Presentation of Elena Bosetti’s A Contemplative Reading of the Gospel:Matthew: The Journey

Toward Hope

Made bySr. Rachel Gosda, SCTJM

Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary

• Chapter One gives an overview of the main themes which will be covered in Bosetti’s treatment of Matthew’s Gospel. While they are many, they include:

- 5 Discourses- 7 Narrative sections- 10 Fulfillment Citations- 3 important themes:

The Face of Christ The Church The Importance of Ethics

Chapter Five: “He Has Carried Our Infirmities”—

Descending in Order to Heal

• The five discourses and seven narrative sections are well-organized and form a strong core to Matthew’s Gospel. Bosetti writes,

“The very harmony [Matthew] succeeds in creating, by alternating discourse and narrative,seems dictated by pastoral reasons,

from a living desire that practice would correspond to doctrine,

and that the Gospel listened to would be the Gospel lived!”1

The Discourses and Narrations

• Furthermore, they can be divided into two general sections which begin with the phrase, “from then on”:

Part One: “From then on Jesus began to preach”In Galilee

- Discourse on the mountain, Discourse on mission, Discourse in parables

Part Two: “From then on Jesus began to reveal”Toward Jerusalem

- Discourse on the Church, Discourse in Jerusalem

The Discourses and Narrations, cont.

• Aimed at an audience of Jewish converts to Christianity, Matthew’s Gospel contains the greatest number of Old Testament prophecies to show how they have been fulfilled in Christ

•Each begins with the verb pleròô, meaning “to be fulfilled, to accomplish”

•He is able, as Jesus Himself said, to take things from Scripture both “new and old” (Mt. 13:52) and weave them together cohesively

The Fulfillment Citations

• The Face of Christ:- Matthew’s Jesus is portrayed as the Son of David and

Abraham, Son of the Living God (which Matthew rightly links with the Messiah as the Suffering Servant), and the only Master and Shepherd

• The Church:- All of the three occurrences of the word “Church” in the

Gospels can be found in Matthew’s Gospel! He portrays the Church as a family gathered around Jesus, in whom all of the hopes of Israel are fulfilled

• Importance of Ethics:- “More than any other evangelist, Matthew underlines the

ethical aspect”2

Three Important Themes

Chapter Two:“Emmanuel”—

The Beginnings of Jesus, the Messiah (Mt. 1-2)

• Bosetti spends a good deal of time in Jesus’ genealogy on the four foreign women included: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba• More than the fact that many of them sinned or were cunning, Matthew mentions them to show right away the universality of Christ and His mission. Bosetti writes,

“In the house of David, and therefore in the veins of the Messiah of Israel,

there flows also the blood of the non-Hebrew, the blood of the foreign nations represented by these

ancestors”3

Notable Points on the Women in the Genealogy…

• Rahab and her faith are mentioned in the Letter to the Hebrews and in the Letter of James—so impressive was her faith! Scripture also attests that she too accepted Israel’s God: “She has lived in Israel ever since” (Joshua 6:25)

• The blessing given by the people of Bethlehem to Ruth is the greatest blessing given to a foreigner in the entire Old Testament: “May the Lord make [her] like Rachel and Leah, who built up the house of Israel” (Ruth 4:11)

The Most Longed-For Maternity

• The verb “egènnêsen” (“fathered”) is the verb used in every other instance in the genealogy—39 times in total—until we reach its culmination, marking the singular birth with a singular verb: “egennêthê” (“was born”)

• The numerical significance of the fourteen generations repeated three times reveals perfection. Bosetti writes:

“The number fourteen, which is two times seven,is the symbol of perfection;

moreover, multiplied by three, it indicates the sum of perfection,

the fullness of time, and the fulfillment of the promises”4

The Star

• The story of the Magi reveals the course of coming to Christ for the pagans. Like the Magi, who were able to recognize the Messiah by natural revelation, our reason and natural revelation can lead us to the truth. However, the fullness of truth can only be found through Divine Revelation, entrusted to the Church and found in Sacred Scripture5

