12.2.25 - Interpreting Scripture | Who was Matthew | John the Baptist
- tmaley
- Dec 4
- 14 min read
Northern Virginia Catholic Bible Study & Apologetics 12/2/25
Every Tuesday, 7PM-8PM. This meeting is a lecture/Q&A format. It is free.
Meetings on Meetup: www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy
Past classes are posted on our Catholic Catacombs Website: www.CatholicCatacombs.org
House rules/notes…
Our meetings/classes are on ZOOM every Tuesday, 7-8 PM. Sign up for Zoom notifications and to receive meeting reminders at www.meetup.com/catholicbiblestudy. Zoom ID: 861 1782 2081 Password: 406952.
RSVP Reminder: Please RSVP whether you are attending the meeting or just reading the Recaps afterwards. The more RSVPs, the more Meetup will give exposure to “Catholic Bible Study” – a good thing!
Questions. We encourage questions although we ask that you keep them on topic and brief. You can ask during the meeting, or in the chat box, or if you prefer you can email us through Meetup.com, or Ron directly: ron@hallagan.net.
Recaps. Within a day or two after each meeting, we will post the edited meeting notes of our discussions on our website, www.catholiccatacombs.org. Taylor will notify everyone when this is posted and provide you with a link.
Respectfulness. We will be discussing differences between Christian denominations and religions in general, and we seek to be respectful at all times. Protestants especially are our friends and brothers-in-Christ; in fact, I personally owe much of my return to the faith to them!
No politics. It would be easy for us to self-destruct, but that’s not our goal :). Our goal is to learn, understand, and apply the Bible and our Catholic faith to our everyday lives.
“The Chosen” TV series. All of us seek a relationship with Jesus Christ, which is not always easy. It can help if we have seen and heard Him. The Chosen series captures Jesus better than any show I have ever seen. Highly recommended.
Catholic Prayer & Fellowship. Are you interested in praying the rosary, etc. with other Catholics during the week? Follow fellow member Jason Goldberg at https://www.meetup.com/online-catholic-prayer-fellowship-and-spirituality/.
Cursillo. Interested in meeting weekly over coffee to discuss how God is involved in your personal and professional life? Join Cursillo (cur-see-yo). Initiation is a 3-day retreat at Mission Hurst in Arlington. For men’s groups, contact Ron (ron@hallagan.net) and Jennifer Pence (Jennifer.pence@gmail.com) for women’s groups.
Our Bible Study is a combination of Exegesis and Apologetics.
Study and interpretation of Scripture A reasoned defense of the faith
Format: Each week of the month has a repeating theme, as noted below.
Wk 1: Gospel Week – we study several Gospel stories, especially difficult ones!
Wk 2: Bible Week – we are working our way through the Bible. We are studying the prophets!
Wk 3: Questions and Survey Topics chosen by Members:
Fathers of the Church, Heresies, Church Councils 2) Near Death Experiences 3) Jesus prefigured & prophesied in the OT 4) Apparitions and modern miracles 6) What happens to pets after they die. 7) Prison ministry stories 8) Review of Plenary and Partial Indulgences again
Wk 4: Apologetics:
Gen 1-3 (Creation Story, Adam & Eve, the Fall of Man, The Meaning of the Trees)
Faith and Doubt
Deeper meanings of the Mass
The goal of each meeting is as follows:
15 min Catholic topic/catechesis
15 min Upcoming Gospel reading
30 min Weekly topic/theme
1 hour
Taylor will send a link to everyone with today’s notes.
Also, the class is recorded if you want to listen to it anytime.
Reader for the day…
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father,
The hopes and longings of Your Old Covenant people were fulfilled in Jesus, the Messiah, and we are ever mindful that the great blessing of our salvation is a blessing meant to be shared.
As we study St. Matthew's theme of “the Kingdom of Heaven,” may we remember that as members of Your holy family we are called to serve You as loving citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven.
We ask for Your guidance not only in our study of today’s Gospel account but in our mission as apostles of Christ the King.
And as Augustine taught us to pray …
Glory Be…
to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
Upcoming major holy days: Advent: Nov 30 to Christmas Eve
Dec 8, The Immaculate Conception
Mass Times/Confession anywhere: www.masstimes.org
Today’s Agenda
Apologetics: Who does Scripture say can interpret Scripture?
