ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS -- JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES EPISODE 4 PART 1 TYPOLOGY IN THE BOOK OF EXODUS

The Exodus is an event that foreshadows and parallels the ultimate act of redemption and revelation in Jesus Christ. The apostles, the early Church fathers, and the Church have always seen these spirit-inspired signs.

These are some of the most important events in Exodus that prefigure the redemption of Jesus Christ.

• Deliverance from bondage in Egypt prefigures Christians deliverance from the slavery of sin
• Crossing the Red Sea prefigures sacramental Baptism
• Passover feast celebrates the Exodus and the passing over of the Angel of Death, protecting all first borns of the Israelites.  The Passover meal foreshadows the Sacrament of the Eucharist. During the Last Supper, at a Passover meal,  Jesus initiated the Sacrament of the Eucharist, changing ordinary bread and wine into his own body and blood. Christ, the true Passover Lamb, delivers all of us from death into life.
• Manna in the desert, water from the rock, the bronze serpent, and many other details of the Exodus story, foreshadow the full revelation story that begins with the Incarnation of Jesus and is revealed in the New Testament.
• The tabernacle, housing the Ark of the Covenant, represents the humanity of Jesus, as well as the heavenly sanctuary, the Church, and the body of Christ.  Today in every Catholic Church there is a tabernacle that holds the consecrated bread, the living body of Christ.

Exodus is probably the most important book of the Bible.  In terms of the Israelites, it is in the Exodus that they become a nation.  For all mankind, it is in the story of Exodus where God begins a long-lasting, physical and personal relationship with His Creation through Moses and where he lays out the Law in which man learns how to follow in God's way.  Exodus influences the entire Old Testament, and it is in Exodus where quite a bit of the foreshadowing of the New Testament and God's final plan of man's redemption is foretold.

Exodus is the greatest redemptive event in the Old Testament to which subsequent revelation points to again and again.  An example of this is in the phrase from Hosea 11:1

"Out of Egypt I called my son."

In Exodus 4:22, the first reference for this phrase is to Israel.  God says, "Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, 'Let my son go.'" In the New Testament, (Matthew 2:13-15) Jesus is brought to Egypt by Mary and Joseph, escaping the wrath of Herod and then, after Herod's death, they eventually return to Israel.  This event fulfills the prophecy of Hosea 11:1 This establishes the Israel Typology, whereas the ultimate Israel is Jesus himself.  

Another precursor to this story is in the Book Of Genesis. It is in the final stories of Jacob (a.k.a. Israel) and his twelve sons, the ancestors of the twelve tribes of Israel.  Pay special attention to the Genesis stories of Jacob's sons, how they sold Joseph into slavery where he eventually ended up in Egypt.  Joseph rises out of slavery and becomes an aide to the Pharaoh.  His position allowed him to bring his family to Egypt to help them survive the famine in the Promise Land.  And it was this event that resulted in the 400 years of the descendants of the 12 tribes to be in Egypt and enslaved at the time Moses appears on the scene. Joseph's act to save his brothers, the ancestors of Israel, foreshadows St. Joseph who brought Jesus (the ultimate Israel) to Egypt to survive the threat of Herod.  

It is clear that typology was noted very early in the history of the Church.  St. Paul, in 1 Corinthians 5:7, refers to Christ as the Passover Lamb where he clearly links Jesus to the Exodus as the saving force.  Christ is also linked as the new Moses, as well as the Ultimate Israel, as He leads His People (the Church) to the new Promise Land.  

The earliest Gospel, written by Mark, also constantly refers indirectly to the Exodus of the Old Testament, by using the language of the Prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah picks up the Exodus theme again and again, sometimes referring to it in the past and sometimes using it as a way of talking about the impending Babylonian exile where the people are being cast out of the land again and will be drawn back by God.  Inspired by the Holy Spirit, Mark is thinking profoundly, relating the Old Testament to the New Testament and clearly seeing that Isaiah's "living" prophecy not only refers to the past, but also to the time of Jesus.  Mark's writings, which will become the New Testament, are truly the fulfillment of the Old Testament.

Mark was a disciple of Paul who frequently taught using typology.  Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a leading authority of the Sanhedrin, and as a result, St. Paul had a deep understanding of the Old Testament. Many of Paul's letters refer to the sins of the Israelites during the Exodus and used them as examples for Christ's Church, teaching the early Christians, as well as present day Christians, what we must avoid in order to reach the New Promise Land.

TYPOLOGY OF EXODUS EXPLAINED BY ST. PAUL

Typology is one method of revelation in Divine Teaching.  Through this method, God orchestrates the people, places, and events of the past to foreshadow future situations.  God gives us deep truths if we can recognize the connections.  

