Session Seven

 

Maccabean Revolt: 1 Maccabees:

167 BC – AD 1

Orange (Fire in the oil lamps in the purified Temple):

Faithful Jews Fight to Preserve Their Identity

 

Messianic Fulfillment Part 1: Luke 1-21:

1 – 33 AD:

Gold (The Gifts of the Magi):

Christ Jesus Fulfills God's Promises

 

God’s Love Story:

·         1 Maccabees (Historical Book)

·         He allowed Antiochus Epiphanes to invade Israel and to desecrate Jerusalem (1 Maccabees 1:8)

·         He raised up Mattathias and his sons to fight against the Greeks (2:1)

·         He inspired Mattathias to slay the Jew who offered sacrifice to Modein and to organize resistance against the invaders (2:24)

·         He inspired many Jews to flee to the desert to abandon the pagan practices (2:29)

·         He inspired Mattathias and his followers to destroy pagan altars and to bring back the observance of Jewish practices (2:48)

·         He inspired Mattathias to appoint Judas Maccabeus to lead the army against the Greeks (2:66)

·         He gave Judas strength to destroy the impious (3:8)

·         He supported Judas in the defeat of Apollonius and Seron when he relied on Him and not on the size of his army (3:19)

·         He gave Judas’ army victory over Gorgias (4:22) and the army of Lysias (4:35)

·         He inspired Judas to purify the Temple and to rebuild the walls around Mount Zion (4:60) See Hanukkah.

·         He blessed Judas and his army in the defeat of the sons of Esau (5:3)

·         He gave strength to Judas’ brother to rescue the Jews in Galilee (5:23)

·         He gave strength to Judas and his brother Jonathan to rescue Gilead (5:51)

·         He saved Judas from the treachery to capture him with a false peace agreement (7:30)

·         He gave Judas victory over Nicanor when Judas relied on God for strength (7:46)

·         He granted peace to the Jews by inspiring Judas to make peace with the Romans (8:1)

·         He gave strength to Jonathan and Simon after the death of Judas to defeat the army of Bacchides (9:23)

·         He gave Jonathan wisdom to support King Alexander and to reject Demetrius (10:47)

·         He gave Jonathan victory over Apollonius (10:67)

·         He inspired Jonathan to make peace with Demetrius after the deaths of Alexander and Ptolemy (11:28)

·         He gave Simon strength to lead the Jews after the death of Jonathan, his brother (13:1)

·         He granted the Jews peace by an alliance with Sparta and Rome (14:16)

·         He granted Simon’s son, John, victory over Cendebeus (16:1)

 

·         Summary: 1 Maccabees: The author was familiar with the traditions and sacred books of his people and had access to much reliable information on their recent history (from 175 to 134 B.C.). His purpose in writing is to record the deliverance of Israel that God worked through the family of Mattathias (5:62)—especially through his three sons, Judas, Jonathan, and Simon, and his grandson, John Hyrcanus. The writer compares their virtues and their exploits with those of Israel’s ancient heroes, the Judges, Samuel, and David.

 

·         2 Maccabees: Covers events from the time of the high priest Onias III and King Seleucus IV (180 BC) to the defeat of Nicanor’s army (161 BC). Its purpose is to give a theological interpretation to the history of the period including teachings on the resurrection of the just on the last day, the intercession of the saints and angels in heaven (2 Mc 15:11) for people living on earth (Why do Catholics pray to saints?), and the power of the living to offer prayers and sacrifices for the dead, supporting the Catholic Church's teaching on Purgatory (See 2 Mc 12:38-46). The rededication of the Jerusalem Temple described in 1 Macabees 4:3659 (see 2 Mc 10:18) is the origin of the Jewish feast of Hanukkah.

 

·         Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon): The primary purpose of the author of Wisdom was the edification of his co-religionists in a time when they had experienced suffering and oppression, in part at least at the hands of apostate fellow Jews. To convey his message he made use of the most popular religious themes of his time, namely the splendor and worth of divine wisdom (6:2211:1), the glorious events of the exodus (11:21612:232715:1819:22), God’s mercy (11:1712:22), the folly of idolatry (13:115:17), and the manner in which God’s justice operates in rewarding or punishing the individual (1:16:21). The first ten chapters in particular provide background for the teaching of Jesus and for some New Testament theology about Jesus. Many passages from this section of the book, notably 3:18, are used by the church in the liturgy.

