Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew is the first of the four gospels in the New Testament, although it is probably not the oldest. The ascription to Matthew, one of Jesus' original companions, led early Christians to believe it was the oldest gospel, originally written in Hebrew and translated into English. It was probably written after 70 CE (the destruction of the Temple on Jerusalem) and used the Gospel of Mark as one of its sources (as did the Gospel of Luke).
Matthew 1-7: Nativity and Ministry
The "nativity" (i.e., birth narrative) of Matthew begins with a genealogy stretching (in three parts) from Abraham to Joseph, the husband of Mary, Jesus' mother. Joseph is about to abandon his pregnant fiancιe Mary, but is told by an angel that her child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Wise men from the east give the infant presents, and an angel warns Joseph to flee from King Herod, who massacres all the infants of Bethlehem. The family stays in Egypt for a few years, and then returns to Nazareth in Galilee. John the Baptist preaches repentance in the desert, and Jesus (now grown) is baptized by him and a voice from heaven declares him God's son. Jesus fasts in the wilderness for 40 days, where he is tempted by the devil. Jesus begins to preach in Galilee (fulfilling prophecy) and draws his first disciples. He preaches on a mountain that he has come to fulfill the Law and prophets. He teaches the Lord's Prayer, and on the relation between belief and action.
Points of interest
There are strong parallels between the life of Moses and the life of Jesus according to Matthew
Later tradition portrays three wise men (magi) at the Nativity (often conflated with Luke's); but Matthew doesn't say how many wise men there were, only that they gave three gifts
Questions to consider
Why would the conception and birth of Jesus be told from Joseph's perspective?
Was the shift from Jesus' childhood (in Egypt) to John the Baptist's ministry abrupt?
What does Jesus saw about "the Law"? Is it good or bad?
Matthew 13: Parables
Jesus delivers a series of parables (simple, often rustic tales with hidden meanings) about the Kingdom of Heaven to his disciples and followers: the sower, the weeds among the wheat, the mustard seed, the yeast, the treasure in the field, the pearl of great price, the net and the fish, new and old treasure; he explains why he uses parables, and what some of them mean, and is rejected in his hometown of Nazareth.
Points of interest
Many scholars believe that the historical Jesus probably taught using simple parables and allegories.
Questions to consider
Why does Jesus say he teaches in parables?
Why does the author of the gospel justify this practice using prophetic passages?
Matthew 26-28: Passion, Death, Resurrection
An account of the arrest, crucifixion (often called the passion, or "suffering"), death, and resurrection of Jesus. The chief priests in Jerusalem conspire to arrest Jesus to be killed, and solicit the help of his disciple Judas Iscariot. After Jesus' anointing, he and the disciples celebrate the festival of Passover (a springtime Jewish festival commemorating the Exodus from Egypt with a ritual meal). Jesus institutes the memorial eating of bread and wine as his flesh and blood. He predicts Peter's betrayal, and his own death. He is arrested and tried before the governor, Pontius Pilate. Jesus says nothing. The crowd chooses to free the mercenary Barabbas and see Jesus crucified. He is mocked by soldiers, and crucified alongside two bandits. An eclipse occurs; Jesus cries out (in Aramaic, from Psalms), dies, and the curtain in the Temple rips in two. Jesus is buried, but missing from his tomb after three days. An angel informs Mary Magdalene of the resurrection, and Jesus appears in Galilee to the disciples where he commissions them to preach his message to the nations.
Points of interest
Women (including Mary Magdalene) are the first to find the "empty tomb" in all of the gospels, suggesting this may be historically accurate
Questions to consider
How do the various disciples (including Peter and Judas) behave during the arrest and execution of Jesus? How is a reader supposed to understand this behavior?
What is Jesus like on the cross? What are his last words? What do they say about him, about his death?
Gospel of Mark
Mark may be the oldest gospel, possibly dating to before the destruction of the Temple. It seems to have been a source for Matthew and Luke.
Mark 1-5: Ministry
John the Baptist preaches, and Jesus is baptized and tempted in the desert by the devil. Jesus appoints disciples and begins his ministry by healing sick people and those possessed by demons. He answers questions about Jewish practice and law, and appoints twelve disciples. He preaches in parables (see above, on Matthew 13) and controls the weather. He heals a man possessed by demons and a woman with a flow of blood and raises a girl from a coma (or, possibly, from the dead: the text is unclear).