St. Paul’s writings also teach us through typology (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 128-129).  He highlights the Exodus from Egypt by teaching us that this foreshadowing is intended to instruct and exhort God’s people. The Church has used this method since the very beginning of its preaching.  Paul exhorts all Christians to not repeat the sins of the Israelites because, as a result of their sins, many did not inherit the Promised Land and he did not want that outcome for the early Christians.  Paul only mentions the Old Testament references in brief.  But, by introducing this typology, Paul wants us to contemplate these events even more deeply. 

Paul teaches the meaning behind the supernatural food and drink God gave the Israelites during their years of wandering in the desert.   Every day the Israelites woke up to find manna (which looked like a white wafer) on the ground and their water was miraculously provided from the rock that Moses struck each day.  This is the prefiguring of the Body and Blood of the Eucharist. The progression of this story starts with the first miracle Jesus performs which was to turn Water into Wine -- his last miracle, at the Last Supper, was to turn Wine into his Blood. The miracles of feeding the crowds from a few loaves of Bread progresses to the Bread at the Last Supper which is changed into his Body.  The supernatural food and drink of Exodus prefigures the supernatural food we have today in the Holy Eucharist.

Paul recalls other events of the Exodus as a foreshadowing of our Christian experience.  As the Israelites passed from slavery to freedom through the Red Sea, we pass from the slavery of sin into freedom in Christ through the waters of Baptism.  We begin our earthly pilgrimage as members of God's covenant family and the goal for us is the promise land of heaven.  Throughout this journey, Christ (the new Moses) is our guide and God is always with us. Our earthly pilgrimage will be like the Exodus of Egypt, our supernatural food is the Eucharist, which gives us the supernatural power that enables us to have faith, be obedient and to love God.  Even though our journey will be arduous, we must learn from the mistakes of the Israelites to never give up on God.  Even though we have struggles and sufferings to endure, we must place our full hope and trust in our heavenly Father.  We must learn from the sins of our ancestors to remain faithful even amid our hardships.  Our goal is heaven, but entry into this promise land is not guaranteed. As Paul writes, "Now these things happened to them as a warning, but they were written down for our instruction... therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall." (1 Corinthians 19: 1-12)

The Typology in the Book of Exodus

 will continue in

 Episode 4 Part 2 of Jesus Explains the Scriptures.

Is Jesus Christ Truly Present in the Eucharist at Roman Catholic Masses?

What is one of the biggest problems in the Catholic Church?  Is it not wanting to go to Confession? (Why do I have to go to a priest to confess my sins?) NO it isn't.  Maybe not being able to eat meat on Fridays during Lent?  Nope, that is not it either.  Nor is it having to go to Mass EVERY Sunday, though there are many  Chreasters out there, (a portmanteau of Christmas and Easter). The BIGGEST problem is that ~70% of Catholics do not believe that the Holy Eucharist is truly the Living Body and Blood of Jesus Christ!  I hope you find that as shocking as I did...but with that great of  a number  who do not believe one of the most important tenets of our Faith, YOU may be one of them.  

From the very beginnings of the Catholic Church, which is traced back to the Apostles of Jesus Christ, the number one and most important tenet of the Faith was just that.... Jesus is truly in the Eucharist.  The Bread and Wine is not merely a symbol of Jesus' body and blood... it is His Body and Blood.  And Jesus proclaimed that himself, many times throughout his ministry, before he would die for us on the cross. 

In the Bread of Life discourse of John's Gospel, (John 6:48-64) Jesus tells his disciples:

  "I AM  the living bread which came down from heaven; if any one eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give for the life of the world is my flesh."  "Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you; he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink."  

Many of his disciples, when they heard this, grumbled and were shocked by what he said as no Jew would ever eat meat and blood together never mind eat the body and blood of a man.  

Did Jesus stop them and say, "No I was just kidding!" or did Jesus say "I meant that as symbolic? "  No, Jesus never soften his teaching  on this.  And to further explain what he was saying when Jesus said "eat" my flesh he used the word that meant "gnaw" on it to further stress the act of eating.  The Jews at that time were very familiar with symbolic language and knew Jesus was not talking symbolically when he said this.  They understood exactly what he was saying, but could not accept it, they lacked faith in Jesus and they left him.  Jesus did not compromise,  He turned to his Apostles his closest followers and asked them if they would leave him too?

(Interesting side note to this part of John's Gospel: John 6:66 is the verse: "From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him."  The number 666 is symbolically the number of the devil, the antichrist, or evil in general.)  However, in the time when John wrote his gospel, he did not put in chapter numbers or verse numbers, they were only added much later.  I find this an interesting connection, possibly more than a mere coincidence. Perhaps something to take note of.)

To further show the importance of the Eucharist there are many foreshadowings of the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist throughout the Old Testament and even the New Testament. I will show you just a few. 