 

·         Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) The Wisdom of Ben Sira derives its title from the author, “Yeshua [Jesus], son of Eleazar, son of Sira” (50:27). This seems to be the earliest title of the book. The designation “Liber Ecclesiasticus,” meaning “Church Book,” appended to some Greek and Latin manuscripts, is perhaps due to the extensive use the church made of this book in presenting moral teaching to catechumens and to the faithful. The title “Sirach” comes from the Greek form of the author’s name. The author, a sage who lived in Jerusalem, was thoroughly imbued with love for the wisdom tradition, and also for the law, priesthood, Temple, and divine worship. As a wise and experienced observer of life he addressed himself to his contemporaries with the motive of helping them to maintain religious faith and integrity through study of the books sacred to the Jewish tradition.

 

            God’s Love Story

·         The Gospel According to Luke:  1 - 21

·         He inspired Luke to write the Gospel (Luke 1:3)

·         He sent the Angel Gabriel to appear to Zechariah to announce that his wife Elizabeth would bear a son and that his name would be John (1:13)

·         He made Zechariah speechless because he doubted His words (1:20)

·         He sent the Angel Gabriel to Mary to tell her that she is the favored one and that she would be the mother of Jesus, the Son of the Most High who will rule over the House of Jacob forever (1:33)

·         He explained to Mary through the angel that the power of the Holy Spirit will come upon you so that she can conceive as a virgin (1:35)

·         He inspired Elizabeth to tell Mary that she is the mother of My Lord. (1:44)

·         He inspired Mary to proclaim the greatness of the Lord (1:46)

·         He blessed Zechariah and Elizabeth with a son (1:57)

·         He filled Zechariah with the Holy Spirit to thank God and to proclaim that John would be called prophet of the Most High (1:76)

·         He blessed Joseph and May and the entire world with a son, Jesus.

·         He sent an angel to announce the birth of the Messiah and Lord to shepherds (2:11)

·         He guided the shepherds to the place where Jesus was lying in a manger (2:16)

·         He blessed the circumcision of Jesus (2:21)

·         He inspired Simeon to proclaim Jesus as a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory for your people Israel (2:32)

·         He inspired Simeon to tell Mary that her child would be destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, a sign to be contradicted and that she would be pierced with a sword (2:35)

·         He was merciful to the prayerful widow, Anna, who spoke to all about the child Jesus and the redemption of Jerusalem (2:38)

·         Jesus told Joseph and Mary that He must be in His Father’s house when they found Him in the Temple (2:49)

·         He inspired John to proclaim a baptism of repentance and that all flesh shall see the Salvation of God (3:6)

·         He inspired John to promise that the one he is announcing will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire (3:17)

·         The Father announced at Jesus' baptism: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased” (3:21)

·         The Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus during His baptism in the form of a dove (3:22) See Trinity.

·         He revealed that Jesus’ roots could be traced from his foster father, Joseph, to David, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, Noah, Adam, and Himself (3:23) See the genealogy list from the Gospels of St. Luke and St. Matthew compared in the Bible Time Frame.

·         The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the desert where Jesus rejected the devil’s (See Devil) temptation to power, wealth, and glory (4:1)

·         The Holy Spirit remained with Jesus when Jesus returned to Galilee (4:14)

·         Jesus announced to the people in Nazareth that He fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that He was anointed by the Spirit to bring glad tidings to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives, to recover the sight of the blind, to let the oppressed go free (4:19)

·         Jesus challenged the people of Nazareth to accept Him even if He didn’t perform miracles there and might be too familiar to be accepted in His native place (4:27)

·         Jesus cured the Demoniac, Simon’s mother-in-law, and the sick of Capernaum and rebuked the demons (4:41)

·         Jesus told the crowds in a deserted place that he must proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God (4:44)

·         Jesus tested the faith of Simon by having him lower the nets after catching no fish (5:7)

·         Jesus cleansed a leper (5:12)

·         Jesus healed a paralytic and forgave his sins (5:17)

·         Jesus called a tax collector to follow Him (5:27)

