One book governs millions of individuals – followers of the largest religion in the world. Christians turn to the Bible for guidance at home, in relationships, in the statehouse, in the schoolhouse and anywhere else they see fit. To the outsider, the conscious non-believer, it seems absurd and irrational to place so much value in one work. How can such a mysterious piece of history guide so many people on issues like abortion, and take credibility away from evidence-based science? Faith, of course, is the common answer to such criticism. But the Bible’s unique structure also gives it a level of credibility. It is made up of gospels – different “chapters” telling different versions of the same story, each from the vantage point of one of Jesus’ …show more content…
In comparing The Gospel According to Matthew and The Gospel According to John, we see not only two different perspectives of the same plot but also two different sets of values, emphasized by the words of Jesus and the actions of his supporting characters. For purposes of this paper, I’m zeroing in on love, a major theme in the Bible. Matthew and John have very different things to say about love – amongst people, between believer and God, and about the purpose of love depending on its object and lover. In the gospel according to Matthew, Jesus focuses on love in the context of rules and restrictions, while in the gospel according to John, love is observed more as a force within God, coming from God, and within all people, from God. Both gospels provide valuable lessons for contemporary readers, seeking to discover the word of God, or improve their love related practices in their own …show more content…
Before the birth, an angel tells Joseph to take Mary as his wife – something he had previously been reluctant to do. This may come as a surprise to many, as the sanctity of marriage and its purpose as an undying commitment between individuals in love is often touted as a key aspect of the Christian faith. Recall the heated debates in the United States between pro and anti gay marriage activists – the opposition’s most frequent reasoning was that gay marriage would stain a sacred biblical institution. Here, however, one of the most important marriages in the history of the world is arranged merely as the means for Jesus’ birth. Add to that the lack of sexual contact in the relationship, and any love related intimacy is removed from Jesus’ origin story. Of course Joseph is not really Jesus’ father, and Mary is not really his mother – at least not in a traditional sense. Jesus’ father is very clearly the Father, God, who says about Jesus, “this is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew, 4). Here God calls Jesus the “Beloved”, yet does not explicitly say He loves him – only that He is “well pleased”. Perhaps Jesus is the Beloved of all people on earth, who, through Him, will find salvation. As Jesus makes his travels, he seeks to amass a loyal team of disciples and spread the message of the lord. In one of his first official speeches, the Sermon on the Mount, he provides initial
Richard, R. P. (2010). God's judgments: interpreting history and the Christian faith. Bibliotheca Sacra, 167(665), 113-116. Retrieved from
Many people do not know that loving your enemy is the heart of the gospel. Although loving and praying for your enemy may seem impossible at times, it is written in the gospel of Matthew that loving your enemy is loving God. In Matthew 5:43, Jesus teaches about loving your enemy, praying for your enemy, and shows examples of loving your enemy.
When looking in the Gospel of Matthew 15:21-28 and the Gospel of Mark 7:24-30 one can find that each of these pieces of their respective gospels have both some similarities and differences. There is evidence of overlap between these two which are quite easy to find whilst one is reading the sections of each. There also are points in which these two accounts diverge from one another by either telling a certain part of the other gospel in a different way, removing content from one of the other gospels, or adding something that may not have been referenced or described in the other. Either way these accounts from Matthew and Mark both have connections to each other even if not visible on the surface.
The foundation of the Christian faith is cradled within truth of the virgin birth, life, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As diverse as the world-wide Christian culture is, the truth in the birth and life of Jesus stands without border and language limitations. Just as each individual life story can be adapted to be relevant for a variety of audiences, the birth story of the Messiah was also. The Gospels of Matthew and Luke are an example of the well-rounded and diverse narration of the birth story of Jesus—Matthew’s narration spoke to the history of the Jewish people and Luke presented to the citizen of Rome.
While both books of Mark and Matthew portray Peter as one of the most important followers of Jesus, Mark seems to emphasize Jesus' spiritual career unlike the broad, more in-depth pursuit of Jesus' life that Matthew embellishes on. As both Jesus' student and friend, Peter is the one disciple most commonly referred to in the stories. Yet the two passages seem to draw different pictures of Jesus' distinguished disciple. In Matthew, Peter seems to play a larger role in Jesus' teachings and seems more significant to Jesus throughout the book. In Mark, he is still important, but to a lesser extent in the eyes of the author. Mark leaves Peter out of a few of the stories altogether and only touches
There are many different gospels that tell a similar story. Matthew and Mark are two Gospels written in a similar way but have different audiences. The story is the Last Supper and is about the last meal that Jesus experienced with his Apostles before his Sacrifice. There are many similarities, but not very many differences. Overall, the same story is told, but from two different perspectives.
It can be argued that the similarities and differences of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke can cause the reader to either see both of these accounts to complement one another with their different perspectives or that they contradict one another by certain events being mentioned in one birth narrative but not the other. Different aspects of both of these birth narratives such as the way Matthew and Luke treat Mary, the extent to which they use the Old Testament and the audience to whom they are writing to reveals the authors’ agenda as they allow their culture and own personal beliefs to influence what they write. These factors could be argued to have an effect on the historical authenticity of these texts as it could be possible that they could have caused the authors to twist the truth to fit in with their own beliefs.
