Mat 2:13-15: By what means did the Lord warn and direct Joseph? See Mat 2:13, and cf. Mat 2:12,19,22. Are we attentive to our dreams if perchance God should speak to us in them? How long does it appear that Joseph waited before giving heed to the warning in his dream and departing for Egypt? …
Mat 2:1-12: What does Mat 2:1 teach us about the date when Jesus was born?[1] Who were the magi, and where were they from?[2] What significance would the inclusion of the coming of the (Gentile) magi have held for Matthew’s readers at a time when the gospel was spreading rapidly among the Gentiles and generating…
Mat 1:18-19: What do Mat 1:18-19 teach us about the binding nature of betrothal in the Jewish culture? Cf. Deut 22:23-27. Why was Joseph going to divorce Mary? Consider the emotions of betrayal and the threat to Mary’s marriage relationship with Joseph that her miraculous conception would cause, as well as the shame and humiliation…
Some suggest that Luke gives Jesus’ descent through Mary, which is a possible, but somewhat strained explanation in light of Luk 3:23 which would otherwise seem to clearly indicate that Luke too is tracing Jesus’ line through Joseph. Consider also that since Mary was related to Elizabeth (Luk 1:36) who was “from the daughters of…
Mat 1:1 Note: “book” is the Greek word transliterated as biblos from which we get our word Bible. Note: “genealogy” in this verse is the same word translated in Mat 1:18 as “birth” and is the Greek word transliterated as “genesis”; why is such a term appropriate in describing the human beginnings of the Son…