Yr 2 Scripture Commentaries BCE

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1.  What was life like where Jesus lived?

Geographical: The land in the Time of Jesus (Galilee, Nazareth and Capernaum). Jesus in the synagogue at Nazareth (Mark 6: 1 -6).

Cultural: Village life and hospitality. Jesus eats meals with people (Mark 2:13-17).

Historical: Work, payment and taxes. The parable of the unforgiving servant (Matthew 18:21-35).  

2. How do stories about Jesus give meaning to people today?

Apply the worlds of the text interpretive framework when exploring The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (Matthew 18: 21 – 35),  Jesus heals two blind men (Matthew 20: 29 – 34) and Jesus’ teaching about humility and hospitality (Luke 14:7-14) to reveal the importance of forgiveness, compassion, welcome and inclusion in Jesus' mission and ministry.

Teachings and actions of Jesus

​Matthew 18:21-35 – The Parable of the Unforgiving Servant Matthew 20:29-34 – Jesus Heals Two Blind Men Luke 13:10-13 – Jesus Heals a Crippled Woman Luke 15:11-31 – The Lost Son  John 6:16-21 – Jesus Walks on Water

Purpose of teaching the text: Parable of the unforgiving servant  God is a God of forgiveness, and this story presents Jesus teaching what authentic forgiveness looks like.  It is not about limiting the number of times we forgive one another, and it is not about asking for forgiveness while being unable to forgive others.  This story also provides an opportunity to teach students to be Scripture detectives and look for the clues in the text where the author’s understanding of God is limited by their own culture.  If the author lived in our country today then he would not write about torture as punishment or suggest that God would be like this.  A God of forgiveness does forgive.     

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Does God know how we feel in our hearts?   • Does God know when we really want to forgive someone, or be forgiven by others?   • Which is harder?   

Purpose of teaching the text: Jesus heals two blind men  Jesus was a healer, and the Gospels are filled with stories that show Jesus healing the blind, crippled and those who were outsiders in their own community.  This story also provides an opportunity to reconnect with David, and the story of a shepherd boy who showed enormous courage to win the battle over Goliath and eventually became a King for Israel.  Matthew writes for a Jewish community and continues to remind readers that Jesus is from the line of David.  “Son of David” is a Messianic title.  To heal someone is to respond with love.  Jesus’ healing actions show that God always responds to us with love, but God needs people who are willing to respond to others in love.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  In what ways can our loving actions be healing for others?     Purpose of teaching the text: Jesus teaches in the synagogue  Mark’s account portrays Jesus as an exceptional teacher, and as the text states that Jesus was teaching in the synagogue then Jesus would have been teaching about God.  However, now that Jesus is back in his hometown, he is recognised and locals take offence.  This story provides interesting insights into the life and family of Jesus, which Year Two Scripture detectives could utilise to develop many questions to research further.  The word ‘carpenter’ can also be interpreted as someone who worked with stone or brick, so students could discover that wood was not widespread in Jesus’ country and therefore apply critical thinking skills to suggest what Jesus’ work was before he began his public ministry.  This text also provides an opportunity to explore Jesus as a person who encountered hostility, and who could only work miracles when the person was a believer.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Why did Jesus need to be a person of resilience?   • Why do we need to be people of resilience when life becomes hard?   • How did Jesus show resilience?   • How can we show resilience?   • What could Jesus have been teaching about in the synagogue?   • What could we teach others about God?   • Are there any stories of Jesus healing people who did not have faith? 

3.  What was the relationship between God and the Jewish people like?

The Bible was written and edited over a period of time and is a record of the relationship between God and God’s chosen people.  God’s relationship with the Jewish people was expressed through covenants. 

Identify covenants between God and the Jewish people such as the one with Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 17:1-8; 15-16) with Moses (Exodus 19:1-8, Exodus 24:1-4,7) with David (2 Samuel 7:1-16).

4.  What is the greatest commandment?

Compare The Greatest Commandment (Matthew 22:34-40) and The First Commandment (Mark 12:28-34).

5.  What helps to mend broken relationships?

Jesus asked his apostles to continue his healing ministry of forgiving sins (John 20:22-23). 

Apply the worlds of the text framework to Jesus’ teaching about forgiving others (Luke 17:3-4), The parable of the forgiving father (Luke 15:11-31) and the story of Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10).

Reconciliation and forgiveness 

Luke 17:3-4 – Jesus teaches about forgiving others Luke 19:1-10 - Zacchaeus

The purpose of teaching the text:  These stories demonstrate how challenging authentic forgiveness can be and how vital authentic forgiveness is to restoring right relationships.  The number seven represents divine completion in the Bible, and therefore forgiveness needs to be limitless.  In the story of the forgiving father, every character acts shamefully at some point, with actions that would be difficult for a Jewish audience to comprehend.  In the story of Zacchaeus, we find a Jewish land-owner who would have been struggling to survive and pay his own taxes, so he finds an opportunity to get ahead by taking on the role of tax collector for the Romans.  Zacchaeus is not a bad man, but a man who makes poor choices (as most people would do in such a context when opportunity arose) but who then shows genuine remorse and transformation.  The text ends with a challenge for the Jewish community to forgive Zacchaeus, and whether they do is left unanswered.  

