The True Jesus

That God should be kindly disposed to a world that hates him so as to bring the gospel of good news to them all is gracious, and that he should go further and actually apply that gospel in such a way as to rescue men and transform them is marvellous.

—E. HULSE¹

HARMONIZING THE GOSPELS?

J. Sidlow Baxter cautions against efforts to combine the four Gospels into one cohesive narrative. “It has been argued that thus to combine them would preserve us all the matter, yet provide one short memoir, and present it in strict order,” says Baxter. “All such attempts, however, while they are valuable in further demonstrating the consistency of the four accounts, fail to produce the perfect ‘one.’”² Indeed, attempts to consolidate the Gospels into one unit destroy the features and emphases the Holy Spirit provided, through the human authors, in the four accounts. They were never intended to be perfect chronological accounts, and it’s not feasible to organize them that way. Similarly, Rev. E. A. Thompson writes,

A harmony of the Gospels in strict chronological order is impracticable. We cannot possibly work it out, at least with anything like scientific certainty; for this plain and obvious reason. . . the evangelists do not write chronologically: each of them has his own distinct plan and system of arrangement; and this is so independent of chronological order that if we attempt to put them together in such an order we find ourselves at once entangled in inextricable difficulties, and expose ourselves to the caustic rebuke of a sagacious citizen respecting an old minister of the High Church of Edinburgh, who was engaged for many years in constructing a Harmony of the kind: “He is a minister . . . who spends his time and strength in trying to make four men agree [who] never quarreled.”³

I agree. Nevertheless, beginning in the next chapter I present a narrative of the four Gospels in roughly chronological order, though without attempting to reconcile perfectly any differences among the accounts. My purpose is not to harmonize these unique divinely inspired works or to undertake the presumptuous task of improving on them. My foremost goal, as with all my Christian-themed books, is to stimulate people to read the Bible itself. After becoming a believer I discovered that good books about the Bible make it less intimidating and easier to understand. They inspire me to read it more, not less. I hope this book will do the same for you.

The Rev. George Whitefield, a leading evangelist in Britain and the American colonies during the Great Awakening, whose spellbinding sermons mesmerized thousands at a time including Benjamin Franklin,⁴ stressed the immeasurable importance of Scripture reading. He notes that Jesus, though He is the eternal God, “made the scriptures his constant rule and guide” during his incarnation. In each of his encounters with Satan, He responds with Scripture. “But how few,” asks Whitefield, “copy after the example of Christ? How many are there who do not regard the word of God at all, but throw the sacred oracles aside, as an antiquated book, fit only for illiterate men? Such do greatly err, not knowing what the scriptures are, or for what they are designed.”⁵

Whitefield says it is every person’s duty to read the Bible and always with Christ in view. Because of our fallen condition, we need Christ for our salvation. If we “search the scriptures as we ought,” we’ll discover that their purpose is to point us to Christ. Moreover, Whitefield’s explanation for people’s skepticism about “divine revelation” rings true. He writes,

I appeal to the experience of the most learned disputer against divine revelation, whether he does not find in himself, that he is naturally proud, angry, revengeful, and full of other passions contrary to the purity, holiness, and long-suffering of God. And is this not a demonstration that some way or other he is fallen from God? And I appeal also, whether at the same time that he finds these hurtful lusts in his heart, he does not strive to seem amiable, courteous, kind and affable; and is not this a manifest proof, that he is [aware] he is miserable, and wants, he knows not how, to be redeemed or delivered from it?

. . . What does God in his written word do more or less, than show thee, O man, how thou art fallen into that blindness, darkness, and misery, of which thou feelest and complainest? And, at the same time he points out the way to what thou desirest, even how thou mayest be redeemed out of it by believing in, and copying after the Son of his love.

. . . [God gave us the Bible] for no other end, but to show us our misery, and our happiness; our fall and recovery; or, in one word, after what manner we died in Adam, and how in Christ we may again be made alive. Hence then arises the necessity of searching the scriptures: for since they are nothing else but the grand charter of our salvation, the revelation of a covenant made by God with men in Christ, and a light to guide us into the way of peace; it follows, that all are obliged to read and search them, because all are equally fallen from God, all equally stand in need of being informed how they must be restored to, and again united with him.

. . . Have Christ, then, always in view when you are reading the word of God, and this, like the star in the east, will guide you to the Messiah, will serve as a key to every thing that is obscure, and unlock to you the wisdom and riches of all the mysteries of the kingdom of God.⁶

NEW TESTAMENT CHRONOLOGY

As I was poring over the four Gospels to organize a narrative timeline for this book, I became immersed in the glory of the writings. Using numerous timelines and Gospel harmonies as checklists, I read and reread every sentence of all four Gospels, along with scores of commentaries and other books that illuminate their message. While I understood that a perfect chronological account was not possible, I wanted to present a comprehensive narrative of all the events recorded in the Gospels.

As I researched, I discovered that scholars differ on the chronological order of some of the events. Early on this troubled me, but as I got deeper into the material I realized that chronological exactitude is far less important than covering the events themselves, capturing the actions and words of Christ, the disciples, and others, and sharing insightful commentary to facilitate readers’ understanding. I hope this approach will help give new Gospel readers a jump-start on the material while providing deeper understanding to more advanced students. But most of all, I want to encourage readers to read the Gospels for themselves from beginning to end—again and again. No other books compare to the Gospels because all other books—including this one—can only help us to learn about Jesus. The Gospels help us to know Him.

