Now I would remind you, brothers, of

the gospel I preached to you,

which you received,

in which you stand, and by which you are being saved,

if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received:

that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,

that he was buried,

that he was raised on the third day

in accordance with the Scriptures,

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

What are

A gospel is an account describing the life, death, burial and resurrection of

Jesus of Nazareth.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the “Synoptic Gospels”.

called the "synoptic" Gospels, from the Greek syn (same) and optic (relating to sight or view).

These three seem to have the 'same view' on a lot of matters,

They have similar styles and content. They each give a synopsis of the life of Christ.

The gospel of John, written by John the apostle, is distinct from the other three Gospels that it contains much

theological content in regard to the person of Christ and the meaning of faith. The gospel of John emphasizes the deity of Christ, as is

seen in his use of such phrases as “the Word was God” (John 1:1), “the Savior of the World” (John 4:42), the “Son of God” (used

repeatedly), and “Lord and...God” (John 20:28).

Differences

Police Officer/Insurance Representative

Were all laws obeyed?

Who is at fault?

How did it happen?

totaled or not? cost of repairs?

facts that can help piece together the story of what happened

Doctor/Nurse/EMT

Health of those involved in accident

level of injuries; life flight needed? transport of victims?

injuries can help piece together the story of how It happened as well

Cousin of each Driver

give details about background of cousin; where were they headed, who is with them, etc…

Sympathetic to each driver; project emotions

background details that can help piece together the story of what happened as well

Passerby

no emotional attachment to victims involved

only describe what they saw

added details that can help piece together the story of what happened as well

The same story

Purpose and perspective is different

Mt. 21:7 - both colt and donkey Mk. 11:7, Lk. 19:35, Jn. 12:14 - one colt

Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem on a donkey/colt

READ ALL

ACCOUNTS TOGET THE

WHOLE STORY

Malchus

Lk. 22 - one follower of Jesus, right ear, servant of high priest, Jesus put it ear back on servant

Mt. 26 - one with Jesus, ear cut off, servant of high priest

Mk. 14 - one with Jesus, ear cut off, servant of high priest

Jn. 18 - Peter, cuts off ear, Malchus

Matthew was written as a Gospel primarily for the Jewish people to prove that Jesus is the long-expected Messiah.

Matthew began with the family line of Jesus, noting His fulfillment of messianic prophecy as being from

the tribe of Judah, family of David, and His birth in the city of Bethlehem.

More than any other Gospel, Matthew quotes the Hebrew Old Testament to demonstrate how Jesus fulfilled the

words of the prophets.

it is generally believed that Matthew was written before A.D. 70 and as early as A.D. 50.

Matthew is mentioned in Mt 9:9 and Mt 10:3 as a former publican from Capernaum who was called into the ministry by Jesus.

He is also called Levi, son of Alpheus, in Mk 2:14 and Lk 5:27.

Matthew was a 1st-century Galilean

During the Roman occupation (which began in 63 BC with the conquest of Pompey), Matthew collected taxes from the Hebrew

people for Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. His tax office was located in Capernaum. Jews who became rich in such a fashion were

despised and considered outcasts. However, as a tax collector he would have been literate in Aramaic and Greek.

These tax collectors were hated and despised because they were usually fellow Jews who worked for Rome.

Tax collectors, also known as publicans, are mentioned many times in the Bible (mainly in the New Testament). They were reviled by the Jews of Jesus' day because of their greed and collaboration with the

Roman occupiers. Tax collectors amassed personal wealth by demanding tax payments in excess of what Rome levied and

keeping the difference.

They were known to be extortioners of large sums of money. Because tax collectors were in relationship with Rome, who were Gentiles in the eyes of the Jews, and hated for their

domination, they were treated similar to the worst kinds of sinners and prostitutes.

As the Pharisees were the respectable and outwardly religious class, so the publicans were the vile and degraded.

Hence the rabbis declared, as one robber disgraced his whole family, so one publican in a family

During the Roman occupation (which began in 63 BC with the conquest of Pompey), Matthew collected taxes from the Hebrew

people for Herod Antipas, the tetrarch of Galilee. His tax office was located in Capernaum. As a tax collector, Matthew would have been

literate in Aramaic and Greek.

Tax collectors, also known as publicans, are mentioned many times in the Bible (mainly in the New Testament). They were reviled by the Jews of Jesus' day because of their greed and collaboration with the

Roman occupiers. Tax collectors amassed personal wealth by demanding tax payments in excess of what Rome levied and keeping

the difference.

The tax collectors were hated and despised because they were usually fellow Jews who worked for Rome.

They were known to be extortioners of large sums of money. Because tax collectors were in relationship with Rome, who were Gentiles in the eyes of the Jews, and hated for their

domination, they were treated similar to the worst kinds of sinners and prostitutes.

As the Pharisees were the respectable and outwardly religious class, so the publicans were the vile and degraded. Hence the rabbis declared, as one robber disgraced his whole family, so one publican in a family

Despite his sinful past, Matthew was uniquely qualified to be a disciple. He was an accurate

record keeper and keen observer of people. He captured the smallest details. Those traits served

him well when he wrote the Gospel of Matthew some 20 years later.

By surface appearances, it was scandalous and offensive for Jesus to pick a tax collector as one of his closest followers, since they were widely hated by the

Jews. Yet of the four Gospel writers, Matthew presented Jesus to the Jews as their hoped-for Messiah, tailoring his account to answer their

questions.

Matthew displayed one of the most radically changed lives in the Bible in response to an

invitation from Jesus. He did not hesitate, he did not look back. He left behind a life of wealth and security

for poverty and uncertainty. He abandoned the pleasures of this world for the promise of eternal life.