Gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John November/December 2012

Gospel of Matthew Jesus is proclaimed as the fulfillment of the promises of the Old Testament – Jesus is the Messiah – Matthew 2:1-12, 3:13-17, 16:16 Jesus is portrayed as the “new Moses” – Brings a new law (the new commandment) to the church – Matthew shows the teachings of Jesus to be the culmination of the Old Testament law and the message of the Old Testament prophets. – Matthew 17:1-8, 5:17

Gospel of Matthew Matthew’s Gospel is sometimes called the “gospel of the church” – The community of disciples is presented as the nucleus of the kingdom of God – Matthew 18:20 What does this mean?

Gospel of Mark Mark’s Gospel is full of action! – Emphasizes the many miracles of Jesus – Shows that Jesus is full of power to heal and cast out demons – Mark 1:32-34 In proclaiming the good news, Mark shows the good news to be Jesus himself – Mark 1:1, 1:14-15

Gospel of Mark Jesus is presented as a mystery and his disciples only come to understand him gradually. – Jesus often speaks in parables that not everyone can understand. – Only when we have traveled through Jesus’ whole journey do disciples truly come to understand who he is – Once they understand him, they are able to proclaim the word of God. – Mark 4:11, 15:39, 16:15

Gospel of Luke In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus is portrayed as our savior – Through his life, death and resurrection he helps us to overcome the evil of sin and its effects Jesus saves us especially from – the evil of refusing God’s love – the evil of refusing to forgive others

Gospel of Luke Luke’s gospel is called the “Gospel of Mercy” or the “Gospel of Great Pardons” – It often shows Jesus’ compassion and forgiveness Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them The parables of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11- 32) and the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) are found in Luke’s gospel

Gospel of Luke Luke’s gospel is also sometimes called the “Gospel of the Poor” because is it Jesus’ love for the poor and outcasts is often expressed – Luke’s account of the birth of Jesus shows that the poor are given the greatest privileges – His account of the beatitudes proclaims “Blessed are the poor…” The parable of the rich man and Lazarus is found in Luke’s gospel too (Luke 16:19-31)

Gospel of Luke A spirit of Joy and Wonder permeates Luke’s gospel More that any of the other authors, Luke notes the admiration of the crowds and individuals who met Jesus The songs of Mary, Zechariah, and Simeon are in this gospel

Gospel of Luke Luke’s gospel is also refferred to as the “Gospel of Prayer and the Holy Spirit” – These themes are emphasized throughout the gospel At every important juncture in Jesus’ life, Luke shows him at prayer Luke 11: 1-13, 3:21-22, 4:1-14)

Gospel of John John’s gospel is the most highly symbolic of all the gospels! – This is the only non-synoptic gospel Rather than expressing Jesus’ teachings using parables, John offer longer passages that use involved symbolism Often, Jesus describes himself saying “I am…the bread…the light…the shepherd…the resurrection…the way…the vine…”

Gospel of John Many of the signs in the gospel of John point to the sacramental life of the church Examples: – the water turned into wine at the wedding at Cana – the life-giving water that comes from Christ – the bread that is his flesh John 2: 1-11 John 3:5-7, 4:10-14, 7:37-38 John 6:51

Gospel of John Many passages about Jesus’ life unfold as dramatic dialogues between Jesus and someone else who asks a question – Nicodemus (John 3:1-8) – The woman at the well (John 4:7-15) In these dialogues, Jesus states the profound truth and the other person misunderstands leading Jesus to go more deeply into the subject

Gospel of John Jesus is proclaimed as the incarnate Word of God who existed from all eternity and who speaks into our world the richness of the life of the Holy Trinity. John 1:1-13 John 14:23-26