As I was preparing to study the Sermon on the Mount, I was comparing the manner in which the four gospels each begin. I looked at Matthew’s gospel and was caught by the titles of Jesus; Matthew begins by telling us who He is! “… Jesus the Messiah (Christ), the son of David, the son of Abraham …” (Mt. 1:1), “… you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins” (1:21), and fulfilling a prophecy “… ‘THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL,’ which translated means ‘GOD WITH US,’” (1:23), and “… King of the Jews” (2:2).
Mark’s gospel is fast on the takeoff. “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mk. 1:1). Don’t miss that statement, Jesus is the “Son of God.” Mark skips the whole Christmas story with Gabriel’s visit to Zacharias and even to Mary! Jumps past the birth of John and of Jesus! (If you want Christmas, you’ll have to read Luke 1 and 2 and Matthew 1 and 2.) After that first verse, telling us just who Jesus is, Mark relates the ministry of John the Baptist and tells us that Jesus was also baptized by John. After only thirteen verses, Mark begins relating the ministry of Jesus, calling His message, “… the gospel of God” (Mk. 1:14).
Luke gives the logical approach, “… it seemed fitting for me … having investigated everything carefully … to write it out for you in consecutive order … so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught” (Lk. 1:1-4). He then begins with the angel Gabriel’s visit to the elderly priest Zacharias and spends two full chapters to cover the birth of Jesus and a short story of how Mary and Joseph lost Jesus at the Temple when He was twelve. Only then did Luke jump into the ministry of John the Baptist and all that followed, offering a similar account along the lines of both Matthew and Mark.
John’s gospel, however, begins with an entirely different approach, and a different title for Jesus; “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (Jn. 1:1). Then, “And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us …” (Jn. 1:14). That’s his version of the Christmas story. No details of angels, stars, shepherds, or stables. Simply, “… the Word became flesh …” It isn’t until the 17th verse that John even mentions the name Jesus; “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.”
Matthew seems to be writing particularly for a Jewish audience while Luke writes for the non-Jews, the Gentiles, which is appropriate since Luke himself is not a Jew. Scholars seem to think that Mark was using the Apostle Simon Peter as his primary source, and his gospel moves fast. It’s mostly action and jumps from one incident to another in quick succession. John, on the other hand, wrote his gospel many years after the others were written and his primary purpose is stated in John 20:31, “… these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah), the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
As with all of Scripture, these four accounts were written by humans, but the writing process was overseen by God Himself! He intends for all of us to be able to know who Jesus is, why He came, why He died! He wants us to know and believe that Jesus died for us on a Roman cross, was buried and then raised from the dead on the third day! All of this was done to provide you and me with the opportunity to be saved from our sins, become new creations in Christ Jesus, and look forward to an eternity with God when all things will be made new and good again! Let’s be getting ready!
(I will get to the Sermon on the Mount but have a little ground to cover first. Smile.)
Everything is About God 