In Exodus, the Hebrews were protected from the final plague when they followed the instructions Moses gave them for the Passover Meal.  At the first Passover Meal, a lamb was sacrificed. Its blood was painted on the lintels of the houses so that the angel of death would pass over those houses; saving them from death.  And then the lamb was totally consumed.  It was in following these instructions that they were saved.  The Passover Meal is one of the most important traditions of the Jewish faith, practiced for thousands of years even up to this day.  It was a lamb that saved the Israelites.  Jesus often called himself the lamb of God.  He is the TRUE Lamb  and his blood was shed for the salvation of the World. It was the Passover Meal that Jesus was celebrating when He gave us the gift of the Eucharist fulfilling the Old Testament foreshadowing of the life saving meal.

At the Wedding Feast at Cana, Jesus performs his first miracle.  He  had the servants fill the water containers that were used to wash the feet of the guest, not the empty wine containers.  These were huge water containers, much larger than the containers that held the wine. And Jesus had the servants fill them to the brim.  After blessing the water (a sacramental act) the water turned into wine. And not ordinary wine but the best wine according to the wine steward. This first miracle foreshadows his last miracle that Jesus performs at the Passover feast with his disciples.  There he takes ordinary bread and wine and blesses it and turns it into his body and blood--eternal food and drink.

In the story where Jesus fed the vast number of people with the loaves of Bread and Fish that story is a foreshadowing of the Mass.  Jesus sits down with the crowd seated at his feet. (the posture of a teacher and his students)  That foreshadows the Liturgy of the Word  at our Mass where we hear the readings of the Old Testament and the New Testament and the significance each has in the story of our salvation. 

In this Bible story, Jesus wants to care for the crowd that followed Him  into the deserted place by feeding them. He performs a miracle of turning a few loaves of Bread and a few fish into enough food so that thousands of people may be satisfied of their hunger.  Just as in the story of Exodus, where God showered the Israelites with Manna from Heaven for them to eat.  Both of these incidents foreshadow the Breaking of the Bread at the Last Supper, where Jesus institutes the Sacrament of the Eucharist.

Just before Jesus is put to death, He desires to leave his disciples an everlasting gift.  Jesus performs his final miracle.  He turns ordinary bread and wine into his Body and Blood and then commands his Apostles to "Do THIS in Memory of Me." He did not say let this be a symbol of my Body and Blood... but rather said, "This IS my body which will be given up for you. This IS my blood which will be shed for you."  Jesus did not speak of symbols but of truth.  I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

Why do so many Catholics not believe this as Truth?  Is it because it still looks and tastes like bread and wine?  Is it because they don't understand? Do they lack the knowledge?  Did you know that throughout all the history of the Catholic church the Eucharist was always proclaimed as the REAL presence of Jesus Christ.?   How many of the early Christian martyrs  died for this belief?  Every one of them! That in itself is a remarkable testament of their faith.  The First century writings of St. Ignatius of Antioch and St. Justin the Martyr proclaimed it was truly the Flesh and Blood of Jesus.  Third century Origen of Alexandria so strongly believed it to be the body of Christ that he was so careful handling it that not even a crumb should be dropped to the ground.  

The most important aspect of the Eucharist and its reality is to consider who gave it to us.  Jesus is the Son of God or as John called him in his gospel: In the beginning was the Word and the Word  was with God and the Word was GOD!  Jesus, before he took on human form through his incarnation, was the Word of God.  The significance of that is God spoke the Word, Let there be light and there was light.... what God says has great significance. His Word results in change, in creation.  Jesus spoke the words: "This IS my BODY, This IS my BLOOD,"  he did not say, this is a symbol of my body and blood he says this IS.  If you believe in God and his Word made Flesh then there is no logical reason to not believe that when he said those words and also said "Do THIS in memory of ME" that he was telling the truth!

St Thomas Aquinas said this about the Eucharist: 

"Material food first changes into the one who eats it, and then, as a consequence, restores to him lost strength and increases his vitality. Spiritual food, on the other hand, changes the person who eats it into itself. Thus the effect proper to this Sacrament is the conversion of a man into Christ, so that he may no longer live, but Christ lives in him; consequently, it has the double effect of restoring the spiritual strength he had lost by his sins and defects, and of increasing the strength of his virtues.” (St. Thomas, Commentary on Book IV of the Sentences, d.12, q.2, a.11)

Another important aspect of the Eucharist and its reality is to consider when did Jesus give us this gift.  It was the last act he performed before his death.  Jesus knew he was to sacrifice his life for us and when it was to happen.  So he left us, whom he loved in this world, the most significant gift he could give all of us...  Himself, his very presence, for all time, while we, his creation, lived on this Earth.  So after the Passover meal, at the creation of His new church, He gave us his body and blood for all eternity.  He gave the Apostles, the leaders of His church, the power to change common bread and wine into his body and blood, soul and divinity, and gave them the order to DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.  Would you or could you ever deny this wondrous life-given gift which once consumed we have Jesus living within us and HE becomes the inner strength within us? Would you be one of those follower who find this too hard to believe?

