The Words and Works of Jesus Christ: A Study of the Life of Christ

By J. Dwight Pentecost

The life of Jesus Christ takes on fresh clarity and meaning in this masterful work by Dwight Pentecost.

The words, the miracles, and overarching message of the Messiah come alive in flowing and detailed chronology, set against the cultural, political, and religious setting of his day. The Words and Works of Jesus Christ will give you a new and deeply biblical understanding of:

• Why Jesus came.
• How he operated.
• What he accomplished.

Above all, you'll acquire a deeper appreciation for the love that guided his path, beginning in a manger in Bethlehem, leading through three and a half years of ministry that ended abruptly at the cross on Golgotha, and blazing forth in eternal triumph at the resurrection.

Drawing liberally on the works of others who have written about Christ, such as Alfred Edersheim, J. W. Shepherd, W. Graham Scroggie, and Frederick Faraar; Dr. Pentecost reveals in his own writing a familiarity with the subject that comes from years of teaching. Yet he writes, not as one who knows all there is to know about Christ, but with the restraint of one who knows that Jesus is to be worshiped and adored as the great King, and that no book can do more than begin to tell all the wonders of his being and his love.

Journey with him on this study of the life of Christ.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zondervan
• Release date: Oct 4, 2016
• ISBN: 9780310531043

J. Dwight Pentecost

J. Dwight Pentecost was distinguished professor emeritus of Bible exposition of Dallas Theological Seminary. He is the author of numerous books including Prophecy for Today, Things to Come, and Things Which Become Sound Doctrine.

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Contents

Preface

It has been my inestimable privilege for some thirty years to teach a course on the life of Christ, first at Philadelphia College of Bible and now for a quarter of a century at Dallas Theological Seminary. This has been a life-transforming experience, for one cannot study the Gospels extensively without being changed by the Person they present. Those who give themselves to the words and works of Jesus Christ cannot help but be drawn to Him. This author is profoundly grateful for the privilege of such study and for the opportunity to present the fruits of that study to a multitude of students. The response to this presentation has encouraged the author to heed their insistence that the material be made available in written form.

In my earlier years of teaching, I followed the traditional geographical approach to the study of the life of Christ. It became evident that this procedure obliterated the essential theme of the Gospels. Jesus Christ came to the nation Israel to present Himself as the promised Messiah and to offer that nation the covenanted kingdom in which He would rule as Savior-Sovereign in peace and righteousness. A geographical division of His life did not develop this theme.

It becomes evident to one who approaches the inerrant Scriptures from a literal method of interpretation that Jesus Christ was introduced to the nation Israel as her Messiah. By His words and His works He authenticated this introduction and offered Israel her promised and covenanted kingdom. The nation considered the offer and, because of the opposition of the leaders, rejected it. Christ announced judgment on that nation and turned from a public ministry to that of preparing chosen men to continue His ministry following His death and resurrection. The rejection by the nation led to His death, by which salvation was provided for sinful men; but the genuineness of His offer was authenticated by the Resurrection. It is this theme that will be developed through this work. While there are many works available on the life of Christ—more than one can study in a lifetime—none traces the development of this theme, and this gives warrant for another work in an area where there is already an abundance of material available.

As consideration is given to the gospel record, no attempt can be made to give a verse-by-verse exposition of each incident. Rather, an attempt will be made to trace the development and the presentation of the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ and to show the contribution that each individual incident makes to the overall development.

Deep appreciation is expressed to Dallas Theological Seminary for the sabbatical leave granted to pursue this work, to the many students who gave encouragement to undertake this project, to Miss Nancy Miller for transcribing the tapes of the material, and to the staff of the Faculty Secretaries Office for their work in typing the manuscript. The author acknowledges the contributions of past scholars, many of whose insights he quotes. Unless indicated otherwise, all Scripture quotations are from the New International Version.

This book is provided for those who desire to study the words and works of Jesus Christ. It is presented with the prayer that the study may lead them into a deeper knowledge of Him of whom the Scriptures speak and into a closer walk with Him whose love is revealed in all His words and works.