Point of interest
Mark has no nativity account: Jesus appears first as a grown man.
Question to consider
Compare the beginnings of Mark's ministry and Matthew's: what are the differences? Is Mark's Jesus more magical and miraculous than Matthew's?
Mark 16: Resurrection
Three days after Jesus' death, three women find in his tomb a young man in white instead of Jesus. He tells them to pass on the message that Jesus has risen, and will meet his disciples in Galilee. The women run away, terrified, and say nothing.
Point of interest
This ending, although probably original, was augmented in antiquity (using material from the Gospel of Matthew) to be less startling and to provide more closure
Question to consider
What kind of tone does this ending set for the Christian community reading it? Is it reassuring, or terrifying? Mysterious, or confusing?
Gospel of Luke
Like Matthew, Luke was probably based on Mark (and other, lost sources); Luke actually mentions other existing accounts. The Gospel of Luke is the first part of a two volume story of Jesus and early Christianity, continued in the Acts of the Apostles.
Luke 1-6: Nativity and Ministry
In the midst of an extended narrative about the miraculous birth of John the Baptist (Jesus' cousin), Mary is visited by the angel Gabriel and told she is going to give birth to the Son of God. Mary and her husband Joseph are in Bethlehem for a census when Jesus is born; angels and shepherds bring gifts, Jesus is circumcised and named at the Temple. At another visit to the Temple, Mary and Joseph find Jesus discussing the Law with teachers. John the Baptist preaches atonement, and Jesus comes to be baptized. The ancestry of Joseph is then traced back to Adam. Jesus is tempted by the devil in the desert, and performs his first healing miracles. He calls his disciples, performs more healing miracles, and answers questions about the Law and righteousness. He chooses Twelve apostles and delivers a sermon on a plain.
Points of interest
Luke appears in letters attributed to Paul as one of his companions; the ascription of the Gospel and Acts to him is likely based on the first-person sections of the Acts of the Apostles (i.e., one of Paul's companions must have written it)
The song sung by Mary to Elizabeth became known as the Magnificat (from the first word, in Latin translations) and draws on the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel
The scene of twelve-year old Jesus in the Temple is the only scene from Jesus' childhood in the gospels
Questions to consider
Compare the beginning of Matthew with the beginning of Luke: what difference does it make to the story to shift focus from Joseph to Mary?
Why would the author of Luke's gospel present John the Baptist and Jesus as cousins?
Which nativity story is more familiar to you: Luke's or Matthew's?
Luke 15-16: Lost Sheep, Prodigal Son
Jesus tells three parables about a precious lost item regained (a sheep, a coin, a son), and two parables about the dangers of wealth.
Points of interest
Most of these parables are unique to the Gospel of Luke
Ancient Christian interpreters eager to make connections in the gospels speculated that the pigs kept by the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:15) were the same pigs into which Jesus sent the demons of Gerasa (Luke 8:26-29)
Although he has the same name, the Lazarus in the parable of Lazarus and the rich man is probably not the same character as Lazarus of Bethany (John 11)
Questions to consider
Do you find Luke's parables, so focused on "lost and found" items and the problems of wealth, more or less gripping than Matthew's parables? Which Jesus seems more eloquent or persuasive?
What is the relation between religious duty (the Law) and moral duty for Luke?
Luke 22-24: Passion, Death, Resurrection
The chief priests and scribes conspire to kill Jesus with the help of his Satan-inspired disciple Judas. Jesus and his disciples celebrate the festival of Passover, and Jesus institutes a new covenant of his body and blood in bread and wine. The disciples dispute about their greatness. Jesus prays in a garden and is arrested. His disciples deny him. Jesus is tried before Pilate and King Herod and does not deny the charges against him. The crowd calls for the release of the rebel Barabbas instead of Jesus, and Jesus is crucified with two criminals, one of whom Jesus promises a place in Paradise. Jesus commends his spirit to God and dies. He is buried, and after three days his tomb is found empty by women. He appears to disciples on the road from Jerusalem, but they do not recognize him until his gone. He appears to the rest of the disciples in Jerusalem and continues teaching them until he ascends to heaven.
