The Gospels

Someone said that if all the words of the Bible were little puzzle pieces, when put together they would show a picture of God that we would recognize from the stories of the Gospels as Jesus. From beginning to end the Bible is about Him for He was the image of the invisible God.

There is really no better place to learn about Jesus than in the Gospels; Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

As you know, the word Gospel, means Good News, the news that our relationship with God can be, and has been, restored through Jesus.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when reading through the Gospels:

1. Many of Jesus' stories, sayings and teachings are presented in the Gospels without context so we don't know what happened before or after.

2. For years His teachings were circulated in small groups of believers without a formal organization. They were not organized in chapters and verses as we have them now. They were just stories.

3. The sayings of Jesus are interwoven with the stories about Jesus.

4. The writers had historical concerns which led them to report the facts about the life of Jesus. They also had existential concerns which led them to record the teachings of Jesus.

5. When quoting the words of Jesus, the writers used two methods: word for word or a summary of what Jesus said.

6. The content on the Gospels differs from one to another based on the purpose of the book as guided by the Holy Spirit.
- For example Matthew writes to the Jewish and uses a lot of Jewish commonly accepted methods to prove that Jesus was the Messiah.
- Mark wrote for a Roman audience so Jesus is always on the move and there is a lot of action
- Luke writes for a Greek audience and non-Jewish audience so he focuses on the human side of Jesus' nature.
- John's intent is to prove that Jesus is God so his Gospel is very personal

Enjoy as you read through the Gospels, put yourself in the shoes of those who heard the stories first. Don't try to write a thesis about them, allow the Spirit to introduce you to Jesus.