Reflection: ADVENT – Live as though it is tomorrow; plan as though it is fifty years away!
We are beginning Cycle/Year A, which is The Gospel of Matthew. Who was Matthew?
Gospel Reading for the Second Sunday of Advent (12/7), The Preaching of John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1-12
Eucharist quotes from geniuses on Jesus’ last miracle before the cross…
What you see is the bread and the chalice; that is what your own eyes report to you. But what your faith obliges you to accept is that the bread is the body of Christ, and the chalice is the blood of Christ. This has been said very briefly, which may perhaps be sufficient for faith; as faith does not desire instruction. – St. Augustine
The Eucharist is the consummation of the whole spiritual life. – St. Thomas Aquinas
If angels could be jealous of men, they would be so for one reason only: Holy Communion. – St. Maximilian Kolbe
Apologetic: Who does Scripture say can interpret Scripture?
This question is asked because Protestants often say that the Bible is self-revealing. Anyone can interpret it. Hopefully, in our Bible studies and exegesis, you can see that first, this is impossible; and second, if everyone were left to their own interpretations, not only would they miss much of the meaning but they could go off in 10,000 different directions. In fact, that’s why there are more than 10,000 Protestant denominations. Even within the first 10 years after Luther posted his 95 Theses, they were already splintering into several groups – all due to different interpretations on Christian doctrines, including how one is saved, the nature of authority, the sacraments, Mary, the Eucharist, purgatory, the priesthood, and who can interpret Scripture.
As for this last one – who can interpret Scripture – Catholics believe this was delegated to the Apostles early on. Here are several scriptural references to that effect:
“I will give you the keys to the Kingdom and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in Heaven.” –Mt 16:19
This refers to the authority given the Church to interpret the Word of God – both Scripture and Tradition. The “keys to the Kingdom” followed an old tradition where the King often delegated authority to make and enforce the laws of the Kingdom to a second-in-command, such as a Prime Minister. The king in this case is Jesus, and he is delegating this authority to Peter and the Apostles. Peter is like Jesus’ Prime Minister on earth.
We see Peter writing on this subject as well:
“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one's own interpretation.” - 2 Pet 1:20
This means private interpretations of Scripture can never be in conflict with the Church, to whom Jesus gave this authority.
Remember that “prophecy” means divine instruction.
Prophecy: noun, something that is declared by a prophet. It can be divinely inspired instruction and it may also be foretelling something that is to come.
Advent Week Two…
Live as though it is tomorrow; plan as though it is fifty years away!
What does this saying mean?
We know we don’t control the past and future, but you would never know it by our actions. It is true, we don’t control either, although we can influence the future. And when things don’t go our way, then we get anxious or worried or angry or… anything but Christian.
Another issue is that we’re so busy living in the immediate past and immediate future that we too often miss the present. And yet the present is the only reality and the only time we can actually change anything. We can plan and prepare – these are necessary and good – but the difference happens in the present. We can be sorry for something we did, but only apologizing (present) and changing our behavior (present) makes any difference. The present is the only time we can love, the only time we can forgive, the only time we can change ourselves. Yet, we often forget to live in the present!
To live in the present takes thought, presence, and intention. It is in each passing scene, each encounter, each dialogue that this is happening. This is where Christianity plays out – loving God and neighbor. It starts by how you start and end your day – with God. God, thank you for my day and please come with me! God, how did I do today? Hmm, what could I have done differently? Then it helps to set your watch to remind yourself of the present – every hour? Start each with a 5 second prayer of praise and thanks and ask for guidance. These are just suggestions.
Plan as though it is fifty years away?
“Planning like it is 50 years away” means to plan your long-term goodness. Goodness doesn’t happen by itself. If you don’t plan it, it won’t happen. Badness can happen by itself – no planning needed! But not goodness.
Think of the parable of the man who realized that things were going so well, what he really needed was more/bigger barns to story more of his grain. Jesus said to him, “You fool, tonight your life will be taken from you and then what good will these have done you?”
This could easily apply to our own lives. Aren’t we all planning for more and bigger barns? Our 50-year plan should include those things we look forward to sharing with God because the 50-year plan is actually our “immediately-after-death” plan.
So rather than giving 100% of our time and attention to planning our material future, maybe we should ask, “What would I be proud to show God on my first day after I die?” Then include some of those things into your plans and decide what baby steps you can take in the short-term. This is part of how we stay in relationship with God. It is what this means:
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.” Mt. 24:42
This is the purpose of Advent – to remind us to begin thinking about what we are doing now, and also our last days.