·         Jesus defended his disciples’ lack of fasting and told the parable of the wineskins (5:33)

·         Jesus defended his disciples’ picking the heads of grain on the Sabbath declaring Himself Lord of the Sabbath and curing the man with a withered hand on the Sabbath (6:1)

·         Jesus chose the apostles after a night of prayer (6:12)

·         Jesus cured diseases and those tormented by evil spirits (6:17)

·         Jesus presented a new perspective on holiness with the eight beatitudes followed by a challenge to go beyond the law to a higher level of loving (6:20)

·         Jesus told how to tell a good person from a bad one and how to build a strong foundation of faith (6:37)

·         Jesus healed the centurion’s slave because He was impressed by his faith (7:1)

·         Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead (7:10)

·         Jesus pointed to his works to tell John the Baptist’s followers who He is (7:23)

·         Jesus called John the Baptist a great prophet but that the least in the kingdom of God was superior to him (7:28)

·         Jesus pointed out how His generation rejected Him and John the Baptist for not following their ways (7:33)

·         Jesus told the parable of the debtors to explain why he forgave the sins of the woman who anointed His feet. (7:49)

·         Jesus told the parable of the sower to explain how people respond to the Word of God (8:11)

·         Jesus told the parable of the lamp to challenge those who hear the Word of God to spread it (8:16)

·         Jesus identified his mother and brothers as those who hear the Word of God and act on it (8:19)

·         Jesus calmed the storm to challenge his disciples’ faith and to reveal His power (8:22)

·         Jesus healed the Gerasene demoniac to show His power over demons (8:26)

·         Jesus showed His compassion and His blessings for those with faith by healing the woman with a hemorrhage and raising Jairus’ daughter from the dead (8:56)

·         Jesus gave his apostles power over demons and the power to cure diseases and instructions on how to proclaim the Kingdom of God (9:1)

·         Jesus showed compassion on the crowd’s hunger by multiplying loaves and fishes (9:10)

·         Jesus’ inquiry about His identity prompted Peter to call Him the Messiah of God (9:20)

·         Jesus predicted His passion, death, and resurrection (9:22)

·         Jesus challenged His followers to take up their cross (9:23)

·         Jesus was transfigured and spoke with Moses and Elijah (9:28)

·         The Father affirmed Jesus: “This is my chosen Son; listen to Him” (9:38)

·         Jesus healed a boy with a demon showing His power over evil (9:43)

·         Jesus predicted His passion a second time to prepare His disciples (9:44)

·         Jesus answered thoughts of rivalry and intolerance by telling His disciples that whoever receives a child in My name receives Me and that whoever is not against you is for you (9:50)

·         Jesus rebuked James and John for wanting to call down fire on a village that would not welcome Him (9:55)

·         Jesus presented the challenges to those who wanted to follow Him: having nowhere to rest their heads, taking time to bury loved ones, saying farewell to family, and staying behind the plow with persistence (9:62)

·         Jesus appointed the Seventy-two and told them to travel lightly and to stay wherever they were accepted (10:1)

·         Jesus warned about the consequences of not welcoming His disciples (10:2)

·         Jesus warned the town that received His special blessings will be judged harshly if it rejects Him (10:16)

·         Jesus told how the childlike receive His revelation and how knowing the Father is knowing the Son; knowing the Son is knowing the Father (10:21)

·         Jesus proclaimed the greatest commandment: Love God and Your Neighbor (10:25)

·         Jesus told the parable of the good Samaritan to highlight who our neighbors are and how we are called to love them (11:29)

·         Jesus highlighted how best to love Him with the story of Martha and Mary (11:38)

·         Jesus taught us how to pray to Our Father (11:4)

·         Jesus stressed the importance of persistence in prayer with the story about a friend asking a friend for bread (11:5)

·         Jesus spoke about how the Father answers our prayer (11:9)

·         Jesus made it clear that it is by His own power (not Satan’s) that He drives out demons (11:14)

·         Jesus warned that an unclean spirit may gather other evil spirits to attack someone who has been a home for evil spirits in the past (11:24)

·         Jesus shared the maxim: “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it (11:28)

·         Jesus offered the sign of Jonah when people demanded a special sign (11:29)

·         Jesus stressed the importance of an interior filled with light (clean of heart) to shed light on the kingdom for those in the dark (11:33)