J. Dwight Pentecost

Dallas, Texas

Unabridged Outline of Events in the Life of Christ

INTRODUCTION

A. THE SOURCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Luke 1:1-4

B. THE PREEXISTENCE OF CHRIST

John 1:1-18

I. THE INTRODUCTION OF THE KING

A. THE ARRIVAL OF THE KING

1. His Ancestry

Matthew 1:1-17; Luke 3: 23b-38

2. His Advent

a. The Annunciation of the Birth of John to Zechariah

Luke 1:5-25

b. The Annunciation of the Birth of Jesus to Mary

Luke 1:26-38

c. The Arrival of Mary in Judea

Luke 1:39-45

d. The Anthem of Mary

Luke 1:46-56

e. The Advent of John

Luke 1:57-80

f. The Announcement of the Birth of Jesus to Joseph

Matthew 1:18-25

g. The Advent of Jesus

Luke 2:1-7

h. The Announcement to the Shepherds

Luke 2:8-20

3. His Infancy and Childhood

a. His Circumcision

Luke 2:21

b. His Presentation

Luke 2:22-38

c. His Infancy

(1) In Bethlehem

Matthew 2:1-12

(2) In Egypt

Matthew 2:13-18

(3) In Nazareth

Matthew 2:19-23; Luke 2:39

d. His Boyhood

(1) His growth

Luke 2:40

(2) His visit to Jerusalem

Luke 2:41-50

(3) His development

Luke 2:51-52

B. THE AMBASSADOR OF THE KING

1. The Message to John

Mark 1:1; Luke 3:1-2

2. The Message From John

Matthew 3:1-6; Mark 1:2-6; Luke 3:3-6

3. The Explanation by John

Matthew 3:7-10; Luke 3:7-14

4. The Promise by John

Matthew 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:15-18

C. THE APPROVAL OF THE KING

1. At His Baptism

Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23a

2. Through His Temptation

Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12-13; Luke 4:1-13

3. By His Herald

a. Testimony of John Before the Leaders

John 1:19-28

b. Testimony of John to Christ

John 1:29-34

II. THE AUTHENTICATION OF THE KING

A. THE ACCEPTANCE OF HIS PERSON

1. The Belief by the First Disciples

John 1:35-51

2. The Belief Through the First Miracle

John 2:1-11

3. The Sojourn in Capernaum

John 2:12

4. The Possession of the Temple

John 2:13-22

5. Acceptance in Judea

John 2:23–3:21

6. The Witness of John

John 3:22-36

7. The Withdrawal From Judea

Matthew 4:12; Mark 1:14; Luke 3:19-20; 4:14; John 4:1-4

8. The Acceptance in Samaria

John 4:5-42

9. The Acceptance in Galilee

John 4:43-45

B. THE AUTHORITY OF THE KING

1. Christ’s Authority to Preach

Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15; Luke 4:14-15

2. Christ’s Authority Over Disease

John 4:46-54

3. Rejection in Nazareth

Luke 4:16-30

4. Residence in Capernaum

Matthew 4:13-16

5. Christ’s Authority Over Nature

Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11

6. Christ’s Authority Over Demons

Mark 1:21-28; Luke 4:31-37

7. Christ’s Authority Over Sickness

Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41

8. Christ’s Authority to Preach

Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44

9. Christ’s Authority Over Defilement

Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

10. Christ’s Authority to Forgive Sin

Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

11. Christ’s Authority Over Men

Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32

12. Christ’s Authority Over Tradition

Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39

13. Christ’s Authority Over the Sabbath

a. Through the Healing of the Paralytic

John 5:1-47

b. Through the Controversy Over Grain

Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5

c. Through Healing the Man With the Withered Hand

Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

14. Christ’s Authority to Heal

Matthew 12:15-21; Mark 3:7-12

15. Commissioning of the Twelve

Mark 3:13-19; Luke 6:12-16

16. Christ’s Authority to Interpret the Law

Matthew 5:1–7:29; Luke 6:17-42

a. The Subjects of the Kingdom

(1) Introduction

Matthew 5:1-2; Luke 6:17-19

(2) The subjects

Matthew 5:3-16; Luke 6:20-26

(a) Their character

Matthew 5:3-12; Luke 6:20-26

(b) Their influence

Matthew 5:13-16

b. The Relation of the King to the Law

Matthew 5:17–7:6; Luke 6:27-42

(1) The Fulfiller

Matthew 5:17-20

(2) Rejection of traditional interpretation of the law

Matthew 5:21-48

(a) Murder

Matthew 5:21-26

(b) Adultery

Matthew 5:27-30

(c) Divorce

Matthew 5:31-32

(d) Oaths

Matthew 5:33-37

(e) Retaliation

Matthew 5:38-42

(f) Love

Matthew 5:43-48; Luke 6:27-30, 32-36

(3) Rejection of the Pharisaic practices of the law

Matthew 6:1–7:6; Luke 6:37-42

(a) Almsgiving

Matthew 6:1-4

(b) Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15

(c) Fasting

Matthew 6:16-18

(d) Attitude toward wealth

Matthew 6:19-24

(e) Lack of faith

Matthew 6:25-34

(f) Judging

Matthew 7:1-6; Luke 6:37-42

c. Instruction to Those Who Would Enter the Kingdom

Matthew 7:7-29

(1) Prayer

Matthew 7:7-11

(2) True righteousness

Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31, 43-45

(3) The way of access

Matthew 7:13-14

(4) Warning to false teachers

Matthew 7:15-23

(5) The two foundations

Matthew 7:24–8:1; Luke 6:46-49

17. Recognition of Christ’s Authority in Capernaum

Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10

18. Recognition of Christ’s Authority in Nain

Luke 7:11-17

19. Witness of the Twelve

Matthew 9:35–11:1; Mark 6:6b-13; Luke 9:1-6

III. CONTROVERSY OVER THE KING

A. THE REJECTION OF THE HERALD

Matthew 11:2-19; Luke 7:18-35

B. THE CURSE OF THE CITIES OF GALILEE

Matthew 11:20–30

1. Condemnation for Unbelief

Matthew 11:20-24

2. Explanation of Unbelief

Matthew 11:25-27

3. Invitation to Belief

Matthew 11:28-30

C. RECEPTION BY A SINNER

Luke 7:36-50

D. WITNESS TO THE KING

Luke 8:1-3