And let me ask you to consider the following.  If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for you, and you believe that he rose from the dead, and you believe he ascended into heaven...why is it you can't believe that the Holy Eucharist is truly his body and blood, a final gift of food from God to strengthen you through your life's journey on earth?  If you believe in God and all that Jesus Christ taught and all he did to save you from sin, why can't you believe he can change ordinary bread and wine into his own body and blood?  Maybe because some of us lack understanding?  Maybe because some of us need to strengthen our Faith?  

Might I suggest that you read the Bible and pay special attention to the stories about food: the forbidden fruit, the manna in the desert, the significance of the "Bread of Presence"-- (Showbread in the Jewish Tabernacle which was lifted up at the Jewish festivals and proclaimed as "God's love for you!"), the Last Supper, the followers of Jesus on the road to Emmaus, and the many other stories throughout the entire Bible that deal with food and bread and wine.  They all have significance to open up your hearts to believe that Jesus is with us always, until the end of time in the Body and Blood that we receive every Sunday in the Holy Eucharist.  

The ultimate means by which we understand Jesus Christ is not the Scriptures, but the Eucharist, for the Eucharist is Christ himself, personally and actively present.  The embodiment of the Paschal Mystery, the Eucharist, is Jesus' love for the world unto death, his journey into god forsakenness in order to save the most desperate of sinners, his heart broken open in compassion.
--Bishop Robert Barron

Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures for eternal life,
 which the Son of Man will give you.
John 6:27

"and do not be unbelieving, but believing."

John 20:27

ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS -- JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES -- EPISODE 3 - Part 3 -- THE EUCHARIST IN GENESIS, AND THE FORESHADOWING OF JESUS AND MARY

The Eucharist in Genesis

In the Garden of Eden there were two trees at the center of the Garden, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Tree of Life.  Eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would result in death while the fruit from the Tree of Life would result in eternal life.  Adam chose, as did the fallen angels, to be just like God.  This sin of pride represented the hinge on which history would swing.  The role of eating, as an act of Faith or disbelief, serves as the central defining moment at the beginning of redemptive history.   The Tree of Life represents the Eucharist.  This tree gives us eternal life as Christ did as he hung from a tree offering his flesh as true food.  In eating the flesh that was nailed to that tree, we obtain eternal life.  In the Fall of Adam, we have the antithetical Eucharist, a reverse Communion that required an antidote from the NEW ADAM—through Christ.  The Cross of Calvary becomes a Tree of Life from which we eat.

The High Priest Melchizedek—A Foreshadowing of Jesus Christ and the Eucharist 

But who is this mysterious man?

When Abraham returned from the battle where he rescues his nephew Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, he is met by the High Priest Melchizedek, the king of righteousness, priest of God Most High, and king of Salem.  He meets Abraham with bread and wine. (Genesis 14:17-18) Jewish tradition identifies Melchizedek as Noah’s firstborn son, Shem.  Melchizedek is his throne name (just as Benedict XVI is the throne name of Joseph Ratzinger).  But how can Melchizedek be Noah’s son, Shem?   Noah lived many years before Abraham. After all, it was Noah and his descendants who repopulated the world after the flood and there are lots of people around when Abraham is living.  Thankfully, Genesis is the book of generations, so of course it contains many lists of the generations of man. All those begettings and begattings we try to ignore or skip over when reading Genesis actually are there for a reason. Using the numbers from these passages (Genesis 11:10-26) we can calculate Shem’s age at the beginning of each of the generations that follow in his family line.  The first generation after Shem comes when Shem is 100 years old , the second generation comes  35 years later when Shem is 135 years old; the third generation, 30 years later; then another 34 years (4^th  generation) + 30 years (5^th generation) + 32 years (6^th generation) + 30 years (7^th generation when Nahor is born ) + 29 years (8^th  generation when Nahor (Abram's grandfather) fathers Terah + 70 years (9^th generation when Terah  fathers Abram) =  390 years which is Melchizedek  age when Abram was born. Genesis states that Shem lived for six hundred years and, in fact, he outlives Abraham by 35 years. Abraham lived to be 175, (Melchizedek’s age at Abram’s birth was 390 + 175 [Abram’s age when he dies] = 565 years, which is Shem/Melchizedek's age when Abraham died.  From the passage we know that Shem/Melchizedek dies at the age of 600 years.  Subtract his age at Abraham’s death 565 years from his age at death we know that Melchizedek lives 35 years longer than Abraham.  The sacred author certainly wants us to be able to see the connection between Shem/Melchizedek and Abraham; otherwise this genealogy which gives all these ages would not have been included. This connection is important because it traces the “priesthood of the family”.