I want to stress this point before moving forward. When I say I became immersed in the glory of the writings, I mean it literally. The entire Bible is the living, breathing Word of God, and it can’t help but impact us like no other writing, for it comes directly from God. The Gospels are particularly moving as they give us the words and actions of Christ Himself. Carl F. H. Henry beautifully articulates the point. “Divine revelation palpitates with human surprise,” writes Henry. “Like a fiery bolt of lightning that unexpectedly zooms toward us and scores a direct hit, like an earthquake that suddenly shakes and engulfs us, it somersaults our private thoughts to abrupt awareness of ultimate destiny. . . . It drives us to ponder whether the Other World has finally pinned us to the ground for a life-and-death response. Even once-for-all revelation that has occurred in another time and place fills us with awe and wonder through its ongoing significance and bears the character almost of a fresh miracle.”⁷

Before beginning the narrative section in the next chapter, I want to provide a short introduction to the Gospels collectively, and then individually, to examine the different emphases of each of the four writers.

“CONTRADICTIONS” IN THE GOSPELS

First, a word on the alleged inconsistencies in the Gospel accounts. Just as the entire Bible’s unity is shown through its diversity, the same is true of the four Gospels. Each writer offers a different perspective on the life of Jesus Christ. Admittedly, the Gospels sometimes treat the same subject matter differently, as should be expected from different witnesses reporting on the same events. But these variations are not contradictions.⁸ In fact, they add weight to the authenticity of the writings, since if the writers aimed to produce fully synchronized narratives they could have colluded to vet any discrepancies. “It’s clear,” write Norman Geisler and Frank Turek, “that the New Testament writers didn’t get together to smooth out their testimonies. This means they certainly were not trying to pass off a lie as the truth. For if they were making up the New Testament story, they would have gotten together to make sure they were consistent in every detail. Such harmonization clearly didn’t happen, and this confirms the genuine eyewitness nature of the New Testament and the independence of each writer.”⁹

Some critics try to undermine the Gospels’ authenticity by citing “apparently contradictory” accounts, but Geisler and Turek refute these attempts. Matthew, for example, mentions one angel at Jesus’ tomb while John mentions two. This is not a contradiction, however; Matthew doesn’t explicitly say there is only one angel there. Sometimes two reporters relating the same event emphasize different details, and this is no different. Perhaps Matthew includes only the angel who spoke (Matt. 28:5), while John relates the number of angels Mary saw (John 20:12). Such differences are common among eyewitnesses.¹⁰ The accounts are complementary, as are the accounts of Jesus’ resurrection appearances, in which each of the writers provides different details but all agree that Jesus rose from the dead. Homicide detective J. Warner Wallace observes that the Gospels reflect a fairly typical collection of accounts provided by multiple eyewitnesses to an event:

If it was God’s desire to provide us with an accurate and reliable account of the life of Jesus, an account we could trust and recognize as consistent with other forms of eyewitness testimony, God surely accomplished it with the four gospel accounts. Yes, the accounts are messy. They are filled with idiosyncrasies and personal perspectives along with common retellings of familiar stories. There are places where critics can argue that there appear to be contradictions, and there are places where each account focuses on something important to the author, while ignoring details of importance to other writers. But would we expect anything less from true, reliable eyewitness accounts? I certainly would not, based on what I’ve seen over the years.¹¹

Another way to approach this question is to consider the works of Plutarch, who wrote around the same time as the Gospel writers, used the same language (Greek), and provided much of the information we have about the classical world. Of Plutarch’s fifty surviving biographies, nine of them involve subjects who lived at the same time, knew one another, and participated in the same events. In his books, Plutarch thus tells the same stories multiple times. Dr. Michael Licona identifies thirty-six stories that appear in Plutarch’s Lives two or more times. Thirty of these contain differences, and the same kind of differences appear repeatedly, forming a pattern suggesting they are deliberate compositional devices—the same type of devices Plutarch’s contemporary historians were using. Licona notes that we find the same stories told in the Gospels multiple times in different ways, and that we might likewise account for these differences as compositional devices rather than contradictions.¹²

The fourfold Gospel accounts troubled some in the Church’s early days. Marcion (75–155 AD) advocated that the Church accept only one Gospel, while Tatian (120–190 AD), in his Diatessaron, written in the latter part of the second century,¹³ urged that the four Gospels be combined into one harmonious account to eliminate all discrepancies.¹⁴ The Church rejected those heretical efforts and retained all four. In his Against Heresies, Bishop Irenaeus of Lyons (140–202 AD), as noted earlier, writes, “It is not possible that the Gospels can be either more or fewer in number than they are. For, since there are four zones of the world in which we live, and four principal winds, while the Church is scattered throughout all the world, and the ‘pillar and ground’ of the Church is the Gospel and the spirit of life; it is fitting that she should have four pillars, breathing out immortality on every side, and vivifying men afresh. From which fact, it is evident that the Word, the Artificer of all, He that sitteth upon the cherubim, and contains all things, He who was manifested to men, has given us the Gospel under four aspects, but bound together by one Spirit.”¹⁵

Bible scholars have long observed that each Gospel emphasizes particular aspects of Jesus, His life, and His work. Matthew presents Jesus primarily as the King, Mark as the Suffering Servant, Luke as a human being, and John as God. When first hearing this years ago, I thought these were artificial classifications developed by well-meaning but overeager believers with creative imaginations. After studying the writings more, I changed my mind.

These four aspects of Christ are foreshadowed in the Old Testament. The prophets Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Zechariah, among others, describe Christ (the Messiah) as the coming King of Israel. This led to the Jews’ expectation, as described earlier, that the Messiah would be an earthly king who would conquer their oppressors, contributing to their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah when He took on the entirely different mission of dying for our sins. The Old Testament, however, also foretold a suffering servant in Isaiah 53, the Genesis account of Joseph, and elsewhere. Other Old Testament prophecies alternatively portray the Messiah as a man or as God.¹⁶

Ray Stedman insists that all the Old Testament prophecies and pictures of Jesus can be placed under the four Gospel depictions of Christ: king, servant, human being, and God. In four places in the Old Testament the word “behold” appears in connection with these four pictures. The use of this word is significant because it’s intended to direct the reader’s attention to the connected passage in a striking manner.¹⁷ “Behold” calls attention to the new and unexpected, often to rivet biblical attention upon God’s awesome intervention.¹⁸

1. Zechariah writes, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zech. 9:9). Jesus fulfills this prophecy in His triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Matt. 21:7–11; Mark 11:7–10; Luke 19:35–40; John 12:12–19).