E. REJECTION OF CHRIST AND HIS OFFER BY THE LEADERS

Matthew 12:22-37; Mark 3:20-30

F. REQUEST FOR A SIGN BY THE LEADERS

Matthew 12:38-45

G. REJECTION OF THE NATION BY CHRIST

Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21

H. REVELATION IN VIEW OF REJECTION

1. The Course of the Kingdom in the Present Age

Matthew 13:1-53; Mark 4:1-34; Luke 8:4-18

2. Power Over Nature

Matthew 8:18, 23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25

3. Power Over Demons

Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39

4. Power Over Disease and Death

Matthew 9:18-26; Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56

5. Power Over Blindness

Matthew 9:27-34

I. REJECTION IN NAZARETH

Matthew 13:54-58; Mark 6:1-6a

J. DEATH OF THE HERALD

Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9

IV. INSTRUCTION OF THE TWELVE BY THE KING

A. FEEDING THE FIVE THOUSAND

Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13

B. REJECTION OF AN OFFER TO MAKE CHRIST KING

Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15

C. INSTRUCTION THROUGH THE STORM

Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21

D. RECEPTION IN GENNESARET

Matthew 14:34-36; Mark 6:53-56

E. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE BREAD OF LIFE

John 6:22-71

F. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DEFILEMENT

Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23; John 7:1

G. RECEPTION IN TYRE AND SIDON

Matthew 15:21-28; Mark 7:24-30

H. RECEPTION IN DECAPOLIS

Matthew 15:29-38; Mark 7:31-8:9a

I. REJECTION IN MAGADAN

Matthew 15:39–16:4; Mark 8:9b-12

J. WARNING AGAINST REJECTION

Matthew 16:5-12; Mark 8:13-26

K. CONFESSION OF PETER

Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21

L. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING HIS DEATH

Matthew 16:21-23; Mark 8:31-33; Luke 9:22

M. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DISCIPLESHIP

Matthew 16:24-28; Mark 8:34–9:1; Luke 9:23-27

N. REVELATION OF THE KINGDOM

Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36

O. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING ELIJAH

Matthew 17:9-13; Mark 9:9-13

P. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DEPENDENCE

Matthew 17:14-21; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a

Q. ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTION CONCERNING HIS DEATH

Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:30-32; Luke 9:43b-45

R. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING SONSHIP

Matthew 17:24-27

S. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING HUMILITY

Matthew 18:1-5; Mark 9:33-37; Luke 9:46-48

T. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING PRIDE

Matthew 18:6-14; Mark 9:38-50; Luke 9:49-50

U. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING FORGIVENESS

Matthew 18:15-35

V. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DISCIPLESHIP

Matthew 8:19-22; Luke 9:57-62

W. CHALLENGE BY HIS BROTHERS

John 7:2-9

X. JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM

Luke 9:51-56; John 7:10

V. OPPOSITION TO THE KING

A. CONFLICT AT THE FEAST OF TABERNACLES

John 7:11-52

1. Christ’s Authority Questioned

John 7:11-15

2. Christ’s Explanation

John 7:16-24

3. Christ’s Person Questioned

John 7:25-27

4. Christ’s Explanation

John 7:28-30

5. Response

John 7:31-36

6. Christ’s Invitation

John 7:37-52

B. CONFLICT OVER THE LAW

John 7:53–8:11

C. CONFLICT OVER THE LIGHT

John 8:12-20

D. CONFLICT OVER HIS PERSON

John 8:21-59

E. CONFLICT OVER THE HEALING OF THE BLIND MAN

John 9:1-41

F. CONFLICT OVER THE SHEPHERD

John 10:1-21

G. WITNESS OF THE SEVENTY-TWO

Luke 10:1-24

H. CONFLICT OVER THE QUESTION OF ETERNAL LIFE

Luke 10:25-37

I. AN EXAMPLE OF FELLOWSHIP

Luke 10:38-42

J. INSTRUCTION IN PRAYER

Luke 11:1-13

K. CONFLICT OVER THE HEALING OF THE DUMB MAN

Luke 11:14-36

L. CONFLICT OVER PHARISAIC RITUALISM

Luke 11:37-54

M. INSTRUCTION OF THE DISCIPLES

1. Hypocrisy

Luke 12:1-12

2. Covetousness

Luke 12:13-34

3. Watchfulness

Luke 12:35-41

4. Faithfulness

Luke 12:42-48

5. The Effect of His Coming

Luke 12:49-53

6. The Signs of the Times

Luke 12:54-59

7. Concerning Repentance

Luke 13:1-9

8. Concerning Israel’s Need

Luke 13:10-17

9. Concerning the Kingdom Program

Luke 13:18-21

N. CONFLICT AT THE FEAST OF DEDICATION

John 10:22-39

VI. PREPARATION OF THE DISCIPLES BY THE KING

A. WITHDRAWAL FROM JUDEA

John 10:40-42

B. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM

Luke 13:22-35

C. INSTRUCTION IN A PHARISEE’S HOUSE

Luke 14:1-24

D. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DISCIPLESHIP

Luke 14:25-35

E. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARD SINNERS

Luke 15:1-32

F. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING WEALTH

Luke 16:1-31

G. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING FORGIVENESS

Luke 17:1-6

H. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING SERVICE

Luke 17:7-10

I. THE RAISING OF LAZARUS

John 11:1-54

1. The Miracle of Restoration

John 11:1-44

2. Conflict Over the Miracle

John 11:45-54

J. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THANKFULNESS

Luke 17:11-19

K. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING HIS COMING

Luke 17:20-37

L. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING PRAYER

Luke 18:1-14

M. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING DIVORCE

Matthew 19:1-12; Mark 10:1-12

N. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING ENTRANCE INTO THE KINGDOM