As we follow the blessings through Scripture (the priesthood of the family) we find that in Genesis 9: 1, Noah is blessed by God and in Genesis 9:26 Shem is blessed by Noah. The next mention of the blessing is in Genesis 14:19 where Abram is blessed by Shem (Melchizedek). Later, Abraham blesses his son, Isaac, and then Isaac passes the blessing on to Jacob (instead of the older twin Esau as he had intended). When Isaac finds that he has been deceived by giving the blessing to the wrong son, Isaac tells Esau that the blessing cannot be taken back and describes the effect of this priestly ordination:  "I have already appointed him your master, and I have assigned to him all his kinsmen as his slaves." (Genesis 27:37). This is the priesthood of the order of Melchizedek, the priesthood of the family. Once the blessing was conferred, the father continued in his position as elder of the family, but the one who received the blessing assumed the responsibility for the well-being of the family.

Shem/Melchizedek kept the blessing for over 400 years before passing it on to Abraham.  This family priesthood blessing is the same blessing which was bestowed on Jesus. The genealogy of Jesus goes from Adam to Seth, to Noah, to Shem, to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to Judah, to Perez and so on to Jesse, David, Solomon, and eventually to Jesus, the High Priest of the family of God and Eternal King.  Jesus never gives anyone else this blessing as he had no sons; however, he does give the blessings to his Apostles (and therefore to all future priests).  It is called the “order of Melchizedek” because it is different from the Levitical priesthood.   Melchizedek plays a vital linking role among the Abrahamic, the Davidic, and the New Covenants, especially regarding his priesthood and kingship.  Shem/Melchizedek is the first priest mentioned in the Scriptures, he is a “type of Christ”. He was also known as the King of Righteousness and King of Salem (the word Salem comes from the word “shalom which means peace”). 

The Eucharist seen Through the Sacrifices of Abel, Melchizedek, and Abraham

There are three offerings in Genesis that prefigure the sacrifice of the Son of God.  The first offering acceptable to God was the sacrifice of Abel when he offers from the firstlings of his flock (lamb).  The second sacrifice was that of the Priest Melchizedek of Bread and Wine (Eucharist—Last supper) and finally the sacrifice of Abraham of his own beloved son, Isaac (which prefigures the sacrifice of Jesus on Calvary). Even to the current day these sacrifices are remembered at Mass in the First Eucharistic Prayer "Look with favor on these offerings and accept them as once you accepted the gifts of your servant Abel, the sacrifice of Abraham, our father in faith, and the bread and wine offered by your priest Melchizedek." 

Remember, on the way to the sacrifice, Isaac carried the wood for the sacrifice on his back. (As Jesus carried his cross to Calvary) On the way, Isaac asks his father, where is the lamb for the sacrifice?  Abraham tells him that "God will provide the sacrifice." (God would provide his own son to sacrifice his life for our sins.) When an angel stops Abraham from sacrificing his son, a ram appears in the thicket for Abraham to offer to God.  Not the lamb -- which is why throughout all Hebrew history they awaited the "Lamb of God".  Before the Exodus from Egypt, the Passover Lamb was thought to be the Lamb of God -- but that realization was not the Messiah they awaited. It was not until John the Baptist did the Lamb appear when his 'voice cried out in the wilderness' proclaiming "Behold, the Lamb of God", as he saw Jesus approaching him.

Melchizedek continues to prefigure Jesus in other ways.  His name and title means King of Justice, King of Peace.  Jesus entered the world to bring justice and peace.  Melchizedek was not a priest of the Old Testament as he came well before the time of Moses and before the tribe of Levi, the tribe of the Israelites that inherited the priesthood.  Only members of the house of Levi could be priests. However, it was not an everlasting priesthood, but temporary, as a Levite served as a priest from the age of 25 to the age of 50.

In contrast to the Levitical Priesthood is the Priesthood of our Lord, which Melchizedek foreshadows in the following ways:

1. Melchizedek's priesthood is not based on heredity. Christ, like Melchizedek, is a priest by divine appointment and His priesthood does not depend upon hereditary ties.  He was an eternal priest not limited as the Levitical priests were. 

2. Abraham recognized the priest-king Melchizedek by receiving his blessing and offering him tithes. An act of such humility signified that the priesthood which would descend from Abraham is of lesser stature than that of Melchizedek. This act also foretold that the Levitical Priesthood would be replaced by the greater, perfect, and royal priesthood of Jesus Christ.

3. Melchizedek offered bread and wine in thanksgiving to God, prefiguring what our Lord did at the Last Supper.

4. Melchizedek was a "member of the nations." Christ came to save not just the House of Israel, but the people of all nations.

