Helpful Things to Understand Before Studying the Gospels

Helpful Things to Understand Before Studying the Gospels

I thought learning these things was really interesting and will be helpful as I study. I’ve learned only a few of them before, which is a shame. I think it will help me see things in a whole new way as I read and study.

·         Most scholars believe Mark was written first and used as a reference for Matthew and Luke when writing their own records. Almost all that is found in Mark is found also in Matthew and Luke, but they both added to the story.

·         Mark was written for new Christians who had not witnessed the events of Jesus' life. For that reason, one of the main themes is the identification of Jesus as the "Son of God". It emphasizes the miracles which are evidence of his divine sonship. Mark was a follower of Jesus Christ but is thought to have been in his teens when the Lord was in Jerusalem. He later served as Peter’s interpreter, in speech and in writing. In his book, Mark wrote down the observations and memories of Peter, one of the original Apostles. Mark’s book reflects Peter’s interest in spreading the gospel among the Gentiles (non-jews).

·         Matthew on the other hand, was all about showing the Jewish converts the connection between Jesus and the Old Testament prophecies and predictions regarding the Messiah, and showing how the Jewish authorities of Jesus' day had rejected Him. Jesus is portrayed as the fulfillment of the Old Testament Law and prophecies. He wrote specifically to the Jews, who were familiar with those prophecies. Matthew was a publican, or tax collector, before he was called as one of the Lord’s Apostles. Because of that profession, we can guess that he was well educated and knew how to read and write, probably in several languages, including Greek. He was very familiar with the scriptures. Matthew was one of the original twelve apostles as well.

·         Luke wanted to prove Jesus' story was true. He wanted to provide a historically accurate and reliable account of Jesus' birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke's Gospel emphasized Jesus role as Savior of all people. He intentionally connects Jesus with the outcasts of society, including women, the poor, the sick, the demon-possessed, and more. Luke portrays Jesus not only as the powerful Messiah, but also as a divine friend of sinners who came expressly to "seek and save the lost" (Luke 19:10). Luke is an interesting writer because he did not know Jesus Christ personally. He became a follower after the Lord’s death, when Paul taught him the gospel. Luke had been a physician, but he left that profession to travel with Paul. He had the opportunity to talk with many of the Apostles as well as others who were eyewitnesses to special events or moments in the Lord’s life.

·         John was writing to members of the Church, who already knew something of the Lord. The book of John was written later and he seemed to want to help us understand the Savior’s life in a deeper, more meaningful and lasting way. It is full of theology and symbolism (such as “the Lamb of God”). It establishes that he was the Savior long before coming to Earth. One of John's major purposes and themes was to correctly portray Jesus as the divine Word -- the pre-existent Son who is One with God (John 10:30) and yet He fully took on human flesh in order to "tabernacle" Himself among us (1:14). John was a fisherman before becoming an apostle. He was one of Jesus’ first followers and had a special and close relationship with Christ as “the apostle whom Jesus loved.”

It is also helpful to understand who the different groups of people were:

·         The Sadducees were the aristocratic “old money” local governing body (although Jerusalem was conquered by Rome so they were under Roman Rule- which is who Pilate and King Herod represented). So Rome had their representative but allowed the Sadducees to govern the people. Both Roman rulers in Jerusalem and the Sadducees felt that their positions were threatened by Jesus.

·         The other major players were the Pharisees. They were like the “new money” who led people spiritually and temporally at a local level by using Scripture and the Law of Moses to guide the people. They were the interpreters of the law. They felt threatened by Jesus because of his new and radical interpretation of the law and the scriptures. Christ was giving the higher law. The Pharisees took the law to an extreme and thought of the law as an end to itself where really the law was meant to guide the people to something higher. The Pharisees couldn’t see how an exception to the law could ever be made even to help someone if it was on the Sabbath, for example.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Gospels

https://www.catholic.com/qa/please-explain-the-difference-between-the-sadducees-and-the-pharisees-in-the-gospels

https://www.lds.org/new-era/2007/01/who-are-matthew-mark-luke-and-john?lang=eng

https://www.quora.com/Christianity-Why-is-John%E2%80%99s-gospel-so-different-from-the-other-three

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/john.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-difference-between-pharisees-and-sadducees-in-the-bible-363348

And The Kingdom and the Crown books by Gerald Lund