|
Your Window into the Bible (Deluxe Version) The Life Story of Jesus WHY
ARE THERE FOUR GOSPELS?
Actually there are more!
Several ancient gospels which scholars know about did not make it
into the Bible we have today. There are at least five that we know of, including the Gospel
of the Ebionites, the Gospel according to the Hebrews (also known as
“The Jewish Gospel”), and the Gospel of Peter.
Of the four we have, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as
“synoptic gospels” because they share so much material in common (much
of it nearly word for word, meaning that one or the other deliberately
copied parts of the other gospels directly into his gospel as he wrote
it.) In fact, nearly all of
Mark can also be found in either Matthew or Luke...if we lost Mark, we
would still have most of our record of Jesus left intact.
John’s gospel is universally thought to be written fifty or so
years later than the others (scholars debate the exact order and date of
the other three, but generally consider them to have been written within a
generation of Jesus’s life). In
John, Jesus is portrayed giving much longer, more rambling speeches (in
contrast to short sayings and parables in the other three).
The theme of light and darkness is heavily emphasized in John.
Jesus is the “light of the world,” and gradually throughout the
book the light dawns on one person after another until, in the end of the
book, the hope is that the light has dawned upon the reader as well!
“An
Outline of Things You Can Find in the Gospels”
I. Jesus’ life story
A.
His birth and early life
B.
His baptism, temptation, travels and other events
C.
His relationship with others
1.
his own family
2.
his disciples
3.
strangers, foreigners, sinners, and the outcast
4.
Jewish leaders
D.
His death and resurrection
II.
Jesus’ Teachings
A.
Parables and short sayings
B.
Teachings about the Old Testament laws
C.
Discussions with disciples and arguments with critics
D.
Other Statements of Jesus
1.
Prophecies about the future
2.
Warnings about false religious leaders
3.
Statements about his own life and purpose
E.
Scripture quotes
1.
By Jesus, to make a point about his message
2.
By the gospel writers to make a point about Jesus
III.
Miracles
A.
Healing the sick
B.
Nature miracles (walking on water, calming sea, multiplying food)
C.
“Divine” miracles (where God’s unique powers show though,
such as understanding people’s
thoughts before they speak, the transfiguration, casting out demons, etc.)
D.
Resurrections (people Jesus raised from the dead)
Thank you for your interest in studying the Bible!!!! Return to Bible Study Main Menu Return to Camp Point United Methodist Church Main Page
|