2. Isaiah writes, “Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations” (Isaiah 42:1).

3. Zechariah writes, “And say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, the man whose name is the Branch: for he shall branch out from his place, and he shall build the temple of the Lord’’” (Zech. 6:12).

4. Isaiah writes, “Go on up to a high mountain, O Zion, herald of good news; lift up your voice with strength, O Jerusalem, herald of good news; lift it up, fear not; say to the cities of Judah, ‘Behold your God’” (Isaiah 40:9).¹⁹

These four depictions are not a fanciful construct of zealous Bible students; they have been recognized almost from the beginning. Before the third century, an identification was made between the Gospel accounts and the four living creatures of Revelation 4:7,²⁰ which was largely based on the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of a four-faced cherubim.²¹ According to Ezekiel, from the midst of a stormy wind out of the north,

came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle (Ezek. 1:5–10).

Similarly, in Revelation John describes four living creatures as “full of eyes, in front and behind: the first living creature like a lion, the second living creature like an ox, the third living creature with the face of a man, and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight” (4:6–7).

Although writers differed as to which Gospel should be identified with each living creature, the Church fathers and popular artists saw a connection.²² J. Sidlow Baxter’s interpretation rings true: “In Matthew,” he writes, “we see the Messiah-King (the lion). In Mark we see Jehovah’s Servant (the ox). In Luke we see the Son of Man (the man). In John we see the Son of God (the eagle).” Baxter explains that lions frequently symbolize kings; the ox represents lowly service; the man illustrates Christ’s humanity; and the eagle is the “greatest of all creatures in the natural heavens, solitary, transcendent, mysterious.”²³

Ray Stedman observes that Matthew includes abundant evidence of Christ’s kingship. The book begins with His genealogy, tracing His royal line through King David back to Abraham. In Matthew, Christ speaks authoritatively in forms such as, “Moses said this to you, but I say this.” He frequently passes judgment on the Pharisees and scribes as hypocrites and repeatedly employs the phrase “the kingdom of heaven,” as we’ll see in later chapters. Moreover, Matthew depicts Christ being born as King of the Jews and crucified as “King of the Jews.” English Bible scholar Arthur Pink thinks it’s no coincidence that Matthew is the only Gospel writer who presents Christ in an official relationship—as the Messiah and King of Israel—while “Matthew himself was the only one of the four who filled an official position [tax collector].”²⁴

Depicting Jesus as a servant, Mark provides no genealogy for Christ. This should be expected, as no one traces the lineage of a servant. While Matthew and Luke contain many parables, Mark has only four, each relating to servanthood. In Mark, Jesus isn’t called “Lord” until after His resurrection.

Luke shows in Christ the perfection of manhood—“the glory, beauty, strength, and dignity of His humanity.” He includes a genealogy of Christ, tracing the line back to Adam, the first human being. Christ is often seen in prayer in Luke’s Gospel, as “prayer is a picture of humanity’s proper relationship to God—total dependence upon the sovereign, omnipotent God.”²⁵ Luke poignantly illustrates Christ’s human sympathy, as when He weeps over the city of Jerusalem.

John, from the first verse, presents Christ as God. Stedman notes that John includes a different kind of genealogy: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Just two beings are mentioned—the Father and the Son. In John’s Gospel, Christ makes seven “I am” declarations, which echo God’s assertion of deity to Moses from the burning bush: “I am who I am” (Exodus 3:14).²⁶

The four Gospels fittingly emphasize different aspects of Christ, as they are written primarily for different audiences: Matthew writes mostly to the Jews, Mark to those living in and around the city of Rome, Luke to the Gentiles, and John to the Church and potential believers.²⁷ I should note again that while the Gospel writers were addressing certain audiences primarily, God certainly intended their writings to be universally read.

THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

Despite their varying emphases, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the synoptic Gospels, or synoptics, because overall they present a similar approach to the life of Christ and provide comparable pictures of Jesus’ ministry and teaching.²⁸ The term “synoptic” comes from the Greek word “synopsis,” which means “seeing together” or “viewing together.”²⁹ It suggests seeing something from the same vantage point. These three accounts contain much common material, while John includes some of it but presents it from a different viewpoint and adds a significant amount of original material. Professor Darrell Bock argues that the synoptics tell the story from an “earth up” perspective—as the story unfolds, it dawns on the people who Jesus is. John, however, beginning with the first verse, emphasizes a “heaven-down” approach, “telling you right at the start that Jesus is God who became incarnate.”³⁰

THE SYNOPTIC PROBLEM

Scholars refer to “the synoptic problem,” which questions how these three accounts contain such strikingly similar material. Did they borrow from each other or did they rely on other unidentified sources? Researchers on the synoptic problem examine these similarities, study the Gospels’ composition, and devise theories to explain the literary interrelationship between them. The majority view among scholars is the Markan Hypothesis, which holds that Mark was a source for Matthew and Luke.³¹ Matthew and Luke, however, contain similar material not found in Mark, so the Markan view speculates that a hypothetical document called “Q” was also a common source for Matthew and Luke.³² Another theory, the Griesbach Hypothesis, posits that Matthew was written first and was followed by Luke, which used material from Matthew. Mark was written third, according to this view, and borrowed from both Matthew and Luke.³³

While the similarities and differences among the Gospel accounts and speculation about their sources fascinate some, such questions have never troubled me. As discussed earlier, since the Gospels are based on eyewitness observations, we should expect the types of variations that exist among the different accounts unless there was conspiratorial collaboration among the writers. It strikes me as presumptuous to assert with any degree of confidence that certain writers borrowed from others. They presumably had access to the same or similar information, and we can never know precisely what it was—but in the end it doesn’t matter. God can use any process He wants to disseminate His story, and He did so through four separate people who reported the most marvelous story ever told, so that we may believe.

