Lesson 6: The Gospels and You
Matthew, Mark, Luke and John wrote the story of Jesus Christ's life and teachings from different perspectives, giving us a fuller view of our Savior. This lesson can only scratch the surface of what we can learn and apply from the four Gospels.
The
Old Testament prophecies of a coming Messiah were very much on the minds
of the first-century Jews, chafing under Roman rule. They were looking
for a conquering King to liberate them from the Romans, but they generally
misunderstood the prophecies of a suffering Savior. They did not understand
that the Messiah would come twice.
The New Testament writers mention Old Testament messianic prophecies
more than 130 times, proving clearly that Jesus was the Messiah or Christ.
The story of the baptism of Jesus Christ by John the Baptist marks
the beginning of Jesus' ministry and helps show the seamless connection
between the Old Testament and the New.
"Now this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests
and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, 'Who are you?'
"He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, 'I am not the Christ.'
"And they asked him, 'What then? Are you Elijah?' He said, 'I am not.'
'Are you the Prophet?' And he answered, 'No.'
"Then they said to him, 'Who are you, that we may give an answer to those
who sent us? What do you say about yourself?'
"He said: 'I am "the voice of one crying in the wilderness: 'Make straight
the way of the Lord,'" as the prophet Isaiah said.'
"Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
"And they asked him, saying, 'Why then do you baptize if you are not the
Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?'
"John answered them, saying, 'I baptize with water, but there stands One
among you whom you do not know.
"'It is He who, coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap
I am not worthy to loose.'
"These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where John was
baptizing.
"The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, 'Behold! The
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
"'This is He of whom I said, "After me comes a Man who is preferred before
me, for He was before me."
"'I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore
I came baptizing with water.'
"And John bore witness, saying, 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven
like a dove, and He remained upon Him.
"'I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to
me, "Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this
is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit."
"'And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God'" (John 1:19-34).
The prophecies and the miracles fully convinced those who became Jesus'
disciples. The next day Andrew told his brother, Simon Peter, "'We have
found the Messiah' (which is translated, the Christ)" (John 1:41).
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Why Four Gospels? Do They Contradict Each Other?
Our lesson on "The
Life and Ministry of Jesus Christ" explains:
"Why are there four Gospels instead of just one? First, the Gospels are not
purely biographies. Each of the four authors is describing what he considers
the most spiritually significant elements of Jesus' life and teachings. Of
course, each author was inspired by God through His Holy Spirit.
"There are no real contradictions among the four accounts. The four different
perspectives complement each other and help to fill out the whole picture
of His perfect life. Therefore, there is harmony, continuity and unity among
the four accounts. It's profitable to combine the perspectives into an overall
view, but it's also interesting and profitable to focus on one perspective
at a time.
"Summarizing the particular focus of each author can be challenging, but
here is one simplified approach: Matthew announces Jesus as King, Mark presents
Him as Servant, Luke focuses on Him as Man and John highlights Him as God.
Jesus is our perfect model in each of those roles."
The multifaceted view provided by the four Gospel writers enriches our understanding
of our Savior. Even seeming contradictions can be helpful in getting a fuller
picture. Consider this example from our booklet Is
the Bible True?:
"As an example of resolving supposed contradictions, let's consider
how the four Gospels record the words that Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor,
ordered to be placed above Jesus' head at His crucifixion.
"Matthew 27:37 reads, 'This is Jesus the king of the Jews.'
"Mark 15:26 says, 'the king of the Jews.'
"Luke 23:38 reads, 'This is the king of the Jews.'
"John 19:19 states, 'Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews.'
"At first glance it might appear none of the authors copied the words
on the sign properly. But, when we read each account, we find every one
adds a bit more information to the rest. From John we find that Pilate composed
the message. From Luke we have additional information as to why these words
are different: The inscription was originally written in three languages,
Greek, Latin and Hebrew (Luke 23:38).
"So the variation of the wordings logically would have to do with
the three languages used as well as the different point of view of each
biographer, stressing slightly different aspects of Christ's life and ministry.
Adding up the wording of the different accounts, we see that the complete
message recorded by the signs was 'This is Jesus of Nazareth, the king of
the Jews.'
"None of the Gospel accounts contradicts the others; they complement
each other to provide increased understanding. A helpful tool for studying
Christ's life and ministry is A.T. Robertson's A Harmony of the Gospels, which
provides all four Gospel accounts side by side in chronological order."
Matthew
Matthew was one of the original 12 disciples of Christ. The Gospel of Matthew
begins with the genealogy of Jesus Christ, intricately tying this first book
of the New Testament with all that had gone before in the Hebrew Scriptures
(known to Christians as the Old Testament).
The Bible Knowledge Commentary explains: "Matthew's genealogy answered
the important question a Jew would rightfully ask about anyone who claimed
to be King of the Jews. Is He a descendant of David through the rightful line
of succession? Matthew answered yes!" (Logos Software, 1996).
Matthew appears to have written his account with the first-century Jewish
audience in mind. "Matthew's Gospel cites 21 prophecies that were fulfilled
in circumstances surrounding the life and death of Christ. Eleven passages
point out these fulfillments using such introductions as 'that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophet…' or 'then was fulfilled what
was spoken by the prophet…'" (Jesus
Christ: The Real Story, p. 20).
What responsibilities did Jesus give His followers as recorded by
Matthew?
Matthew 24:14
"And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness
to all the nations, and then the end will come."
Matthew 28:19-20
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them
to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
even to the end of the age." Amen.