5. Melchizedek was not a priest of the Old Covenant, but prefigured the priesthood of the New Covenant. The Letter to the Hebrews elaborates upon the historical Melchizedek and weaves an image which foreshadows our Lord, who would fulfill the Old Testament covenant and the priesthood. This new, eternal covenant is continually being renewed at each Mass in the Eucharist--the offering of Christ's Body and Blood--a continual sacrifice, a perpetual offering. When Jesus died on the cross, he was the New Melchizedek feeding the children of Abraham so that through Abraham's seed, all the nations of the world would be blessed. Something which God had sworn to Abram but had not fulfilled until Christ, the "son" of Abraham was sacrificed on Moriah on the peak called Calvary. (Moriah was the mountain where Abraham went to sacrifice his son Isaac...the future site of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.)

Joseph and the Eucharist

Scene 1 New Life through Bread and Wine

The story of Joseph in Genesis is also filled with Eucharistic imagery.   While in prison, Joseph was joined by the Pharaoh’s baker (bread) and the Pharaoh’s cupbearer (wine). The baker was sentenced to die but the cupbearer was to live.  Because of this we see both death and resurrection linked to the Eucharist typology.  It is through Joseph’s relationship with these two that he is delivered from the dungeon.  The cupbearer, who lived, pleaded Joseph’s cause to Pharaoh who released Joseph, giving him new life.  The typology in the story provides bread and wine, death and resurrection, and a new life for Joseph, all elements of the Eucharist—without which Joseph would have rotted in prison.

Scene 2 Revealed through Bread and Wine

There is also Eucharistic typology employed in how Joseph “revealed himself” to his brothers.  Joseph places his cup of divination (a device for holding wine) into the grain sacks (a form of bread) of his brothers.  It was through this act that Joseph would draw his brothers back to him.  The brothers were accused of stealing the cup, buried in the grain.  Through this “crime” Joseph had them brought into his presence where they “confessed their sins”.  The typology in this scene provides bread, wine, confession and reconciliation, all elements of the Eucharist—without which the family of Joseph would never reconcile.

Scene 3 Salvation of the World

Finally, Eucharistic typology is employed when Joseph saves the world with the bread of Egypt. When the people were starving because of the famine affecting the whole area of Egypt and Canaan, they went to Pharaoh who told them “Do whatever he (Joseph) tells you.” (Also note that Mary, the mother of Jesus, says the same thing to the wine stewards at the wedding feast at Cana—Jesus’ first miracle of changing water into wine” which also prefigures the Eucharist ceremony at the Last Supper.)  The people are told to go to Joseph, hear from him what is to be done, and as a result be fed with life giving bread.  Eating the bread saved them.  The typology in this scene provides first hearing the Word (the Liturgy of the Word at Mass) and then the eating of bread, all elements of the Eucharist in the Mass without which the world would perish.  (Also note the first hearing the Word…and then drinking the wine, at Cana.)

Joseph a “Type of Jesus”

Joseph, Jacob’s favored son prefigures Jesus as an unjustly accused righteous man who is sold for silver, saves his kinsmen, and “rises” to the throne. Joseph was Jacob’s special son, born from his beloved wife Rachel. As the favorite son he was rejected by his brothers. (Just as Jesus was: “He came to his own, and his own people received him not…”) (Jn 1:11)  Centuries later near the tomb where Rachel was buried, Jesus was born.  Like Christ, Joseph was an innocent man made to suffer by his own people, sold for money, (Joseph—20 pieces of silver; Jesus 30 pieces) condemned, and counted among the dead.  (Jacob believed his son Joseph was dead.)  But God “raised” him to a new life, and through Joseph’s suffering and his forgiving of his family’s betrayal, God’s chosen people (descendants of Israel/Jacob) would be saved as the family is brought to Egypt under Joseph’s protection during the famine in the land given to Abraham.  Joseph is the instrument in saving his family from starvation.  Joseph and Jesus are saviors. Jesus ascends to the throne at the Ascension, Joseph rules over Egypt with the signet ring.  The story of Joseph teaches us to always trust God and be forgiving like Joseph.  In this way we too participate in the Lord’s work of salvation. 

Joseph also serves as a type of Saint Peter who is a chief steward whom Jesus appoints over his kingdom.   God reveals important things to both Joseph and St. Peter.  Joseph interprets a dream about the famine in Egypt; Peter responds that “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.  (Matthew 16:17)

Joseph is given Pharaoh’s signet ring becoming his Prime minister.  Jesus gives Peter the keys of the Kingdom, becoming the leader of His Church.

Twelve Tribes—Twelve Apostles

God continued his covenant with Isaac’s son, Israel (Jacob), whose 12 sons –head up the 12 tribes of Israel and who carry on the  Old Covenant.  The 12 Apostles carry on the New Covenant, bringing all Nations to God through his Church on Earth.

