THE LI E O CHRIST (Based on Matthew s Gospel) A Compendium of Pastoral Theology BETHLEHEM BOOK 1 Introduction and Infancy (Student Work Book)
Book 1: The Introduction and Infancy CONTENTS Lessons Page 1A Jesus in the Roman Empire... 2 1B The Political Situation in Palestine... 8 1C Matthew, the Author... 13 2A The Kingdom of Heaven... 19 2B Christ, the King... 27 3A The Five Steps in the Life of Christ... 37 3B The Map of Palestine... 47 3C The Three Years of Ministry... 52 4A The System of Bridges... 58 4B The Structure of Matthew s Gospel... 70 5A The Genealogy of Jesus (1)... Matthew 1:1-17... 77 5B The Genealogy of Jesus (2)... Matthew 1:1-17... 84 6A The Three Basic Techniques of Bible Study (1)... 93 6B The Three Basic Techniques of Bible Study (2)... 101 6C The Announcements of the King s Birth... Matthew 1:18-25... 106 7A The Son of God... 118 7B The Son of Man... 129 7C False Doctrine... 139 8A The Promises of God... 147 8B Using the Promises... 156 9A The Herod Family... 162 9B Jesus Infancy... Matthew 2:1-12... 172 9C Jesus in Egypt... Matthew 2:13-23... 181 10A The Sovereignty of God... 190 10B Jesus Youth... 200 Tests on Lessons... 208 Supplements... 228 Other SEAN Courses in English Sean International 1
Book 1 Introduction and Infancy Greetings and welcome to the Compendium! I am your Teacher who will guide you through each step of your home studies in this course on the life of Jesus Christ. I think you will find it interesting and of real practical value in your life and ministry. So let s start by asking the Lord to help us. Our first week s home study consists of the following three lessons, which make up the Unit 1. UNIT 1 Lesson 1A : Jesus in the Roman Empire Lesson 1B : The Political Situation in Palestine Lesson 1C : Matthew, the Author Goals for Unit 1 Read these goals carefully. They will give you an idea of what you will be able to do once you have finished this study unit. On completing Unit 1 you should be able to achieve the following goals: 1. Explain the importance of Jesus message of the kingdom of heaven had for those living in the complex political situation of His day, and in our day too. 2. Name some of the main reasons why Matthew and Simon the Zealot would have felt deep-rooted hatred towards each other before they entered into the kingdom of heaven. 3. Take part confidently in a discussion in the Group Meeting on what the Bible teaches about the harmfulness of strife, and how to overcome it in the kingdom of heaven. 2 Compendium of Pastoral Theology
Lesson 1A Lesson 1A The Roman Empire Jesus in the Roman Empire N BRITISH ISLES EUROPE W S E ASIA PALESTINE IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE A RICA 1. In order to understand the life of Christ, we should know something about his country and the people who lived there. In this first study, we are going to look at these things. On the map above, see how large the Roman Empire was (shown by the dotted line). It ruled over lands in three different continents. Write the names of these three continents below: (In the map they are underlined.) Stop a minute! The answers to each question are found at the bottom of each page. Compare your own answers to make sure that they are right. If your answers are not right, go ahead and correct them. When you have done this, continue your study in the text, and compare the answers to each question in the same way. 2. Exercise: Look at the map above and mark the frontier of the Roman Empire in red. It is shown by the dotted line. 3. You can now see from the map you have coloured just how many other lands were included in the Roman Empire. For example, find the British Isles on the Map. How much of the British Isles fell within the Roman Empire? (Check the right answer according to the map). q a None q b. All q c. Only the southern half Answers 1. Europe/Asia/ Africa (any order) 3. c. SEAN International 3
