Yr 3 Scripture Commentaries BCE

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1. What can people learn about God from Old Testament stories?

Explore the story of Isaac and Rebekah (Genesis 24: 4; 10-33; 42-52; 55-66).

Interpret the story of God’s promise to Jacob (Genesis 28:10-22) and recognise God at work in a successive generation. 

God’s relationship with the Jewish people

The birth of Jacob and Esau - Genesis 25:19-28 Esau sells his birthright - Genesis 25:29-34 God’s Promise to Jacob - Genesis 28:10-22 – God’s Promise to Jacob

Purpose of teaching the text:  Jacob and Esau (pronounced “eesaw”) depict a story of rivalry, favouritism, deceit and faith.  In order to understand God’s promise to Jacob, it is essential to understand key moments in the story of Jacob and Esau.  God works through each generation when each person is at a point of readiness to respond, and God’s presence never leaves any generation or individual.  God does not necessarily choose people who have lived justice or forgiveness.  God can choose anyone ready to respond.  Jacob tries to trick God, and then he tries to bargain with God.  However, in the story of the Jewish people, Jacob becomes the father of the Twelve tribes of Israel.  

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Why might there be stories in the Bible of siblings who fight and argue with each other?   • What can we learn about the strengths and weaknesses of the characters in these stories?  • Why might God still try to communicate with Jacob, after everything he has done?   • What can we learn about God through the stories of Jacob and Esau?   • What could this reveal about God’s relationship with us?   • What hope could these stories bring to our lives (e.g. family life, relationship with God)? 

2. Why might a community of people long for a Messiah?

Explore some Old Testament texts that indicate the promise of a Messiah (Isaiah 9:6-7; Isaiah 35:4-6).

Explore some New Testament texts in which Jesus is called ‘Messiah’, (John 20:30-31, Matthew 11:1-5, Matthew 16:13-17).

Jesus the Messiah 

Matthew 1:18-2:12 – The Infancy Narratives

Purpose of teaching the text:  The Jewish people in Old Testament times were oppressed.  The belief that one day God would come to save the people from their lives of hardship is expressed in multiple ways throughout the Old Testament, and this belief provided strength for people in their daily lives.  One belief expressed was that God would send someone to be the Messiah.  Understandably, there are texts expressing that the Messiah would be a person who would rule with justice and bring peace into the world.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • Why might a community of people long for a Messiah?   • What expectations did Jewish people have about a Messiah?   • Why might Christians believe that Jesus was the Messiah?  • Why might Jewish people not believe that Jesus was the Messiah?   • What do we long for in our world today?   • If Jesus was born in our time, what difference would we hope that Jesus could make in our world?   • How might we lives and reflect what we hope for in our world? 

3. How did the Four Gospels come to be?

4. How do the Scriptures communicate ideas about what is important to God?

The Decalogue (Ten Commandments) is a guide for making moral decisions. Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes provides a basis for Christian morality. It does not abolish the Decalogue but fulfills it, making clearer what is required of one who loves God.  

Apply the worlds of the text model to identify the audience and purpose of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11; Luke 6:20-26). 

Consider the connection between The Decalogue -The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) and Jesus’ teaching in the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11). 

Images of God 

Isaiah 49:15-16 – "I will never forget you"  "I will never forget you" - Isaiah 49:15-16    God as potter - Isaiah 64:8    God speaks to Moses on the mountain –   Exodus 19:16-19   God speaks to Elijah - 1 Kings 19:11-13a    God as parent - Hosea 11:1-4  

Purpose of teaching the text:  There is no one image of God that portrays everything there is to know about God.  This is because God is ultimately a mystery, never able to be fully explained.  Therefore, it is important to draw on multiple images of God, as each image portrays something specific that the author wants to communicate about God.  In the Old Testament, there are many images of God that convey important insights to help people understand more about God. 

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text: • How do authors of the Old Testament portray God?   • What can each of these stories help us to understand about God?   • What do I imagine that God is like?   • What images of God could I use to communicate what I understand about God? 

5. Why was Jesus concerned for the poor?

Make connections between the concern for the poor and disadvantaged found in Scripture regarding Christian responsibilities (Matthew 25:34-40 and 1 John 3:17-18) and Church teaching.

Living a moral life

Luke 6:20-26 – The Beatitudes Matthew 5:3-11 – The Sermon on the Mount (The Beatitudes)

Purpose of teaching the text:  The New Testament texts draw on multiple Old Testament texts in which God is depicted as one who will never abandon the poor and needy. Multiple New Testament references refer to many people being materially poor but rich in faith. These texts present imagery about what is authentic and important in God’s eyes about the way that people live.  Jesus draws on his Jewish understandings of how to live a moral life, and he restates the Commandments for his time.  Differences between the Gospel accounts highlight differences between the authors and their own contexts.  The Beatitudes are a proclamation of the coming of the Reign of God (which invests the values of the current reality).   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:  • How do the Beatitudes provide hope for people living in difficult circumstances?   • How do the Beatitudes communicate ideas about what is important to God?   • Why might the Gospel authors have included the Beatitudes?   • Why are there two different versions of the Beatitudes?  • How could we rewrite the Beatitudes for our time? 