·         Jesus called down judgment (woe) on the Pharisees and Scribes for their hypocrisy (11:37)

·         Jesus warned the people to fear the one who can harm the soul more than those who can harm the body (12:4)

·         Jesus promised His acknowledgment of those who acknowledged Him and His denial of those who deny Him (12:9)

·         Jesus told how the Holy Spirit will tell those who are persecuted what to say (12:12)

·         Jesus told the parable of the Rich Fool to show the emptiness of wealth and then gave the example of the simple beauty of nature (12:27)

·         Jesus cautioned His hearers to be ready for His coming when they don’t expect it (12:40) and that they always need to be faithful servants (12:48)

·         Jesus told how He brought division rather than peace (12:49)

·         Jesus stressed the need to repent lest His followers perish (13:5)

·         Jesus warned the fig tree (Old Covenant) must bear fruit or be cut down (13:9)

·         Jesus reprimanded those who challenged Him when He cured the crippled woman on the Sabbath (3:10)

·         Jesus predicted the growth of His kingdom with the parable of the mustard seed (13:18)

·         Jesus stressed the difficulties of the spiritual life, where few will enter God’s glory while the door remains open (13:29)

·         Jesus lamented Jerusalem for killing and stoning the prophets (13:31)

·         Jesus pointed out the Pharisees’ hypocrisy in condemning Him for healing the man with dropsy on the Sabbath (14:1)

·         Jesus stressed the need for humility (banquet seating) and hospitality (dinner for the poor) (14:4)

·         Jesus told how the guests would be invited to the grand, Messianic banquet in the Parable of the Great Banquet (14:15)

·         Jesus made it clear that whoever does not renounce all cannot be His disciple (14:33)

·         Jesus demanded long term loyalty like how salt preserves food (14:34)

·         Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep to show His role as savior of the sinners who repent (15:1)

·         Jesus revealed the boundless mercy of God in the Parable of the Prodigal Son (15:11)

·         Jesus told the parable of the dishonest steward to warn His followers to take special care for the world to come (16:1)

·         Jesus set new standards to stress the importance of the marriage bond (16:18)

·         Jesus told the story of Lazarus to depict the lot of the rich and the poor in the kingdom (16:19)

·         Jesus spoke about the separation of the abode of the wicked and the abode of the righteous after death (16:23)

·         Jesus warned about the consequences for those who lured others into sin (17:2)

·         Jesus challenged His followers to continually forgive those who sin against them (17:4)

·         Jesus told His disciples not to expect congratulations for doing what is their duty (17:10)

·         Jesus cleansed the lepers who asked for His mercy (17:11)

·         Jesus issued His disciples a warning about His death and the destruction of Jerusalem (17:22)

·         Jesus told the parables about prayers: one about praying continually (18:2) and the other about praying humbly asking for God’s mercy (18:9)

·         Jesus stressed being childlike to enter the Kingdom (18:17)

·         Jesus affirmed the importance of the ten commandments (18:18) and giving up wealth to follow Him (18:25)

·         Jesus referred His disciples to the prophets for details about His death (18:31)

·         Jesus healed the blind beggar who disregarded the crowd’s advice and acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah (18:43)

·         Jesus rewarded Zacchaeus’ faith and repentance with salvation (19:10)

·         Jesus use the Parable of the Ten Pounds (four months' wages) to show His disciples that He expected them to fulfill their duties in His absence and that He would return to judge those who opposed Him (19:26)

·         Jesus entered Jerusalem in peace (on a donkey) and was greeted as a king. He revealed Himself as the Messiah King (19:39)

·         Jesus wept over Jerusalem and foretold its destruction for turning way from God (19:44)

·         Jesus drove out the money changers for defiling the Temple (19:46)

·         Jesus warned those who rejected Him in the Parable of the Wicked Tenants (20:9)

·         Jesus explained how to balance our duties to God and our country (20:26)

·         Jesus affirmed the reality of resurrection and eternal life after death and how marriage does not exist in heaven (20:40)

·         Jesus made it clear that the Messiah is also Lord (20:44)

·         Jesus warned whose who abuse their authority to exploit the defenseless (20:47)

·         Jesus highlighted generosity of spirit (21:4)

