LESSON 2

THE STORY OF JESUS ACCORDING TO THE GOSPELS

Introduction:  Why Four Gospels, and not only one?

  • The Gospel story needed to be told in different ways to different people with different cultural and religious backgrounds.
  • The Four Gospels tell the same story, the Story of Jesus, but they emphasize different aspects of Jesus' life and ministry to people having different religious needs.
  • We call the first three Gospels The Synoptic Gospels because they are very similar and view the life and ministry of Jesus with similar eyes (the word synoptic means seeing the gospel story together or in a similar light).
  • For the lack of a suitable term we call The Gospel of John The Fourth Gospel!
  • Although The Gospel of John is different from the other three, there is enough common material to let us know that John must have been aware of the other three.
  • Scholars are divided over which Gospel was written first, but most hold that Mark was the first Gospel written, followed by Matthew, then by Luke, and finally by John.
  • Each Gospel emphasizes Jesus’ life and ministry differently or explains the Gospel in different terms to people of different cultural backgrounds.
  • It is the same Jesus they are presenting, the difference in their Gospels lies only in the fact that at times they are looking at different aspects of his life.
     
    •

    The Gospel of Mark:

    • It is assumed by most that John Mark, the cousin of Barnabas, was the author of the Gospel bearing his name.
    • Early Church history informs us that Mark actually wrote his Gospel from the gospel the Apostle Peter preached, hence it is argued that the Gospel of Mark is in reality the Gospel of Peter.
    • Church history informs us that John Mark was Peter’s scribe while Peter was in Rome during the last days of Peter's ministry, just before he died as a martyr.
    • From the language and terminology encountered in Mark we conclude that the readers of Mark’s Gospels were not Jews, but Romans, and that the Gospel was most likely written in Rome for Romans.
    • Mark uses a number of Latin terms, such as speculator (6:27) denarius (6:37) census (12:14) centurio (15:39), which are not found in the other Gospels.
    • A reasonable date for the writing of Mark would be around AD 64.
    • The Gospel of Mark is intended to explain the Story of Jesus to the Roman mind.
    • Mark writes to demonstrate that Jesus is the powerful, active, Son of God.  Roman gods were powerful gods, not "heavenly debaters" like Greek gods:
    • Mark 1:1; 15:39 Jesus is identified as Son of God.
    • He performs powerful acts of healing, demonstrates power over demons, cleanses lepers, and calms storms (in Mark 1:21 and following the focus is on the powerful acts of Jesus).
    • Mark is a simple Gospel demonstrating the dynamic power of Jesus.
      •
    • Great passages in Mark:
      (Read some of these verses or highlight them briefly in discussion.)
    • Mark 1:1-3 John the Baptist prepares the way for Jesus
    • Mark 1:4-8 John the Baptist begins by preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but immediately shifts the emphasis to Jesus.
    • Mark 1:14. Jesus declares the time of the kingdom is fulfilled and calls for repentance and belief in the gospel.
    • Mark 16:1-9. Jesus is raised from the dead (read this with Rom 1:3 & 4 where Paul in writing to Romans declares that Jesus was declared Son of God in power by his resurrection – Romans would need a powerful sign of Jesus’ divinity and claims to be Son of God. His resurrection was a powerful testimony to this.)
    • Mark 16:15, 16. The Apostles are commissioned to go into all the world (including the Roman world) to preach the gospel – all who believe in Jesus and the gospel and are baptized will be saved – even the Romans who had a part in Jesus’ crucifixion.
       
      •

    The Gospel of Matthew:
  • Matthew is a Gospel full of Jewish concerns, in other words, it was written primarily for Jewish Christians, or Jews interested in Christianity.
  • The theological principles or message of Matthew’ Gospel are nevertheless universal and applies to all people.
  • However, in order to understand the Gospel one must be sensitive to Jewish thinking and terms.
  • It is assumed, and early church history makes this claim, that the Gospel of Matthew was written by the Apostle Matthew.
  • A careful study of Matthew (and comparison of Matthew with Mark) indicates that Matthew drew much information regarding the events of Jesus’ life from the Gospel of Mark – Mark got his information from the Apostle Peter.
  • Behind the writing of each of our Gospels we see the Holy Spirit working to insure that the writers got their facts right and recorded them in a trustworthy manner.
  • It is assumed by Scholars that Matthew wrote his gospel sometime around the time of the destruction of Jerusalem (AD 66-70), and that he was writing to Jewish Christians who had been displaced from Jerusalem and had gathered in new Christian communities (churches) somewhere in Northern Palestine or Southern Syria.
  • Matthew focuses attention on Jesus, his call for radical discipleship, Jesus as God’s promised Messiah and the king of God’s kingdom.
  • Matthew leans heavily on the teaching material of Jesus, hence we have the extended Sermon on the Mount in Matthew and not in the other Gospels (Matt 5-7, especially 5:1-11), although Luke includes material from the Sermon on th Mount.
  • The genealogy of Matthew is different form that of Luke because Matthew focuses on the Jewish royal line of Jesus’ ancestry (Matt 1:1-17).
  • A major feature of Matthew’s Gospel is the fact that Jesus fulfills Old Testament Prophesies concerning the kingdom and expected Messianic king (Matt 1:18-23 the virgin birth of Jesus; 2:1-6 the future king to be born in Bethlehem).  His fulfillment of these prophecies for Jews would mean that Jesus was the long expected Jewish Messiah.
  • Since Jerusalem was central to the Jewish mindset, and since it had been destroyed by the Romans, Matthew included and extended account of Jesus’ prophecy that he would destroy Jerusalem as a judgment form God for Israel’s rejection of God’s plan and purpose in Jesus.
  • Because of the Jewish Christian reluctance to include Gentiles in the kingdom and church, Matthew records Jesus’ great commission to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18-20).
     
