Shelly Dunne

Religion 124-08

3/22/10

Matthew’s Infancy Narrative

1.) The infancy narrative in Matthew is centered more around Joseph than Mary. It begins with Joseph’s lineage, proving that he is a descendant of David. It is also Joseph who the angel Gabriel comes to and convinces him to stay with Mary. Finally, all the dreams that save Jesus’s life are told to Joseph. All the key parts of Jesus’s infancy are seen through Joseph’s side instead of Mary’s, which is seen more in Luke

2.) Mary does not seem to be highlighted as much as Joseph. Her name only seems to be mentioned once, she is referred to more as “the virgin” or “Jesus’ mother”. Her role is highlighted more as the women who gives birth to Jesus instead of the one who is saving Jesus’ life like Joseph.

3.) A lot of the things that Matthew highlights the fact that Jesus a descendant of David. Also, Matthew does highlight Herod’s reign because it is like the pharaoh’s reign in the Old Testament. I noticed that Matthew mentions a lot about Israel as well because it is reminiscent of the Old Testament.

Shelly Dunne

Dr.Bass Religion 124

March 17, 2010

Personal Response #4

As I read more about The Gospel According to Matthew, by Barbara E. Reid, I noticed something that I read in the gospel of Mark as well, which is that Jesus rarely states what he means directly. For example, when Jesus tells his disciples to deny themselves and take up their cross, he did not mean for people to endure the hardships they were given by God in life, like many people think. It actually means one should give up life’s luxuries and choose to follow Jesus to his cross. Taking up one’s cross means to walk the path that Jesus walked, to choose to suffer in order to live life. Again, “living life” does not mean living on this earth, but it has an eschatological meaning. On the day of judgement, the one’s who chose to suffer for God will be the one’s who live the real life in heaven. Another example of Jesus using deeper meaning in his sayings is when he tells his disciples to share his cup with others, which seems confusing at first. However, Jesus is really telling his disciples to share his ministry with the whole community, the rich and the poor. Overall, through the extensive narrative of Jesus’s life in Matthew, I was able to observe how Jesus spoke and the deeper meaning of what he meant.

Before I came into this class, I did not give the sayings of Jesus much thought because I really did not understand most of them. However, now that I have read Mark and Matthew, I am able to notice and comprehend the deeper meaning of Jesus’s sayings. I have always heard that taking up one’s meant that when something bad happened, one should still have faith and trust in God. I never really thought that Jesus is asking all of us to choose to suffer for him, in order to get rewarded in heaven. Even as I know the deeper meaning now, it is difficult for me to put into practice because it requires an immense faith. Even the ones chosen by Jesus, the disciples, had a difficult time following Jesus to his death, and suffering with him. I also enjoyed learning that what Jesus meant when he said that someone will “live” when they choose to suffer or die in his name. I had never given much thought to the fact that life on earth is temporary, and people are working up to have a real life in heaven. Finally, I am glad that Reid broke down what the sharing of the cup meant because I know it is a huge part of our religion, we even drink Jesus’s blood out of a cup. I was surprised to learn that it was a metaphor for Jerusalem, and sharing meant that Jesus’s ministry should be spread to everyone no matter who they are. Overall, I enjoy that Matthew’s gospel is longer and contains more phrases that help me break down very important parts of my religion.

Crimes And Misdemeanors

1.) The two characters that I saw to be the most opposite were Ben, the rabbi, and Judah, the optometrist. Ben was going blind and he could have been upset at God for it, yet his faith and outlook on the world helped him stay positive. However, his optometrist, Judah, had a less optimistic outlook on life, and he was terrified to come clean about his affair to his wife. The two began to have a discussion about life and Ben pointed out to Judah, “Without the law, it’s all darkness.” This reveals that Ben is faithful; he gets light from a God who acts like a caring parent that has given people rules because he loves humanity. Even though Ben is going blind and all he will physically see is darkness, he can still metaphorically see the light that God shed’s on the world. Ben is hopeful that Judah’s wife will forgive Judah because he knows there is good in people instead of just evil. Judah points out to Ben that they clearly have different views on life, because he thinks that his wife and society will never forgive him for the mistake he made. He even said in the beginning of the movie, “The eyes of God are on us always…unimaginably penetrating, intense eyes.” Judah clearly views God as a stern judge or king, always keeping a close eye on his subjects. Judah thinks that once he has made a mistake, there is no turning back, he will forever be judged for what he has done. Judah’s motivation in life is not driven by goodness, like Ben’s; instead it’s from fear of God’s judgment. At the end of the movie, due to the fact that Judah has not been caught and nothing terrible happened to him, he no longer feels afraid of what God will do to him. This is opposite of how I saw Ben at the end of the movie, who is celebrating a wonderful life for his daughter, in spite of the recent loss of his sight. It is clear that Ben’s optimistic outlook on God as a kind parent helps him overcome his hardships in a more healthy way than Judah.

2.) The positive view Ben has about God caused him to live a genuinely happy life, no matter what challenges were thrown his way. He embraced his blindness and focused on the positive, he knows God had a reason for every challenge. It seemed to me that Ben lived a more stress-free life, he may not have had the most money or even his sight, but he knew that he had other blessings. Many of the characters loved Ben; his sister even called him a “saint” because his positivity and faith in God was admirable. One of the ending scenes of the movie was of Ben dancing with his daughter at her wedding, which symbolizes hope and celebration of love. Ben’s choice to follow God in his profession, and live what he preaches lead to a “happy ending” in the movie. In contrast to this, Judah had a darker more cynical outlook on God and the world. Instead of choosing to fess up to his wife about his affair, and hope that she would forgive him, he had his mistress killed. Judah ended up living a life of lies and deceit, which he felt guilt about for only a little while. Judah moved funds around, had an affair, and finally had someone murdered, which shows me that he cared more about his status quos than following God’s law. Judah’s motivation behind his profession was even negative, he was basically helping people for the money. Instead of turning to God for help, Judah took matters into his own hands and altered his life the way he saw fit. Overall, Ben’s hopefully attitude about humanity and God cause him to live a less stressful and sinful life than Judah, who views humanity and God as unforgiving and cold.

3.) I think that there is more to the universe than just friendly and unfriendly, for me there is an in-between. Although I consider myself to have faith, I do not think it is as strong as Ben’s. Sometimes I am afraid to tell the truth because accepting the consequences is difficult for me, it is hard to show people my flaws. I understand how Judah was afraid of his wife’s reaction, because I am usually afraid of my loved one’s reaction when I do something wrong. I wish I were able to have the unwavering faith of Ben’s and I hope as I grow older and I am presented with more challenges I will make the right choices. However, I am not as pessimistic about humanity as Judah is, I do know that people and God are forgiving. When I have gone to someone in crisis and confessed what I have done, it usually turns out okay. Judah viewed the world as so cold, that he was too afraid to give anyone a chance. I think the world is a complicated place; it can be friendly and unfriendly, easy and difficult. In the worst of times, I do become sad and upset at the world, yet I find comfort in knowing that there is a reason for the challenges I endure. My outlook changes a lot, I think because I am still young and I have a lot to discover about who I am. I know that I am approaching adulthood, yet I am constantly confused and surprised about what the world has to offer. For example, my baby cousin was born around the same time my grandma passed away. My excitement about the goodness of God and the world turned into confusion and hurt by this sudden change of events. Overall, I try to keep a positive outlook on life, and realize that there is a reason for everything. However, my faith is not yet strong enough to keep me from getting confused and hurt by negative things and people.