take on the character of God and allow it to transform our lives, we change the world around us so that it is a little bit more like what God intended, so that a little more of the kingdom of God is present. This means that for each and every one of us there is an ever-present invitation from God, telling us all the time: You Can Change Your World! I’m not saying you’re going to change the entire world in one grand act. But every day, multiple times every day, we have opportunities to change our little part of the world. At every moment, we can make our part of the world reflect more fully God’s vision for the world, or we can let it reflect something else. We can choose to show forth the image of God — what He intends us to be, what He has designed us to be — or we can miss the opportunity. The choice is ours. The invitation is always fresh. This is the unseen truth about our lives: that the God who created the universe is standing with each of us at all times, always ready to enable us to bring a little bit more of Himself into every situation. And every time we say yes to God and do the things that reflect who God is, we transform another part of the world and become a bit more like Him. God does not force us to accept this invitation. The choice is always ours: Right now, at this very moment, will I be like Jesus, and change a little bit of this world to be more like what God intended it to be, or will I go my own way? That is always a choice. But God’s desire is even greater than that. He is not interested only in transforming us as individuals and transforming our little parts of the world. He wants to change the entire way that human society operates. He wants to transform all of human life so that it reflects His nature. No single person can do that. Fortunately, we are not alone. God calls us to work together to redeem the culture, change social structures where needed, and transform the world. Guided by God’s clear teaching in the Bible, working in and through the community known as the church as well as with other people of good will, we can work to transform the social structures of our society to make them reflect more of the nature and character of God. This, too, is part of our calling, because this, too, is part of God’s desired plan. What an adventure God is offering us! No day need be dull when we accept the invitation He is offering us. In this book, we will explore who God is, what He is trying to do in this world, and how we can cooperate in the transformation He is trying to achieve in us and, through us, in the world. In the course of our explorations, we will have to confront some difficult questions, the foremost of which is: If God is all-loving, why does He allow so much suffering in the world? To answer that question, we will have to put on the mind of Christ in order to understand more fully what God’s purposes are for human beings, individually and as a whole. A second difficult question we will have to confront is this: Deep down, most people know how they should act towards others. Yet time and time again, people put themselves first and mistreat others. Why do people cause so much suffering in the world? Why do we ourselves get it wrong so often? And what does God want us to do about it? Fortunately, there are answers to these questions, if we are willing to search the Scriptures carefully and put on the mind of Christ. As we learn to see as God sees and think as God thinks, we can understand what God is trying to do in the world and in our lives, and find a way to participate fully in God’s work. When we do that, we discover another unseen truth about the world: There is great joy in participating in the work of God. If you are ready to tackle tough questions and embrace your calling to participate in God’s work to change the world, read on! Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page

Previous Next The Rapture? It’s Not a Pre-Millennial Escape from Tribulation Pre-tribulation theories contradict Jesus and Paul. What does the Bible actually say? Image by CHUTTERSNAP, provided by Unsplash via Wix. Tom Faletti December 13, 2024 In 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18, the apostle Paul refers to the “rapture” while he is discussing the end times when Christ will return. The word “rapture” comes from the Latin word that translates the Greek word in verse 17 where Paul says that we will be “caught up” (literally, “snatched”) to meet the Lord in the air. Authors Tim LaHaye of the Left Behind series and Hal Lindsey of The Late Great Planet Earth fame have popularized an approach to interpreting what the Scriptures say about the end times that leans heavily on a modern interpretation of Paul’s “rapture.” These authors (and others, who don’t always agree among themselves) combine their interpretation of the rapture with their interpretation of the “1000 years” mentioned in Revelation 20:2-3 and other Bible passages to produce an entire timeline of the end times that is not consistent with the historic understanding of the Scriptures. Their views are based on ideas that mostly did not spread until the 19th century. Most of Christendom from the time of Augustine in the 5th century until the 19th century has taken a very different approach to interpreting the Bible’s end-times passages. Currently, the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Churches, and many Protestant denominations – including the Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches and others – reject that interpretation of the end times. This summary of the problem is drawn from a variety of sources, in an attempt to identify the commonalities in Catholic and Protestant thinking about the subject. In addition to the sources used in my 1 Thessalonians