WHAT IS THE GOSPEL?

The Gospels tell the story of the Son of God Who became a human being, lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death, was resurrected from the dead, and ascended back to the Father, offering salvation for all who believe (trust) in Him. The “good news” of the Gospel is the availability of God’s salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16). Not everyone is open to the message, of course, and to some it sounds absurd. As Paul observes, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Cor. 1:18). He summarizes the Gospel message in his first letter to the Corinthians: “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 Cor. 15:1–4).

Pastor Cliff McManis posits that the Gospel comprises five main themes:

a. Who Jesus is.

b. The meaning of His death.

c. The reality of His resurrection.

d. A call to repent.

e. A call to believe.³⁴

Let’s briefly explore each of these in turn.

a) Who is Jesus? This is the most important question a person could ever ask. We must know Who He is, and the Gospels provide the answer. Herod, the tyrannical tetrarch who had John the Baptist beheaded, is perplexed by Jesus and by reports of His works because some said He was John the Baptist raised from the dead, others that He was Elijah, and others that He was some other Old Testament prophet who had risen. Herod declares, “John I beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” (Luke 9:7–9). Even Jesus’ mortal enemies ask the question, “Who is Jesus?” After reporting Herod’s perplexity, Luke—as if to answer the question by showing Jesus’ supernatural power—tells the story of Jesus miraculously feeding five thousand people with just five loaves of bread and two fish, with an abundance of food left over (Luke 9:10–17).

Luke immediately returns to the question, but this time Christ Himself is the questioner. Christ asks His disciples, “Who do the crowds say that I am?” They respond with the same options that puzzled Herod: John the Baptist, Elijah, and other risen Old Testament prophets. Jesus asks Peter pointedly “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answers, “The Christ of God” (Luke 9:18–20).

The disciples have been slow to grasp fully Who Jesus is, and His earthly ministry is coming to a close. He is about to head to Jerusalem where He will suffer and die.³⁵ Jesus must drill into them Who He is because, as His allies, they’ll need strength to face the coming challenges and attacks. Peter’s confession seems sincere, but he obviously isn’t yet wholly committed to Christ, as he would soon betray Jesus three times. But Peter would later remember this conversation, among many others, and it would strengthen him. Note that Jesus isn’t addressing this question only to Peter. He died for all of us, and we have to treat the question as if directed to each of us individually—because it is. Who do I say Jesus is? Who do you say He is?

b) What is the meaning of His death? Jesus’ death served many purposes, some of which are interrelated. It was substitutionary—He died for our sins so that we will be freed from death, which is the penalty of sin. It is an atonement for our sins—though we were separated from God through sin, we are now reconciled to Him (Romans 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18–20; Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20, 21), thereby reuniting God and man in a personal relationship; thus the term “at-one-ment.”³⁶ It is a propitiation—it appeases God’s wrath³⁷ (Romans 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10) and expiates our guilt.³⁸ It redeems us. We are ransomed “with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without a blemish or spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19; Mark 10:45; Matt. 20:28), and are forgiven (Col. 1:14) and redeemed or delivered from the curse of sin (Eph. 1:7). Through His death we are adopted as children of God, having been born again through faith in Christ (John 1:12), and we are justified, as we are declared righteous legally (Romans 3:21–26).³⁹ Charles Spurgeon argues that when God sees saved sinners, He no longer sees sin in them but instead sees His dear Son Jesus Christ covering us as a veil. “God will never strike a soul through the veil of His Son’s sacrifice,” says Spurgeon. “He accepts us because He cannot but accept His Son, who has become our covering.”⁴⁰

c) The reality of His resurrection. Paul writes, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). The Christian message that Jesus conquered Satan, sin, and death is not allegorical. As previously mentioned, Jesus allowed Satan to “strike His heel” by voluntarily dying on the cross, but in the very process of dying (and being resurrected), Jesus “crushed [Satan’s] head” (Gen. 3:15 NIV), thereby defeating Satan, sin, and death. “Death stung himself to death when he stung Christ,” notes William Romaine.⁴¹ William Plummer adds, “The death of Christ was the most dreadful blow ever given to the empire of darkness.”⁴² Christ’s resurrection consummates God’s salvation plan for mankind. The historical fact of Jesus’ resurrection is pivotal to Christianity. Paul writes, “And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. . . . And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (1 Cor. 15:14, 17–19).

d) A call to repent. Repentance is not a separate requirement for salvation. We are saved through faith alone, but repentance goes hand in hand with believing. “Repentance and faith are Siamese twins,”⁴³ writes Walter J. Chantry. Sinclair Ferguson comments, “Faith and repentance must be seen as marriage partners and never separated.”⁴⁴ Repentance is a change of attitude and action from sin toward obedience to God. The Greek word for repentance is derived from a word meaning “to radically change one’s thinking.” It signifies a person attaining a divinely provided new understanding of his behavior and feeling compelled to change and begin a new relationship with God (Heb. 6:1; Acts 20:21).⁴⁵ Walter Elwell declares that it is “literally a change of mind, not about individual plans, intentions, or beliefs, but rather a change in the whole personality from a sinful course of action to God.”⁴⁶

e) A call to believe. To believe in Jesus Christ requires more than mere intellectual assent that He is the Son of God. Saving faith is not merely accepting certain propositions as true (“even the demons believe—and shudder!” James 2:19), but trusting a person—the Person of Jesus Christ⁴⁷—for the remission of your sins. It involves an act of the will. We can think of it as a faith-union with Christ, in which the believer cleaves to his Savior. We need only to believe in Christ for our eternal salvation. Nothing else is required. The Bible is clear on this. When the Philippian jailor asks Paul and Silas what he must do to be saved, they respond, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved” (Acts 16:30–31). We cannot earn our way to salvation. It is solely a gift from God. “For by grace you have been saved through faith,” Paul proclaims in Ephesians. “And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (2:8–9).