A Type of Mary in Genesis

At the fall of Adam and Eve, God promises that an offspring from the woman will come and bruise the head of the serpent, putting an end to the enmity between each of their offspring. This promise becomes an organizing theme for the rest of Scripture and the rest of human history, as every character and event find their place in relation to the great battle that now unfolds between the conquering Seed of the woman and the resistance of Satan. Adam was told by God that if he ate of the tree, then he would surely die (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam ate, but, God’s administered grace, instead of judgment, even going so far as to promise a redeemer for Adam, his wife, and their offspring. As evidence that Adam believed God’s promise is the fact that Adam names his wife Eve, “the mother of all the living” (Genesis 3:20), expressing his confidence that God would keep mankind alive until the Deliverer would come.

The Woman

When “Eve” was created, the man first called her “Woman”.  It was the woman who “gave the forbidden fruit to her husband who was with her and he ate it.   When God saw their sin, he immediately put together his plan of salvation:  “I will put enmity between you (the serpent–the devil) and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; they will strike at your head while you strike at their heel.

One might think that the “woman” referred to Eve; however it referred to another “woman”, Mary, the mother of Jesus.  At the wedding feast in Cana, Jesus’ response to his mother’s  telling him that there was no more wine, was to call her “Woman”  and added “My hour has not yet come. “  With that, both Mary and Jesus knew that his hour had indeed come. The woman Mary was without sin—she had enmity (hatred) with the devil.  Her seed, Jesus, was about to do away with the evil in this world with his suffering, death, and resurrection that would once again set straight God’s creation—putting  it back on its intended path towards eternal life with God.

Eve, Mother of all the Living

Jesus on the cross says to his mother “Woman, behold your son.”  To his disciple he said “Behold your mother.”  Once again Mary has fulfilled the foreshadowing of Eve when she received her name—“Mother of all the living”, as Mary becomes the mother of all believers.

The Annunciation

Sarah the mother of Isaac receives a message at Mamre from one of the three mysterious visitors (sometimes referred to as the Lord and his Angels) that her barrenness will be overcome when the Lord says to Abraham “Is anything too marvelous for the Lord to do?  At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you and Sarah will have a son.” (Gn 18-14).  Mary is told by the Angel Gabriel, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God…for nothing will be impossible for God” (Lk 1:35.37).

From the Annunciation to the Crucifixion of her Son, Mary can be seen as God’s ultimate validation of free will.  The Virgin Mary’s obedience to the will of God as conveyed to her in the angel Gabriel’s message was no less voluntary in its affirmation than the disobedience of the virgin Eve had been in its negation.  In the Catechism of the Catholic Church #494” “…’Being obedient she became the cause of salvation for herself and for the whole human race.’  Hence not a few of the early Fathers gladly assert, “the knot of Eve’s disobedience was untied by Mary’s obedience: what the virgin Eve bound through her disbelief, Mary loosened by her faith.’ Comparing her with Eve, they call Mary ‘the Mother of the living’ and frequently claim “death through Eve, life through Mary.”

“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. "

John 11:25,26

ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS --JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES -- EPISODE 3 - Part 2 --TYPOLOGY IN THE BIBLE

Typology in the Bible 

The story of Abraham’s faith in Part 1, is a perfect example of typology in the Bible.  Typology is the study of persons, places, events and institutions in the Bible that foreshadow later and greater realities made known by God in history.  The basis of such study is the belief that God, who providentially shape and determines the course of human events, infuses those events with a prophetic and theological significance.  Typology thus reveals the unity of salvation history as a carefully orchestrated plan that God unfolds in stages of ever-increasing fulfillment.   The movement from “types” to the realities they signify, called “antitypes,” is always a movement from the lesser to the greater.   (Adam is a “type” of Jesus; Jesus is the “antitype” of Adam.) 

Typology can be understood in prophetic (promise/fulfillment), Metaphysical (matter/spirit), eschatological (time/eternity), or anagogical terms (earth/heaven).  Typology is not simply applied to the Bible; it is something applied within the Bible.  Typology was used by the authors of the Bible.  Studying the Bible in terms of typology is a valid approach to understanding salvation history.   Typology is first and foremost grounded in the Semitic world of Scripture, because the biblical authors themselves made extensive use of typology in explaining the actions of God in history (CCC 128-30) For example, the story of Joshua is deliberately worded to evoke memories of the story of Moses and to suggest that Joshua himself was a new Moses who acquired for his people what his forbearer could not, possession of the Promise Land. For example, Joshua parted the waters of the Jordan so that Israel could cross over on dry ground (Jos 3:14-17; 4:23) just as Moses had done at the Red Sea (Ex 14:16).

