Chapter 4 Jesus in the Gospels In this chapter, we will look at: An introduction to the four Gospels Modern critical approaches to New Testament Interpretation A summary of the major teachings in the Gospels Introduction to the Four Gospels 52 THE SYNOPTIC 53 GOSPELS Matthew Author Matthew was a tax-collector and apostle Mt. 9:9-13 He was a Jewish convert writing to Christians Date Probably as late as AD 63 Probably after Mark s gospel was written Historical Setting Probably written in Greek or Aramaic (see quote of Papias on page 5) 52 Scholars debate the authorship, date, historical setting, and purpose of the Gospels. Since this course is an introduction to the New Testament, the traditional conclusions are presented except as noted. 53 The term synoptic means to see together. This term is used for the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke since the three generally agree in chronology and subject matter. These are biographical accounts of the life and teaching of Jesus.
Some scholars suggest that Matthew s gospel was written from Antioch (of Syria) Matthew uses many terms and ideas (without explanation) that would have been familiar to Jews It appears that Matthew borrowed from at least some source materials e.g. see the list of apostles in Mt 10:2-3 (Why would Matthew refer to himself in this manner if he were writing a first person narrative?) Purpose To present the biography and teachings of Jesus to Jews (believers and non-believes) in the Roman world Mark Author Perhaps John Mark again, see the quote of Papias on page 5 Cousin to Barnabas (Col 4:10) Early tradition claims that Mark was a close associate of the apostle, Simon Peter 54 Mark was not an apostle, but was closely connected to the disciples in Acts 12:12,25 He accompanied Paul and Barnabas on the First Missionary Journey (Acts 13:5), but mysteriously abandoned the team and returned to Jerusalem (Acts 13:13; see also Acts 15:36-40) Was an associate of Paul again in 2 Tim 4:11 Was also an associate of Peter at about the same time that Paul and Peter were in prison in Rome (2 Tim 4:11 and 1 Pt 5:13) Date Probably around AD 60 (perhaps in the late 50s) It is widely accepted that Mark s gospel was written before Matthew or Luke, and was used as a resource for both Historical Setting Probably written in Rome while Peter and Paul were in prison 54 The close association of John Mark to Peter is not a biblical claim; it comes from early church tradition. 87
Written to believers (both Jewish and Gentile converts) The book s origin in Rome probably explains the early wide distribution of the writing throughout the Roman world Purpose To present the life of Christ as Savior to all people To record the apostolic teachings (especially as presented by Peter) at the moment when it appeared that the apostles would be martyred before Jesus returned Luke Author Luke s name does not appear in either the gospel attributed to him, or in the book of Acts Early church tradition, and references from some early Christian writings, attribute these books to Luke but there are suggestions in Acts that Luke was the author His authorship of Acts is established in the we passages of Acts The author of the Gospel, is almost certainly the author of Acts (compare Luke 1:1-4 and Acts 1:1-2) Luke was a Gentile He was a physician and an associate of Paul (Col 4:14) Date Probably about AD 62 Definitely before the writing of Acts (i.e. before AD 64) Historical Setting Probably written with Gentile readers in mind The location of the writing is unknown Purpose To provide a biography of Jesus for Theophilus (an unknown Roman official) 88
NON-SYNOPTIC GOSPEL John s Gospel Author John (son of Zebedee), brother of James, one of the two sons of thunder (see pages 73-74) The disciple whom Jesus loved (John 13:23) Anonymous the Gospel does not name its author, and John is never referred to by name Date Probably about AD 90 Historical Setting Probably written from Ephesus in the late first-century world The theme seems directed toward early Gnosticism Purpose A theological and Christological presentation of Christ as Savior (John 20:30-31; 21:25) John focuses more on themes than on chronology this is why John is not included in the list of Synoptic Gospels John includes highly selective material Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book. But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:30-31) 89
