Harmony of the gospels
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EVANGELICAL BIBLE COLLEGE OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA 
HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS.VOLUME 3. EARLY MINISTRY IN GALILEE by DR PETER MOSES [BOOK 74-3] REVISED OCTOBER 2011 WHO IS JESUS CHRIST? Professor Simon Greenleaf was one of the most eminent lawyers of all time. His “Laws of Evidence” for many years were accepted by all States in the United States as the standard methodology for evaluating cases. He was teaching law at a university in the United States when one of his students asked Professor Greenleaf if he would apply his “Laws of Evidence” to evaluate an historical figure. When Greenleaf agreed to the project he asked the student who was to be the subject of the review. The student replied that the person to be examined would be Jesus Christ. Professor Greenleaf agreed to undertake the examination of Jesus Christ and as a result, when he had finished the review, Simon Greenleaf personally accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Saviour. Professor Greenleaf then sent an open letter to all jurists in the United States jurists saying in part “I personally have investigated one called Jesus Christ. I have found the evidence concerning him to be historically accurate. I have also discovered that Jesus Christ is more than a human being, he is either God or nothing and having examined the evidence it is impossible to conclude other than he is God. Having concluded that he is God I have accepted him as my personal Saviour. I urge all members of the legal profession to use the “Laws of Evidence” to investigate the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and if you find that he is wrong expose him as a faker but if not consider him as your Saviour and Lord” HOW CAN I BE SAVED? Salvation is available for all members of the human race. Salvation is the most important undertaking in all of God's universe. The salvation of sinners is never on the basis of God's merely passing over or closing His eyes to sin. God saves sinners on a completely righteous basis consistent with the divine holiness of His character. This is called grace. It relies on God so man cannot work for salvation it neither can he deserve it. We need to realise that the creation of this vast unmeasured universe was far less an undertaking than the working out of God's plan to save sinners. However the acceptance of God's salvation by the sinner is the most simple thing in all of life. One need not be rich, nor wise nor educated. Age is no barrier nor the colour of one's skin. The reception of the enormous benefits of God's redemption is based upon the simplest of terms so that there is no one in all this wide universe who need be turned away. How do I become a Christian? There is but one simple step divided into three parts. First of all I have to recognise that I am a sinner (Romans 3:23; 6:23;Ezekiel 18:4; John 5:24). Secondly realising that if I want a relationship with Almighty God who is perfect, and recognising that I am not perfect, I need to look to the Lord Jesus Christ as the only Saviour (I Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24;lsaiah 53:6; John 3:16). Thirdly, by the. exercise of my own free will I personally receive the Lord Jesus Christ as my Saviour , believing that He died personally for me and that He is what He claims to be in an individual, personal and living way (John 1:12; 3:36; Acts 16:31; 4:12). The results of Salvation The results of this are unbelievably wonderful. My sins are taken away (John 1:29) I possess eternal life now (I John 5:11,12), I become a new creature in Christ [2 Corinthians 5:17), The Holy Spirit takes up His residence in my life (I Corinthians 6:19) And I will never perish (John 10:28-30). This truthfully is life's greatest transaction. This is the goal of all people; this is the ultimate of our existence. We invite and exhort any reader who has not become a Christian by trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ to follow these simple instructions and be born again eternally into God's family (Matthew I1:28;John 1:12; Acts 4:12;16:31 ). © Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia 2004 - PO Box 163 Armadale Western Australia 6992 Many other Christian resources are available freely from our internet web site: www.ebcwa.org.au and www.newstartbibleministries.org.au for weekly messages. For further information contact Dr Peter Moses at PO Box 163 Armadale WA 6992 or email Brian Huggett brianhuggett@bigpond.com.au We encourage you to freely copy and distribute these materials to your Pastor and friends. You only, need written permission from EBCWA if you intend using the materials in publications for resale. We encourage wide distribution freely! CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION Within the Bible there are many parallels giving different aspects of the same thing. The four gospels of course have the same focus, that on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The different authors have different emphasis but have a common story. As one approaches a harmony