The Gospels
Notes
Transcript
Matthew
Matthew
Presents Jesus as the Messiah
Presents Jesus as the Messiah
Matthew (ESV): The Gospel of Matthew presents Jesus as Israel’s Messiah. The account alternates between Jesus’ activities of healing and casting out demons, and major blocks of his teaching, including the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5–7), the Parables of the Kingdom (ch. 13), and the Olivet Discourse (chs. 24–25). The Sermon on the Mount includes the Beatitudes (5:3–12) and the Lord’s Prayer (6:5–15). The book closes with the Great Commission (28:18–20). A recurring theme is the conflict between Jesus and the religious leaders, culminating in his pronouncement of “seven woes” upon them (ch. 23). As do all four Gospel accounts, Matthew focuses on Christ’s three-year ministry and his death and resurrection. Matthew probably wrote his Gospel in the 50s or 60s a.d.
Matthew 5:17 ““Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
Mark
Mark
Presents Jesus as the Christ the Son of God
Presents Jesus as the Christ the Son of God
Mark (ESV): The Gospel of Mark emphasizes that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus announced the Kingdom of God, healed the sick, and died as a ransom for sinners. In addition to Jesus, Mark features three main groups of people: the disciples, the crowds, and the religious leaders, none of whom understood Jesus. When the time came for Jesus to go to the cross, the religious leaders arrested him, the disciples abandoned him, and the crowds jeered him. Only when he died alone on the cross did a Roman centurion recognize that he was the Son of God. Though the book is anonymous, tradition identifies John Mark (Acts 12:12) as the author. He may have based his Gospel on Peter’s preaching, writing sometime in the 50s or 60s a.d.
Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”
This is the shortest gospel. In fact, it’s possible that this gospel was written so that it could be easily memorized and told aloud—written to “go viral,” if you will.
Luke
Luke
Emphasizes Jesus’s humanity and salvation for all.
Emphasizes Jesus’s humanity and salvation for all.
Luke (ESV): The Gospel of Luke is in the form of a letter to a man named Theophilus. Luke wrote after having carefully investigated all the facts about Christ (1:1–4). Luke documents Christ’s life from before his birth through his ministry, death, and resurrection. Jesus carried out his ministry in the power of the Holy Spirit, announcing the good news of salvation. He showed numerous times his compassion for the poor and the outcast. He fulfilled prophecy and carried out his purpose: to seek and save the lost. Luke gives the fullest account of Christ’s birth, and only Luke records the parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son. Luke, a physician and a colleague of Paul, probably wrote this account in the early 60s a.d. He also wrote Acts.
Luke 1:1–4 “Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught.”
John
John
Persuades of Jesus’s deity.
Persuades of Jesus’s deity.
John (ESV): The Gospel of John was written to persuade people to believe in Jesus (20:30–31). The opening verses declare that Jesus is God, stressing his unique relationship with God the Father. The book focuses on seven of Jesus’ signs (miracles), to show his divinity. Jesus called people to believe in him, promising eternal life. He proved he could give life by raising Lazarus (ch. 11) and by his own death and resurrection. John features Christ’s seven “I am” statements, his encounters with Nicodemus and the Samaritan woman, his Upper Room teachings and washing of the disciples’ feet (chs. 13–16), and his high priestly prayer (ch. 17). It includes the most well-known summary of the gospel (3:16). The author was probably the apostle John, writing about a.d. 85.
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
A statement of Jesus’ divine status
(Mt 1:23; 3:13–17; Mk 1:1, 9–11; Lk 1:32–35; 3:21–22; Jn 1:1, 29–34)
Jesus’ miracles and teachings
(Mt 4–25; Mk 1–13; Lk 4–19:27; Jn 2–17)
Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and death
(Mt 26–27; Mk 14–15; Lk 19:28–23:56; Jn 18–19)
Jesus’ resurrection and encouragement to his followers
(Mt 28:1–15; Mk 16:1–8; Lk 24:1–12; Jn 20:1–10
What does Jesus say about himself?
Whom is Jesus talking to? (This is vital. Is he talking to his disciples, his enemies, a massive crowd?)
What does Jesus say about God?How does Jesus react to different situations?
What pleases him? What upsets him?
What does Jesus tell people to do?
John 21:25 “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.”