Modern Critical Approaches to Biblical Interpretation The Gospels NEW TESTAMENT CRITICISM What is Biblical Criticism? Criticism in the context of biblical studies does not imply an attempt to attack the authority or validity of the Bible the term should not be understood negatively However, some critics do approach the Bible with destructive presuppositions Most scholars are making honest observations about the biblical text in order to understand what it is saying There are various types of biblical criticism Textual Criticism Also referred to as lower criticism Purposes To determine an author s original words To sort out problems in how manuscripts were transmitted Alexandrian vs. Byzantine (Syrian) manuscripts A received, or authoritative text (Textus Receptus) (became the basis of the KJV) B.F. Westcott and F.J.A. Hort (AD 1881) Developed a neutral text Argued against the Textus Receptus Majority text Nestle (AD 1898) and Aland (AD 1963) United Bible Society (UBS) Editors included Bruce M. Metzger Metzger published a commentary on textual variations in AD 1973 Helps in the search for the historical Jesus 90
Literary Criticism Assumes that the material in the New Testament circulated orally among believers before it was written down This raises the question of sources Where did the Synoptic writers get their materials? Two-source theory (disputed today) Quelle (the Q source) Priority of Mark Form Criticism Known as higher criticism Emerged from Literary Criticism William Wrede (AD 1901) More recent scholarship K.L. Schmidt Martin Dibelius Rudolf Bultmann Studied the Synoptic Gospels Found that none of the synoptic writers were concerned for chronology All synoptic writers organized their material around theological issues 91
The uniqueness of the Synoptics 55 THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM Verses Words Unique Words Matthew 1,068 10,293 3,102 Mark 661 11,025 132 Luke 1,149 19,376 6,700 Table 1 The theory that the writers used some of the same written source materials Explains the relative agreement in the order of events described Explains agreement in quotations Explains agreement in parenthetical comments found in the text Identifying common material helps us reduce the Synoptic material to the original sayings of Jesus MODERN QUESTS FOR THE HISTORICAL JESUS Purpose To discover who Jesus really was and what he really said To filter out material that was added by editors and copyists Phases of the Quests The First Quest Built on rationalism of the Enlightenment Assumed that Jesus could be known only by discovering the most primitive sources for the Synoptics (thus, the Quest emerged from New Testament criticism) Leading scholars H.S. Reimarus (AD 1694-1768) 55 From Robert H. Stein. The Synoptic Problem: An Introduction. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House. 1987, p. 48. 92
G.E. Lessing and J.J. Griesbach (AD 1776) Emerged from studies of the synoptic problem The Second Quest Assumes that Jesus cannot be known outside of his historical, religious, and cultural context Leading scholars Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) The Jesus Seminar Started in 1985 Led by Robert Funk and John Dominic Crossan The Third Quest Focuses more on defining Jesus as a product of his historical, religious, and cultural environment To understand Jesus, we must understand what Judaism taught in the first century Noted scholars Ben Witherington Raymond Brown 93
A Summary of Teachings in the Gospels GOD HIMSELF God is known to both Jesus and us as Father (Mt 6:9) God and Jesus are one (John 10:30) God s plan of redemption is found only in the atoning death of Jesus Christ Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6) Model Prayer - Mt 6:9-13 (see also Lk 11:2-4) PRAYER "This, then, is how you should pray: 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' (Mt 6:9-13) This is not the Lord s Prayer 56 It is a model prayer for the disciples (see footnote for Mt 6:9-13 in Zondervan NIV Study Bible) Note the missing doxology The NIV editors placed it in the margin note for Mt 6:13. The doxology is not found in the oldest and best manuscripts. Our prayers should for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen Ask that God s will be done even in the lives of our enemies (Mt 5:44) Be without social hypocrisy (i.e. being the same among others as you are when it is just God and you Mt 6:5-6) Be without spiritual hypocrisy (i.e. seeking forgiveness to the same degree that you seek help in forgiving others Mt 6:12) 56 See John 17 for the prayer of Jesus 94
Jesus took a high view of the spoken word JESUS VIEW OF HIS OWN TEACHINGS I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter (Mt 12:36) For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned (Mt 12:37) His words were true reflections of his character Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away (Lk 21:33) Accepting his words was considered the same as accepting him If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free (John 8:31-32) Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them and make our home with them. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words; and the word that you hear is not mine, but is from the Father who sent me (John 14:23-24) Jesus attributed power and authority to his words You have already been cleansed by the word that I have spoken to you (John 15:3) Very truly I tell you, whoever keeps my word will never see death (John 8:51) Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68) The eternal destiny of people depends on their response to his words The one who rejects me and does not receive my word has a judge; on the last day the word that I have spoken will serve as judge (John 12:48) The Holy Spirit would carry on his teachings I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears (John 16:12-13) JESUS IDENTITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT When was Jesus first aware of his own identity? At his birth? At age 12? At his baptism? 95
