This year for our Bible Study we’ve been reading the whole Bible chronologically. That is, we’ve taken the books and chapters and rearranged them so that they flow historically. By reading a chapter or two a day (3-4 pages in most Bibles) we will read every page!
How are you doing so far? In September, we finished reading the Old Testament. If you are just joining us (or if you fell behind), this is a great time to start fresh. From now through the end of the year we will read the New Testament. In October we are covering the birth of Christ and most of his ministry before he goes to Jerusalem to be crucified.
As we begin the New Testament, a word about the four gospels is in order. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each tell the story of Jesus’ life and teachings. You can think of them as four witnesses to an event. Each one will remember different details, and they will tell the story to promote a particular point of view, or for a specific audience. The differences between them give us important insight in Jesus and the early church, and paint a rich picture indeed!
Mark was written about 20-30 years after Christ’s resurrection by John Mark, a follower of Peter (Acts 12:12,25). Mark may have been a very young man who began to follow Jesus at the end of his ministry; some scholars think Mark 14:51-52 is a self-portrait. Mark probably learned most of the details of Jesus’ life through Peter’s preaching and teaching. Mark is more interested in what Jesus does than what he says. Mark’s gospel moves quickly. He is fond of the word “immediately!” Mark wrote to encourage non-Jewish believers to persevere despite suffering and persecution.
Matthew wrote a few years later, building upon Mark’s account and adding his own eyewitness testimony. Matthew was probably the tax collector disciple (Matthew 9:9-13); he is called Levi in Mark and Luke. Matthew wrote to Jewish believers to convince them that Jesus was the promised Messiah, and so he quotes many prophecies. He arranged his gospel to present Jesus as a new and greater Moses. Just as Moses went up Mt. Sinai and received the ten commandments, Jesus preaches the sermon on the Mount and goes beyond the ten commandments in the beatitudes (5:1-12). Matthew is interested in training disciples to spread the Good News.
Luke also wrote after Mark and expanded the earlier account. Luke was a Greek doctor and companion of Paul (Colossians 4:14) who carefully researched his account of Jesus’ life by interviewing eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4). He wrote for a specific person, Theophilus, but also for all Christians (Theophilus means “God lover” in Greek). Luke wants to emphasize that Jesus makes salvation available to all people everywhere.
John was the “beloved disciple” (John 13:23, 19:26, etc.). He was a very young man when he followed Jesus, and he lived to be a very old man. He wrote his gospel late, perhaps 50 years after Christ’s resurrection. John’s gospel is very different from the other three. John talks about only eight or so miracles, calling them “signs,” and spends much more time reporting the teachings of Jesus. John wants us to know that when we see Jesus, we see God incarnate – the Word made flesh, a loving Lord who brings eternal life to those who believe in him.
For the list of October readings, download our chronological Bible calendar.
(Note: Not quite ready to ready every page of the Bible, or want a fresh start? We are taking another approach in Sunday School and worship as we preach and teach our way this year through The Story, a condensed version of the Bible. We just started – join us!)