• Just as the Magi had to stop in Jerusalem to get to Bethlehem, so too does the world need Divine Revelation to fully come to Christ

The Significance of Jesus’ Name

• Matthew is the only Evangelist to give the definition for Jesus’ name: “he who saves from sin.” Although he shares the same name with the great liberator of Israel in salvation history, Joshua, the liberation Jesus brings is, as Matthew says, from sin

• Bosetti shows two instances that reveal Jesus’ destiny in His name:

- In the healing of the crippled man in Capernaum, Jesus pronounces that his sins are forgiven him. “In this man,” Bosetti writes, “Jesus seems to glimpse the people as a whole and does not hestitate to put into action that for which he has come”6

- In the trial with Pilate, we see Jesus called Barrabbas alongside our Lord. Bosetti shows how both want to save their people: one from the Romans, the other, from sin. “It is the collision of two types of Messiah,” Bosetti writes7

Joseph: The Dreams and The Obedient Listener

• Matthew mentions Joseph seven times in his Gospel—again, a symbol of fullness

• Bosetti shows many parallels between Joseph and the Joseph of the Old Testament, Abraham, and Moses. Of the three, however, she writes,

“He is more like Abraham, who never objected to the word of the Lord

but listened and followed. Abraham is the man of obedience [. . .]

our Joseph is exactly the same”8

Like the Patriarchs of Old…• Like Joseph:

- Our Joseph is the son of Jacob- Our Joseph leads the Holy Family down into Egypt by God’s providence, just as the old Joseph was the instrument of God’s providence for his brothers in Egypt - Our Joseph receives the word of God in dreams

• Like Abraham:- Joseph believed in the darkness of faith—he did not ask for explanations from God, entrusting himself totally to God’s care - Joseph is a true son of Abraham, who is able to go beyond the mere letter of the Law and penetrate its heart

• Like Moses:- Joseph leads the Holy Family out of Egypt

Chapter Three:“In Those Days”—

John and Jesus (Mt. 3-4)

• In Matthew’s Gospel, John is “strictly connected with the desert”9

• His baptism is connected to conversion and repentance. Bosetti notes a few interesting points here:

- The way in which people have to come to John to be baptized already “argues against every pretense of self-salvation.”10 The way that others came to him is the same way that all must come to the Lord

- In 3:11, Matthew is the only Evangelist to write that John’s baptism is a “token of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.” Mark and Luke attribute “remission of sins” here. This again emphasizes the singularity of Jesus as Savior, and that John’s baptism simply prepares the way for this salvation

- He also emphasizes that what is needed are “fruits worthy of repentance”

John Baptizes JesusA beautiful depiction...

• “Fulfilling all righteousness” strikes at the heart of the Gospel understanding of justice, which is “a way of acting that conforms to what God considers just.”11 Part of this way of acting is the humble recognition of, and docile obedience to, God’s mission for us

• Although beyond our understanding, it is the will of God that “Jesus shows his solidarity with sinners who convert themselves to welcome the Kingdom of heaven”12

• Finally, the Father’s voice in Matthew’s account of the Baptism declares, “This is my Beloved Son”—in Mark and Luke, the Father speaks to Jesus (“You are my Beloved Son.”) The Father testifies to His Son’s identity to us!

