In The Footsteps Of The Master: The Life and Times of Jesus Christ

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In The Footsteps Of The MasterThe Life and
Times of Jesus Christ

• The Story Told Four Ways
• September 21, 2008

www.FootstepsOfTheMaster.info
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Get Your Quiz Hats On

• Which Gospel is Longest?
• Luke
• In Gospels what was the reason for Mary
  Josephs travel?
• Massacre of infants (Matt) Census (Luke)
• What miracle of Jesus is not mentioned by
  Matthew, Mark, or Luke?
• Water into Wine (John 21-11)

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MATTHEW

• Tax Collector (Publican)
• Supplied the Roman legions and military
• One of Jesus Twelve Apostles
• After his call Matthew immediately arranged a
  banquet for Jesus in his home. (Lk 529-30)
• Invited large crowd of tax collectors sinners
• Date written A.D. 75-85 (preceded by Mark)
• Earliest reported claim that Matthew was an
  author was that of Papias (AD130)

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MATTHEW Jewish Audience

• Literary structure organized series of 5 extended
  discourses (Torah?)
• Narrative, discourse, narrative, discourse
• When Jesus finished.. (728) (111) (1353)
  (191) (261)
• Jesus spends less time healing, and more time
  teaching (Mark 3 parables, Matthew 13)
• Parallels, Jesus the greater Moses
• Circumstances of Birth, Sermon on the Mount
• Read Matthew 517-19

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MATTHEW

• Three Generations of 14 from Abraham to Jesus
  Matt 117 seems decisive
• I Chronicles 1-3 seems to conflict with Matthews
  genealogy
• Gematria, An archaic practice blending literature
  with math couldve been obvious to Jewish reader
• David appears 14th in Gen. of Jesus
• David (dvd 464 14)
• Jesus as the new David, the long awaited Messiah
  the anointed one

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MARK aka JOHN MARK

• Cousin of Barnabas
• Mark was a Jew from the Levite Tribe
• Companion of Paul during missionary journey
• But they made up. Mark was later named as Paul's
  fellow worker.
• Mark's mother was a prominent member of the
  earliest group of Christians in Jerusalem (Acts
  1212-17)

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MARK

• Written for the Greek-speaking residents of the
  Roman Empire in A.D. 64-69
• Mark has only a few direct Old Testament
  quotations (7 total)
• Some regard it as the earliest of the canonical
  gospels
• Mark was used as a source for the gospels of
  Matthew and Luke (60 quoted verbatim )
• 93 of material in Mark is covered in Matthew and
  Luke
• Only place in the New Testament Jesus is
  addressed as "the son of Mary and a Carpenter

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MARK

• Marks account can seem unorganized
• However, being familiar with the region, Jesus
  travel itinerary conveys much more
• Jesus starts at the Sea Of Galilee (Mark 116)
• to the other side Marks 4 Major Crossings
• Jesus spreading on Eastern and Western shores
• Some Intriguing Parallels occur
• Jesus separate but equal outreach to Jews and
  Gentiles

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Jews (west) Gentiles (east)
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LUKE The Lone Gentile

• Mentioned four times in Scripture
• He's a physician (Colossians 4)
• Travels with the apostle Paul (Acts)
• Although he started out a skeptic, has a dynamic,
  fearless faith (2 Timothy 4)
• As persecution began, Luke stayed
• Luke is not the blind faith guy
• Seems to be naturally the skeptic
• Interviewed first-hand witnesses
• Researched thoroughly (Lk 11-2)

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LUKE

• By far the longest gospel
• Luke the only Gentile author
• Interviewed first-hand witnesses
• Researched thoroughly
• 60 of Mark is quoted verbatim in Luke
• Apostle Paul, who wrote 75 of N.T,
• Almost every time he references Luke, he calls
  him, beloved Luke.
• Written as early as 62 A.D.
• Last event in Acts was in 62 A.D.
• Paul arriving in Rome

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JOHN

• John the Apostle, the son of Zebedee
• Jewish fisherman
• The disciple whom Jesus loved
• Given responsibility for Jesus' mother 1926
• One embarrassing moment (Mt 2020-21)
• Identified by Paul as a pillar of the church
  (Gal 29)
• John first identified as author in A.D. 180. in a
  work by Irenaeus