Now, let’s take a brief look at each of the Gospels individually.

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

The Apostle Matthew is believed to have written the Gospel that bears his name, possibly as early as 50 AD and almost certainly prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD, since Matthew makes no mention of this catastrophic event.⁴⁸ The book was written mainly to convince non-Christian Jews of the truth of the Gospel⁴⁹ and to reinforce the faith of Jewish Christians.⁵⁰ Matthew emphasizes fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies in Jesus, presenting Him as Israel’s long-promised Messiah and King, and depicting His ministry as the beginning of the messianic age. Matthew states five times that Old Testament Scripture has been fulfilled, and his demonstration of fulfillment permeates the entire Gospel.⁵¹ Matthew reports Jesus saying He came not to abolish the Old Testament Law but to fulfill it (5:17–19).⁵² Only Matthew uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” instead of “kingdom of God,” probably to avoid alienating his Jewish audience by using the name of God, which they shunned out of reverence for Him.⁵³

Emphasizing Jesus’ ministry, Matthew’s Gospel contains the largest sections of His teachings. It includes the Sermon on the Mount (5–7), in which Jesus lays down the most sublime moral standards ever contemplated by man and explains life in the kingdom of heaven; the Lord’s Prayer (6:9–13); the Golden Rule (7:12); and the Olivet Discourse (24–25), which addresses the future of Jerusalem and Israel. It relates Jesus’ calling of His disciples and His warnings and instructions as He sends them out to minister (10). It contains Jesus’ parables of the kingdom of heaven (13) and His stern condemnations of the religious leaders (23).⁵⁴ It concludes with the Great Commission (28:19–20). Matthew strongly stresses righteousness, likely because Torah-observant Jews sought righteousness in God’s eyes. While Jesus presents a different pathway to righteousness (faith, not works), this nevertheless addresses their concerns.

Much of the material in Matthew is arranged thematically instead of chronologically. One of the book’s main purposes is to demonstrate that Jesus has the authority to command His disciples to spread the Gospel throughout the world and to embolden them to do it. Matthew closes with the resurrected Jesus meeting with His disciples on a hill in Galilee and declaring His divine authority: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (18:18–19).⁵⁵

Many believe the early Church placed Matthew as the first book in the New Testament because it was thought to have been written first. Though most scholars no longer believe this, its placement is logical, as Matthew provides a bridge between the Old and New Testaments. It begins with a genealogy tracing Jesus back to Abraham and David, two towering figures of the Old Testament, and prominently features the role of the Mosaic Law as well as numerous Old Testament citations.⁵⁶

Scholars divide the book into three main sections: the events leading up to Jesus’ public ministry, including His ancestry, infancy (1:1–2:23), baptism, and temptations (3:1–4:16); His public ministry, including His teachings, works, and clashes with religious leaders (4:17–16:12); and His rejection and suffering, culminating in His crucifixion and followed by His resurrection (16:13–28:20). As Matthew presumably relies heavily on Mark’s Gospel, He traces Jesus’ ministry in the same geographical sequence, beginning with His Galilean ministry, then Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem, and finally His trial, death, and resurrection in Jerusalem.⁵⁷

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

The early Church fathers unanimously identified Mark as the author of this Gospel, believing he was the interpreter of the Apostle Peter, who was an eyewitness to many of the events related by Mark. Papias (ca. 110 AD) quotes John the elder (probably the Apostle John) saying Mark was not an eyewitness follower of Christ but that he accompanied Peter, heard Peter’s preaching, and recorded all of Peter’s recollections about Jesus’ words and works, but not necessarily in order. Many other Church fathers corroborated this information.⁵⁸

Most evangelical scholars, as noted, believe Mark’s Gospel was written first, between 50 and 70 AD.⁵⁹ Geisler and Turek argue that it could have been written in the mid-to-late 50s because it probably preceded Luke, which was likely written around 60 AD.⁶⁰ The book was targeted primarily to a Gentile audience and was written in Rome, mainly to Roman Christians but for the wider Church as well.⁶¹

Mark portrays Jesus’ life in simple, action-packed vignettes,⁶² repeatedly using the words “immediately” and “then.”⁶³ As the shortest Gospel, the book includes few long discourses.⁶⁴ Jesus is presented as a suffering servant (8:31; 10:45; 14:21, 36) Who came to die for mankind’s sins. He exhorts His followers to emulate Him in humble service and denial of self (8:34–38; 9:35–37; 10:35–45). Mark introduces Jesus’ universal call to discipleship.⁶⁵ He stresses fellowship with Jesus (discipleship implies a personal relationship with Jesus), trusting Him, following His teachings, and preparing for the inevitable rejection Christians will face.⁶⁶ This Gospel presents two indispensable requirements for discipleship—self-denial and taking up one’s cross to follow Jesus (8:34).⁶⁷

Mark emphasizes the coming of God’s kingdom in Jesus (1:15), urging people to repent and believe in Him and the Gospel. But in this Gospel, it becomes clear that the Jews had different expectations for the Messiah and the kingdom of God He would bring—as noted, they were expecting a military leader to vanquish their oppressors and establish a dominant earthly kingdom. Jesus gradually lets His disciples in on His “messianic secret” but forbids them and others to speak openly about His identity and His great works.⁶⁸ When he addresses the crowds, He usually speaks in parables. During His trial, Jesus publically discloses His identity as the Messiah (14:61–62). His frequent preaching on the advancement of God’s kingdom alienates the religious leaders who thoroughly misapprehend His message. As we’ll develop more fully later in this book, the kingdom of God has both a present and future component. Jesus inaugurates the kingdom at His first coming, but His initial reign is mostly spiritual. His future kingdom will arrive with His Second Coming when He will reign over all creation.

