the gospels

🦁𝓶𝓪𝓻𝓴

author: not in mark. church tradition says john mark, companion of paul and barnabas

  • tradition says mark wrote down peter’s memories

date: around 60s ad, during or just after jewish war

  • “trials and tribulations” in chapter 13 especially applicable

audience: gentile christians in rome

purpose: convince his audience that Jesus is the messiah, the son of God (mark 1:1)

structure of mark

  • 1:1-13 → prologue

  • 1:14-8:26 → ministry in galilee

  • 8:27-10:52 → Jesus’ journey to jerusalem

  • 11:1-16:8 → passion narrative

features of mark

  • fast-paced narrative

  • geographical movement

  • broadly chronological arrangement, yet some material arranged thematically

  • Christ’s raw emotions

  • grouping in threes

  • intercalation of stories

  • “messianic secret”

  • identity of Jesus misunderstood

  • ending??

    • originally ends at 16:8; later additions add 8b and 9-20

    • the last ending/addition combines elements from matthew, luke, and john

😇𝓶𝓪𝓽𝓽𝓱𝓮𝔀

author: traditionally apostle matthew (the tax collector)

date: after mark, anywhere from 60s-80s ad

audience: jewish christians (with universal outlook)

purpose: encourage persecuted christians

structure of matthew

  • 1:1-4:25 → birth and preparation for ministry

  • 5:1-7:29 → sermon 1: sermon on the mount

  • 8:1-9:34 → demonstration of Jesus’ power and authority

  • 9:35-11:1 → sermon 2: mission of the 12 disciples

  • 11:2-12:50 → rejection by this generation

  • 13:1-52 → sermon 3: parables of the kingdom

  • 13:52-17:27 → acknowledgment by the disciples

  • 18:1-35 → sermon 4: humility among the disciples

  • 19:1-22:46 → authority and invitation

  • 23:1-25:46 → sermon 5: woes and the coming kingdom

  • 26:1-28:20 → death & resurrection, commissioning of the disciples

themes in matthew

  • Jesus as messiah/king

  • prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus

  • Jesus is teacher

    • parables

    • 5 major sermons mirroring 5 books of torah

    • importance of attitudes

    • reinterprets law

  • importance of discipleship

  • kingdom of “heaven” (not “God”)

    • for a jewish audience (“messiah”, “son of David”)

  • confrontation with religious leaders

    • john the baptist: “brood of vipers”

    • Jesus: “hypocrites”, ch 23

    • authorities question Jesus, especially about sabbath

    • Jesus questions them back, citing Scripture to condemn them

  • wisdom/authority of Jesus

    • he is always portrayed as smarter than the pharisees in their debates

    • foreknowledge, passion predictions

  • supernatural intervention

    • Holy Spirit, angels, dreams (even to gentiles)

  • some gentile/universal outlook

🐂𝓵𝓾𝓴𝓮

author: traditionally luke, traveling companion of paul

  • this is disputed by some scholars

  • also he wrote acts! they’re meant to be read together

  • probably a gentile doctor; highly educated in literature and rhetoric

date: late 60s-early 90s, depending on mark’s date

  • 19:41-44 and 21:20-24 may indicate it was written after the destruction of jerusalem (70 ad)

audience: to theophilus

  • probably theophilus was luke’s rich patron, but it could possibly refer to the reader in general

purpose: gives an orderly account so theophilus can know w/certainty what is true

structure of luke

  • 1:1-4 → prologue

  • 1:5-2:52 → birth & childhood of Jesus

  • 3:1-4:13 → preparation for ministry

  • 4:14-9:50 → ministry of Jesus in galilee

  • 9:51-19:48 → journey to jerusalem

  • 20:1-21:38 → teaching in the jerusalem temple

  • 22:1-23:56 → suffering & death of Jesus

  • 24:1-53 → the exaltation of Jesus

themes in luke

  • Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promises

    • ot, zechariah, simeon/anna, john the baptist, Jesus himself, angel gabriel

  • Jesus is the promised restorer

    • heals the sick

    • helps the poor

    • restores those with little social status → women, gentiles, outcasts

  • journey motif

  • Jerusalem

  • the temple

  • Holy Spirit

  • prayer

  • witnesses

  • universal gospel → marginalized people and social outcasts included

  • unique material

    • some of nativity story

    • good samaritan

    • prodigal son

    • parable of the rich man and lazarus

    • walk to emmaus

  • ascension of Jesus

  • many themes brought together in 24:44-48

🦅𝓳𝓸𝓱𝓷

author: apostle john probably

date: end of 1st century (in ephesus)

purpose: help readers to believe that Jesus is the messiah so that they may have life in his name (20:30-31)

structure of john

  • 1:1-18 → prologue: Jesus the Word of God

  • 1:19-4:42 → impact of Jesus’ ministry

  • 4:43-5:47 → the authority of Jesus

  • 6:1-71 → Jesus’ flesh & blood given for the world

  • 7:1-8:59 → the people divided about Jesus

  • 9:1-10:39 → the kindness of Jesus vs opposition of the jewish leaders

  • 10:40-12:50 → the gift of life through death of Jesus

  • 13:1-20:29 → departure and return of Christ

  • 20:30-31 → conclusion

  • 21:1-25 → epilogue

style and themes in john

  • alternates between narratives and discourses (the stories symbolize the teachings)

  • long discourses on eternal life

  • theological depth

  • linguistic wordplay, ironies, antitheses, etc

  • symbolism of light and dark

  • Jesus as Word of God, revealing truth

  • Jesus’ deity and humanity

  • staying connected to God