His Word

By Dr. C. Thomas Elkins

The Words of THE WORD from the WORD in the four Gospels of the Canonical Word of God, the Bible. The written Words of Jesus were recorded by Four Disciples as they remembered them from the Words spoken by Jesus during His three years of ministry while here on earth.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 4, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664127067

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Copyright © 2020 by Dr. C. Thomas Elkins.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

All scripture quotations are from The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha : Revised Standard Version, Containing the Second Edition of the New Testament and an Expanded Edition of the Apocrypha. New York :Oxford University Press, 1977. edited by Herbert G. May, Bruce M. Metzger

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Rev. date: 09/04/2020

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Contents

Acknowledgements

MATTHEW

MARK

LUKE

JOHN

Epilogue

Acknowledgements

To my wife, Leila L. Elkins, thank you for your patience during all the hours I have spent on the computer.

To my daughter, Janice M. Everett, thank you for all the trips to purchase office supplies and the editing of final documents.

To Hannah at Avamere, thank you for your time spent helping me with computer skills.

Thank you to the publishers of the New Oxford Annotated Bible at the Oxford Publishing Company, New York, New York for the constant reference information in this volume, obviating the need for so many footnotes as it was all contained in the same source (A good reference Bible for all religious libraries).

HIS WORD

The Words of THE WORD from the Word

The recorded words of THE WORD (Jesus) from THE WORD (the Bible)

The Words of THE WORD from the WORD in the four Gospels of the Canonical Word of God, the Bible. The written Words of Jesus were recorded by Four Disciples as they remembered them from the Words spoken by Jesus during His three years of ministry while here on earth. The Words used in this document will be derived from the New Revised Standard Version of the Word, the Bible. The thoughts and conclusions made in this paper are accomplished within limited Resources, such as financial and reference resources, and does not pretend to be as complete as the writer would desire. However, it is an outreach to strengthen faith, hope and love through analysis of Jesus Words to all of us from the Word, the Bible. If there is any one primary question which it is hoped this work will help to clarify in this consideration of the Words of Jesus, it is this: What would Jesus do? How glorious it would be if we all could live with that goal in our lives.

The actual Words of Jesus are of utmost importance, in our lives, in our efforts to live a Christian life, and to prepare ourselves for Eternal Life with Him in His Kingdom when this short life has come to its final day.

Jesus’ Words were often spoken in Parables which were word pictures of the subject discussed. Jesus’ Parables were ’picture representations’ (elementary propositions or pictorial forms) of the truth, taking us far beyond the linear recital of the Words themselves. They were orally transferred from the Mind of God in Jesus Christ, not just to the minds of the hearers but to their very hearts. These Parables made the subjects under discussion very clear and understandable to those receiving the Words of Jesus. They were even more effectively preserved in the lives and hearts of those to whom the Word became warp and woof (fabric or essence) of their being.

John Dominic Crossan makes the intriguing statement, Jesus proclaimed God in Parables, but the primitive Church proclaimed Jesus ‘The Parable of God’. It is from the basis of this truth that we contend that the Words of Jesus, whether in parables or in proclamation, are the foundation on which all truth is settled and maintained. ln other words, the Words (of Jesus) spoken by Jesus and recorded by His disciples in the Word, (the Canon of the recorded Scripture), the Bible. It is not difficult to reasonably assume that there must have been a purpose in the four Gospels rather than one single totally inclusive version. We can project that there is reason and purpose for more than one recorded Gospel, as they view together one subject and are written within the boundaries of a specific context, with some minor differences of content. Yet, all of the Gospels show the same basic intention; they are addressed to readers in order to minister to their faith. ln that sense, neither individuals nor councils created or approved the accepted canon of the Gospels, but only came to recognize and acknowledge the self-authenticating quality of these writings which was imposed as Canonical upon the Church. The literary relationship between the first three Gospels is of interest because Matthew and Luke rely heavily on Mark in spite of some differences in style. Due to Matthew’s very extensive reference to Jewish history and to Old Testament prophecy, this first section will deal exclusively with the Words of Jesus recorded in the Gospel of Matthew, after a brief summary of all four gospels.

MATTHEW: The Gospel of Matthew is recorded both from oral recollection and later from written records within the context of Jewish historical records and prophecies, that are of interest, because Matthew relies on the Old Testament so fully in his introduction. Much of the material peculiar to this Gospel is concerned with the Jews or with the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. Matthew’s frequent appeal to the fulfillment of prophecy is a noteworthy feature of this Gospel. All of the Gospels mention these prophecies but Matthew does so more often than the others. Jesus Himself left no literary records. Most scholars agree that Mark’s gospel was the first recorded record of Jesus Words, His life story and the events involved in that life. The Gospel of Mark, along with a collection of Jesus’ sayings and several other special sources formed the basis of the Gospels attributed to both Matthew and Luke.

