Exploring the Word of God: Introduction to the Gospels

By Grace Communion International

This e-book contains articles that are about all four of the Gospels - not specifically about Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, but about topics that span all of the canonical accounts of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We cover historical accuracy, doctrinal content, and significance for our own day.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Grace Communion International
• Release date: Sep 5, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301194841

Grace Communion International

Grace Communion International is a Christian denomination with about 30,000 members, worshiping in about 550 congregations in almost 70 nations and territories. We began in 1934 and our main office is in North Carolina. In the United States, we are members of the National Association of Evangelicals and similar organizations in other nations. We welcome you to visit our website at www.gci.org.

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Exploring the Word of God:

Introduction to the Gospels

Copyright 2013 Grace Communion International

Cover art by Ken Tunell

Scripture quotations, unless noted, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com. The NIV and New International Version are trademarks registered in the United States Patent and Trademark Office by Biblica, Inc.™

Table of Contents

1. Why Do We Need Four Gospels?

2. Can We Trust the Gospels?

3. The Search for the Real Words of Jesus

4. The Gospels and Us

5. How Do We Know About Jesus?

6. What Jesus’ Parables Reveal

7. How Many Points in a Parable?

8. What the Gospels Teach Us About God

9. What the Gospels Teach Us About Jesus

10. What the Gospels Teach Us About the Holy Spirit

11. What the Gospels Teach Us About the Scriptures

12. What the Gospels Teach Us About Angels and Demons

13. The Gospels and the Gospel

About the Authors

About the Publisher

Grace Communion Seminary

Ambassador College of Christian Ministry

Introduction: This project began in the mid 1990s. The first volume of Exploring the Word of God was published in 1995. We were not able to print any more volumes, but we continued to study and write articles about Scripture. We have gathered these articles and are publishing them as e-books. We hope you find these studies useful and encouraging.

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Why Do We Need Four Gospels?

By Tim Finlay

At the heart of Christianity is the person and work of Jesus Christ. So we would expect the Christian Scriptures to include an account of Jesus’ life. But why do we have four – the Gospels according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John? Isn’t this redundant? Wouldn’t one be enough?

On the contrary, our knowledge of Jesus Christ would be incomplete if we had only one Gospel. Or even if we had three Gospels but were missing one. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each told the story from a different perspective, because each had a different audience in mind. We tend to blur these four distinctive portraits of Jesus together. But knowing how an act or saying of Jesus fits in with each author’s perspective can greatly enhance our understanding of its meaning.

Here is a brief introduction to the particular message and theme of each of the four Gospels. Because of space limitations, we will usually cite locations rather than quote verses in full. But if you look up some of these verses in the New Testament, you will begin to see how each Gospel has a unique message. You will also see how all four work together to build a complete picture of the life and work of Jesus Christ.

Matthew — the bridge

Matthew’s readers were mainly Jewish Christians, and he emphasized Christianity’s continuity with the Hebrew Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) and traditions. Through Matthew we are told the relationship of Jesus to the law and the Old Testament prophets. This Gospel, placed first in the New Testament, is like a bridge from Old to New. Matthew quotes from the Old Testament more frequently than any other New Testament writer.

The most sacred part of the Hebrew Bible was the Torah, the five books containing the law of Moses. Matthew likewise concentrates most of Jesus’ teaching in five long discourses as the new covenant counterpart to Mosaic law.

1. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus expanded his disciples’ understanding of three central topics: the law, worship and good deeds. (5:1-7:29)

2. Jesus called the apostles and commissioned them to speak for him, just as God had commissioned Moses and the prophets. (10:1-42)

3. In seven parables, Jesus added a new dimension to the understanding of the kingdom of God. (13:1-52)

4. Jesus outlined a code of conduct that would enable his followers to establish and maintain their new-found spiritual relationships. (18:1-35)

5. Jesus showed how and why the old order, with its hypocrisy, must give way to a new age of peace and justice, in which righteousness would be rewarded and evil punished. (chapters 23-25)

Matthew encouraged Jewish converts to see their heritage in the context of a greater law, and their history in the light of the spiritual kingdom of God. For Matthew, Jesus’ fulfillment of the Scriptures did not mean that those Scriptures had lost their significance and could therefore be discarded. Rather, for Matthew the Hebrew Scriptures gained significance through Jesus and continue to be part of the treasure of the scribe trained for the kingdom of heaven (see Matthew 13:52) (Daniel J. Harrington, The Gospel of Matthew, Sacra Pagina series, page 22).

Mark — ‘This is what happened’

Mark’s Gospel is fast-moving and dramatic. It reads like a series of eye-witness accounts. Because of this action-packed style, Mark’s Gospel is an ideal starting point for discovering who Jesus Christ is and what he is all about.

Mark is more concerned about telling us what happened, rather than when it happened. He writes more like a journalist than a historian. He cuts to the quick, introducing Jesus to people who have perhaps heard of him but don’t know him very well yet.

Verbs like run, shout and amaze abound in this book. Mark’s favorite adverb is euthys, meaning immediately or at once (it occurs ten times in chapter 1 alone).

Mark does not delay the action by telling us about Jesus’ genealogy, or even his birth. Rather, Mark begins with the briefest survey of the ministry of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus and his testing in the wilderness by Satan (1:1-13). Then the action begins, and continues nonstop for 16 chapters. Event quickly follows event. On occasion, one story is interrupted to begin another, and the first story finished later.

Mark’s account of the events leading up to Jesus’ trial and crucifixion is especially detailed and vivid. Mark’s purpose is to show that Jesus is the Son of God (1:1). When Jesus is baptized, a heavenly voice proclaims, You are my Son (1:11).

Jesus has the authority to forgive sin, a prerogative of God alone (2:5-12). Evil spirits recognize Jesus as the Holy One of God (1:24), the Son of God (3:11) and Son of the Most High God (5:7-8).

In Mark’s Gospel, the authority of Jesus is stressed by the manner of his teaching (1:22) and by the numerous miracles. But Mark also warns