study, it also considers Trent Horn (Catholic), Karlo Broussard (Catholic), Alan S. Bandy (Reformed), the Commission on Theology and Church Relations (Lutheran), and “Where does the Rapture fit into UM beliefs?” (United Methodist). The historic churches and denominations have much in common in their understanding of the end times. The main divide on this topic is not between Protestants and Catholics. The main divide is between a fundamentalist segment of modern Christianity and the rest of Christianity. Frameworks for thinking about the end times There are roughly 6 common frameworks for thinking about the rapture, the tribulation, and the 1000-year “millennial” reign mentioned in Revelation 20:2-3: The first three approaches all revolve around the idea that the rapture will precede a 1000-year millennium of peace and righteousness on earth. However, the pre-millennialists don’t agree on whether the rapture will happen before, during, or after the tribulation that precedes the end: Pre-tribulation, pre-millennial: Christ will come and take the Christians who are alive to heaven (the “rapture”) before the tribulation. Then the tribulation will come, in a world devoid of Christians. Then Christ will come again with the church (which sounds like a second Second Coming, since he already came to rapture people). Then Christ will reign for 1000 years, and then there will be the final judgment (which sounds like a third Second Coming). This is the view of the people like Tim LaHaye and Hal Lindsey who have fed the “rapture” industry. Mid-tribulation, pre-millennial: This approach is similar to the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial approach, except that the rapture will happen in the middle of the tribulation (i.e., halfway through the 7-year tribulation), not before it begins. Therefore, Christians will experience some of the tribulation and not be fully spared. Post-tribulation, pre-millennial: This approach says that Christians will not be spared the tribulation at all. Christians will not join Christ until he comes in his Second Coming at the end of the tribulation. Then Christ will reign for 1000 years, and then the final judgment will come. These approaches all separate the Second Coming of Christ from the final judgment. Jesus never suggests such a separation, nor does Paul. They both describe one decisive event when Jesus comes, takes believers to himself, and presides over the final judgment. Amillennial: This view rejects the separation of the “rapture” from the final judgment and the entire pre-millennial framework. In this view, we are in the 1000-year reign of Christ, which began when Christ broke the power of sin by his death and resurrection and ascended into heaven. The reference to “1000” years in the Book of Revelation is symbolic, not literal: “1000” means a large number and “1000 years” means “a very long time.” Revelation 20 says that in this millennial time, the devil is being restrained. God is giving us time so that the gospel can be spread around the world. After the period we are now in, which includes its own times of smaller tribulation, Satan will be allowed to try to turn people away from Christ and the great, final tribulation will come. The Christians and non-Christians suffer now, and both the church and non-believers will suffer during the final tribulation, as Jesus warned from the beginning (see, for example, Matthew 24:29-31, where the tribulation precedes the gathering of the elect to Christ). After that period of tribulation, the final judgment will begin with Christians being caught up with those who have risen from the dead to meet Christ when he returns (1 Thess. 4:17; also referred to by Paul in 2 Thess. 2:1 as our “assembling” with the Lord). That event is not a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial escape from suffering; it is part of the Second Coming and final judgment exercised by Christ. This more traditional approach to interpreting the end-times Scriptures was the generally accepted view throughout the church from the time of Augustine in the 5th century, through the Protestant Reformation, and all the way until the 19th century. It is more faithful to the Scriptures, and it is followed by the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and a variety of current Protestant denominations, including the Episcopal, Lutheran, and Methodist Churches and others. Although scholars call this approach the “amillennial” approach, that term is not necessarily used by these churches. All of those churches reject the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial approach that was popularized in the decades before and after the year 2000. There are two other views worth mentioning, for the sake of completeness (and there are many other sub-categories and branches dividing all of the approaches). Postmillennial: In this view, first there will be a (literal or symbolic) 1000-year golden age of prosperity and minimal suffering on Earth, during which most people will be converted to Christ and live in righteousness. The devil will be bound during that time but will be loosed at the end of the 1000 years. After that 1000 years of relative peace, there will be a time of tribulation followed by the Second Coming (when believers will be called up to heaven) and the final judgment. This view was popular in the 19th century (the 1800s), until the World Wars of the 20th century made people rethink whether the world could reach such a golden age of righteousness. Metaphorical: In this view, most of the end-times references in the Bible are metaphorical and should not be interpreted literally. There will not be a literal trumpet, a literal 1000-year reign, a literal meeting of Christ in the sky, etc. God