Matthew 19:13-15; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17

O. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING ETERNAL LIFE

Matthew 19:16–20:16; Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30

P. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING HIS DEATH

Matthew 20:17-28; Mark 10:32-45; Luke 18:31-34

Q. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING ISRAEL’S NEED

Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43

R. INSTRUCTION CONCERNING THE KINGDOM PROGRAM

Luke 19:1-28

1. A Lesson in Personal Faith

Luke 19:1-10

2. Instruction Concerning the Postponed Kingdom

Luke 19:11-28

VII. OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF THE KING

A. THE ARRIVAL IN BETHANY

John 11:55–12:1, 9-11

B. THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY

Matthew 21:1-11, 14-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19

C. THE AUTHORITY OF THE KING

Matthew 21:12-13, 18-19; Mark 11:12-18; Luke 19:45-48

D. INVITATIONS BY THE KING

John 12:20-50

E. PROOF OF THE AUTHORITY OF THE KING

Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:19-25; Luke 21:37-38

F. THE KING’S AUTHORITY CHALLENGED

1. By the Priests and Elders

Matthew 21:23-22:14; Mark 11:27-12:12; Luke 20:1-19

2. By the Pharisees and Herodians

Matthew 22:15-22; Mark 12:13-17; Luke 20:20-26

3. By the Sadducees

Matthew 22:23-33; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-40

4. By the Pharisees

Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34

G. CHALLENGE BY THE KING

Matthew 22:41-46; Mark 12:35-37; Luke 20:41-44

H. JUDGMENT BY THE KING

Matthew 23:1-39; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47

I. INSTRUCTION AT THE TREASURY

Mark 12:41-44; Luke 21:1-4

VIII. PREPARATION FOR THE DEATH OF THE KING

A. PREDICTIONS BY CHRIST

Matthew 24:1–25:46; Mark 13:1-37; Luke 21:5-36

1. The Question

Matthew 24:1-3

2. The Tribulation

Matthew 24:4-26

a. The First Half

Matthew 24:4-8

b. The Second Half

Matthew 24:9-14

c. Repetition and Explanation

Matthew 24:15-26

3. The Second Advent

Matthew 24:27-30

4. The Regathering of Israel

Matthew 24:31

5. Parenthetical Exhortations

Matthew 24:32-51

a. The Fig Tree

Matthew 24:32-44

b. The Faithful Servant

Matthew 24:45-51

6. Judgment on Israel

Matthew 25:1-30

a. The Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

b. Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

7. Judgment on Gentiles

Matthew 25:31-46

B. PREPARATION FOR CHRIST’S DEATH

1. The Prediction of His Death

Matthew 26:1-2; Mark 14:1a; Luke 22:1

2. The Plan of the Rulers

Matthew 26:3-5; Mark 14: 1b-2; Luke 22:2

3. The Pouring of the Ointment

Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:2-8

4. The Promise to Betray

Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6

5. The Preparation of the Passover

Matthew 26:17-19; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13

6. The Passover Observance

Matthew 26:20; Mark 14:17; Luke 22:14-16; 24-30

7. The Provision of an Example

John 13:1-20

8. The Prediction of Judas’ Betrayal

Matthew 26:21-25; Mark 14:18-21; Luke 22:21-23; John 13:21-30

9. The Prediction of Peter’s Denial

Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-38; John 13:37,38

10. The Provision of a Memorial

Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:17-20

C. PRECEPTS BY CHRIST

John 13:31–16:33

1. Prologue

John 13:31-35

2. Problems

John 13:36, 14:1-24

3. Promises

John 14:25-31

4. Instruction Concerning Their Present Experience

John 15:1-16:4

a. Fruitbearing

John 15:1-17

b. The Foe of the Disciples

John 15:18–16:4

5. Instruction Concerning the Future

John 16:5-33

a. The Ministry of the Holy Spirit

John 16:5-15

b. The Result of the Resurrection

John 16:16-28

c. Conclusion

John 16:29-33

D. PRAYER BY CHRIST FOR BELIEVERS

John 17:1-26

1. His Prayer for Himself

John 17:1-5

2. His Prayer for His Disciples

John 17:6-19

3. His Prayer for the Family of Believers

John 17:20-26

E. PRAYER IN THE GARDEN

Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46; John 18:1

IX. REJECTION OF THE KING

A. THE ARREST

Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12a

B. THE RELIGIOUS TRIAL

1. Examination Before Annas

John 18:12b-14, 19-23

2. Examination Before Caiaphas

Matthew 26:57, 59-68; Mark 14:53, 55-65; Luke 22:54a, 63-65; John 18:24

3. Denial by Peter

Matthew 26:58, 69-75; Mark 14:54; 66-72; Luke 22:54b-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27

4. Condemnation by the Sanhedrin

Matthew 27:1; Mark 15:1a; Luke 22:66-71

5. Death of Judas

Matthew 27:3-10

C. THE CIVIL TRIAL

1. Trial Before Pilate

Matthew 27:2; 11-14; Mark 15:1b-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38

2. Trial Before Herod

Luke 23:6-12

3. Trial Before Pilate

Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39–19:1, 4–16a

4. Mockery

Matthew 27:27-30; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:2-3

D. PROCESSION TO CALVARY

Matthew 27:31-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-33; John 19:16b-17

E. THE CRUCIFIXION

1. First Three Hours

Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:34-43; John 19:18-27

2. Second Three Hours

Matthew 27:45-50; Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23:44, 46; John 19:28-30

3. Accompanying Signs

Matthew 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:45, 47-49

F. THE BURIAL OF CHRIST

Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42

G. THE SEALING OF THE TOMB

Matthew 27:62-66

X. THE RESURRECTION OF THE KING

A. THE PREPARATION BY THE WOMEN

Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1

B. THE OPENING OF THE TOMB

Matthew 28:2-4

C. THE VISIT OF THE WOMEN

Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1

D. THE REPORT TO THE DISCIPLES

Luke 24:9-12; John 20:2-10

E. THE APPEARANCE TO MARY

Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18

F. THE APPEARANCE TO THE WOMEN

Matthew 28:9-10

G. THE REPORT OF THE GUARD

Matthew 28:11-15

H. THE APPEARANCE TO THE TWO ON THE EMMAUS ROAD

Mark 16:12–13; Luke 24:13-32

I. THE REPORT OF THE TWO TO THE DISCIPLES

Luke 24:33-35

J. THE APPEARANCE TO THE TEN

Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25

K. THE APPEARANCE TO THE ELEVEN

John 20:26-31

L. THE APPEARANCE TO SEVEN DISCIPLES

John 21:1-25

M. THE COMMISSION TO THE DISCIPLES

Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:15-18

N. THE FINAL COMMISSION

Luke 24:44-49

O. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST

Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:50-53

Introduction § 1–2

The apostle John, having recorded a portion of the words and works of Jesus Christ, concluded his Gospel by saying, Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written (John 21:25). John was overwhelmed at the enormity of the task that lay before him as he sought to sift through the extant material in order to present the pertinent truths that suited his purpose to lead men to faith in Christ. How much more is one overwhelmed today as he writes from the present perspective and views the enormity of the task that lies before him in seeking to trace the theme of the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels!

The shelves of our libraries are filled with tens of thousands of volumes written on both the words and the works of Jesus Christ. To sift through all this material would be impossible in a single lifetime. The Gospels have been studied from many viewpoints: historically, geographically, analytically, ex-positionally, critically, devotionally, doctrinally, and practically. Even with all of this, surprisingly little attention has been given to the person of Christ as revealed in the Gospels or the program in which Christ was involved during His stay on the earth. Shepard notes:

Christianity is a historic religion because Christ, its founder, was a historic person. In the beginning of the Christian era there appeared in history One who changed its current from a downward to an upward trend. He was born in Bethlehem and reared in Nazareth in a small town of Galilee, of an humble family of the Jews who were then subjected under the provincial Roman rule.

He received His elementary training in a synagogue school in which the Jewish child studied from the ages of six to twelve. Although the people of Galilee enjoyed more liberality in religion than those of Judea, the Jewish religion everywhere was oppressed by a narrow, Rabbinical leadership which headed up in Jerusalem. The boy Jesus had no highly literary education but became well grounded in Aramaic, and in the knowledge of the Hebrew language and the Sacred Scriptures of the Jews. He mastered also Greek into which these Scriptures had been translated centuries before His time. While supporting as a carpenter the family of the deceased Joseph He cut His way forward in the mastery of the Rabbinical lore and the Hebrew prophets, becoming deeply learned in the true religion of Israel. At the age of thirty, He appeared at the Jordan, asking baptism of John, and soon after He initiated His ministry, which grew into a religious movement, that has reached today the uttermost confines of the world.

Jesus, different from any other teacher in history, called attention to His person rather than His doctrine. The religion of the Christ of the Gospels is an experienced relation between Him and His believer-disciple. His personality was unique, attracting vast throngs about Him.¹

Thus any proper approach to the life of Christ must direct attention primarily to the person as well as to the program in which He involved Himself during the course of His earthly ministry. A study of the life of Christ must make clear that all that Christ did and said is grounded in His being as the eternal Son of God and the Savior of the world.

It is to be noted that the writers of the Gospels make no attempt to develop the life of Christ historically or chronologically. They make no attempt to provide us with a biography of Christ. The writers, using the same extant material, select and arrange according to their individual emphasis and interpretation that which presents the particular portrait of Christ they desire to convey. The Gospels present the life of Christ thematically and thus are to be viewed as complementary and supplementary rather than contradictory. In this volume an attempt is made to harmonize the material recorded in the Gospels in such a way that we can trace the development of the life of Christ chronologically. This will enable us to see the unfolding of the person of Christ and the development and progress of the underlying theme of the life of Christ, that theme being the offer of the covenanted kingdom program to Israel, the covenant people. The author is committed to the verbal, plenary doctrine of inspiration that results in the view of Scripture being inerrant and authoritative. Such a view demands that the Scriptures be interpreted by the grammatical-historical method of interpretation. This means that the Scriptures must be interpreted literally in the light of the historical context in which the events took place.

