The Ephesus School

In the ancient world, kingly genealogies, like kingly cities, were constructed to establish a monarch’s credibility, divinity, authenticity, and permanence. It should come as no surprise, then, that Matthew (like Genesis) deconstructs the king’s genealogy by presenting a disruptive counter-narrative. Where Judah longs to boast, Matthew ridicules. Where David seeks credibility, Matthew discredits. Where Judah strives to build a city surrounded by high walls, Matthew breaches the same, paving the way for a new kind of king, one who rules an unseen city, made without walls and without human hands.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:3.

Listen: https://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15937/8904133/TBAL%20Episode%20222.mp3

Episode 222 Matthew 1:3; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Our Story Begins” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

As the first book of the New Testament, Matthew enjoys the distinct honor of headlining and setting the tone for all of part two of the Bible. Like a carefully placed advertisement in your social media feed, every verse, every word, every letter in the opening chapter of Matthew is both strategic and precious. Given this fact, as disciples of Matthew’s teaching, we must begin our study by acknowledging the prime significance of each choice made by the author: each name (included or omitted) the stories behind each name, the meaning of these names, and finally, how they are made functional in Matthew and the New Testament in general.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Matthew 1:2.

Listen: https://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15937/8835366/TBAL%20Episode%20221.mp3

Episode 221 Matthew 1:2; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Tech Live” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

In the very first verse of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew raises a question that looms over the entire story: Whose son is Jesus and what kind of messiah will he be? How does Jesus relate to David? Why the mention of Abraham? Will the reign of Jesus prove to be different than the reign of David? How does the genealogy of Jesus differ from other genealogies in the Old Testament?

Richard and Fr. Marc begin their discussion of the Gospel of Mathew with a review of Matthew 1:1.

Listen: http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15937/8764298/TBAL%20Episode%20220.mp3

Episode 220 Matthew 1:1; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Egmont Overture Finale” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

“The lust for comfort,” wrote Khalil Gibran, is “that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master.” Jonah, called by the word of the Lord to serve Nineveh, grapples instead with the tyranny of comfort. From the beginning, he chose the destruction of Nineveh over his own discomfort. He finds purpose and meaning in convenience for himself, but—to the extent that he is even aware of the needs of others—scoffs at their wellbeing. For Jonah, if life is not comfortable, life is not worth living. “The lust for comfort,” Gibran continues, “murders the passion of the soul, and then walks grinning in the funeral.” Not only would Jonah sacrifice his own life for this false master, but the lives of an entire city—from the least to the greatest—including the animals. As the Apostle Paul wrote, “μὴ γένοιτο, may it never be.” (Romans 6:2)

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:6-11.

Listen: http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15937/8699175/TBAL%20Episode%20219.mp3

Episode 219 Jonah 4:6-11; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Sneaky Snitch” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/

Everyone thinks about inconvenience in terms of how it impacts their time and their personal comfort. Rare is the individual who thinks not of personal preference, but of the needs of others. A teacher burns the candle at both ends to make time to teach and we who have done nothing check our watch twenty minutes into the lecture. A parent wakes up early in the morning to prepare food before rushing off to work, even as their child complains about the breakfast menu. People make sacrifices on our behalf every day and we do nothing but complain and criticize. We never stop to consider the burden that others bear. We experience life as though we are at its center, complaining often about what we do not like, almost never expressing gratitude.

Imagine the horror of a person who views everything through the narrow lens of his or her own perspective, individual rights, feelings, beliefs, and personal experience— one whose only priority is comfort and convenience. Yes, of course, I am talking about us. Thankfully, in the face of our self-obsessed, self-serving, neurotic, consumerized individualism, the story of Jonah shows the path out of our calamity, providing us with a perfect example. However, in order to heed the story’s wise advice, we must ignore this example, clinging instead to the teaching it carries.

Richard and Fr. Marc discuss Jonah 4:1-5.

Listen: http://tracking.feedpress.it/link/15937/8631769/TBAL%20Episode%20218.mp3

Episode 218 Jonah 4:1-5; Subscribe: http://feedpress.me/the-bible-as-literature; “Electro Cabello” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com (http://incompetech.com/)) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License http:// creativecommons .org/ licenses /by/3.0/