The Gospels:Central Sources for Understanding Jesus

Chapter 2 p.24

How do we read them?

Are they factual accounts?Are the authors unreliable because they were

“believers”?

Gospels are Faith Sources

“ History is written by the victors”

ALL HISTORY IS PRESENTED THROUGH THE EYES AND EARS OF THE PERSON DOING THE RECORDING

The Good News!

The Daily News

Shaped by culture

Gospels

Language, geography, technology, history and religious tradition

The Good News!

Authors used exaggeration, figures of speech, approximation and poetry

Luke: 14, 26

If any one comes to me without hating his father* and mother, wife and children,

brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple.

The Good News!

Biography 101

Jesus’ birthday What he looked like Where he went to school His teenage years What was on his ipod

Helllloooooooooo… where is the info on……..

Gospel=godspell

Godspell=good news, glad tidings Glad tidings=Greek word, evangelion Evangelion=the proclamation or

announcement of good news How about dem’Evangelists????

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtaAi5TGle0

Stage 1: Jesus of Nazareth and His DisciplesBasic Facts of Jesus Life p. 31Born CarpenterPublic career speaking and preachingConsidered by many as prophet, maybe a magician,

sorcerer

Development of the Gospels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsTRxXvQY0s&feature=player_detailpage

The world is changed forever http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AeTgx_pj6m8

THE RESURRECTION

Jesus is Lord…Jesus is Christ

Stage 2..First few years….

Then….

Easter….

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_eyFiClAzq8

Disciples start thinking that the end is coming…..

Start spreading the news near and far…

Like

It’s the end of the world as they know it.

It is a story that we are looking backwards and understanding

Many layers Oral tradition

Intense mission to spread the news…

Now they start thinking as a “church” We better get our act together and write for

the future…this “oral tradition” is only going to get us so far.

We better get our act together and write this stuff down for the people who are listening to us NOW!!!!

Stage 3….about 40 years later

Time is Marching On..

Four Portraits of Jesus

4 different perspectives How is a picture different from a painting?

The 4 Gospels

Each evangelist had a wealth of material available to him..stories told over and over, the words of Jesus and insights of others..

The Gospels developed like a multi-layered drawing

Four Portraits..

Each had a particular audience in mind when writing

It is doubtful that any one person was responsible for the total development of any of the Gospels

There are scholars* (note the word..really smart people who study this stuff) who will disagree.

Each Gospel helps paint the portrait.

IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER

First gospel written..35-40 years after

Written by???..John Mark a companion of St.Paul

MARK’S Portrait:The Human Jesus

Written in Rome for the GENTILES (Non Jewish) readers.

Mark’s Gospel explained the Jewish customs to a audience that was not familiar with these practices.

Mark wrote for WHOM???...

A heavy sense of suffering dominates the Gospel of Mark

(the Christians are being persecuted for the burning of Rome)

Maybe Mark’s intention was to explain the that suffering was an essential part of being human.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ktp_TTWC_iE

A long introduction into the Passion and death of Christ.

Why is this relevant to us?

  Jesus was moved with "compassion" (Mk 6:34);

He "sighed" (Mk 7:34; 8:12); he "marveled" at the unbelief of his own townsfolk (Mk 6:6);

he "looked" upon the rich young man and "loved him" (Mk 10:21). 

Mark also adds vivid details that the other gospel writers leave out.  For example, he describes Jesus' tenderness as he took the little children "in his arms and blessed them, laying his hands upon them" (Mk 10:16). ).

The human Jesus

Why is this relevant to us?

Fear Agony Hunger Betrayal Resting Liked creature comforts Distress Tempted LOVE YOUSELF 13:28-34..Yea Andrew

What makes Jesus human?

When did the chapter end? Verse 1-8 Scholars think that the Gospel ended at

verse 8… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndWHhw

uwfnM&feature=relmfu

1:23 Maybe Mark is saying “ Wait for Him” he

will be in Galilee? Is that important for us?

Chapter 16

Uneasiness at the ending… Scholars were writing manuscripts by hand. Often in Mark’s Gospel Jesus’ disciples

needed to be told about him. They were unsure..they did not understand

4:41(Read 4:35-41) 6:52 (read 6:45-52) 7:8-18 8:17-21

The longer ending..gives more instruction

The people closest to Jesus were the ones that needed to understand him.

The demons knew and the Roman centurion knew he was God. 1: 21 ---15:39

How is this relevant to us?

What do we make of all this?

JESUS as the

COMPASSIONATE Savior

LUKE p.42

1. Gospel 2. Acts of the Apostles

Often called Gospel of Jesus & Gospel of The Holy Spirit

Luke’s Gospel –2 Parts

A doctor?... We can guess…. a well educated GENTILE

who converted to Christianity. MORE IMPORTANTLY..

****Only NON JEW TO Write a Gospel****NOT an eyewitness, had to rely on

accounts of others.Less important but interesting

Who wrote It?

Less important but interesting..(I think so )

Probably wrote in Antioch, SyriaProbably used Mark’s Gospel as

Spark Notes

For Converted Christians to Better Understand Their Faith

To establish the continuity of Judiasm Central Role of the Holy Spirit 1:35—Angel tells Mary HS will come to her 1:41-Elizabeth will be filled with HS Stresses Jesus’ MERCY and Compassion

FOR WHOM…And WHY

http://www.realfaithtv.com/videos/compassion-to-love-like-jesus/

Jesus = compassionate

Pharisees Prostitute Dinner Washing of Feet Tears Hair Welcome    

THE SINFUL WOMAN 7:36-50(who remembers from last year?)

Who Are We in the story??

The Lost Son Luke 15:11-32

http://vimeo.com/35595649

WWJD?????? Let’s Look

This guy is a jerkHis brother is doing all the work..for a long time…….AAGGGHHHH

Soooooo Difficult to understand

This is compassionate love

The parable of the lost sheep 15:3-7

More is recorded about Elizabeth and Mary than the other Gospels. 1:5-79….

the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus in the house of Simon the Pharisee.

More about women

LUKE PICTURES JESUS IN PRAYER MORE THAN ANY OTHER GOSPEL WRITER. AT EVERY MAJOR CRISIS, JESUS PRAYED.

PRAYER

For Whom?????? How can we tell?

Read the 1st chapter!!!!! YIKES

Gospel of Matthew

What do we know about the development of the gospel?

16:18 and 18:17

Most Popular Gospel

Strong sense of the “church”

Synoptic = “to see together”

MatthewMarkLuke

What about……..

SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

JOHN

JOHN

Highly Literary Symbolic http://www.youtube.com/watch?

v=vWPyhsP1Nao

Different than MML

Let us read.. 1:1-18

Holy Moley

How does it begin?

I am the Light of the World 8:12 I am the bread of life 6:35 I am the vine 15:5 I am the good shepard 10:11 I am the resurrection and the life 11:25 I am the way, the truth and the life 14:6

I am sayings..

John 3:16 No bread and wine mentioned at the last

supper!!!!

Information to dazzle your friends with..

Rivers of Living Water.* On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and exclaimed, “Let anyone who thirsts come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as scripture says:

‘Rivers of living water* will flow from within him.’”

Beautiful

“IT IS FINISHED” 19:30

NOW WHAT?