His name, Jesus The transliteration is Iēsous (the first letter is I which later became a J, and is pronounced as the long e sound; the ē is the long a sound) Jesus is closely related to the name Joshua meaning Savior Some suggest that the Hebrew word, Joshua, should be transliterated as Yeshua However, the word Joshua is found only in 3 places in the New Testament (Lk 3:29, Acts 7:45, and Heb 4:8) and the writers never used Yehsua The word Joshua in the LXX is always transliterated as Ιησου σ (Iēsous) therefore, the New Testament writers used the same form as the Jewish scholars who translated the LXX The Greek word, Ιησου σ (Iēsous) is used in Acts 7:45 and Heb 4:8, but the English word, Joshua, is translated by the NIV, NASV, ESV, NKJV (but the old KJV translates the word as Jesus ) E-Sword shows that Jesus is found 1,271 times in the NIV (in 1,228 verses) (985 times in 948 verses in the NASV) His title, Christ Hebrew word for Messiah (mashiah meaning anointed ) is carried into Greek also as Messiah Christ is the transliterated word from the Greek (christos) meaning anointed Christ (a title) became part of the name of Jesus early in the life of the church (Jesus Christ) Translation and transliteration of Messiah Messiah is found in the Hebrew Old Testament only in Dan 9:25-26. The LXX transliterates the word as χριστου (transliterated as christou ) and χρισμα ( chrisma ) i.e. the Greeks words for Christ The word Μεσσιας (i.e. messias or Messiah) is found in the New Testament only in John 1:41; 4:25 The NIV translates these as Messiah The NASV also translates the instances of Χσιστος (i.e. christos) in Mt 1:1,16,17; 2:4 as Messiah (even though the Greek word used is the word for Christ ) E-Sword shows that the word Christ is found 543 times in 511 verses in the NIV (527 times in 496 verses in the NASV) 96
The I Am s I am the bread of life - John 6:35 I am the light of the world - John 8:12 I am the gate for the sheep - John 10:7 I am the good shepherd - John 10:11,14 I am the resurrection and the life - John 11:25 I am the way, the truth, and the life - John 14:6 I am the true vine - John 15:1,5 I am a king - John 18:37 SON OF MAN AND SON OF GOD Son of Man This was Jesus preferred title for himself Refers to his humanity Refers to his eschatological role as suffering servant and returning Lord Occurs 81 times in the Gospels, but only 4 times in the rest of the New Testament Is used only by Jesus (with the possible exception in John 12:34) Daniel (the prophet) refers to the Son of Man As I watched in the night visions, I saw one like a human being [meaning Son of Man] coming with the clouds of heaven. And he came to the Ancient One and was presented before him. To him was given dominion and glory and kingship, that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not pass away, and his kingship is one that shall never be destroyed. (Daniel 7:13-14) Jesus identifies himself with Daniel s Son of Man. Jesus said, I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven. (Mk 14:6) 97
Son of God John 1:49-51 - includes references to Jesus as both Son of Man and Son of God One of the charges against Jesus by the Jews For this reason the Jews were seeking all the more to kill him, because he was not only breaking the Sabbath, but was also calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God (John 5:18) The father and I are one. The Jews took up stones to kill him. Jesus replied, I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these are you going to stone me? The Jews answered, It is not for a good work that we are going to stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, though only a human being, are making yourself God (John 10:30-33) John 1:14 and John 3:16 only begotten (monogene means the only one to ever have become ) Unshared sonship (Bruce Metzger s phrase) All things have been handed over to me by my Father: and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Mt 11:27) THE TERMS LORD AND GOD Lord LORD was used in the Old Testament because the Tetragrammaton (YHWH) was considered too sacred to be spoken Adonai was the Hebrew word for the Lord that was used as an alternative name for God Adonai was translated kyrios (Greek) in the Septuagint Jews under the Romans refused to swear an oath to the emperor as kyrios, because the Greek word had come to be used exclusively for YHWH The Christian use of Lord was their specific reference to Jesus as God God So at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil 2:10-11) Three passages refer to Jesus as God John 1:1 the Word was God John 20:28 the confession of Thomas, my Lord and my God 98
