4–Earth, Soil, Gospels, Lengthy

Summer Fun with the biblical meaning of numbers continues with FOUR.

Steps 1 & 2 for meditation/contemplation: Relax. Ask Jesus to join you. Read the following prompt:

FOUR symbolizes the world, the material universe. There are four directions (north, south, east, west), four seasons, and four earth elements (earth air, fire and water). The breast piece for the High Priest (in Exodus) had four rows of precious stones (twelve stones in all for the twelve tribes of Israel). For Catholics, the fourth commandment is to honor thy father and mother, a rule for the world-bound humans to follow.

FOUR appears often in the bible, but much of the time, it simply means what it means: greater than three and less than five. In the New Testament, for example, there are the four Evangelists/Gospels. Each focuses on a different aspect of God: Jesus as Son of David and fulfillment of Old Testament; Jesus as a suffering servant who wants us to serve rather than seek to be served; Jesus’ human nature yet Savior; and Jesus’ divine nature as the true Son of God. Another example: An angel appeared to Joseph in four dreams (to tell him: take Mary as your wife, go to Egypt, leave Egypt, and go to Nazareth). Yet another example: the four kinds of soil that receive the seeds of faith in Jesus’ parable (seeds don’t take at all and are eaten by birds; seeds grow but quickly die; seeds grow but are killed by thorn bushes growing with them; and the seeds flourish.) These examples deal with earthly concerns of the Evangelists, Joseph and Jesus making His point, but there is no symbolic meaning beyond that.

FORTY (as in 40 days) is symbolic. It means “a long time”, not a precise number of sunrises and sunsets.

Step 3: Talk to Jesus like a friend and react to what you just read. What word or idea stood out to you? (Feel free to read, or skip, my reaction below)

[Sample–my talk with Jesus, unedited, just as I prayed it.] What stood out to me, Jesus, is the different emphasis of each of the four Gospels. I think it’s because I’ve been watching The Chosen, that series about You and Your life, but with a focus on the Apostles and how they all came together. I’m a real fan of the show because 1) it helps me “see” scripture in real-life terms and so I understand it more and 2) the episode about John the Apostle interviewing the other Apostles and Mary because “we don’t want to lose this chance to give our eye-witness to future generations.” I can see why Matthew, so logical and math-based in his thinking, would want to emphasize how You are the Son of David, and therefore, “eligible”, so to speak, to be the Messiah that fulfills the Jewish scriptures.

I just learned (not from the show, but from a bible study) that Mark’s Gospel was probably Peter writing through Mark. That makes sense because Peter doesn’t seem to be the studious type yet would have had these wonderful eye-witness accounts and insights to share. And Mark was close to him. And it was the first Gospel written and was short. It emphasized Jesus as the suffering servant Isaiah the prophet talked about. Peter was all about no one hurting Jesus or disrespecting Him so I totally get how Peter came to learn why Jesus had to suffer (to be the servant) and why he would want to share what he learned.

Luke wrote for the Greeks–whether Jew or Gentile. He wanted to emphasize Jesus’ humanity. He was a Gentile and he wrote the most, probably because as a physician, he was more educated than most and explanations came easy to him. And being Gentile, he’d want to explain what he, as a Gentile, didn’t understand at first.

John, the Apostle Jesus loved, emphasized Jesus’ divinity. There’s a wonderful scene in The Chosen that connects the beginning of Genesis (In the beginning, when God created the universe ….) with the beginning of John’s Gospel (Before the world was created, the Word already existed; He was with God, and He was the same as God.)

Oh, Jesus, I often thought I could have been a good apostle if I had lived back then. But now that I’m older, I can see I’m not as strong as I thought I was. Those guys–and Mary, and Mary Magdalene, and the dozen of other women all named Mary, pretty common name–sure are to be admired. I’m so glad you chose them. I’m so glad I get to be Catholic. I know I should probably say Christian, but I am glad to be specifically Catholic. I’m glad there are Christians because I want everyone to believe in You. But I think of Protestants sort like the northern tribes that got mad at Solomon’s son–and they had every right to be angry–and left to do their own thing. I think Catholics are like the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the kingdom of Judah that still carries the bloodline of King David–who wasn’t a saint himself but that’s another story.

Step 4: Sit with Jesus in silence. Let Him talk to you. Set a timer if it will help you let your thoughts go and think only of Him.

Step 5: React to what Jesus says to you with a prayer. (Feel free to read, or skip, my prayer below.)

[Sample: my prayer] Dear Jesus, thank You for creating all that You have. It’s truly mind-boggling. But I do know I love You and I want to be with You in heaven. I know there is so much more to life than “earth” and the sky I can see. I feel amazed–and afraid, even though You tell me often not to be afraid. As so often happens, I don’t feel like I “hear” from You until my prayer session has ended and I’m caught off-guard. Catch me off-guard anytime, Lord. I want to do want You want me to do.

Step 6: Keep a word, phrase, thought or image in your heart until your next prayer session. (Feel free to read, or skip, my answer below.)

[Saint John the Apostle, with tears of love in his eyes, watching Jesus preach.]