Catholic Doctrine Bible Study

Jesus’ birth story per Matthew....Was Mary really a Perpetual Virgin?” Key Points: Joseph is the “hero” of Matthews account. (Vs Mary the “hero” in Luke’s account.)  This is not a contradiction, just a difference of emphasis. Joseph a great example for us: He chose to forego his legal rights to follow God’s will and act for the benefit of others. The word “until” in verse 25 does not mean that Mary was not a perpetual virgin. (Two other examples of “until” in scripture.) The Magi were non-Jews; Jesus came for all of us! No Magi in Luke, no shepherds in Matthew; just different emphases. Luke emphasizes women, poor. Matthew emphasizes fulfillment of OT prophecy.

Overview of Matthew: Jesus’ Genealogy; Why the difference between Matthew’s and Luke’s account, and why should we care? Key Points:   The Gospel of Matthew  written between 50-90AD by a convert to Christianity from Judaism. Matthew’s emphasis- to show that Jesus is the promised Jewish Messiah, the ultimate King of the Jews, and to the world.  Jewish prophesy fulfillment.  Jesus is a 2nd, better Moses, and a 2nd, better David. Though from a royal dynasty, Jesus had many deeply sinful people in his ancestry-just like us! Differences in Matthew’s, Luke’s genealogy of Jesus:  Matthew’s gospel records only back as far as Abraham, the founder of the Jews.  Luke, a GENTILE, goes back further,  to Adam, who predated Judaism, to emphasize Jesus came for ALL people. The difference between the 2 genealogies from David to Jesus may be because Mary’s genealogy was used for that time frame.