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text: • What can we learn about forgiveness from these stories?   • Is it easier to forgive or be forgiven?  What does it look like / sound like / feel like to live in a respectful relationship?   • After exploring these stories, what evidence can you find of people not living respectful relationships?  What were the consequences?   • If we used these texts to help us identify ways to live in our world today, what rules would you create to show how you believe that God wants people to live today?  • Why do you think these stories are important for people of faith today?   • How could we bring healing to people today, by our words and actions?  • How does the Church community use these stories today?  

6.  How are people co-creators and stewards of creation?

Identify respect and responsibility as virtues for people to develop and apply as co-creators and stewards of creation (recognising the beauty and fragility of the environment, responsible use of natural resources) in response to Psalm 24: 1-4.

Nurture relationships with God, others and creation

Jesus heals a crippled woman in the synagogue on the Sabbath - Luke 13:10-17  Jesus calls people to live respectful relationships - Matthew Matthew 22:34-40 – The Greatest Commandment Luke 10:25-37 – The Good Samaritan The meaning of covenant responsibility -Micah: 6:6-8 Forgiveness and healing are interconnected - John 20:21-23  Jesus eats meals with people - Mark 2:13-17 

The purpose of teaching the text:  Jesus calls people to live respectful relationships at all times.  Jesus healing this woman results in a dispute with the leader of the synagogue over Sabbath rules and observance.  Jewish people were required to refrain from work on the Sabbath, but Jesus healing a woman is seen as breaking that rule.  Jesus appeals to the higher obligation of looking after the immediate physical needs of humans and all creation.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Can we have rules that prevent us from caring for humans and all creation?  • Could this situation happen in our world today?   • What rules do we have that support the care of humans and all creation?   • How would we rewrite this text as ‘the greatest law’ for us today?   • If we lived this ‘greatest law’ today, what would life in our classroom and our school look like, feel like and sound like?  

7.  How can people work for justice and peace?

Apply the worlds of the text framework to the scriptural passage Luke 4:16-20.

8. What is meditative prayer?

Brisbane Catholic Education

Additional BCE Scripture

Creation 

Genesis 1:1-2: 4a – The First Creation Story Genesis 2:4b-9; 15-25 – The Second Creation Story Genesis 9:8-17 – Sustainers of Creation - The covenant between Noah and God Creation – Psalm 24:1-2;  Psalm 50:10-12 

The purpose of teaching the text:  The biblical stories of creation reveal that God calls humans into a covenantal relationship, which is a sacred agreement.  These covenants are seen by those in the Judeo-Christian traditions as universal stories for all humanity.  Therefore, these stories need to be read as sacred myths, meaning that they do not present historical, scientific truth but they present deep religious truths about God, the meaning and purpose of the cosmos and the role of humanity. 

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • What is it that God promises through these stories?   • What is it that humans agree to through these stories?   • Are these sacred agreements still appropriate and needed today?  

God’s covenantal relationship with the Jewish people 

​Genesis 17:1-8; 15-19; 21-22 – God’s Promise to Abraham & Sarah

The purpose of teaching the text:  This story is the beginning of the notion of family for all Jewish people, where God calls Abraham and Sarah to be the parents of Isaac and of all Jewish people.  Isaac’s son Jacob will be renamed Israel, and his twelve sons come to be seen as the patriarchs or the twelve tribes of Israel.  God’s sacred agreement with Abraham and Sarah signals the beginning of God’s relationship with the Jewish people.  This is a core covenant story, as the story of Abraham and Sarah features right throughout the Bible, even in the New Testament.  Wherever Abraham is mentioned it is a sign to the Jewish people of God’s fidelity and infinite love, no matter what hardships the people are experiencing.  There are sixteen different times when God speaks to various people in biblical stories saying, “I am the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob”. 

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Who are special people in our lives and in our stories?   • Who are people that we know will love us, not matter what, for the rest of our lives?   • If this love is only a tiny glimpse of God’s love for all people, how might we describe God’s love for us?   • How could we name the family to which we each belong?   • What did it mean to say that someone was from the family of Abraham? Exploring and expanding our understanding of stories of creation 

​Genesis 2:4b-8 15-23 – The Second Creation Story

The purpose of teaching the text: Story of creation of humanity  These stories of faith (not history) convey rich meaning for all believers. God creates humans in God’s own image.  God then gives humans their vocation of caring for creation (which includes how we care for one another).  God breathes life into the ‘earth creature’ and splits the ‘earth creature’ into two, thereby revealing the complementarity of male and female.  God creates the ‘earth creature’ and in doing so gives humanity some commands.  However, God does not force the ‘earth creature’ to abide by these commands but gives freedom of choice.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Does it matter to God how humans live in our world?   • Does it matter to God how humans treat one another?   • What might respect and dignity look like in God’s eyes?   

The purpose of teaching the text: Jesus’ teaching about creation (how we treat people)  The story of Jesus teaching ‘The Golden Rule’ is directly related to the stories of creation, because it touches on the obligation to care for all of creation.  This includes all humanity.         

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • When we think of creation, what do we think about?   • What do these stories help us understand about how God wants us to treat other people?  How do we treat one another well in our class?   • What could we do everyday that would make us a wonderful class to be in, because we always treat one another with dignity and respect?   • How would it feel to be in a class that did not believe in treating one another with dignity and respect?   • What does it look like / sound like / feel like to make responsible choices about the way we treat others and treat God? 

Brisbane Catholic Education