Meeting Jesus In The Gospels – Why are there four gospels?

There are four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The gospels are not the same, though some have some overlap between them. They were written in different dates, by different authors. All were first account witnesses or researched directly from first account witnesses (meaning they saw, heard and touched Jesus).  This below is a very narrow differentiating of them. And below an additional resource for more notes.

Matthew  for Jewish Audience. The disciple of Jesus, also called Levi – Tax Collector. Its purpose is to announce the Kingdom is both present,  inaugurated in the birth, life, death and resurrection and exaltation of Jesus and is also coming fully in the future, at Jesus second coming.

Mark  earliest gospel written, Peter was the resource, to Christian gentiles. focuses on Jesus miracles – shows Jesus as the Suffering Son of God. Shortest of the gospels.

Luke – also wrote Acts. Written in very literary Greek, the longest of the Gospels, with more detail and more activity. Written by an evangelist. Luke has most interest in the Holy Spirit, as also seen on the book of Acts.

John – Written so that you may believe. Written as an anecdote by John the disciple. Last Gospel written (after the other 3). He also wrote 1,2 and 3rd John and the book of Revelation.

One resources is this: Why Are There Four Gospels Instead of One –  Short Article

Other resource: DA Carson’s An Introduction to the New Testament

bible reading – why is it hard ?

In reading the gospel of Mark with someone that has never opened the bible before, and all of it is new.  That made me think that sometimes the reason for not understanding the bible is that it is shocking to our natural system. It contradicts us with the weight of authority. The bible confronts us in such a way that we either yield and trust and believe or further harden our hearts like the Jewish leaders that turned Jesus over to be crucified. Such is the power of the word.

Some of that thinking came by joining some thoughts from Carson’s message on ‘why Jesus speaks in parables’ and Keller’s point that “Only if your God can say things that upset you will you know you have a real God and not just a creation of your imagination”.  Believe.

Resource quoted: https://youtu.be/l-3Qdp6Cg7Q

bible study – where do your eyes go?

You know how when you look at family pictures your eye always goes to look for yourself first then everything else?  The bible can be such a family picture. Except the reverse of the above is true. Let me explain.

The bible is not about us – is not primarily about a snapshot of human history. The bible’s main character is God. The bible has one key focus and a driving agenda through the course of the pages. Growing to know God and who He is begin to teach us about who we really are, what we were made for, and how to respond to this great God that is invested richly in a relationship with his image bearers – humanity.

Yes, the bible has many families, lineages of families through centuries, then as that family fulfills their calling, it transforms into every people group and tribe and tongue. The bible also looks forward to us who would be reading it now in the present time and it speaks to us. Still the main point of the Bible is not who we are or what we do or what we look like. Something else is driving and leading that photo.

We are in the picture to be sure, but, oddly the bible helps us to draw the eye of our attention towards God and away from our individual self and somehow that shift changes everything.

Good bible study and reading trains our eye to track God. The main character. If you look the most astonishing thing is that God shows Himself everywhere every way and He is not shy, hiding or silent. Never. 

bible – which one do i read? Part 1

Simply put the bible is a book. It is the best book, the most published and the most read through history.

How do you choose the right bible for you?

What is the bible? You may be curious but don’t know which one to read and how to start.   There are dozens if not hundreds of published bible formats. A challenge to reading the bible is to choose the format that best fit you and knowing that it is faithful to the original. Let’s go over a few considerations.

Part of the challenge is that the original script is in other languages and is set in a historical and culture context. To be specific the languages are Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic and the historical and cultural context is set a few thousands of years ago in the Jewish faith and at the birth of Christianity.

How many versions are there? Are some better than others? What are the differences?  How do I know which one to get? Does it matter? Are there any fakes or bad versions?

Some Simple Choices

Some choices are simple choices like the language – English, large letter font, or small to carry,  single column, double column, red-letter for Jesus’s words, index tabs for sections, e-book or printed, English-Spanish or English-Hebrew-Greek interlinear (side by side).

Translations and paraphrases

Not so simple choices start with the difference between translations and paraphrases.  If you know a second language or have tried to learn one, you are familiar with the challenges of communicating and conveying the original meaning and intent of a phrase going from how it originates to how and who is delivered to.  This challenge is captured in the quote below:  To help sort through this choice:

The [version] is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to capture the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking into account differences of grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and meaning of the original.

In contrast to the [version], some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive opinions of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture. […] *Quote

Language Style

Do you want to read in Contemporary English, 16th Century English.

To be continued in a next post [….] 

*Quote by: http://about.esvbible.org/about/preface/