Come read with us this week. We are reading a selection of passages from each book of the Bible and this week we are finishing the Old Testament and continuing into the Gospels.
May 23 - Zech 1-2 and Mal 1 Visions of restoration, God’s charge against Judah.
Zechariah (520BC) and Malachi (450BC) were both written to the returning Jewish remnant after their exile in Babylon (as was Haggai). These books are both prophetic in nature and genre, and as such they are partly predicting the future, and partly calling people towards God.
Matthew, Mark and Luke are called the Synoptic Gospels because they all cover similar material on the life of Christ in a similar manner. It is possible that they even relied on a common source of material that was enhanced by the memories of the author or their source people. The Gospels are all historical narrative in genre, meaning that they are actual history written in story form. However, they are not written in the same order that the events occurred. Each author had a specific audience and purpose in mind and so ordered the events to suit that purpose. The books of the Gospels are arranged in the New Testament in what was at that time their supposed order of authorship, however modern research has led most scholars to conclude that it is more likely that Mark was the first Gospel written.
May 24 - Matthew 1-2, 5-7 Jesus ancestry and birth, Sermon on the Mount.
May 25 - Matthew 17, 26-28 Jesus’ teachings and miracles, Jesus’ death, burial & resurrection.
Matthew was written by the apostle Matthew, and is the only one of the Gospels written specifically to Jews. He recites the lineage of Jesus Christ in order to persuade the Jews of Jesus authentic and royal heritage. And since he was addressing mostly Jews, he uses the euphemism “Kingdom of Heaven” to avoid antagonizing an ancient Jewish preference against directly referring to God in common language.
May 26 - Mark 1-4, 10, 15-16 Jesus’ ministry, Jesus’ teachings, Jesus’ death, burial & resurrection.
We believe the Gospel of Mark was written by John Mark, an early follower of Jesus. It is based largely on Peter’s sermons and memories and no doubt on his own memories as well. It was written primarily to the Romans who would have been most impressed with Jesus power and miracles but not his Jewish heritage, so he lists many of Jesus miracles but not his birth or lineage. Mark is notable for its emphasis on Jesus’ immediate and bold actions.
May 27 - Luke 1-2, 4-6 Jesus’ birth, Jesus’ teachings, Jesus’ miracles.
May 28 - Luke 8-10, 22-24 Authority to disciples, Jesus’ teachings, death, burial & resurrection.
The Gospel of Luke was written by Luke, the beloved physician and historian, who also wrote the book of The Acts of the Apostles. He states in the text that he is writing this to Theophilus, which is a Roman name, and it appears that the intended audience was people with a largely Greco-Roman culture. As a physician, Luke uses medical terms and takes note of many historical and scientific details. Luke’s is also more likely to record his historical account in true chronological order than any of the other Gospel authors. It is also probably the best written in the sense that Luke was likely a native Greek speaker and wrote like it. The others were Aramaic speakers but wrote in Greek, as their readers were far more likely to be familiar with it.
May 29 - John 1, 3-4 Jesus in the beginning, Jesus’ ministry and teachings.
John was written by the apostle John, and was the last Gospel written. It was written primarily to Christians and those who were seriously curious about becoming Christians. John probably had read the other three Gospels, and so chooses to write about many things they do not contain. At the same time he does not mention numerous things that the other Gospels go into great detail about. John’s Gospel is perhaps the most spiritual and mystic of the four, but his Greek writing style is the most simplistic. His command of the Greek language was limited, but he used his small vocabulary words to explain the grandest of ideas.