Mark has two main sections, the first dealing with Jesus’s Galilean ministry (1:1–8:26) and the second relating His crucifixion, resurrection, and the preceding events in Jerusalem (8:27–16:8).⁶⁹

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

The consensus is that Luke, the physician and companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote this book with the Book of Acts as a two-part report. Luke’s authorship is supported by Church tradition and references in the book itself.⁷⁰ Geisler and Turek contend the book was probably written in or before 60 AD because there are several reasons for dating Acts no later than 62 AD, and Luke was written before Acts. Furthermore, Paul, writing between 62 and 65 AD, quotes Luke 10:7 as Scripture (1 Tim. 5:18). Obviously, Luke’s Gospel had to have been written and established for some time for Paul to put it on the same level as the revered Old Testament.⁷¹

The text of Luke supports scholars’ view that the book was written mostly to a Gentile audience. Craig Evans notes that unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke is determined to show that the Jewish story about the Jewish Messiah fulfilling Old Testament prophecies is relevant to Gentiles as well, as they are also part of God’s salvation plan for mankind. Jesus takes the Gospel message to the Gentiles and includes them in His ministry and healings. In Luke, we see Jesus’ love for the poor and downtrodden.⁷²

As previously shown, Luke has been validated as a meticulously accurate historian. He states in his prologue that he went to great lengths to investigate and present a historically accurate account (1:1–4). He portrays Jesus as the Son of Man who came to seek and save lost sinners (9:56; 19:10) but was rejected by Israel.⁷³ As noted, Luke emphasizes Jesus’ full humanity.⁷⁴

Luke shows that the Church has unified, having settled most of its internal disputes. As Matthew focuses on Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies, Luke presents Jesus’ Old Testament fulfillment in His passion and resurrection (24).⁷⁵ The book shows Jesus twice in His resurrection appearances demonstrating to His disciples that He is foreshadowed and predicted throughout the Old Testament.⁷⁶ Luke showcases the sovereignty of God, the saving work of Jesus, and the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. He includes several passages that reference all three persons of the Holy Trinity—the birth announcement (1:26–38), the baptism (3:21–22), the temptation (4:1–13), and Jesus’ final words to His disciples (24:46–49).⁷⁷ Scholars say Luke is not easily outlined in discrete sections and is more of an itinerary of Jesus’ unfolding ministry.⁷⁸

Other recurring themes in Luke’s Gospel are forgiveness, joy, wonder at the mysteries of divine truth, and Jesus’ practice of praying, especially before undertaking important events in His ministry.⁷⁹

THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

The Gospel of John has long been one of my favorite books of the Bible because shortly after I became a believer, friends recommended it to me as the most theological of the Gospels, powerfully picturing Christ’s deity. Both internal evidence and Church tradition strongly indicate that the Apostle John, the disciple whom Jesus loved (20:2), is the author.⁸⁰ Most scholars ascribe a later date to John than the other Gospels because the Church fathers say John wrote in his elderly years, between 80–95 AD,⁸¹ although some assign an earlier date before 70 AD.⁸² John wrote the book for new Christians and seeking non-Christians.⁸³

This Gospel is distinct from the synoptics in its content, order, wording, and themes. Right off the bat, it identifies Jesus as the Word of God—the pre-existent One who became a human being. In every section of the book, John stresses Christ’s deity (1:1–18; 2:1–11; 4:46–54; 5:1–15; 6:5–14; 6:16–21; 8:24, 58; 9:1–12; 11:1–44; 19:1–20:30). The first main section (1:19–12:50) relates Jesus’ public ministry, showing His activities during the Jewish feasts, including Passover (2, 6, 11–12), Tabernacles (7–9), and Dedication (10). The second section (13–17) involves Jesus’ final meal before His crucifixion (13) and includes a powerful, substantive discourse (14–17), which we examine in depth later in this book. The final section (18–21) records Jesus’ arrest, trial, death, and resurrection appearances.⁸⁴

We needn’t speculate on John’s purpose in writing this Gospel because he tells it to us: “Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 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” (20:30–31).

John constructs his Gospel around Jesus’ use of signs, how they reveal His identity, and His great discourses in which He proclaims their significance and substantiates His deity, to lead us to saving faith in Him.⁸⁵

Throughout this Gospel, Jesus uses “I am” statements, which equate Him with the God of the Jewish people—the Old Testament God Yahweh (6:35; 8:24, 58; 10:11, 14: 13:19; 15:1; 18:5–9, cf. Exodus 3:14–16).⁸⁶

The Gospel of John is a counterweight to the synoptics, showing that Jesus is not only fully human but also fully divine. “Taken together, the four gospels weave a complete portrait of the God-Man, Jesus of Nazareth,” Bruce Barton contends. “In Him were blended perfect humanity and deity, making Him the only sacrifice for the sins of the world, and the worthy Lord of those who believe.”⁸⁷

THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF CHRIST

Before we begin the more detailed narrative of the Gospel accounts in the next chapter, let’s look at a short sketch of Christ’s life and ministry, which will provide an overview before we dig deeper.