Points of interest
Luke 22.43-44--when Jesus' sweat became like drops of blood--appears in some ancient manuscripts, and not in others: it was either added or deleted to alter the image of Jesus in the garden
According to Acts 1, Jesus remained on earth for 40 days after his resurrection before ascending to heaven
Questions to consider
What do you make of the scene with the two thieves crucified with Jesus? Could you relate this exchange to the "lost-and-found" parables of Luke 15?
What is Jesus' demeanor like before Pilate and on the cross? How does he act?
Gospel of John
Probably the last written of the gospels, certainly the most enigmatic, John may also contain some of the oldest traditions about Jesus (his "signs" or miracles and the timing of his crucifixion, among others). It has been considered since antiquity the "mystical" gospel. John does not follow the same structure as the other three gospels (which are called synoptic because they can be read in order, lined up: sun = together; optic = eye).
John 1-5: Cosmic Openings, John the Baptist, and the First Signs
The gospel opens with a hymn to God's Word (Logos) which became flesh, and continues to the ministry of John the Baptist. Jesus comes to be baptized by John (the baptism is not described), and Jesus calls disciples to him. He performs his first "sign" of power (turning water into wine at Cana) and rousts the moneychangers at the Temple. He teaches a prominent Jew named Nicodemus about spiritual rebirth. Jesus begins baptizing. He meets a Samaritan woman and promises her "living water." Jesus heals a man in Jerusalem on the Sabbath, and gets into a dispute with the Jews about authority, Scripture, and the law.
Points of interest
In the synoptic gospels, Jesus overturns the moneychangers' tables near the end of his ministry; in John, it occurs near the beginning; likewise, Jesus' ministry lasts only a year (or less) in the synoptic gospels, but at least three years in John
Samaria was located around the capital of the old Northern Kingdom of Israel; the Samaritans had the Torah, but not the rest of the TANAK, and their own Temple, over which they disputed with the Jews
John 10-11: Jesus Raises the Dead
Jesus tells a parable about the Good Shepherd, and escapes further confrontation with the Jews of Jerusalem. Lazarus of Bethany falls sick and his sisters Mary and Martha summon Jesus. Jesus does not arrive until Lazarus has died. Jesus comforts Mary and Martha, and raises Lazarus from the dead. The Jews of Jerusalem plot more fiercely against Jesus, and he goes "underground" until Passover.
Points of interest
Mary and Martha also appear in the Gospel of Luke (10.38-42).
John 11:35 is the shortest verse in the New Testament (in Greek, just two words: "Jesus wept").
This is the only part of any of the gospels in which Jesus raises someone from the dead (the raising of the girl in Mark is unclear)
Questions to consider
Was this scene more or less emotionally effective than other miracles performed by Jesus? What details add to or detract from its emotional effectiveness?
How are themes of life and death woven into this narrative (apart from the obvious case of Lazarus)?
John 16-21: Passion, Death, Resurrection
At his last meal with his disciples (which began in John 13), Jesus gives several speeches about his divine nature. This last speech predicts that the disciples will suffer and be alienated, but will be redeemed after a time. Jesus is betrayed by Judas, arrested, and questioned by the high priest and Pilate. He is tortured and crucified. He entrusts his mother to his (unnamed) beloved disciple. He dies, and his side is pierced. Jesus is buried, and his tomb is found empty. He appears to Mary Magdalene and to the disciples in Jerusalem (where Thomas doubts him). He appears to them again in Galilee and teaches them.
Points of interest
There is no "last supper" in John's gospel, because Jesus is crucified on Passover (not the next day as in the other gospels)
Later tradition ascribed this gospel to "the beloved disciple," associated with John
John 16:2, "They will cast you out of synagogues," is often pointed to as a reference to this community's Jewish origins and conflicts with non-believing Jews
Questions to consider
Why does John refer to "the Jews," when all of the other gospels talk about "the chief priests and leaders"?
What is Jesus' demeanor on the cross? How is it different from Jesus in the other gospels?
What is the point of the scene between Thomas and Jesus?