    •

    The Gospel of Luke:
  • Luke’s Gospel is unique in that it and Acts are the only books in our New Testament written by a Gentile – a Greek Christian!
  • Luke’s Gospel is similar in many ways to the Gospel of Matthew, but Luke focuses attention on Gentile concerns. Jesus is pictured as the Son of God who is the savior of all mankind, not only of the Jews.
  • Luke dates from approximately AD 68-70.
  • Luke’s genealogy follows the more human lineage of Jesus rather than the royal lineage. Luke goes all the way back to Adam, the origin of all mankind (Luke 3:23-38)!
  • Luke ( a physician) emphasizes the human points in Jesus’ ministry that would have specific interest to Gentiles.
  • We have the fascinating story of the Good Samaritan (considered a Gentile by the Jews) who is more sensitive to the Jewish man beaten by robbers, than was the Jewish Priest and Levite (Lk 10:25-37).
  • Luke shows more concern for women and prayer than do the other Gospels.
    •
  • Luke follows his Gospel (which focuses on what Jesus did and taught) with another book, The Book Of Acts in which he describes the impact of Jesus' ministry on the disciples as the church carries on Jesus’ ministry into all the world, beginning in Jerusalem, then in Judea, then in Samaria, and then to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).
     
    •

    The Gospel of John:
  • As we indicated earlier, the Gospel of John is different from the other three:
  • There are no birth narratives in the Gospel of John.
  • There is no Sermon on the Mount in John.
  • John includes matters that are not discussed in the other Gospels:
  • Jesus' miracle of turning water into wine (Jn 2:1-11)
  • Jesus' discussion with Nicodemus on the new birth (Jn 3:1-14)
  • Jesus' discussion with the Woman in Samaria (Jn 4:7-8).
  • Jesus' raising of Lazarus from the dead (Jn 11:1-27).
  • Jesus' long discourse with the Apostles just before his betrayal (Jn 13-17).
  • Jesus' discussion with Peter just before his ascension (Jn 21:15-23)
    •
  • John’s Gospel was written around AD 92 for Gentile Christians living in Ephesus, Asia Minor, and surrounding areas.
  • The Theology of the Gospel of John is that Jesus is the Son of God, he is fully divine, he came in the flesh and died in the flesh, and eternal life comes through believing in Jesus as the Son of God.
    Important texts in John:
  • Jn 1:15, 9-13, 14-18.
  • Jn 3:16-18, 36.
  • Jn 5:24, 36-40.
  • Jn 14:1-6
  • Jn 20:30, 31.
    •
  • Notable in John’s Gospel are the seven great "I am" statements made by Jesus:
  • Jn 6:35 - I am the bread of life.
  • Jn 8:12 - I am the light of the world.
  • Jn 10:7 - I am the door of the sheep.
  • Jn 10:11 - I am the good shepherd.
  • Jn 11:25 - I am the resurrection and the life.
  • Jn 14:6 - I am the way, the truth, and the life.
  • Jn15:1 - I am the vine.
     
    •

    Summary of the Four Gospels:
  • Mark – AD 64, for Roman Christians and people, Jesus is the powerful Son of God, the Apostles must preach the Gospel to the whole world, he who believes and is baptized will be saved. Mark stresses the mighty powerful works of Jesus.
  • Matthew – AD 66-70, for Jewish Christians living in Syria, Jesus is the Messiah, the King of God’s Kingdom. The Apostles must make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Stresses the teachings of Jesus.
  • Luke – AD 68-70, for Gentile people, Jesus is the Son of God, the Savior of the world. Luke is concerned for all people, especially the disenfranchised, women, and the Gentiles.
  • John – AD 92, for Gentile people in Asia Minor, Jesus is the divine Son of God, the one who existed before the creation and by whom creation came into being. Eternal life comes through believing in Jesus.
    •