A. The Source of Knowledge

§ 1

Luke 1:1–4

Luke the historian wrote to Theophilus, who is usually regarded as an individual. Theophilus may refer to a class of persons, however, for the word means a lover of God. Luke is writing so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught (Luke 1:4).

The knowledge of the events in the life of Christ, His words and His works, was widely disseminated. Believers had been taught the important truths of what transpired during the years of our Lord’s earthly sojourn. Luke felt it necessary to write in order to give assurance concerning the truth that was already widely circulated and believed. He is not writing to inform but rather to convince. Events that had transpired were handed down . . . by those who from the first were eyewitnesses (Luke 1:2). This knowledge was transmitted by oral tradition following the accepted Jewish practice.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was a Jew according to the flesh, and the story of His life and teaching was preserved after the Jewish method. That method was oral transmission, and its efficiency is attested by the amazing fact that it was not at the earliest until the fifth century of our era that the Rabbinical literature was reduced to writing. It was at least a century before the birth of Jesus that the Halacha and Haggada came into existence, and during all those centuries that voluminous and ever-growing literature was carried in the memories of the Rabbis and their disciples and orally transmitted from generation to generation. . . . The diligence of the Rabbis was directed to the immaculate transmission of the Oral Law. Raise up many disciples was their motto, and their disciples were drilled in the multitudinous precepts of that interminable tradition until they had them by heart. The lesson was repeated over and over till it was engraved upon their memories, and hence the term for Rabbinical instruction was Mishnah, repetition.²

Thus events in the life of Christ as well as the words He said were widely circulated by following this Jewish form of transmitting knowledge. Luke also calls this to our attention, saying, Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us (Luke 1:1). Fulfilled may be rendered surely believed or on which there is full conviction. Again we see that Luke is dealing with matters that are widely accepted by the Christian community. Luke tells us that, in the face of so much orally transmitted truth and in the face of so much written record, he felt it good after careful investigation to write to give believers an assurance concerning what they had heard. Oral tradition may accurately transmit truth but is not itself authoritative. Written records may accurately record truth but they are not, apart from inspiration, authoritative. Luke purposes to give to believers an authoritative record that may surely be believed of all that Jesus began to do and to teach (Acts 1:1).

Without doubt, believers had been instructed by catechizers. David Smith says:

Ere the story was written, there was a class of teachers in the primitive Church whose function it was to go about instructing the believers in the oral tradition and drilling it into their minds after the fashion of the Rabbinical schools. They were named the Catechisers . . . and their scholars the catechumens . . .—an expressive name, since . . . the root word signifies to din a thing into a person’s ears by incessant iteration. . . . It was a most necessary service at a time when there was no written record and believers were dependent on oral instruction for their knowledge of the Gospel history.³

Now Luke purposes to gather together that catechetical instruction and deliver it authoritatively to Theophilus. Luke is writing approximately a generation after the death of Christ to believers who have been instructed by itinerant teachers who taught on the basis of written records and oral tradition but without an authoritative Gospel to expound.

The synoptic Gospels were written in response to the need of early believers. According to the Book of Acts, the church for a decade was composed exclusively of Jews or those who were proselytes to Judaism. The first need for an authoritative record of the words and works of Jesus, therefore, arose among the Jews. Matthew, himself an apostle, met that need by writing the Gospel of Matthew to Jewish believers to instruct them concerning Jesus, Israel’s Messiah. Matthew wrote to record Christ’s offer of Himself to that nation as their Messiah, who was to be both Savior and Sovereign. He recorded the authentication of the offer of the kingdom, Israel’s debate over the kingdom, and Israel’s rejection of Messiah and His withdrawal of the offer of the kingdom. Matthew wrote not so much to convince the unbelieving nation that Jesus was the Messiah as to explain to believers why the kingdom that had been genuinely offered was not instituted and, in the light of Israel’s rejection, to explain the kingdom program.

The second need for a Gospel arose among the Romans, for Paul, in his missionary journey to the Gentiles, reached into the Roman province of Asia and brought the gospel to the Roman world. Mark, his companion, in response to this need wrote the Gospel that bears his name. In it he presented Jesus, the Servant of the LORD. Servant (of the LORD) was an Old Testament title for the Messiah who was to redeem and to reign (Isa. 42:1, 49:3, 5–7; 52:13). Mark, like Matthew who had preceded him, traced for us the offer of the Messiah, the rejection of the Messiah, the ministry of the Servant to God’s people, and the obedience of the Servant to His Father in heaven.

The need for a Gospel also arose among the Greeks, for Paul, in his second missionary journey, had penetrated the Greek world. Consequently there was a need to instruct the Greeks concerning the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus. This need was met by Luke, Paul’s companion in his missionary journeys through the Greek world, by writing the Gospel of Luke. Luke presented Jesus as the Son of Man, which again was an Old Testament messianic title. Luke traced the events in the presentation of the Son of Man—the debate over His person, His rejection, and His ultimate death and resurrection.

In the introduction to his Gospel, Luke made certain inferences concerning the materials he used in his careful historical research. First, he used the material that came from the apostles, who were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word. The apostles were commissioned to go into all the world and preach the gospel (Matt. 28:19–20). These apostles were told that they would bear witness to Jesus Christ (John 15:26–27). This prophetic commission was repeated in Acts 1:8. The apostles communicated the truth that they had seen and heard. This truth concerning Jesus Christ was formalized into oral tradition and passed from the apostles to the succeeding generation (cf. Heb. 2:3). Luke certainly would have used this formalized source.

In the second place, Luke told us that he had available the many written records of the oral traditions that came originally from the apostles. Since both Matthew and Mark were written before Luke, the question arises as to whether Luke used these Gospels in his research. Luke seems to imply that he did not, for as Arndt points out,

At once the question arises whether Luke includes Matthew and Mark among the many writers to whom he refers in 1:1. The answer, so it seems to me, must be an emphatic no. What our first two Evangelists present would be regarded by Luke as a part of the Apostolic testimony, the testimony given by those who from the beginning had been eyewitnesses and servants of the Word, and not as belonging to the products of the numerous authors who tried to reproduce the accounts of the Apostles. Matthew was himself an Apostle, and Mark in his Gospel, according to the unanimous report of antiquity, wrote what another Apostle, Peter, had preached. Hence, because Luke sharply differentiates between the witness of the Apostles and the literary ventures of others based on the Apostolic narrative, we cannot look upon our Matthew and Mark as belonging to the many of 1:1.⁴

We thus conclude that the Gospels of Matthew and Mark are viewed by Luke as distinct from the writings of the many whose material he had available.