Book 1 Introduction and Infancy 4. a) Now find Palestine on the map. This is the land where Jesus lived. According to the map, was Palestine within the Roman Empire? Answer Yes or No b) In order to keep control of Palestine the Roman Empire had to keep a large army of occupation there. So what must have been a common sight for Jesus and his apostles as they walked the roads in Palestine? Roman 5. Jesus lived in the country that is now called Israel. However, in Jesus time the Roman s renamed it after the Philistine people, and this name stuck. In the following list, check the name the Roman authorities imposed on Jesus country (the one most like Philistine). q Israel q Palestine q Rome Note: In this course, Palestine is used rather than Israel, because that was its name in Jesus time. 6. The natives of Palestine were the Jews (native means a person who was born there). They had, however, been conquered by the Roman Empire, which kept a strong military force in every country it occupied. Although there were many Roman soldiers in Palestine, they were only stationed there; they were not permanent inhabitants. Were these Roman soldiers natives or foreigners in Palestine? 7. The natives of Palestine were not the Romans, but the Jews. As Jesus was born in Palestine in a local family, his nationality was. 8. Sometimes people confuse Palestine, the country where Jesus lived, with Jerusalem, which was one of the many towns in that country. Remember, then, that if you are asked to give the name for Jesus country, you must not answer Jerusalem, but. 9. Remember also that Jesus, and his fellow countrymen, who were natives of Palestine, were not called Palestinians, but J. 10. So far we have seen that there were people of at least two different nationalities living together in Palestine in Jesus time, the Jews and the Romans. Which of these two groups: a) were foreigners in Palestine? b) were natives of Palestine? Answers 4. a) Yes b) soldiers 5. Palestine 6. oreigners 7. Jewish 8. Palestine 9. Jews 10. a) Romans b) Jews 4 Compendium of Pastoral Theology
Lesson 1A The Roman Empire 11. We have also learned that Jesus was by nationality a a), that his country was then ruled by the b) Empire, and that their name for Jesus country was c). 12. Now turn to Supplement 1 on page 228. Find the sea in the middle of the Roman Empire. It is clearly marked. What is the name of this sea? 13. The name Mediterranean came from the Romans. In their language, Latin: Medi meant middle Terra was their word for land (like our word territory) The Romans gave the name Medi terranean to this huge sea because it was in the of all the that they had conquered. 14. Now find the two numbers marked on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, in your Supplement 1. One of these numbers marks the site of Palestine. You can find it easily because it is situated on the coastline at the extreme right (east) of the Mediterranean Sea. Which number marks the site of Palestine? 15. Rome, the capital of the Roman Empire, is also marked on the same map. Look for the letter or number that marks the site of Rome. You will find it on a strip of land sticking out of the coastline on the top of the Mediterranean Sea. It looks like a leg kicking a ball. Which number or letter marks the site of Rome? 16. The Roman Emperor lived in the capital of the Empire. What was the name of the city where the Roman Emperor lived? 17. Take care here to note once more the difference between a country and a city (or town). Now of the two places we have found marked on the map, Rome and Palestine, which is: a) a country? b) a city 18. Compare the positions of the British Isles, Palestine and Rome on the map. Which of the three was situated between the other two? Answers 11. a) Jew b) Roman c) Palestine 12. Mediterranean Sea 13. middle/lands 14. 6 15. 4 16. Rome 17. a) Palestine b) Rome 18. Rome SEAN International 5
Book 1 Introduction and Infancy 19. In the following list, check only those places which were within the Roman Empire. Check against the frontier on your map if necessary. q a. Palestine q d. The southern half of the British Isles q b. Mediterranean Sea q e. America q c. Scotland 20. What was the name of the capital of the Roman Empire, where the Emperor lived? 21. The Roman soldiers had to travel long distances to reach and defend the countries they had conquered. Given that the journey from Rome to their frontier in the British Isles was just over 1,000 miles, calculate how far Rome was from Palestine, using your map in Supplement 1 as a guide. Check the right answer: q 100 miles. q 500 miles. q 1500 miles. 22. How many miles was Palestine from the capital of the Empire? 23. The Romans were great builders. As you may know, they built Hadrian s Wall, which stretched nearly 70 miles across England, to protect their northern frontier from the Scots. According to this drawing, what did they build in order to travel more quickly by land? Paved Answers 19. a. b. d. 20. Rome 21. 1500 miles 22. 1500 miles 23. roads 6 Compendium of Pastoral Theology