6. How does Jesus’ mission continue in the world today?

Identify what Jesus’ mission is from the Gospel according to Luke (Luke 4:16-21). 

Recognise how Jesus’ lived out God’s mission in the following scriptures: Jesus’ Love Commandment (John 15:12-13); Jesus celebrates the Passover meal (Mark 14:22-25); Jesus suffers and dies on the cross (Luke 23:33-43); The resurrection of Jesus (Matthew 28:1-10).

The life and teachings of Jesus 

(Scripture that Jesus would have known and reflected on - Isaiah 61:1-2 Luke 4:16-21 – Jesus’ Mission  A letter from Paul about a key event in Jesus’ life - 1 Cor 11:23-26) 

(Jesus’ Love Commandment - John 15:12-13; Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31 Jesus’ Mission - Luke 7:18-23 Jesus celebrates the Passover meal Mark 14:22-25; Matthew 26:26-28; Luke 22:15-20 Jesus suffers and dies on the cross - Matthew 26:5868 Mark 15:27-31; Luke 23:33-43 The resurrection of Jesus - Mark 16:1-8; Matthew 28:1-10; Luke 24:1-11)

Purpose of teaching the text:  The Gospel authors convey Jesus as a person whose life was driven by his vision for how God wants the world to be and how God wants people to live. Jesus’ life and teaching was about justice, prayer, authentic love and forgiveness. Jesus challenged people about how they lived their life and this challenge continues today. This learning focus provides students with an opportunity to synthesise what they have learnt about Jesus in the early years, to develop a more comprehensive understanding of ‘the’ story of Jesus as told by four different Gospel authors.   

Questions that may assist students create meaning from the text:  • Why might there be differences between stories about Jesus?  • When you think about how Jesus lived his life, what do all Gospel authors appear to agree on?   • What do you think is more important for the Gospel authors – to write stories about what actually happened or to write stories that can provide important meaning for their communities?  • What is the difference between a photograph and a painting?   • If a photograph can only provide historical details at that moment in time and a painting provides deep meaning from the artist’s perspective, are the Gospels more like photographs or paintings? • If you were an artist, how would you paint a story about Jesus to give meaning to our school community today

7. What is a Diocese in the Catholic Church?

8. How is creation interconnected? 

Apply the worlds of the text interpretive framework to the second creation story in Genesis – Genesis 2:4b-9; 15-25 to understand God’s ongoing presence in creation and humanity’s responsibility to care for each other and creation. 

Brisbane Catholic Education

Other Scripture

The significance of prayer for the Church community 

Psalm 23 – The Lord is My Shepherd Psalm 28:1, 6-9 – Psalms of Thanksgiving and Praise

Song of the Angels (Gloria) - Luke 2:1-14        Our Father - Matthew 6:9-15; Luke 11:2-4    Psalms of Praise - Psalms 19, 65, 67, 100, 135, 145, 146, 147, 148, 150    Psalms of Thanksgiving - Psalms 9:1-4, 138    Prayer at the start and end of Paul's letters -  Ephesians 1:3-5; Ephesians 3:20-21;  Philippians 1:3-4: 2   1 Corinthians 1:3-4; Colossians 1:3  Romans 16:25-27; Philippians 4:20 

Purpose of teaching the text:  In Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus, the angels are the ones who announce the news.  However, they do not simply make an announcement and leave, but they pray in song, a prayer of praise to God for this special moment. 

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:   • What could the Church community learn about prayer from this story?  • Have you ever heard a prayer during Mass where everybody praises God, and it sounds similar to this prayer?   • What could we praise God for in our lives?  • How could we write our own prayers of praise? 

The significance of the Sacraments for the Church community

The Lord’s Supper- 1 Cor 11:23-26 The Baptism of Gentiles - Acts 10:44-48  How the early Christian community lived in Jerusalem - Acts 2:43-47 One Spirit, One Baptism - 1 Cor 12:12-13 

Purpose of teaching the text:  The Baptism of Gentiles in Acts 10:44-48  (An introduction to Peter and Cornelius). In this text we find a distinction between believers of Jewish origin and believers who are Gentiles.  Clearly, one of the questions that followers of Jesus had to answer was whether baptism was available for all believers?  This text presents answers for a community who believed that one did not need to be Jewish to be a follower of Jesus.   

Questions that may assist students to create meaning from the text:   • What do you think the author (Luke) of Acts (The Acts of the Apostles) is trying to tell his community about baptism?   • How does this story depict an important issue in Luke’s growing Christian community? • What does this story help people to understand about why the Sacrament of Baptism is important today?  

Brisbane Catholic Education