There is a third source that Luke had available: those who were still living who were eyewitnesses to what Jesus did and who had heard what He said, or at least those who had personal contact with the apostles themselves.

Arndt states,

What almost unrivaled opportunities he . . . possessed for obtaining authentic information on the Life of lives! . . . Luke, the companion of Paul, who is mentioned in Col 4:14 and Phlm 24, is the author of the we sections in Acts and of the Book of Acts in general, and likewise the author of our Gospel . . . we see at once that he was advantageously situated for obtaining information on the work and teaching of Jesus. Not only was he with Paul, who had seen the risen Christ and who had had frequent contacts with the original Apostles and other early Christians, but he himself met at least one of these original Apostles, James the Less (Ac 21:18), and in all probability several others. We next think of his companionship with Mark (cf Col 4:10–14; Phlm 23f), who hailed from Jerusalem; with Barnabas, who had been a member of the first Christian congregation in its early stages (Ac 4:36); with Silas, who was a prophet of the Jerusalem church before he allied himself with Paul (Ac 15:22, 27, 32); with Philip the Evangelist (Ac 21:8); with Agabus the prophet (Ac 21:10); with Mnason, "an old disciple: (Ac 21:15ff). Original witnesses of Jesus’ life, and persons who had had intimate contacts with original witnesses, were among the people whom Luke could call his friends and associates. Thus he was in an extraordinarily advantageous position for obtaining information about Jesus.⁵

Certainly the intimate details concerning the conception and the birth of Christ, which were details not widely known because Mary kept all these things . . . in her heart (Luke 2:19 KJV), must have been learned from Mary herself. Likewise the details concerning the birth of John must have been learned from Elizabeth. We see then that Luke had a wide array of material from which he could do his research in order to compile the events into the Gospel that would bear his name.

What may be derived from Luke’s prologue may be summarized in the words of Arndt:

A little analysis of these words yields the following points for our present purpose: (1) The early followers of Jesus had not remained silent about their Master’s work, but had handed on to others the blessed knowledge which they themselves possessed. (2) A number of people had endeavored to put down in writing what the early witnesses proclaimed. (3) Luke resolved to compose a work about the deeds and teaching of Jesus. (4) He wrote it only after the most careful and painstaking researches, having investigated everything from the very beginning. (5) He decided to present his material in proper order. (6) His work was intended to make Theophilus certain that the, Christian instruction which he had received was true.⁶

B. The Preexistence of Christ

§ 2

John 1:1–18

The life of the Lord Jesus did not begin, as does the life of all other persons, at the moment of birth. He came into the world from a preexistent state to fulfill a specific mission. This is the great truth to which we are introduced in John’s prologue to his Gospel. John stated certain facts concerning Jesus Christ in his brief introduction: first, the preexistence of the Son before His advent into the world. This he did in the words In the beginning was the Word. Second, he stated that the Son was a distinct personality from the Father: The Word was with God. The preposition with emphasizes a personal relationship existing between two persons. And, third, the deity of the Son is affirmed in the words The Word was God. The eternity of the Son is in the words He was with God in the beginning. This is the same truth that Paul emphasized in Philippians 2:5–9. This great truth of the Incarnation was summarized when John stated, The Word became flesh, and lived for a while among us (John 1:14). John was presenting, then, One who is the eternal Son of the eternal God and who took to Himself true humanity in order that He might discharge the special ministry for which He was sent into the world by the Father.

In his introduction, John stated first the relationship of the Son to the Father. The Son is referred to by John as the Word. This is a most revealing name for the Son. This concept did not originate with John. It was a very old concept. It has its roots in the Old Testament. Because of the law that prohibited a Jew from taking the name of the Lord their God in vain, it was customary to substitute another word for the name Yahweh. When God in the Old Testament appeared to reveal Himself or to reveal truth to men, the Revealer was referred to as Memra, which is the Hebrew word for a word. The Memra, or word, emphasized that which was communicated from God rather than the God who made the revelation. This concept of the word was developed by Philo, a Jewish philosopher who held to a dualism in which he taught that God is holy and matter is evil. A holy God could not create evil matter. Thus he taught that matter is coetemal with God. A holy God could have no contact with that which was evil; so he saw God as entirely separate from and removed from creation. But Philo taught that there must be a mediating principle by which God does reach out to creation, and that impersonal mediating principle he called logos, that is reason or mind. However, John does not adopt either the Old Testament concept or Philo’s philosophical concept of the word. As Shepard says,

John takes us back before the beginning of creation (Gen. 1:1) and assumes the Word in a continuous state of existence, in intimate communion and fellowship of equality with God, and in essence the very God. His idea of the Logos was not that of Marcus Aurelius, the generative principle in nature, nor that of Philo, the Divine Reason and Expression, nor merely that of the Hebrew memra, the manifestation of God as the Angel of Jehovah or the Wisdom of God; but the religious idea of the Divine Word, creating, revealing, redeeming. John seized upon the terminology of current Greek thought and filled it with a new content. His Logos is not the semi-personal Logos of Philo but a personal Logos; not a cosmic but a spiritual agent. He reproduces with new content various phases of the Platonic conception; the eternal existence of the Word, its relation to God as toward Him and yet distinct, its creative activity, its function in the illumination and deliverance of men. Philo’s conception wavered between personification and personality; John’s fills the Logos with personality.¹

Thus we see that to John the Word is a Person who has come into the world to reveal the person of the Father to men. In contrast to Jewish thought that put emphasis on the revelation, John put emphasis on the Revealer and the One He came to reveal.

After showing us the relationship of the Word to the Father, John proceeded in verse 3 to show the relationship of the Word to creation, for the Word is the Creator. He stated positively, Through him all things were made, and then negatively, Without him nothing was made that has been made. This fact of creation is affirmed by Paul in Colossians 1:16 and also by the writer to the Hebrews (1:2). The Father is the designer, and the Son is the intermediate agent in creation. Emphasis is placed on His office as well as His person. Since the Son is the Creator, He has rightful authority over all creation. According to Psalm 19:1 and Romans 1:20, creation was designed by the Creator to be a revelation of the existence and the power of God. Although limited in its scope, creation as a revelation of God is a word from God about Himself.