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JOHN

• Most often recommended to new converts
• Last of the four gospels to be written
• An Egyptian Codex fragment containing John
  1831-33. 37,38 dated early 2nd century
• Therefore A.D. 90-100 is predominant
• Deepest theological reflection of all Gospels

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JOHN

• Structure centers around the 7 signs found in
  the book
• Water into wine (21-11) water to blood
• Cures officials son (44-54)
• Heals the paralytic (51-9)
• 5000 fed (61-15) bread from heaven
• Walks on water (616-21) Red Sea
• Restores sight to blind man (91-7)
• Raises Lazarus (111-44) - became ground for his
  death sentence

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Can We Believe the Gospels?

• Can we believe in Jesus?

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Do We Believe the Gospels?

• Do we believe that the Gospels are what they
  claim to be the story of God come to earth in
  human form?
• We cant be certain of the authors, or the dates,
  or the place of writing
• Do the Gospels tell the story of a real Man,
  Jesus of Nazareth, who was the actual Son of God?
• Or does Jesus come from a story told by the
  Gospel writers?

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To Make the Point

• The story of an exceptional young man
• Full of extraordinary power
• Worker of miracles
• Good locked in a continual battle with evil
• Right struggling with wrong
• Light battling the darkness
• Coming to save those hecares about
• Who is that person?

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Do We Believe Jesus?

• Do we believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be
  the Son of God?
• Some stop short and call Him a Prophet, Rabbi or
  Great Moral Teacher
• Some say that He had a Messiah Complex
• However, you cant ride the fence
• He is either who He claimed to be God Incarnate
  or He is a Liar and a Demon from Hell
• He claimed to be the Son of God
• So did David Koresh

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One Reason to Believe

• Have doubts about the Gospels and their
  authenticity?
• Consider this
• Twelve Apostles, less Judas, plus Paul
• History tells us that 11 of them were executed
  for their belief in Jesus
• John was exiled
• All could have escaped their punishment by saying
  one simple thing

I Made It All Up ...
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But They Didnt!!!

• These disciples chose death and exile rather than
  deny the Lordship of the Man with whom they
  walked for three years
• What does that say to us?
• How does it affect our view of the Gospels?
• How does it affect our view of Jesus?
• If Jesus is who He claimed to be, things get a
  little harder
• If He is the Son of God, then He gets to be Lord
  of your life

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Why Four Gospels?

• Why do we have the Gospel story told four ways by
  four different authors?
• Written from different perspectives
• Written to different audiences
• People have different learning styles
• We operate in different halves of the brain
• Different preconceived notions
• Other reasons?
• John said it best

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These Things Were Written

• John 2031
• Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed
  in the presence of the disciples, which are not
  written in this book but these have been written
  so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ,
  the Son of God and that believing you may have
  life in His name. (NASB - emphasis added)

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Consider Paul

• Paul was a Jew of Jews, a Hebrew of Hebrews,
  trained as a Jewish Rabbi, a devout follower of
  the Law, yet unimaginably effective among the
  Gentile world
• How could he do that?

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All Things to All Men

• 1 Cor 919-23
• For though I am free from all men, I have made
  myself a slave to all, so that I may win more. To
  the Jews I became as a Jew, so that I might win
  Jews to those who are under the Law, as under
  the Law though not being myself under the Law, so
  that I might win those who are under the Law to
  those who are without law, as without law, though
  not being without the law of God but under the
  law of Christ, so that I might win those who are
  without law. To the weak I became weak, that I
  might win the weak I have become all things to
  all men, so that I may by all means save some. I
  do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that
  I may become a fellow partaker of it. (NASB -
  emphasis added)

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Pauls Example

• In the synagogue, Paul started with the promise
  made to Abraham and followed on through Isaac,
  Jacob, Moses and David
• But among the Gentiles, he spoke of Gods power
  in the creation
• He adapted the Message to his audience
• The Gospel writers did exactly the same thing
• Can we convey the relevance that of Message in
  todays world?

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Next Week

• The Birth of Jesus

Questions?