·         Jesus predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and His return in glory at the end of the world (21:27)

·         Jesus stressed withstanding temptation to face the divine judge with confidence (21:36)

 

·         Summary: The Gospel According to Luke: Luke’s story of Jesus and the church is dominated by a historical perspective. This history is, first of all, salvation history. God’s divine plan for human salvation was accomplished during the period of Jesus, who through the events of his life fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. This salvation history, moreover, is a part of human history. Luke is concerned with presenting Christianity as a legitimate form of worship in the Roman world, a religion that is capable of meeting the spiritual needs of a world empire like that of Rome. To this end, Luke depicts the Roman governor Pilate declaring Jesus innocent of any wrongdoing three times.  The prominence given to the period of the church in the story has important consequences for Luke’s interpretation of the teachings of Jesus. By presenting the time of the church as a distinct phase of salvation history, Luke accordingly shifts the early Christian emphasis away from the expectation of an imminent parousia to the day-to-day concerns of the Christian community in the world. He does this in the gospel by regularly emphasizing the words “each day” in the sayings of Jesus. Although Luke still believes the parousia to be a reality that will come unexpectedly, he is more concerned with presenting the words and deeds of Jesus as guides for the conduct of Christian disciples in the interim period between the ascension and the parousia and with presenting Jesus himself as the model of Christian life and piety. Throughout the gospel, Luke calls upon the Christian disciple to identify with the master Jesus, who is caring and tender toward the poor and lowly, the outcast, the sinner, and the afflicted, toward all those who recognize their dependence on God, but who is severe toward the proud and self-righteous, and particularly toward those who place their material wealth before the service of God and his people. No gospel writer is more concerned than Luke with the mercy and compassion of Jesus. No gospel writer is more concerned with the role of the Spirit in the life of Jesus and the Christian disciple, with the importance of prayer, or with Jesus’ concern for women. While Jesus calls all humanity to repent, he is particularly demanding of those who would be his disciples. Of them he demands absolute and total detachment from family and material possessions. To all who respond in faith and repentance to the word Jesus preaches, he brings salvation, peace, and life.

 

Session Seven Summary: Judas Maccabeus (1 Maccabees) demonstrated the heroic efforts needed to fight the influence of Greek culture and to follow the laws and ways of worship that God had provided to the Jewish people. His success against the Greeks showed how God blesses those who trust in Him and not in their own powers. For this faithfulness, God grants a time of peace and the fulfillment of His promise to redeem His people with the birth of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (Gospel of Luke 1 – 21). God’s divine plan for human salvation was accomplished during the period of Jesus, who through the events of His life fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. The New Adam, Jesus, and the New Eve, Mary, usher in the age of the New Covenant. Jesus came (1) to redeem us; (2) to reveal how much God loves us; (3) to show us how to live; (4) to give us power to become children of God. The question remains how we will keep our part of the New Covenant. Mattathias and his sons, Maccabean Revolt, Hanukkah, Messianic Fulfillment

 

The Gospel According to Matthew: Matthew showcases the Good News of Jesus' redemptive work. He writes of Jesus as Emmanuel (God is with us), applying in the first chapter and the very last words spoken by Jesus. It is alone among the Gospels in using the word church (ecclesia). Matthew shows that the Kingdom of God has been established on earth in the Church, and that in the Church the risen Christ will always remain with his people. He documents the governance of the Church and its divinely appointed leadership. He proclaims the importance of the apostles and the headship of Peter as the Rock to whom are entrusted the keys of the kingdom of heaven upon which Jesus will build the Church, the new Temple. Jesus also gives the apostles the power to bind and to loose.