John next showed the relationship of the Word to men. He stated in verse 4 that Jesus Christ, who is life, also is the source of all that has life; the life that every creature possesses stems from the life of the Creator. Further, the Word is the revealer: The light shines in the darkness (v. 5). Light in John’s concept is equated with a knowledge of God. Darkness, as the absence of knowledge, is ignorance of God. Those who had been given light by creation were in darkness. Paul in Romans 1:18–23 carefully traced the progression of ignorance as man moved from light to darkness. Willful rejection of the light of revelation through creation brought progressive darkness until men were ignorant of God. Jesus Christ came to dispel that ignorance. He who is God came in flesh so that men might see that revelation and come out of ignorance into knowledge.

The advent of Christ was preceded by the coming of John the Baptist. As Christ’s forerunner, John fulfilled the prophecy of Malachi 3:1. John’s ministry was to prepare the nation Israel for the coming of the One who would reveal God to them. John was not himself a revelation from God; rather, he introduced the One who would reveal God to men. John said in effect that the darkness was soon to be done away with and that the people who groped in ignorance would have light so that they could come to know God. This light would come as men believed the revelation that the Son gave about the Father as well as about themselves. The apostle John wanted us to understand the ministry of John the Baptist, for he had a significant role in the Gospels. The apostle said that John the Baptist was not the light; therefore all who turned to John as a final authority had misplaced their trust. The apostle emphasized that John came as a witness to the light. He then directed us to the source of the knowledge of God, that is, to Jesus Christ Himself, by saying that He who is the true light and gives light to every man was coming into the world (v. 9).

In verses 10 to 12, John outlined for us an overview of the life of Jesus Christ. He stated, first, the fact of the preexistence of Jesus Christ. He was the Creator, for the world was made through him. Second, he stated the fact of the Incarnation: He was in the world. Next, John inferred the purpose for which the Son became incarnate, saying, He came to that which was his own. What is in view in the words his own may be determined from such a passage as Psalm 2:6–9, which records the Father’s promise to the Son that He will be enthroned in authority over all the peoples and nations of the earth. Similarly we understand 2 Samuel 7:16 to be a prophecy that Jesus Christ was to be born of David’s lineage and to sit on David’s throne, ruling over David’s house. Indeed, Jesus Christ did come into the world in order to rule.

But now John goes on to point out the response that His own people made to Christ’s offer of Himself as Messiah, that is, as their Savior and Sovereign. First he said, The world did not recognize him (John 1:10). When He offered Himself as the Son of God, they deemed Him to be a blasphemous impostor worthy of death. Further, he said, His own did not receive Him. Those people to whom He came to reveal the Father and to offer Himself as King rejected Him and put Him to death. The Gospels record for us, in keeping with this outline, the fact of the incarnation of Christ, the revelation of Christ’s person, and the debate over the person of Christ. The Gospels also record the rejection both of Christ’s offer of Himself and the promised kingdom. This rejection by the nation of Israel to whom He was sent culminated in His crucifixion. John the evangelist, in spite of the unbelief of men, noted, Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God (John 1:12). Children of God was a term used by the Jews to refer to membership in a covenant nation. The Jews deemed children of God to be part of God’s kingdom. They considered themselves to be acceptable to God. The fact of physical birth was sufficient to guarantee any Jew, according to Jewish concept, a right to Messiah’s kingdom, for God had entered into a covenant with the Jewish nation. In contrast to this thought, John said the only ones who have the right to become the children of God are those who put faith in the person of Jesus Christ. Because of natural descent from Abraham, the Jews considered themselves to be God’s children, but John said that they did not become children by natural descent nor did human birth guarantee their entrance into Messiah’s kingdom; instead, they had to be born of God. This new birth is the result of faith in the Person of the Word who came to reveal the Father to men.

John in verses 14 to 18 described the nature of the revelation the Word made. The revelation is dependent upon the Incarnation. John implied this, saying, The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us. God had revealed truth in the Old Testament in such ways as by speaking to men directly through visions and dreams and by bringing messages through the prophets; but in the coming of Christ we have revelation made through a person. In order to reveal God to men, the Word became flesh. Those who lived with Him during the years of His incarnation could testify to the fact that they had seen the shekinah of God revealed in the Son. The same glory that Moses beheld in the tabernacle in Exodus 40:34–38 and that the priests saw in the temple in 1 Kings 8:10–11 was revealed in the person of Jesus Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. Peter testified to this in 2 Peter 1:16–18. The grace that the Lord Jesus manifested in day-to-day living was the grace of the Father, and the truth that Jesus Christ revealed in both His life and His lips was the truth of the Father. Paul could state in Colossians 2:9, In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ. The fullness here is a reference to all that is in the Father that was revealed in the Son, and John could say, Of his fulness we all received (John 1:16 ASV).

John closed his prologue by emphasizing the uniqueness of the revelation of the Father by the Son. God had made a revelation of Himself in the Old Testament, but as John says in verse 18, No one has ever seen God. And that is still true, but John added that God the only Son, who is at the Father’s side, has made him known. Through this revelation people may come to know the Father. The emphasis is on who He is. John in this introduction has presented a person who came to reveal and to redeem. He is able to do this work because of who and what He is: the eternal Son of the eternal God who is one with the Father yet a distinct person from the Father, who has created all things, and who because of His relationship to the Father can reveal the Father. Incarnation was necessary to reveal and to redeem. And, in spite of the rejection of men, those who accept Him and trust His revelation become the children of God.

I. The Introduction of the King §§ 3–27

A. The Arrival of the King

§§ 3–19

1. His Ancestry

§ 3

Matthew 1:1–17; Luke 3:23b–38

Because the Gospel records are concerned with a person, it is of the utmost importance that we know who this person is and whence He came. Thus both Matthew and Luke include genealogies in their records. Matthew began his Gospel with these words: A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matt. 1:1). It is significant that Matthew should mention the names of Abraham and David in his introduction. These were two to whom God had given certain unconditional, eternal covenants that determined the course of the history of the nation Israel. In Genesis 12:2–3, 7, and again in 13:14–17, God had given promises to Abraham concerning a land that was to be the possession of his physical descendants, to whom God would send One who would bless them. In Genesis 15:18 that which had been given to Abraham as a promise was ratified by a blood covenant in which God covenanted to give Abraham’s physical descendants a land that would be their possession forever. This covenant was reaffirmed to Abraham in Genesis 17:6–8, and on other occasions in the Book of Genesis it was reaffirmed to Isaac and to Jacob, Abraham’s descendants. In 2 Samuel 7:16 God gave a covenant to David, promising that David’s house, his kingdom, and his throne would be established forever. This covenant was reaffirmed in Psalm 89:1–4. According to this covenant, one of David’s sons was to sit on David’s throne and rule forever over David’s house, that is, David’s people or kingdom. Matthew, therefore, was calling our attention to the fact that Jesus Christ came to fulfill the covenant that God had made with the nation’s forebears.