MARK: The Gospel according to Mark is generally recognized as the earliest attempt to reduce the Apostolic tradition concerning Jesus, the Messiah, to written form. Mark records fewer Words of Jesus than do any of the other Gospels; it contains one collection of sayings in the form of a discourse (chapter13) and few of the parables. (chapter 4).

The style of Mark’s narrative is concise and concrete with an obvious concern for all. His order of The Story of Jesus beginning with the preaching of John the Baptist preserves to some extent the form of the first Christian missionary message. It would not be difficult to assume that the writer of Mark was aware of the modern phrase, The facts, man, just the facts!.

The early disciples reinforced their claim that Jesus was the divinely appointed Messiah (Mark 8:29) by retelling significant moments from His days in Galilee and the last week of His life.

LUKE: The Gospel according to Luke sets forth the Words and Works of Jesus as the divine-human Savior, whose compassion and tenderness extended to all who were needy. The universal message of Jesus is emphasized by tracing His lineage back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38)(Contrast Mt. 1:1-17) ... and by promising that Gentiles would have an opportunity to accept the Gospel. (Luke 2:32; 3:6; 24:27). In addition to presenting the Story of Jesus’ work in Galilee and His last week in Jerusalem, Luke includes more episodes of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem than do any of the other disciples.

It is obvious from a number of features that Luke envisages a Gentile rather than a Jewish reading public. Luke seldom appeals to the argument from prophecy. Luke, who was not an eyewitness of the life of Jesus, tells us that he used great care in collecting information for his book. (Luke 1:1-2).

JOHN: The fourth Gospel, John, approaches the Story of Jesus from a more theological basis. It more fully explains the mystery of the LIFE of the Christ. John takes us back behind the scenes of Jesus’ ministry giving us a glimpse into His eternal origin and divine nature. He was unique because He was in the beginning with God, active in creation, the source of light and life (John 1:2-4). Hence, when He became incarnate in human flesh, He made known the eternal God.

The first half of the fourth Gospel contains accounts of seven miracles of Jesus, though the author knows that Jesus performed many others as well. (John 20:30)John’s word for these wondrous deeds is signs because they are regarded as symbols of Jesus teaching or as a revelation of His Glory (John 2:1). Their purpose is to evoke faith on the part of those who witness them.

While the Synoptic (the first three Gospels) preserve the Sayings of Jesus in Words closer to their original form, John employs more freely his own modes of thought regarding Jesus’ Ministry from a more theological interpretation of Jesus Words and actions. This is primarily true because Jesus’ Words are more than just mere words; they are proclamations and instructions, sometimes warnings, from the mouth of Jesus regarding our need for faithfulness and integrity in fulfilling His teachings.

With this limited background, or foundation, we can now move on to analyze the actual Words of Jesus as recorded in the four Gospels. There may seem to be some repetition due to the fact that all four writers, Evangelists, are dealing with the same basic material with some minor differences in style or presentation. Considering all of the above, it seems evident that the Gospel of Matthew should be the first.

MATTHEW

THE WORDS OF JESUS AS RECORDED

IN THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

Matthew Chapter 3 Verse 15: Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.

This is Jesus’ response to John’s request to baptize Jesus.

Matthew Chapter 4, Verse 4: For it is written that man does not live by Bread alone but by every word that comes from the Mouth of God.

This is Jesus’ first acknowledgement that He, as the Son of God, the Messiah, speaks His Words as from the Mouth of God Himself because He lS of God.

Matthew Chapter 4, Verse 10: Away with you Satan! For it is written, Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.

This is Jesus’ first proclamation of His authority over the Devil.

Matthew chapter 4, verse 7: For the Kingdom of Heaven has come near.

Jesus’ first proclamation of His Kingdom and its close proximity.

MATTHEW CHAPTER 5, VERSES 1-27:

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT: THE BEATITUDES (Matthew 5:3-12)

Matt. 5:3 Blessed are the poor in Spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. The Catholic Encyclopedia states that The word ‘poor’ seems to represent the Aramaic word ‘Anya’, (Hebrew ‘ani’) meaning, bent down, afflicted, miserable, poor.¹¹

Jesus is here promising His assistance in insuring that those who feel they have been shortchanged by the sorrows and inequities of this present life should turn their hopes to the heavenly life where sorrow and pain shall be no more.

Matt. 5:4 Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.

Jesus assures His followers that He is aware of the value of life. He is also aware that death is a part of living but that death involves a period of mourning if the death is that of a loved one or friend. Jesus tells us that He is the conqueror of death, hell and the grave and that those who believe