Jesus was the only person who came into the world to die. “Death,” writes Bishop Fulton Sheen, “was the goal and fulfillment of His life, the gold that He was seeking. Few of His words or actions are intelligible without reference to His Cross. . . . The story of every human life begins with birth and ends with death. In the Person of Christ, however, it was His death that was first and His life that was last. . . . It was not so much that His birth cast a shadow on His life and thus led to His death; it was rather that the Cross was first, and cast its shadow back to His birth. His has been the only life in the world that was ever lived backward.”⁸⁸

Though He was born to die and He intended from the beginning to do just that, His death would be in God’s time. Before He (and the Father) would allow Himself to be captured, He had to complete His ministry. He came to preach a message of redemption, salvation, and life. But it wasn’t as if He said to Himself, “I am going to say the most controversial things I can to antagonize the religious authorities into killing Me.” No, His message was what it was—and is—and some would accept it and others would reject it, because the Truth causes division (Luke 12:51). Yet His message is precisely why they wanted to kill Him. He challenged their authority, traditions, and interpretations of their sacred Law, including the right to heal on the Sabbath. He “blasphemously” claimed to be the Messiah and the King, and made a triumphal entry into the Holy City. He claimed to be the Son of God who had the authority to forgive sins, and He had the audacity to cleanse their Temple.⁸⁹

In his sermon to the Gentiles recorded in the Book of Acts, Peter provides a summary of Jesus’ ministry and His substitutionary death. In this brief, inspired account we see an apostle on fire for Christ and evangelizing to the Gentiles:

So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name” (10:34–43).

Let’s not pass over Peter’s declaration lightly. Everyone who believes in Jesus receives forgiveness. “There are no incurable cases under the gospel,” writes J. C. Ryle. “Any sinner may be healed if he will only come to Christ.”

Because the Gospels don’t provide complete biographical data and sometimes present material thematically rather than chronologically, the precise order of some events is uncertain. Matthew (1–2) and Luke (1–2) both provide information on Jesus’ birth and early life. Both report that Jesus’ birth is pre-announced and that Mary gave birth to Him as a virgin. Both include genealogies tracing Jesus’ human ancestry, whereas John opens his Gospel declaring that the Word—the second person of the Triune God—is eternal and an agent in the creation. In Luke the shepherds visit the baby in Bethlehem after an angel of the Lord appears to them. In Matthew, the wise men visit to worship Him after seeing His star, and Herod, after trying unsuccessfully to find the baby, orders the murder of innocent children in Bethlehem in an attempt to kill Jesus (2:1–18). Herod fails because Joseph obeys an angel of the Lord who appears to him in a dream and tells him to take Mary and Jesus to Egypt until it’s safe to return (Matt. 2:13–15). When Herod dies, the angel tells Joseph to return to Israel with Jesus and Mary (Matt. 2:19–21). Other than Luke’s brief reference to Jesus at the Temple when He is twelve years old, we have no other information about Jesus’ life until shortly before He begins His ministry.

In preparation for Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist announces His coming and calls all to repentance (Matt. 3:1–12; Luke 3:1–17). John baptizes Jesus (Matt. 3:13–17; Luke 3:21–22), who undergoes the temptations of Satan, each time invoking Scripture as a defense against Satan’s wiles and demonstrating His obedience as the Son of God (Matt. 4:1–11; Luke 4:1–13).

Jesus begins His ministry when He is about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). He ministers in Judea following His baptism and makes contacts there with some of His future disciples (John 1:35–42). He next goes into Galilee (John 1:43) and performs His first miracle, or sign, by turning water into wine (John 2:1–11). He generally ministers in Galilee at this point because the Jews in Judea are seeking to kill Him (John 7:1). But He makes periodic trips into Judea, such as when He goes to Jerusalem for the Passover, where he drives the money-changers from the Temple (John 2:14), and meets the Pharisee Nicodemus (John 3:1).

Jesus calls His disciples (Mark 3:13–19) and does extensive teaching. He delivers the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5–7), calls for repentance and belief in the Gospel (Mark 1:15), and announces the arrival of the kingdom of God (Luke 11:20). He performs miracles of healing (Mark 1:40–3:12; Matt. 8:1–9:34), exorcisms (Matt. 8:28–34), and miracles involving nature, such as quieting a storm (Mark 4:35–41). He is well received by many people (Matt. 4:23–25) who are impressed by His miracles, though they don’t fully understand His mission. But the religious authorities oppose Him (Mark 2:5–12), and their antagonism intensifies as the news spreads about His works and ministry (Matt. 12:24).

While Jesus is busy with His own ministry, He appoints His twelve disciples and trains them before sending them out to preach repentance, cast out demons, and perform healings (Matt. 10:1–42; Mark 6:7–13). During this period, He often instructs in parables (Matt. 13:1–53; Mark 4:1–34). He is rejected in His hometown of Nazareth (Matt. 13:53–58), feeds the five thousand (Matt. 14:13–21), and is further challenged by Pharisees from Jerusalem (Matt. 15:1–20; Mark 7:1–23), leading Him to shift His ministry into the Gentile areas close to Tyre and Sidon (Mark 7:24–31).

Some believe Jesus’ ministry reaches a turning point at Caesarea Philippi (Matt. 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–38; Luke 9:18–27), when He fully acknowledges to Peter that He is the Messiah. Shortly thereafter He proves His assertion when He is transfigured before Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:1–8).

Jesus tells His disciples many times over an extensive period that He is the Messiah and that He must die, and even predicts His own death, but they don’t fully grasp His message until after He dies and is resurrected. He doesn’t broadcast publicly that He is the Messiah, however, because He isn’t yet ready to be captured. But He does tell some people, such as the Samaritan woman at the well, because they are outside the region where His life could be threatened. He must complete His ministry before He allows the authorities to capture Him, which is why we see Him narrowly escaping capture numerous times long before His final week.