The gospels Mathew and John contain distinct differences. According to the Gospel of John, Pilate brought Jesus out a second time to plead Jesus' innocence. The crowd demanded Jesus' death again. Also in John's gospel, the soldiers are sent to take down the bodies. Pilate's soldiers broke the legs of the two criminals. They "did not break [Jesus'] legs" because they thought he was dead (Jn 19:33 NAB). This detail is not mentioned in Mathew's gospel. Another difference was when Jesus was resurrected he said to his disciples "Peace be with you" (Jn 20:19 NAB). In Mathew, moments after Jesus death "the rocks split" (Mt 27:51 NAB). Johns gospel does not have an earthquake in it. Also, in Mathew, Simon helps Jesus carry the cross. Simon was "pressed
N.T. Wright releases “How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels” with the affirmation that the church has come to emphasis almost exclusively on Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. Although, the gospels devote the majority of their time on Jesus’ life. Jesus’s life, death, resurrection and rise did not hint the end of the old Israel story, but redirected it further to a worldwide effort of adaptation. Wright addresses several New Testament documented interpreters who present the gospels as simply “the prognosis of early Christian faith, reflecting the disputes and predicaments of the early church,” something Wright calls a “half-truth”. Wright argues that notwithstanding the gospels countless differences, none of
All of the Gospels describe the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but each author illustrates the stories differently. Scholars believe Mark is the first Gospel written and is symbolized by a lion to denote Christ as powerful and fast-paced. The Book of John, understood to be the last gospel composed, is perceived as an eagle because the story differs greatly and is often more developed than the other Gospels. Comparing John 2 to the Gospel of Mark will depict unique themes and characteristics of Jesus.
Who is this man Jesus? Where was he from? What did he do for others and us? A great source of reference to answer this question would be someone who had direct contact with him in everyday life. Someone who saw the daily wonders he created would be the best source for information. Matthew, the apostle, is believed to have written the gospel of Matthew. He was able to experience firsthand all of the amazing miracles that Jesus performed. God inspired his words, and his gospel relates to the other three gospels in overall context. They were written in different formats and styles, but the overall message and story remains constant throughout all four gospels. This creates a strong
The books of Matthew and John though have many similarities, also have many differences due to the goals that they are trying to achieve and the importance of points/events they are trying to get across. The reason behind the initial portrayals of Jesus helps achieve the goals of each book; whereas Matthew’s book tries to ‘convince’ the educated readers and quarrelers (Pharisees), John’s book does not care much about reputation per se. For example, Jesus turns on the Jews who believe in him to generate a readers response to him as the definitive expression of God 's will or revelation as opposed to Matthew’s intentional readers response to God 's will as expressed in the Mosaic Law. While there are many qualities I could delve into regarding the difference in characters of Jesus, my essay in particular will look at what each book views is especially important with regard to Jesus and his intentions. Specifically, my main focus will be on the presentation of Jesus and reasons for doing so; setting in context what the book is basically about.
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the first books of the New Testament within the Bible, The Gospels as they are so called. The words of the Gospels tell of the teachings of Jesus and his disciples and they bring the word of God to others through the land. Now, the books of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called synoptic gospels as they are all very similar as to the way the stories are structured, worded, and similarity in context. As for the book of John, this book differs a bit with its structure being different than the 3 before and also its perception, or depiction, of Christ.
The Gospel According to Matthew is the first book of the New Testament in the Bible, and is a Gospel narrative. The narratives provided by the Gospels in the New Testament are here to provide us with descriptions of the life, death, and resurrection of our savior Jesus Christ, as well as to share His teachings. Like any other narrative, it is important to understand the historical and literary contexts surrounding the Gospel of Matthew, as well as the importance and significance of Matthew itself. As a Gospel, Matthew is here to present us with the narrative of Jesus Christ as our Messiah, as promised in the Old Testament Prophesy. While it is important to evaluate the extensive context surrounding the narrative of Matthew, the meaning behind the narrative can be found through relating it to the various events that are described in the other Gospels. By comparing the Gospels, it is easy to evaluate the underlying meaning and significance, within the context of the Gospels. Because the Gospels were written as narratives to provide us with information on the life and death of Jesus Christ, and all that happened in between, it is important to compare the different accounts described in the Gospels whenever possible. In doing so, it is possible to examine the Gospels within the appropriate context. With 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John), it is important to compare them with one another in order to further evaluate the importance of Jesus Christ, as he is the
This is a summary of a No Travel Seminar on a Study of the Gospel of Matthew. The seminar was lead by Dr. John Dunaway who is a professor at NTS and has served as a pastor for over 50 years. After his brief self-introduction, he began his presentation with an overview of the Gospel of Matthew, followed by a more elaborated narrative summarizing the gospel, and he finished with brief closing remarks. Throughout this enthusiastic presentation, Dr. Dunaway made reference to remarks by multiple prominent commentators, which added substance to his narrative, even though none were explicitly stated upfront.