Jesus Defeats the Tempter

• Jesus’ 40 days and nights in the desert is reminiscent of Israel’s 40 years of wandering before they entered the Promised Land. He is also shown as the new Moses:

- Matthew is the only Evangelist to note that He fasted 40 days and nights…just as Moses did on Mt. Horeb (Dt. 32:48)

- The third temptation in Matthew alone takes place on a high mountain, which is reminiscent of Moses on Mt. Nebo, who gazed, but could not enter, the Promised Land from afar. However, Jesus is able to gaze at and allow entrance to the true Promised Land13

- Unlike Israel, Jesus is faithful and victorious in all of His temptations

The Temptations

• The first temptation pierces Jesus’ power. Bosetti writes,

“At different times in the course of his mission,Jesus will be tempted the same way—

not only by enemies [. . .] but also by His friends”14

• The second temptation deals with trusting the Lord. The devil uses Scripture correctly. However, Bosetti notes,

“This temptation contains a flaw:the exploitation of the Word of God”15

• In the third temptation, the devil unmasks himself, and Jesus dispels him

In Galilee of the Gentiles

• Jesus chooses Capernaum as His place of residence—another one of the “fulfillment citations”

• Teaching, preaching, and healing are the three verbs that Matthew uses several times to describe what Jesus did in Galilee. Although one might think that “preaching” should come first, in Matthew’s account, we see that it is at the core of everything, pervading all teaching and healing, as well16

• Matthew uses the phrase “their synagogues” when referring to Jesus’ preaching. This can be seen as Matthew imposing the historical situations of the Church on the historical time of Jesus, and the situation which triggered this was the expulsion of any Christians from Jewish synagogues17

Chapter Four:“Blessed are the Poor”—

Jesus Dreams of His Community (Mt. 5-7)

• In the Sermon on the Mount, the word used by Matthew to depict “blessedness” differs from the normal word used to describe human happiness: it is a joy at the foundation of one’s existence

• In this scene, Bosetti describes the disciples’ role as a bridge of sorts between the crowds and Jesus. She writes,

“Light, if it is enkindled, cannot but illuminate! [. . .]What then is the duty of the disciples/the Church?

They are called to witness to the truth and beauty of the Gospelbefore this crowd that, although fascinated by the Master’s teaching,

is not yet determined to follow him in such a waythat they might pass from amazement to discipleship”18

What a beautiful way to describe our mission!

A Greater Justice

• One of Matthew’s key themes, the great importance of ethical concerns, come out greatly here in the Sermon on the Mount. We see:

- “Unless your righteousness greatly exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees…”: our righteousness must be based on the “hermeneutic of love,” which is ultimately the perfection and mercy of the Father19

An important point to note here is that Jesus is addressing the disciples and those around Him: He speaks these words to the Church!

• Jesus expands on the way that this new righteousness involves the way the believer is to act and pray: without ostentation, without vanity. Bosetti writes,

“Vanity radically threatens the purity of religious expression, transforming what was born of love for God

into an affirmation of the ego”20

“But I Say to You” Sayings

• We see the “I say to you” sayings of Jesus lived out in His own earthly life. He Himself is the standard for them!

- “Offer your other cheek, as well”: Jesus offered no resistance during His passion. Bosetti notes how a slap was particularly offensive in the Jewish culture21…and the King of Kings, though slapped, did not resist this treatment

- “If someone presses you into service for one mile”: He was the recipient of His own teaching when Simon helped Him carry His Cross

• The principle of Jesus’ ethics is the imitation of God. Once we recognize we are children of the Father, this determines our way of being and acting. As Bosetti states, “sonship becomes a way of imitation”22

Freedom from Worry

• One discourse worth mentioning briefly is Jesus’ discourse on the provident care of the Father. In it, He repeats the phrase “do not worry” in three different ways:

- First, it is stated as an imperative (“Do not worry!”)- Second, it is asked as a question (“Why do you worry?”)- Third, it is stated as persuasion (“So do not worry”)

It is beautiful to see the Lord’s manner of teaching here…how He knew how to speak a word to “rouse the weary”

and engrain it in their hearts

The Universal Call to Holiness

Bosetti ends this chapter referring to Blessed John Paul II’s Novo Millenio Ineunte, where he states that the

radical demands of holiness belong to all Christians, as part of the Christian vocation.

To the question, then, of “to whom is the Sermon on the Mount addressed?”

we see that the answer is: everyone!