of the gospels the concept adopted is that all Scripture is God Breathed and as the Holy Spirit has put all the books together there is a harmony amongst them all. This can been seen in prophecies in the Old Testament being fulfilled literally centuries later and reported on say in the New Testament By comparing events in the four gospels simultaneously a more complete picture of the life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ is obtained so that we may more fully appreciate what He has done for us and the magnificence of the Plan of God. The analysis of the four gospels will be on a verse by verse basis, examining the key words, background, application and doctrines together with a harmonised version of the King James Version as well as examining problem areas of so called contradictions. The basic structure of the harmony will be based on that found in the Bible Topic Book which may be modified from time to time after evaluation of parallel texts. The background notes on the gospel of John and introduction are adapted from the Diploma in Theology notes in Volumes 8 to 10 of the Diploma Course of the Evangelical Bible College of Western Australia by Dr John McEwan. GOSPELS: MATTHEW, MARK, LUKE, JOHN 1. The four gospels are Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. 2. All were written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. (2 Timothy 3:16), but each writer saw things from a different perspective, and therefore have variations in the things they wrote about. 3. All the gospels are compatible but the emphasis of the writers is on different characteristics of Jesus Christ. a) Matthew Christ the King Written to the Jews b) Mark Christ the Servant Written to the Romans c) Luke Christ the Perfect Man Written to the Greeks d) John Christ the Son of God Written to everybody 4. The gospels have equivalents in the four wing creatures in (Revelation 4:7) - the living creatures. (cf. Ezekiel 1:10)
b) Mark Servant Head of an Ox c) Luke Man Head of a Man 5. The gospels have equivalents in the four colours of the material of the entrance into the tabernacle. (Exodus 26:36)
b) Mark Servant Scarlet of Sacrifice c) Luke Man White of Purity e) It should be noted that the colours of the robe of the ephod of the High Priest were purple, scarlet, white and blue. 6. The gospels have equivalents in the Branch. a) Matthew Branch of David (Isaiah 11:1, Jeremiah 23:5, 33:15) b) Mark Servant the Branch (Zechariah 3:8) c) Luke Man whose name is the branch (Zechariah 6:12,13) d) John Branch of Jehovah (Isaiah 4:2) 32 JESUS GOES TO GALILEE MATTHEW 4:12 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; KEY WORDS
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS 12 Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee; Here we see the logical response of the Lord hearing that John the Baptist had been put in prison [passive tense] where the action of the participle to hear precedes that action of the man verb “to depart” to Galilee The Synoptic Gospels skip from the temptation of Jesus to the Galilean ministry, a whole year. But for John 1:19-3:36 we should know nothing of this “year of obscurity”. However John supplies items to help fill in the picture. Christ’s work in Galilee began after the close of the active ministry of the Baptist who lingered on in prison for a year or more. MARK 1:14 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, KEY WORDS
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS 14 Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, Here Mark begins the narrative of the active ministry of Jesus and he is followed by Matthew and Luke. Mark undoubtedly follows the preaching of Peter. But for the Fourth Gospel we should not know of the year of work in various parts of the land (Perea, Galilee, Judea, Samaria) preceding the Galilean ministry. John supplements the Synoptic Gospels at this point as often. The arrest of John had much to do with the departure of Jesus from Judea to Galilee Preaching the gospel of God is the subjective genitive, the gospel that comes from God. Jesus took the same line as John and proclaimed both repentance and the arrival of the kingdom of God. LUKE 4:14 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. KEY WORDS
BACKGROUND AND ANALYSIS 14 And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. In the power of the Spirit - Luke in this verse gives a description of the Galilean Ministry with two marked characteristics: the power of the spirit and the rapid spread of Christ’s fame. Luke often notes the power of the Holy Spirit in the work of Christ. Our word dynamite is this same word Greek word “dunamis” used for power in this verse. A fame - An old Greek word found in the New Testament only here and in Matthew 9:26. It is from the root word “phemi” meaning to say. It implies that His ministry caused talk to run rapidly in every direction. JOHN 4:1-3 1 When therefore the LORD knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, 2 (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) 3 He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. KEY WORDS
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