Heb 1:8 but of the son he says, Your throne, O god, is forever and ever Three roles of Jesus in the New Testament which correspond to God in the Old Testament Jesus as Savior - (the Christian fish symbol - IXTHUS (literally means fish in Greek) Jesus is worshiped Jesus reveals God Whoever has seen me has seen the Father (John14:9) Figure 20 The Parables of Jesus WHAT IS A PARABLE? Words for parable Hebrew (masal) - has the idea of comparison Greek (parabole) - means putting things side by side Definitions An earthly story with a heavenly meaning Very short stories with double meanings Why did Jesus speak in parables? Mt 13:3 He told them many things in parables Mt 13:13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand. (From Isaiah 6:9-10) Figure 21 Terraces in Nazareth 99
NUMBER OF PARABLES 50 to 60 in synoptic gospels 10 brief stories found in the Gospel of John CATEGORIES OF PARABLES Parables about daily life (farmers, weddings, shepherds) Parables about the Kingdom of God (Mt 13 - the kingdom of Heaven is like ) Parables on God s nature (Lk 15, the lost sheep, the lost coin, the lost son) Figure 22 On the Jericho Road--near the site of the parable of the Good Samaritan. Other themes The relationship of the old covenant to the new covenant (the barren fig tree, the great feast) Prayer (the importunate friend, the unjust judge) Stewardship (the unjust steward, the rich fool) Judgment (the talents, the wise and foolish virgins) Death and resurrection (the rich man and Lazarus, the wicked husbandman) The Miracles of Jesus WHAT ARE MIRACLES? Words for miracles Miracle is a Latin word (miraculum) meaning a marvelous or wondrous event Greek (thauma) means wonder Greek (dunamis) means display of power Greek (semeion) means sign What miracles are not Natural and providential occurrences (birth is never called a miracle in the Bible) Magic or trickery 100
Occurrences which can be matched or duplicated by Satan or the demonic (Jesus warns that false messiahs and prophets will arise who will show great signs and wonders - Mt 24:24 What miracles are The power of the Lord Over physical elements - (the miraculous catch of fish, walking on water, healings, calming the storm) Over spiritual forces - (the exorcism of demons) Figure 23 Close to where Jesus walked on the water. The Sea of Galilee. Over temporal constraints - (moving about mysteriously - Lk 4 - after his teaching in the synagogue in Nazareth) Demonstrations of the power of God with Jesus which affirmed his authority Jesus answer to John the Baptist - Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. (Mt 11-3-6: Lk 7:19-23) If it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons then the kingdom of God has come upon you. (Lk 11:20) Bruce Metzger says there are 37 miracles NUMBER OF MIRACLES The Gospel of John says that Jesus did many more signs Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. (John 20:30) About 30% of the Gospel of Mark deals with the miracles of Jesus (209 verses out of 661) JESUS USE OF MIRACLES Jesus never used a miracle for his own benefit During his wilderness temptations On the cross He refused to perform miracles for Herod Antipas (Lk 23:8) (see also Lk 13:32) 101
He refused to satisfy those who just wanted to see a show The evil and adulterous generation which was seeking after a sign (Mt 12:39) Jesus did convey power to his disciples to perform miracles He conveyed the power to perform miracles to his disciples (Mk 3:14-15; Lk 10:9) Be careful here: Paul makes it clear that the Holy Spirit does not empower all Christians with power to perform miracles 57 Figure 24 Tabgha, the site of the miracle of the loaves and fish. Figure 25 The Garden Tomb near Gordon s Calvary 57 The ability to perform miracles is not listed among the gifts of the Holy Spirit in Rom 12; 1 Cor 12; Eph 4. 102
The Resurrection of Jesus BEFORE JESUS RESURRECTION What Jews believed about resurrection Martha at Lazarus death (Martha believed in a future resurrection)? Lord, Martha said to Jesus, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask. Jesus said to her, Your brother will rise again. Martha answered, I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this? (John 11:21-26) Herod Antipas - Herod seemed terrified that John the Baptist has resurrected King Herod heard about this, for Jesus name had become well known. Some were saying, John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him. Others said, He is Elijah. And still others claimed, He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago. But when Herod heard this, he said, John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead! (Mk 6:14-16) Mt 22:23-33 the Jewish leaders challenged Jesus with a question about resurrection Views in the Roman World Platonism The soul was viewed as eternal and good The body was viewed as temporal and bad Death was viewed as a friend (the bad body dies, the good spirit is liberated) Note: the Christian view of death is as an enemy The last enemy to be destroyed is death. (1 Cor 15:26) Immortality of the soul Immortality of the soul is a Greco-Roman concept The resurrection of Jesus was a bodily resurrection, not just immortality of the soul The Greco-Roman world did not believe a body could be resurrected The church at Corinth had problems understanding and accepting the resurrection 103