Toussaint wrote,

One of the primary questions a Jew would ask concerning a claimant to the title of Messiah would be, "Is he a son of Abraham and of the house of David? . . . Because this question concerning the King of Israel is so important, and because it forms a logical starting point for a document which sets about to prove the Messiahship of Christ, Matthew presents first the genealogy of Jesus (1:1–1:17).¹

It was not until after Luke had completed his birth narrative and was ready to record the ministry of Jesus that Luke included his genealogy. While Matthew presented Jesus as Israel’s Messiah, Luke presented Jesus as the Son of Man. From the days of Daniel, the title Son of Man was considered by the Jews to be a messianic title. Luke no less than Matthew presented Jesus as the Messiah but, while Matthew was concerned with Messiah in relation to Israel, Luke was concerned with Messiah in relation to the entire human race. According to the Old Testament, Messiah would not only rule over Israel but over all nations. He was to be the world’s Messiah as well as Israel’s. In keeping with his theme, then, Luke traced the genealogy of Jesus to Adam, the head of the human race.

Fairbairn, comparing the two records, says:

Matthew traces the descent of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham;’’ but Luke ascends higher, makes Jesus the son of Adam, who was the son of God.’’ The difference is significant. Matthew the Hebrew, addressing Hebrews, presents Jesus as the Messiah, complying with the conditions necessary to the Messiahship that He may be qualified to fulfil the Messianic hopes. But Luke the Greek, addressing Greeks, presents Jesus in His common brotherhood to man and native sonship to God. . . . The first represents Christ as a redeemer of Abrahamic, a king of Davidic descent, appearing to fulfil the aspirations of the ancient people, and realize the theocratic ideal; but the second exhibits Him as through His descent from Adam the blood-relation, as it were, of every man, appearing that He may create in every man a no less real and intimate spiritual relation with God. And so, while Jesus is to Matthew the Messiah, He is to Luke the Second Adam, the Creator and Head of the new humanity, sustaining universal relations and accomplishing a universal work.²

Shepard contrasted the two genealogies as follows:

Matthew’s genealogy stands at the beginning of his Gospel, to establish the fact of Jesus’ royal Hebrew origin before any other facts about His life are introduced; Luke’s comes in as an interlude after the account of the birth and infancy of Jesus and John’s ministry, to introduce the saving ministry of the Lord.³

Scroggie, in his detailed study of the two genealogies, made the following observations:

Matthew’s division of the genealogy into three groups, each with fourteen names, may be significant. Matthew focuses attention on the Davidic descent of Jesus in a subtle way. In Hebrew there are no vowels written, so David’s name would be written DVD. Each letter had a numerical significance, as the Hebrews used the alphabet in counting. For example, in their system, D = 4, V = 6. Thus the letters in David’s name total fourteen. Hence Matthew lists fourteen names in each of the three groups, reminding anyone familiar with Hebrew numerology that Jesus is of Davidic descent, as he affirms in Matthew 1:1.

Shepard adds this observation:

In Matthew’s genealogy the names are divided for convenience into three groups of fourteen each, corresponding to the three periods of the national history: from Abraham to David the theocracy, from David to Babylonian exile the monarchy, and from the exile to the time of Christ the hierarchy. Such a division was wholly in accord with the Jewish custom.

There are certain discrepancies between the lists. Only forty-one names appear in Matthew’s list, while it was customary for the Jews to divide into three divisions of fourteen each. But Matthew mentions David in two lists. He omits several names in the line, but he was only seeking to show the direct descent. He gives the names of four women in the list, contrary to Jewish custom. Three of these were also guilty of gross sin and two were foreigners. Matthew did not merely copy the records but selected the names with a purpose. The names of these women identified Christ with the sex and national divisions of the race and with sinful humanity as its Saviour. Some of the men of the line were also notorious sinners. There, heredity of Jesus is a bond of hope for the sinful race. . . . Matthew punctures the pride of his Jewish brethren, by inserting the names which they in their hypocritical self-righteousness would have repudiated, some suggestive of disgrace, others of apostasy and covenant-breaking. These proud Pharisaic brethren had recently rejected Jesus as unworthy and meriting death. But He was superior to the best of the forefathers even of the royal line.⁵

Scroggie outlines the three major views on the genealogies as follows:

Three views are held:

(1) That both genealogies give the descent of Joseph; Matthew’s the real, and Luke’s the legal descent.

(2) That Matthew gives Joseph’s legal descent as successor to the throne of David, and that Luke gives his real parentage.

(3) That Matthew gives the real descent of Joseph, and Luke, the real descent of Mary.

The discussion of these views must not be separated from the fact of the Virgin Birth. If both genealogies are entirely Joseph’s there would be no proof in them that Mary was of Davidic descent, and such proof was necessary seeing that Joseph was not Jesus’ natural father, though after his marriage he became His legal father.⁶

It will be noted that the first two views make both genealogies to be that of Joseph while the third view makes Matthew’s genealogy to be that of Joseph and Luke’s to be that of Mary.

Several explanations have been given to make both genealogies that of Joseph. One is that of Scroggie.

If Matthan, No. 38 in Matthew’s genealogy, and Matthat, No. 71 in Luke’s, were the same person, we see that Jacob and Heli were brothers. Luke tells us that Joseph was the son of Heli, and it is conjectured with much probability that Mary was the daughter of Jacob. If it is assumed that Jacob, having no son, adopted Joseph, his nephew and heir, we see that Mary married a relation, and that she, as well as Joseph, was descended from David, Joseph in the line of Solomon, and Mary in the line of Nathan.⁷

A variation of this view is that of Clelland who holds that both genealogies were Joseph’s, that Joseph’s father recorded in Matthew 1 married Heli’s widow through the levirate marriage obligation and raised seed to perpetuate his brother’s name and this seed was Joseph. Hence, the one genealogy would present Joseph’s actual