Page 5 - Life of Christ - textbook (3)

Luke wanted to document the truth and to present an accurate account of the life of Christ to
Theophilus, perhaps a doubter. He also wanted to put everything in chronological order.

Luke 1:4 . . . so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught. (NASB)

Luke addressed a broader Gentile audience than Mark. Luke being an educated man wrote in the most
sophisticated literary Greek of any of the New Testament writers. He was a careful researcher and exact
historian. Luke portrays Jesus as the Son of Man (a title which appears 26 times in the book) which
demonstrates that Jesus, while being God, was fully human while on earth and capable of death on the
Cross.

John, the last gospel written, emphasizes the deity of Jesus Christ and that men need to believe in Him
for salvation. He emphasized faith and appealed to unbelievers to come to Christ in believing faith.

John 20:31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and

that by believing you may have life in his name.

As stated earlier, John’s Gospel is 92% unique to John and differs considerably from the other three
Gospels. Matthew, Mark, and Luke share a common point of view and similar stories. Because of their
close relationship, the first three Gospels are called the synoptic Gospels. Synoptic is a Greek word that
means “to see together” or “to share a common point of view”. For example, the first three Gospels
concentrate on Jesus’ Galilean ministry. John focuses on Jesus’ ministry in Judea. John and the synoptic
Gospels record only two common events: Jesus walking on the water and the feeding of the five
thousand. And while the first three Gospels tell many of Jesus’ parables, John records none of them.
These differences between John and the synoptic Gospels, however, are not contradictory, but
complementary. Putting all the Gospels together in symphony only enhances the entire view of the life
of Christ!

So together, the four Gospels weave a complete portrait of the Son of God. The Gospels together
present Jesus of Nazareth as deity welded to humanity and as the only One who could possibly be the
sacrifice for the sins of the world.

In this course, we will be presenting chronologically the events carefully laid out in the four Gospels,
combining information from each that pertains to that event. In doing so, we will attempt to
understand the geography and culture of the ancient Middle East of Israel as Jesus guides His disciples in
their years of ministry through Galilee and Judea. When you see a “Special Application” icon, pay
attention! We will attempt to apply a truth to our lives that is emphasized in the text or by Jesus.
While this is an academic course on the Life of Christ, we want it to be inspirational to you and change
your life.

The Intertestamental Period

Over 400 years separated the final events and final prophecy of Malachi from the beginning of the
narration in Matthew or Luke. There was no prophetic word from God during this period; God was
silent. But though the voice of God was silent, the hand of God was actively involved in directing the
course of history during these years.

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