If you are hesitating like most people, it might be helpful to consider doing something good sooner rather than later, since later never comes. Remember, the smallest things count as long as you continue doing them. Then they become habitual.
Here are some ideas to help you get thinking:
Call a friend you haven’t spoken with
Visit a neighbor who lives alone
Bring something special to your local homeless shelter
Bring Christmas cards to the elderly at a retirement home.
Say a prayer for a different person each day
Volunteer for a service/ministry at your Church.
Have a fundraiser for your favorite charity.
Ask your family for ideas; little ones have huge hearts and great ideas!
Here’s wishing all of you a very Happy Second Advent, whenever it comes!
Year A: The Gospel of Matthew
The Church follows a 3-year liturgical cycle for its calendar of events and Mass readings: Year A, B, and C. Following the order of the Gospels in the Bible, Year A is Matthew, Year B is Mark, and Year C is Luke. Then they repeat. The other readings at Mass – the Epistles and Old Testament readings – follow similar cycles.
Each new calendar/liturgical year begins with Advent/Christmas. Since we just finished Year C (Luke), we are now starting over with Year A – Matthew.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke were mentioned. What about John’s Gospel?
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the “Synoptic Gospels,” which means they are similar accounts that follow the life of Jesus more or less in chronological order. John’s Gospel is very different. Written later, he obviously didn’t see the need to repeat the others, plus he was able to add deeper theological perspectives.
Although John is not in a primary Gospel in the 3-year cycle, his Gospel passages are spread out in every year, mostly in the holy seasons of Christmas and Easter.
When was the Gospel of Matthew written?
The earliest Church Fathers held that St. Matthew’s Gospel was written first, which is why Matthew shows up as the first of the four Gospels in the Bible. It was written as early as the 40s and at latest the 60s. According to the early Church Fathers, Matthew was thought to have been written originally around the year 50 AD in Aramaic, and soon after translated into Greek – the universal language at the time. The Aramaic version was lost soon after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. A Greek translation survived which is the one we use today.
Modern scholars think Mark – which is considered to be Peter’s accounts – was written first; not as a Gospel but rather in the form of various, individual writings or manuscripts. Because they would have been Peter’s accounts, these would likely have been used as “source material” for Matthew. Mark later was also organized into its own Gospel. This is also why we see many of the same accounts in both Matthew and Mark, although Matthew has many more. Matthew has 28 chapters and Mark only 16. These common elements are also true of Luke’s Gospel, although to a lesser degree.
What do we know about Matthew?
Matthew was Jewish and a tax collector, which were referred to in those days as “publicans.” Matthew seemed to be fairly well-known (and disliked) among the people of Capernaum, which sits on the NW corner of the Sea of Galilee.
We know from Mt 9:9 that Matthew immediately left his post the day Jesus came by and called him, and he remained a faithful witness to Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection. Matthew was Jewish and his gospel was addressed primarily to Jews, who (BTW) comprised the vast majority of the earliest Christians. Because of this, Matthew should be read juxtaposed with the Old Testament since Matthew makes continual allusions to the O.T., which the Jews would pick up immediately. In contrast to this, Luke – which was written with St. Paul’s guidance – was written primarily to the Gentiles, so the OT references are infrequent since the Gentiles wouldn’t understand them anyway.
What happened to St. Matthew?
Tradition holds that Matthew went to evangelize in Egypt, where he was eventually martyred. Another tradition has Matthew being killed by a swordsman (perhaps beheaded) on the orders of a king he had rebuked while praying at an altar in Ethiopia.
His feast day is celebrated by the Church on September 21.
Pope Benedict said in 2006 that “In the figure of Matthew, the Gospels present to us a true and proper paradox: those who seem to be the farthest from holiness can even become a model of the acceptance of God's mercy and offer a glimpse of its marvelous effects in their own lives.”
Matthew is quite the character in the TV series, The Chosen. If you haven’t watched this, you should start binge-watching it for Advent! It’s excellent.
Matthew at his tax post Matthew with Mary Magdalene
Second Sunday of Advent, The Preaching of John the Baptist, Matthew 3:1-12
Context:
As mentioned above, Matthew must be read with the Old Covenant in mind. This is immediately true for today’s reading.
