Download March 23rd notes - St Elizabeth Ann Seton

Bible Study Lesson Summary
Gen. 18: Abraham is setting a tone for generations of Jews in that hospitality to strangers is important. Any one of them
might be a visitor from the Lord. These three strangers are welcomed and surprisingly one of them knows the name of
Abraham’s wife. Two other things I love about this chapter is that it lets us know that Isaac means laugh, which Abraham
and Sarah both do when they hear they would have a child in their old age, and also that Abraham gets somewhere by
bargaining with God. I get this great image of a kid trying to deal with their parent.
Gen. 19: Notice that you see such an aversion to homosexual acts and a dedication to hospitality that Lot is ready to offer
his daughters in place of the guests. God, and His messengers, approve of this. Lot’s wife gets into trouble because she
looks back, a sign that if you turn away from evil, you had better not turn back to it. Notice in verses 30-38 we see that
God is not pleased with incest. We know this because the Moabites and the Ammonites were later enemies of the
Israelites.
Gen. 20: Once again you have what looks like Sarah being left in a bad situation. But even though Abraham doesn’t
seem to take very good care of her, God does. Sarah is am image of the Church. No matter how dangerous a situation we
seem to be in, He will protect His bride. God even makes her fruitful. But notice that God does not abandon Hagar and
her offspring, Ishmael, even though they are not to be of the chosen people. So not being one of the chosen people does
not necessarily mean you are cut off from God’s love. Ishmael is said to be the Father of the Arab world.
Gen. 21: Verse 30 has Abraham sealing an oath with a well, another sign of baptism. Also note that Sarah, with all that
she has been blessed with, even though God did not owe her, becomes selfish and hateful and wants to make sure Ishmael
doesn’t receive an inheritance. He does not receive the inheritance of the Israelites but God is more generous. In verses
27-32 Abraham is dealing with Abimelech. He offering 7 ewe lambs, a priestly offering of abundance, for the well which
is a foreshadowing of baptism for it served Jews and Gentiles.
Gen. 22: This chapter, with its story of Abraham being willing to sacrifice Isaac is all about foreshadowing the
crucifixion. Isaac carries the wood up the mountain. Jesus carries the cross up Calvary, which some of the mystics have
said was the same mountain. In verse 8 Abraham prophecies that “God himself will provide the sheep for the holocaust.”
But think about how weird it is that this story is remembered and protected by the Jews. Most families would try to forget
such an incident, but these people save it because they believe the incident is truly directed by God. But it is all a
foreshadowing of God being willing to sacrifice His Son. Our fear of death makes us wonder why God would ask
Abraham kill his son. But we have to remember that for God death is not the end. The lamb that Abraham promises that
God will sacrifice foreshadows the Lamb of God, Jesus.
Gen. 23: Abraham is looking for a burial place for Sarah and it ends up being in Hebron, which is just south of Jerusalem.
So it is not in heaven, the “New Peace”, since that is not open yet, but it is close enough for us to know that God did not
abandon them. Jerusalem means New Peace.
Gen. 24: Notice God’s providence in the story of Isaac trying to find a wife. God is guiding history but not destroying
free will. Having Isaac, a foreshadowing of Jesus, find his wife among the Israelites helps us understand why Jesus
started His bride, the Church, among the Israelites. Rebekah is one who fits the model of the Church in that she is willing
to give water to the thirsty. It is important that Rebekah traveled with maids so she was not alone with a man on a
journey, which might cause scandal.
Gen. 25: The story of Esau and Jacob tells me the difference, between those who are the “chosen” or blessed ones and
those who are not, is very slim for God. We had better not depend on it. Just being a Jew or a Christian or a Catholic is
not enough. Each is loved by God. The difference is that the chosen people are given more so that they can be a sign of
what God wants. But being a chosen one does not determine salvation for the individual.
Gen. 26: Isaac treats Rebekah just like Abraham treated Sarah. But what it does show is that adultery is a problem that
makes a mess of marriage and is something that God does not like. This all happened in Gerar, which is in the Negev
Desert or south of Gaza near Egypt. The stories of the wells could also foreshadow baptism in which the third on is
finally the one that will bring life. The first ones were like false gods prayed to before the Lord but could not give
salvation.
The Book of Psalms
12-14: I hope you are getting the point that these are the Word of God and so many of them are the thoughts and prayers
of Jesus.
15: “Whoever acts like this shall never be shaken.” Only Jesus could be this good but he brings us into Himself so we
can receive salvation also.
16: This is a variation of the same theme as 15.
17: “You have tried me by fire, but find no malice in me. My mouth has not transgressed as humans often do.” King
David certainly did not live up to this, but Jesus did and in the last verse prays for resurrection. “I am just—let me see
your face; when I awake, let me be filled with your presence.”
18: This psalm is a great reminder of how the OT uses the image of rock for God. This is important to know when
reading the NT. Part of this psalm is very violent. When you transfer the speaker from King David to Jesus as the person
praying this psalm it goes from a physical battle to a spiritual one. The battle is then a war against evil. I see this as a
really good reason for going to confession. It is better to be freed from sin rather than to have it within us when the
destruction of that sin happens.
Gospel of Matthew (Since we are far more familiar with the Gospels I will be spending less time on explaining
each chapter. I will usually just deal with the questions that came up in the class.)
Chapter 8-9: Note that each miracle is a message. Matthew is not just randomly remembering miracles but is
bringing up ones that make a point. He cures the leper by touching him even though that would make Him
ritually unclean so that he could not go into a village, love is above the law. He cures the centurion’s servant is
a lesson on faith which is not just found in the Israelites and it is also a lesson on the authority of Jesus that
Jesus can cure from a distance. His cure of Peter’s mother-in-law is that you had better love your be getting
along with your relatives for Jesus loves them even if you might not and they may get to heaven faster than you.
There is an old joke that Peter never forgave Jesus for curing his mother-in-law and that is why he denied him.
Jesus does other healings but to fulfill prophecy in Mt.8:17. He calms the storm to show that He has power
over nature and that we are safe in the boat, church, with Him. As one who has raised pigs I think one reason
for healing the Gadarene Demoniacs is to show that pigs don’t go to heaven but the real reason it to show He
has power over demons. He cures the paralytic to show that forgiveness of sins, which only comes from God, is
more important than physical healing. Calling Matthew is a sign of how Jesus will seek out the unwanted in
society. The cure of the official’s daughter shows His power over death. His curing of the woman with the
hemorrhages is to show us that we need to have faith even if it means waiting for years. This image of her
touching the tassel of His cloak is also the justification of the Church’s use of second and third class relics.
Even things that have just touched a Saint or holy person can be an instrument of the power of God. Curing the
blind men shows us that our faith in Him makes a difference in the healing. Healing the mute person was to
expose the Pharisees and their unbelief.
Chapter 10: Chapter 9 ends with the need for laborers for the harvest and 10 opens with commissioning of the
twelve to extend His work and His teaching them again the lessons that His miracles should have taught them.
Chapter 11:1-15: With this complete we hear of John the Baptist’s disciples coming to question Jesus. Jesus
refers them to prophecy from Isaiah which foreshadowed the Messiah. It gives Jesus a chance to reaffirm
John’s work and reaffirm his faith. It also reminds us that if we get to heaven we will be up there with John.