has used figurative language and metaphors to help us understand things that are beyond us. All of the key points of Scripture will be fulfilled: Christ will return and judge the world, the dead will be raised, there will be a final judgment, the devil and death will be defeated, and Christians will live with Christ forever. But the details of what it will look like are not for us to worry about. Problems with the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture idea The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture theory is inconsistent with Scripture in several ways: The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture violates the claim in Acts 1:11 that Jesus will return in the same visible way he left, since the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial story creates a scenario where Jesus remains hidden except to believers. The theory claims that Jesus doesn’t stay on Earth after the rapture and only returning visibly 1000 years later. The word Paul uses in 1 Thessalonians 4:15 for the “coming” of the Lord (the Greek word parousia ) in was used by the Greeks before Christ to refer to the ceremonial arrival of a king or ruler. Pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture proponents argue that in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, Christ only comes partly back, gathers the raptured people, and returns to heaven. However, Paul does not say Jesus immediately returns to heaven with them; he only says that those who are caught up to meet him in the air will be with him forever. The word for “meet” in verse 17 is a Greek word used to describe the situation where people go out from their town to meet a visiting official or king and escort that official into their city (in response to the “coming” in verse 15). Paul is saying that when Christ comes to Earth and the risen Christians and the still-alive Christians join him, they will stay with him as he comes to the Earth and does his work of final judgment. The idea that Christ aborts his “coming” and returns to heaven, only to return later, has been added by the pre-tribulation advocates without justification or good evidence. The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture theory that Jesus’s coming to gather the elect is separated from his final judgment by 1000 years contradicts Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 says that Christ’s Second Coming will be announced with an archangel’s voice and the sound of a trumpet, at which point the dead will be raised. 1 Corinthians 15:51-55 also links the trumpet to the raising of the dead. In Matthew 24:29-31, Jesus links his coming in power and glory (verse 30) with the angels (verse 31), the sound of the trumpet (verse 31), and the gathering of the elect (verse 31). In Matthew 25:31-33, Jesus links his coming in glory (verse 31) with the final judgment (verses 32-33ff). These events are all connected and happen together. The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial approach contradicts Jesus by separating the raising of the dead from the final judgment by 1000 years. In Matthew 24:29, Jesus says that these events happen right after the tribulation (verse 29). The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial advocates seek to escape the tribulation that Jesus clearly foretells. The pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture violates Jesus’s statement in Matthew 16:27 that when he comes with his angels, he will repay people according to their deeds (i.e., the Second Coming with the final judgment). Again, Jesus does not teach any separation between these events. Note: Some rapture fans also interpret Luke 17:34-37 as referring to the rapture. In that passage, Jesus says that one person will be taken and another will be left. However, when you read that verse in context, starting at verse 26, you see that people are being “taken” in judgment. They are not being taken to heaven. They are not being raptured away to be saved from tribulation. Conclusion: The popular theory is wrong, but the Lord will be with us forever. In summary, the pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture story created in the 19th century and popularized as Americans endured the Cold War and approached the millennial year 2000 does not have a sound basis in Scripture. The Book of Revelation is filled with symbolic language. There is no reason to distort the teachings of Jesus and Paul in order to interpret Revelation’s round number of 1000 years as a literal 1000 years. It is symbolic for the long period of time we are in before the Lord returns. And Jesus and Paul are very clear that Christians will endure the tribulation before they are united with Christ in his return. We must reject the distortions of their words that are central to every pre-tribulation rapture theory. This also means that no one escapes the tribulation except by dying. What else is true? The Scriptures tell us clearly: Christ will return. The dead will be raised. Christians (both those who have died and those who are still alive) will be united with Christ and live with him forever. Christ will judge the living and the dead and ask them how they treated “the least of these” among us. Fortunately, that’s all we really need to know about the end times. Copyright © 2024, 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 Next Join Faith Explored and Join the Conversation! If you are a member of Faith Explored (click here to join) and would like to react to or ask a question about any material here, please post a question in the forum or send an email using the Contact form at the bottom of the page. Use these links to become a member and join the conversation: Become a Member Forum Page Blog Page