With this mission in mind, Matthew's Gospel focuses on preaching about the
coming Kingdom (Matthew mentions the Kingdom of Heaven or the Kingdom of God
37 times) and teaching the Church.
"The discipling process involves instruction in the words of Christ, and
the Gospel of Matthew revolves around five of Jesus' discourses (5:1-7:28;
10:5-11:1; 13:3-53; 18:2-19:1; 24:4-26:1). Instead of emphasizing a narrative
of Jesus' life as Mark does, Matthew uses the narrative elements in his Gospel
as a setting for Jesus' sermons" (The Nelson Study Bible, introduction
to Matthew).
Mark
"Matthew is formal and stately. Mark is bustling with life; full of action.
Matthew collects Jesus' sayings. Mark concentrates on the marvellous things
Jesus did and the places he went to" (Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible, 1973,
p. 499).
Mark was not one of the original 12 disciples, but tradition says that the
apostle Peter was influential in providing information for Mark's Gospel.
The outline of events in Mark follows the outline of Peter's sermon to Cornelius
(Acts 10:34-43). And Peter tells us that he loved Mark as his own son (1 Peter
5:13).
Mark's Gospel was likely the first one written, and it is the shortest. "Only
four paragraphs in these 16 chapters are unique to Mark. All the rest appears
again in either Matthew or Luke, or both. Yet to lose Mark would be to lose
something beyond price. In Mark we see Jesus in action. And as we watch, the
things he does convince us that he is the Son of God himself" (ibid.).
What was Jesus Christ's message, powerfully summarized in Mark?
Mark 1:14-15
Now after John was put in prison, Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel
of the kingdom of God, and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom
of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel."
The good news of the coming government of God is a message that requires
action. Mark's Gospel ends with an additional call to action. Those who believe
and are baptized are commissioned to assist in continually spreading the good
news to others (Mark 16:15-16).
Luke
"Luke never met Jesus, yet chose to follow Him. An obviously educated man
who, as Col. 4:14 tells us, was a physician, Luke learned all that he could
about Jesus and shared his findings with us. Thus his Gospel provides a 'step
back,' a unique perspective on Jesus' birth, ministry, death, and resurrection…
Much of the material in chs. 9-19 appears only in Luke; in all, about one-third
of the Gospel of Luke is unique" (The Nelson Study Bible, introduction
to Luke).
Luke apparently talked with many eyewitnesses in researching this book (Luke
1:2). The apostle Paul probably also assisted Luke in understanding the life
and ministry of Christ. It seems evident that Luke began to accompany Paul
in his journeys after joining him at Troas, since it is there that Luke, the
author of Acts, begins using the pronoun "we" (Acts 16:8-11). Paul had been
directly taught by Jesus Christ during the years that he spent in Arabia (Galatians
1:12, 15-18; 2 Corinthians 12:1-6).
Luke "shows Jesus as the Saviour of all men; his coming, a world-event. He
lets us see Jesus the Man. And his selection of stories reflects his own warm
interest in people, especially the sick and helpless, the poor, women, children,
the social outcasts" (Eerdmans' Handbook to the Bible, 1973, p. 514).
Luke wrote his Gospel and the book of Acts as a two-part history of Jesus
Christ and the New Testament Church.
What did it take for the disciples to really understand what Jesus
had done and the prophecies He had fulfilled?
Luke 24:44-45
Then He said to them, "These are the words which I spoke to you while I was
still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in
the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me."
And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures.
The Scriptures exhibit a wonderful unity, but it takes God to open our minds
to truly see the connections. This understanding set the stage for the next
big event that Luke recorded in the book of Acts: the giving of the Holy Spirit
and the founding of the New Testament Church of God on the Day of Pentecost
(Acts 2).
John
John was one of the original 12 disciples of Jesus. John became an exceptionally
loving person, and Jesus had a special love for him. It was John whom Jesus
asked to take care of His aging mother after Jesus ascended to heaven (John
19:26).
"The Gospel of John is a persuasive argument for the deity of Jesus. It concentrates
on presenting Jesus as the Word, that is, God (1:1) who became a man (1:14).
Thus John meticulously records the statements and describes the miracles of
Jesus that can only be attributed to God Himself.
"Jesus called Himself the bread of life (6:35, 41, 48, 51), the light of
the world (8:12; 9:5), the door for the sheep (10:7, 9), the good shepherd
(10:11, 14), the resurrection and the life (11:25), the way the truth, the
life (14:6), and the true vine (15:1, 5). Each of these statements begins
with the words, 'I am,' recalling God's revelation of His name, 'I AM,' to
Moses (see Ex. 3:14)…
"Then there are the signs of Jesus' deity. Miracles in the Gospel of John
are called 'signs' because they point to Jesus' divine nature. John records
seven such signs: changing water into wine (2:1-11), healing a man's son (4:46-54),
healing a lame man (5:1-9), multiplying bread and fish (6:1-14), walking on
water (6:15-21), healing a blind man (9:1-7), and raising Lazarus (11:38-44).
These miracles show that Jesus is God; He possesses power over nature" (The
Nelson Study Bible, introduction to John).
Why did John write his Gospel?
John 20:30-31
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which
are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have
life in His name.
John, writing long after the other Gospels had been circulated, did not try
to cover the same ground, but chose his material carefully for a purpose.
He wanted his readers, then and through the centuries, to believe that Jesus
is the Son of God and to choose to follow Him—to enter the road to eternal
life.
