Class 07 - Living the Gospel - Matthew 26-28

In this class, we continue with St. Matthew's Gospel, covering chapters 26 through 28.

Some of the topics include:
--the plot to kill Jesus
--the woman who anoints Christ with costly oil
--weaponized compassion in American society
--the Last Supper
--Eucharistic theology
--the reason we have a closed communion table
--agony in Gethsemane
--why nominalism is wrong & how Christ heals humanity
--Christ's respectful treatment of Judas until the very end
--Jesus as Christ, Son of God, and Son of Man
--the prophecy in Daniel 7:13-14
--repentance vs. wallowing in self-pity (Peter & Judas)
--early Church traditions on the fate of Judas
--Pilate as an icon of the weakness of politics in the face of sin
--the fulfillment of Psalm 21 (22) on the Cross
--Christ enters into the depth of our despair and redeems it
--Why Christ cries, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
--the garment of the temple is rent in twain
--the women as apostles to the apostles
--the resurrection
--our Lord's final instructions to us

In this series, we focus on how we should live our lives according to the commandments of Christ found in the Gospels. While theology is important, we can't truly understand it until our hearts are purified. This purification comes by grace and praxis, that is, living the Christian life. With that in mind, we sometimes breeze over portions of chapters that are less about how to live and more about teaching theology. Praxis first; theology later.