 

The Gospel According to Mark: The chief objective of the Gospel is to reveal the identity of Jesus as Messiah and the Son of God. The entire Gospel is directed toward Jesus' Passion and death on Cross as a demonstration and explanation of that identity. The prologue makes a connection between John the Baptist and Old Testament prophecy, and to inaugurate his Galilean mission. Jesus is baptized by John, an event that includes a voice from heaven announcing that Jesus s the Son and the servant of God prophesied by Isaiah. Jesus is then driven by the Spirit into the desert and there undergoes his temptation. The first section climaxes with the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Messiah. From there on, the secret is out, and Jesus labors to show his disciples that suffering is central to his Messianic mission. So prominent is the stress on Jesus' betrayal and execution that some scholars have suggested that the Gospel’s core was the Passion account, and that the rest of the Gospel was constructed to provide an extended prologue for that event. This Gospel displays a deliberate pattern of concealment of Jesus' Messianic character, so that the truth was perceived only after the Passion. The narrative must, consequently, always point toward his death and Resurrection, and the Gospel shows that Jesus predicted three times his shameful death as well as his promise to rise again. Mark applies another title, the Son of Man, which only Jesus uses for himself. Mark also stresses discipleship which entails a willingness to share in the suffering of Jesus just as he suffered for many. Mark uses the word “gospel” (good news) more frequently than any other evangelist. He equates gospel with the message of Christ’s victory over sin and death on behalf of the world.

 

The Gospel According to John: The most theologically rich and complex of the Gospels, John give us a clear and simple statement of purpose: “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). A second purpose seems to be to fill in some of the blanks left by the Synoptics. The other Gospels focus on Jesus' Galilean ministry and mention only one trip to Jerusalem. John mentions only brief trips to Samaria and Galilee but tells that Jesus made several trips to Jerusalem. The Synoptics tell of Jesus’ ministry after the death of John the Baptist. John informs us that Jesus’ ministry was under way before John the Baptist was imprisoned. The Synoptics narrate the Last Supper, while John recounts the Bread of Life discourse, supplementing the other Gospels. The most pervasive theme is the revelation of God as family. The divine family of God revealed as Father, Son, and Spirit is the towering mystery of John’s Gospel.

 

Session Seven: Discussion Questions Answered

1. After Alexander died, they were fighting Ptolemy and the Seleucids. They faced radical Hellenization when Antiochus Epiphanes imposed the worship of Greek gods and banned Jewish worship and practices. Many Jews were killed until Judas Maccabees and his sons fought for their faith. As a result, they pushed back Greece and established some self-rule before the Romans took over.

2. They are learning to trust in God when they trust that He will give them the power to fight against the Greek’s attempt to destroy their faith. Maccabees I and II are filled with heroes and martyrdom. The Jews would rather follow God than abandon Him.

3. Land Promise: They inherited and inhabited the promised land even after losing it in exile.

Kingdom Promise: They continue David’s royal line even under foreign rule.

Worldwide Blessing: They are ready for the Messiah who will bring salvation for the entire world.

4. The problem of sin remains. The Jews still do not persevere in serving God faithfully. The broken covenant remains. God has demanded death for sin and infidelity (breaking the covenant). Jesus Christ will die to redeem all from sin and save all from eternal damnation. He will show the Way to serve God faithfully, loving God and neighbor in self-sacrificing love.

 5. “The book of the genealogy of Christ, the Son of David, son of Abraham.” The verse means that a son of David has finally come to sit on the throne of forever as the Messiah (Christ), the anointed one, who saves (Jesus).

 6. How Jesus fulfills the promises of the Old Covenant in the New Covenant:

·        The seed of the woman… Early World: Genesis 3:15: Mary, the New Eve whose son will bruise his heel as he crushes the head of the serpent.

·        God provides a lamb: Egypt and Exodus: Exodus 12:5: Jesus, the Lamb of God

·        God’s people will have a land, a nation, and kingdom: Patriarchs: Genesis chapters 12, 15,17,22: Abrahamic Covenant: The Jews have settled in the Promised Land. They have become a nation. Jesus establishes a spiritual kingdom, a kingdom of God on earth, a kingdom not only for Abraham’s blood descendants but for all children of faith.

·        The kingdom will be ruled…: Royal Kingdom: 2 Samuel: the House of David: Jesus, Son of David, sits on the throne of the Kingdom of David forever.

·        Israel will be a source of blessing for the entire world: Patriarchs: Genesis 12, 15, 17, 22: Jacob (Israel): Jesus, the Jew of Israel, extends the blessings once apparently centered on the Israelites (the Jews) to the entire world.  

7. Six things Jesus has come to do: (1) Redeem us; (2) Reveal how God loves us; (3) Show us how to live; (4) Give power to become children of God; (5) Reconstitute Israel; (6) Establish the kingdom and authority in His Church.

 

 

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