When we hear about “The proclamation of the Kingdom of Heaven” in Matthew's gospel, it is the assertion that the Law of the Sinai Covenant and the promises of the holy prophets were now being "fulfilled." By "fulfilled" Matthew means not only the hope the people of God placed in the Mosaic Law to show them the path of life (Dt. 30:15-20), but also the hope they had in the promises of the prophets of the promised Messiah. These hopes were coming to pass – and being perfected in – the arrival of Jesus.
John the Baptist was the last and greatest of the Old Covenant prophets who was sent to prepare the way for the Christ. His ministry was enthusiastically received by the people since no prophet had been sent by God to His people since the prophet Malachi in the mid-400s BC. John’s title “immerser” stems from his practice of purifying the Jews in the waters of the Jordan River as a symbol of their repentance and renewal in preparation for the forgiveness of their sins and the coming of the Messiah. It was not real a real baptism like Christ instituted but more temporary in nature (which is why ritual baths were repeated) and they also a preparation for the arrival of the Messiah.
There were many ways in which an Old Covenant believer might become ritually impure under the Law of the Sinai Covenant. In fact, the entire sixth section of the Jewish oral Laws (Talmud-Mishnah) is devoted to “cleansing rituals.” (Recall the pool of Siloam in Jerusalem and that Qumran had numerous baths.) Becoming immersed or washing in clean, flowing waters was also prescribed means of ritual purification under the Law as outlined in Leviticus chapter 14-15.
As John will say, “I baptize with water… but the one who comes after me is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Matthew 3:1-12
John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!"
It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said:
A voice of one crying out in the desert,
Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
John wore clothing made of camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
At that time Jerusalem, all Judea, and the whole region around the Jordan were going out to him and were being baptized by him in the Jordan River as they acknowledged their sins.
When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance. And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the ax lies at the root of the trees. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
I am baptizing you with water, for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is mightier than I. I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand. He will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exegesis (investigation, analysis, interpretation):
Who was John the Baptist, who was his father, what was John’s profession, and what was his relationship to Jesus?
John was the son of the priest Zechariah.
His birth was foretold by the angel Gabriel.
He was filled with the Holy Spirit in his mother’s womb.
He was a kinsman of Jesus through Mary.
His mission was to turn the people back to their God, leading them in the “spirit of Elijah,” the 9th century BC prophet, to make them “fit for the Lord.”
John father was a Temple priest.
John was six months older than Jesus.
What was so unique about John’s parents?
John’s father, Zechariah, was a priest in the Temple in Jerusalem, which means he was from the tribe of Levi. Why was this important?
Moses and his siblings, Aaron and Miriam, were also from the tribe of Levi. Aaron was the first priest (chief priest) of the first Tabernacle-Temple in the desert during the Exodus. After this, God said all priests had to come from Levi’s tribe. But the “Chief Priests” had to be a direct line from Aaron himself. Well, guess who John’s mother, Elizabeth, descended from? Aaron! So when the very old Zechariah and Elizabeth were suddenly with child after Zechariah received an angels’ message in the Temple, everyone had very high expectations for this child.
John could have been a priest in the Temple and would have technically qualified for a chief priest position someday, but he chose “prophet” instead, which is higher than chief priest!
The question was asked during class: Why wasn’t Mark's Gospel named for Peter since most of the material is said to come from Peter? I only provided an abbreviated answer. Here is a more complete response:
The Gospel of Mark is traditionally attributed to “John Mark,” a disciple and interpreter of St. Peter, who recorded the Apostle's preaching and other eyewitness accounts of Christ's life, death, and resurrection. While the content is substantially derived from Peter's oral teachings—earning it Apostolic authority and occasional references as "Peter's Gospel" in early Church writings—it is named after Mark because he is regarded as the actual composer and writer of the text. Peter neither wrote nor directly oversaw the composition. This distinction reflects the early Christian understanding of authorship, where the title "according to Mark" identifies the specific compiler or scribe responsible for committing the tradition to writing, rather than the ultimate source of the material.
Closing Prayer:
Communion is not just you and the Lord. It is between you, the Lord, and the entire Body of Christ!
O Lord, You are the Vine and we are the branches.
Your Life and Spirit flow through us.
You are in us, and we are in You. We are one.
Communion is the union of You, me, and everyone.
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed are thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
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