But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? (1 Cor 15:12) Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? (1 Cor 15:29-30) Convincing evidence following the resurrection Mt 28:6 the first evidence was the empty tomb He is not here (negative evidence) Acts 3:11-26 - Peter calls people to faith based upon his eyewitness testimony to the resurrection (affirmative evidence) Acts 1:3 - many convincing proofs THE RESURRECTION DILEMMA TODAY - CONTRAST OF TWO VIEWS Norman Geisler Views the resurrection of Jesus (and of all people) as corporeal (bodily) Jesus body was exactly the same after the resurrection Lk 24:39 - flesh and bones Murray Harris Views the resurrection of Jesus as spiritual (bodily, but changed) A new corporeality THE BIBLICAL MESSAGE ABOUT RESURRECTION A believer s body in resurrection will be like Christ s Beloved, we are God s children now: what will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him for we will see him as he is (1 Jn 3:2) Very Physical Then he said to Thomas, Put your finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe. (John 20:27) Yet changed When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled: Death has been swallowed up in victory. (1 Cor 15:54) 104
Transformed nothing is taken away, but something is added by which all that was before present is transfigured 58 THE KINGDOM OF GOD Temporal aspects of the Kingdom of God Coming Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. (Mt 3:2) From that time Jesus began to proclaim, Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. (Mt 4:17) Present Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Mt 3:2) as you go, proclaim the good news, The kingdom of heaven has come near. (Mt 10:7) Future Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. (Mt 7:21) Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God. (Mk 14:25) General aspects of the Kingdom of God Not an earthly, physical, or material kingdom (Rom 14:17) Not defined geographically - also is called the Kingdom of Heaven It is the realm where God s will is done Not a political kingdom - God is never called a king It is both present and future Membership comes only by adoption by God of those profess faith in Jesus and repent of their sin 58 B.F. Westcott. The Gospel of the Resurrection: Thoughts of Its Relation to Reason and History. London: Macmillan and Company, Ltd.,1892, p. 139 105
We can carry nothing to it from this world The ethical standards of the Kingdom of God are expressed in the Beatitudes (Mt 5-7) OTHER TEACHINGS OF JESUS Teachings regarding mankind People are sinful The word debts (and not trespasses ) should be used in the Model Prayer This, then, is how you should pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. (Matthew 6:14-15) There is a responsibility for others - Mt 7:12 - the Golden Rule There is a responsibility to God - Mt 5:2 - the Sermon on the Mount Eschatological teachings Judgment - Lk 13:22-30 Hell Sheol (Hebrew) refers to the abode of the dead NRSV never translates Sheol as hell NASV always transliterates Sheol NIV intentionally avoids Sheol and uses grave KJV translates Sheol as hell, grave, and pit Greek words Hades Hades was the name of the Greek god of the underworld The Septuagint translated Sheol as Hades Gehenna (transliteration of the Aramaic word for the Hebrew gehinnom the valley of Hinnom ) Referred physically to the valley of Hinnom, immediately south of Jerusalem 106
A garbage dump where fires constantly burned Tartaros Equivalent to the Greek concept of the subterranean abode of the wicked dead Tartaros is used only in 2 Pt 2:4 as the place for the punishment of rebellious angels Heaven The abode of God And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." (Mt 3:17; see also Mt 5:16,34,45,48; 6:9,10) Mt 25:31-46 - the reward of the faithful (also Mt 5:12) The prepared place for believers "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:1-6) Both the origin and destination of Jesus No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven the Son of Man. (John 3:13; Mt 10:23,33) For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. (John 6:38) 107
Figure 26 Cave of Pan (Gate of Hades) at Caesarea Philippi 108