Typology comes into its fullness in the New Testament in the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.  It is more pervasive in the NT than in the OT and reaches a crescendo of fulfillment as typological themes of the Hebrew Scriptures give way to the definitive antitypes that God had intended to prefigure from the beginning in the person and work of Jesus Christ.   This can be seen in Matthew 12 where Jesus claims “something greater than the temple is here” (Mt 12:6), and something greater than Jonah is here” (Mt 12:41) and “something greater than Solomon is here” (Mt 12:42) His words state what is true for all typology, that is, antitypes resemble the types that foreshadow them, yet they also surpass them because they are something greater than the original.  Christ is a new and living temple, for in him dwells the divine presence more intensely than in the sanctuary.  He is a new Jonah (who was in the belly of the whale for 3 days), for his Resurrection after three days in the grave would be the one miracle that outshines all others, and, as the New Solomon, he is a king of the royal line of David and a man of legendary wisdom who will draw the world closer to His Father.

All Scripture speaks of Christ and the Church and is found hidden in the text and foreshadowing of what is fully revealed in the New Testament.  The Church has illuminated the unity of scripture through typology which reveals God’s work in the Old Testament and prefigures his accomplishments in the fullness of time in the person of Jesus Christ.  Some “types” of Christ in the Old Testament are Adam in his original and intended holiness; the high Priest Melchizedek; Joseph, the son of Jacob; Moses, as well as the prophecies of the suffering servant proclaimed by Isaiah. 

Adam a Type of Christ

ADAM AND CHRIST ARE ALIKE	ADAM AND CHRIST ARE UNALIKE
Both had an effect upon the whole human race	Sin and death came from Adam while righteousness and life came from Christ
Both endured the temptation of Satan	Adam failed and Christ was victorious
Through both humanity receives an inheritance	Through Adam’s failure humanity inherits death and original sin. Personal sin becomes a plague on mankind.  Through Christ’s victory humanity inherits adoption into God’s family and the promise of eternal life.
Both were human men	Christ was both human and divine
Both the acts of Adam and Christ invoke a divine verdict	Satan stood behind the act of Adam while the grace of God stood behind Christ; the verdict behind Adam’s act is judgement while the verdict behind Christ’s is acquittal
Both Adam and Christ  exercised their free will	Adam willingly fell from grace; Christ willingly laid down his life in sacrifice for all mankind
Both were born into the world as sinless and immortal beings	Adam lost his immortality when he fell from grace while Christ remained pure and sinless and through his sacrifice and resurrection has made God’s gift of immortality once again available to man.

The Trinity in Genesis

The reference of “three” has its own interesting study with regards to Typology.  Whenever the number three appears it usually signifies something of great importance.  For example, in the Bible, the phrase “on the third day” is used many times and it signifies something important is about to happen; the first two days don’t tell the whole story—the third day is the conclusion.

The Bible makes great use of the number three.  On the third day, Abraham reaches Mount Moriah (the future Temple mount of Jerusalem) where he is to sacrifice his son Isaac.  (Gn 22: 4-5) On the third day, Pharaoh releases the chief cupbearer from death row (Gn 40:20-21) as Joseph correctly interpreted his dream which would eventually lead to Pharaoh learning that Joseph can interpret dreams.   On the third day, Joseph releases his brothers from prison in Egypt (Gn 42:17-18) On the third day, God descends to Mount Sinai and reveals the 10 Commandments.  After three days, Jonah is expelled from the belly of the whale. (Jonah 2:11).   On the third day, Jesus performs his first miracle at the Wedding feast in Cana. On the third day, Jesus rises from the dead. The number three is significant as it plays out in important events as well.  In the story of the sacrifice of Isaac, Abraham brings Isaac and two servants.  At Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus is crucified with two other men.  Noah has 3 sons to repopulate the world.

From the very beginning of the Bible we can see the significance of the Holy Trinity.  In the first chapter of Genesis there are hints of the Trinity:  In Gen 1: 1-3, we read, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth -- And the earth was without form, or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters…  (Wind is symbolic of the Spirit of God = Holy Spirit)   Then God spoke… (God spoke words, the Word of God = Jesus)

From the very beginning of God’s revelation we can see the suggestion of the three Persons of God.  Often when God speaks or does something the singular and plural is interchangeable.  Plural indicates the three persons; the singular indicates the one God.

Genesis 1:26 - Then God said: Let us make human beings in our image, after our likeness.

Genesis 3:22 - When expelling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, God also speaks in the plural: "Then the LORD God said, 'See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil...' "

Genesis 11:7 - Seeing the Tower of Babel, God again speaks in the plural: "Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another's speech."

In Genesis 18:1-3 - The Lord appeared to Abraham near the oak of Mamre, as he sat in the entrance of his tent. … Looking up, he saw three men standing near him.  Abraham addresses them as The Lord.

...Coming soon

 ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS --JESUS EXPLAINS THE SCRIPTURES 

   EPISODE 3 - PART 3