Yr 8 Scripture Commentaries BCE

The blue hyperlink takes you to Brisbane Catholic Education's Scripture Commentary.  

Covenant 

Genesis 17:1-22 - God’s Promise to Abraham & Sarah Exodus 12:1-4 The Story of the Passover Exodus 13:17-14:30The Deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt 2 Samuel 7:8-29 – The Davidic Covenant Jeremiah 31:31-34 – The Post-Exile Covenant     

The purpose of teaching the text:  Covenant is a key biblical theme and there are four different Covenant stories in the Old Testament.  Understanding Covenant is critical to understanding the Old Testament, as it is the answer to most questions about the Old Testament.  Each Covenant expressed God’s complete love for the Jewish people and set in place a sacred agreement between the people and God.  Whenever humans attempted to gain power to be like God, life always fell apart. Therefore, the covenant relationship with God was broken.  A new Covenant then needed to be made with God, as the people regretted their choices and realised that they had lost sight of how God called them to live.   

Questions that may assist students create meaning from the text:  

• How is a Covenant different to a promise?   

• Why are there stories about Covenants in the Old Testament?   

• Who was chosen to make Covenants with God?   

• How might these Covenant stories have enabled the Jewish people to find meaning in their lives?  

What differences and similarities are there between these two Covenant stories?   

• When did the first Covenant take place in the Old Testament?   

• Why were multiple Covenants made?  

The book "The Two hands of God" by Dr Mary Cohoe is quite useful in this area.

Responding to emerging moral questions and living cardinal virtues 

Matthew Chapter 5 – Sermon on the Mount (Beatitudes) 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Paul teaches about love

The Beatitudes turns the world of the time upside down.  No longer will the rich inherit the land but those who are quiet and submissive.  No longer will people of power be considered important, but those who work for peace will be people who are important to God.  These texts provide key insights into what is important to God, and therefore into how God calls people to live.      

Questions that may assist students create meaning from the text:  

• How do believers know how God calls them to live?   

• What evidence do these texts provide about how believers need to live in the world today?   

• What evidence can you find in these texts about moral challenges in the time of the author?   

• Do any of these moral challenges still exist today?   

• What evidence is there that people in parish communities try to respond to those moral questions? 

Baptism

Mark 1:9-11 – Baptism of Jesus Galatians 3:27-29 – Paul teaches about Baptism Acts 2:38 -  Peter teaches about Baptism

The purpose of teaching the text:  The Sacrament of Baptism in the Catholic Church draws its foundations from the stories of baptism in the New Testament.  In addition, this can be used as a foundation to identify comparable links with initiation rituals in Judaism and Islam. 

Questions that may assist students create meaning from the text:  

• What insights do these texts provide about the significance of baptism for Christians?   

• If you lived in the time of Paul or Luke, what debates do you think could have been going on between believers?   

• How many different insights can you gain into baptism from these texts?  

• What is common and different about the initial rituals in the Abrahamic religions? 

Key events in the early Church 

Acts 2:1-13 - Pentecost Romans 1:1-7 - Salvation – God’s Saving Plan

The purpose of teaching the text:  The Acts of the Apostles is the book in the New Testament which provides insights into how the Christian community came to be established after the death and resurrection of Jesus.  In the Acts of the Apostles, there is evidence of significant challenges and fierce debate.  Decisions made by individuals and groups, as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles, shape some of the important ways in which believers still continue the mission of Jesus in the world. 

Questions that may assist students create meaning from the text:  

• After the death and resurrection of Jesus, what was life-like for his followers?   

• What transformed the followers of Jesus from being frightened for their own lives, to being prepared to spread the story of Jesus to many different communities?   

• What did the followers of Jesus agree was critically important to continue doing to remember, celebrate and continue living the mission of Jesus?   

• Before Paul’s transformation he was known as Saul, and what was he doing to make life so challenging for the early Christians of his time?   

• Explain why Paul had such an extraordinary transformation.   

• What connections can you make with the challenges, beliefs and way of living of the early Christian community, to communities of believers today?   

• What connections can you make between a story / person in the Acts of the Apostles and the name of the Catholic Cathedral in Brisbane? 

Brisbane Catholic Education