I am so excited about our Gospels challenge. I will be posting some resources here to help when you are reading the Gospels. Below is a great overview of the gospels you can watch before reading.
BACKGROUND OF GOSPELS
The Gospel of Matthew – AD 50-55
The Gospel of Mark – AD 55-60 or 64-68
The Gospel of Luke – AD 58-62
The Gospel of John – AD 80’s
D I S C I P L E S
The word “disciple” means, “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher”
(oxforddictionaries.com). When we talk about the disciples of Jesus, we refer to his twelve
closest friends while on Earth. They were Andrew, Bartholomew, James Son of Zebedee,
James Son of Alphaeus, John, Judas Iscariot, Jude the brother of James, Matthew, Peter,
Philip, Simon the Zealot, and Thomas.
ABOUT MATTHEW
Author - The author of the first Gospel in the New Testament was
Matthew, a disciple and former tax collector.
Date - Matthew wrote his Gospel around AD 50 to 55, most likely
from Antioch.
Audience - The content of Matthew is heavily focused on Jesus being
the Messiah, the King of the Jews, which means his audience
was almost completely Jewish.
Reason - Matthew was written to show the Jewish people that Jesus
was the Messiah they had been waiting for.
Theme - Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy.
Overview - The Gospel of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament, which is important because Matthew is a Jew writing to the Jews and he shows them that their Messiah has arrived. It’s a phenomenal book of fulfillment. Since we just spent so much time looking at the Old Testament books, one thing to remember is to put yourself in the shoes of the original reader so that you can better understand what is being taught. In this case, Matthew uses far more Old Testament quotes than the other Gospel writers and doesn’t feel obligated to explain the Jewish lifestyle. The audience would have understood all of it.
The Gospel of Mark – AD 55-60 or 64-68
The Gospel of Luke – AD 58-62
The Gospel of John – AD 80’s
D I S C I P L E S
The word “disciple” means, “a follower or student of a teacher, leader, or philosopher”
(oxforddictionaries.com). When we talk about the disciples of Jesus, we refer to his twelve
closest friends while on Earth. They were Andrew, Bartholomew, James Son of Zebedee,
James Son of Alphaeus, John, Judas Iscariot, Jude the brother of James, Matthew, Peter,
Philip, Simon the Zealot, and Thomas.
ABOUT MATTHEW
Author - The author of the first Gospel in the New Testament was
Matthew, a disciple and former tax collector.
Date - Matthew wrote his Gospel around AD 50 to 55, most likely
from Antioch.
Audience - The content of Matthew is heavily focused on Jesus being
the Messiah, the King of the Jews, which means his audience
was almost completely Jewish.
Reason - Matthew was written to show the Jewish people that Jesus
was the Messiah they had been waiting for.
Theme - Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, the fulfillment of Old Testament
prophecy.
Overview - The Gospel of Matthew is the first book in the New Testament, which is important because Matthew is a Jew writing to the Jews and he shows them that their Messiah has arrived. It’s a phenomenal book of fulfillment. Since we just spent so much time looking at the Old Testament books, one thing to remember is to put yourself in the shoes of the original reader so that you can better understand what is being taught. In this case, Matthew uses far more Old Testament quotes than the other Gospel writers and doesn’t feel obligated to explain the Jewish lifestyle. The audience would have understood all of it.
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