Jesus heads from Galilee back toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:51; John 7:10) and continues His ministry with His disciples. Luke devotes a large portion of his Gospel to this period, when Jesus goes to the home of Mary and Martha, teaches about prayer, tells many parables including the Good Samaritan, clashes again with the Pharisees, and lectures His disciples on the great costs of discipleship and servanthood. He casts out a demon from a mute man, which so threatens the Pharisees that they accuse Him of doing it through the power of Satan, to which Jesus responds that Satan wouldn’t cast himself out. He announces that blasphemy against the Son of God is forgivable but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is not—for Jesus cast out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. He rebukes the Pharisees for their obsession with external observances of righteousness while neglecting their souls. They care about the trappings of power but do not serve the poor or otherwise do God’s work.

Jesus makes His triumphal entry into Jerusalem as was prophesied in the Old Testament and pursues His controversial ministry, further challenges the Pharisees, and teaches His disciples about the future, the End Times, and the coming of the Son of Man—His Second Coming (Mark 13). During this week He and His disciples eat the last supper (Matt. 26:17–30).

Jesus predicts His betrayal, and that night He is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane at the behest of His traitorous disciple, Judas Iscariot. He is tried before Annas, the Sanhedrin (the Jewish tribunal), Herod Antipas, and Pontius Pilate. The Jewish authorities charge Him with blasphemy, but since they have no power under Roman law to crucify Him, they pressure Pilate to convict Him of treason against Rome for claiming He is the King of the Jews. Pilate finds no guilt in Him and tries to avoid administering punishment by offering the Jews the opportunity to call for the release of one prisoner, which is a Passover tradition. Pilate is hoping he can pacify them by punishing but not crucifying Jesus. The Jews, however, want Him dead and call for the release of Barabbas, a criminal prisoner, instead of Jesus.

Knowing Jesus is innocent, Pilate could have released both Him and Barabbas, but he finally acquiesces and orders Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus is mocked, spit on, flogged, and crucified with two common thieves on the eve of the Sabbath at Golgotha (Mark 15:22). He is buried in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea (John 19:38), a member of the Sanhedrin and follower of Jesus, who requests permission to bury Him. Though Roman guards are posted at the tomb because of the Jews’ fear that His disciples will steal His body, Jesus’ body disappears from the tomb, and He rises on the third day just as He had predicted (Luke 24:1–7). For the next forty days He makes many appearances to His followers and others, then ascends into heaven (Acts 1:1–11), promising to send His disciples the Holy Spirit, Who would empower them to carry on His ministry.⁹⁰

GEOGRAPHY OF PALESTINE IN THE TIME OF JESUS

Some knowledge of the geographical area of Palestine is helpful when tracing Christ’s early work. Most of Jesus’ teaching ministry takes place in the fields and small towns of Galilee and Judea. Yet the focus of at least the last third of each Gospel is on Jerusalem, the Holy City. There, Christ drives the money-changers from the Temple, challenges the religious authorities, and is illegally tried and condemned. Just outside the city Jesus is crucified, buried, and resurrected.⁹¹

At the end of the Old Testament period, Palestine is a Persian province. But by the time Christ comes, it is divided into three provinces: Galilee in the north, Samaria in the center, and Judea in the south.⁹² Judea is mostly the same area as that occupied by the Southern Kingdom of Judah after Solomon’s United Kingdom was divided, though its boundaries were never firmly set. Judea is directly under Roman control until 37 AD, when Herod Agrippa I becomes its king, although Agrippa and subsequent rulers still serve at the pleasure of the emperor, and the land ultimately remains under Roman authority.⁹³ Galilee and Samaria together comprise the land of the former Northern Kingdom of Israel. When the Assyrians conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC and took its people captive, they brought in pagan immigrants to settle the area, which is why the Bible refers to it as “Galilee of the Gentiles” (Isaiah 9:1; Matt. 4:15). The Judeans considered the Galileans inferior, as two references in John’s Gospel make clear: “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (1:46), and “Are you from Galilee too? Search and see that no prophet arises from Galilee” (7:52).

The Samaritans live in Samaria, which is between Judea in the south and Galilee, where Jesus often ministers, in the north. The Jews look down on the Samaritans as mixed racial descendants of the foreign colonists the Assyrians brought into the land after conquering the Northern Kingdom and the Israelites who remained there during the captivity. Both Jews and Samaritans forbid having any contact with or intermarrying one another, though these marriages occur anyway. The Samaritans’ worship practices offend the Israelites because they have corrupted the Jewish religion by introducing pagan practices and by building a temple on Mount Gerizim.⁹⁴

Perea is a small territory on the east side of the Jordan River, across from Samaria and Judea, mainly populated by Jews. The Gospels refer to it as the land “beyond the Jordan” (Matt. 4:15, 25; 19:1; Mark 3:7–8). Jesus does much of His teaching there and makes His final trip to Jerusalem from there (John 10:40; 11:54). The Decapolis is also on the east side of the Jordan and consists of ten cities the Greeks established following Alexander the Great’s conquest of the region. Jesus allows demons to enter swine near Gadara, one of the ten cities (Mark 5:1–20), and He becomes popular throughout the Decapolis (Matt. 4:24–25; Mark 7:31–37).⁹⁵

Now that we’ve explored the historical, cultural, and religious backdrop to Jesus’ arrival and undertaken a broad overview of New Testament writings, in the next chapter we’ll turn to a more detailed historical narrative of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ as told in the Gospels. As we begin these chapters I want to reiterate that we should let the Gospel message speak for itself. “The power,” writes Bruce Barton, “lies in the message itself.”⁹⁶ The message, of course, is that Jesus Christ was crucified for our sins so that we can live.

As we read the Gospels we must also be mindful of what Mark Dever calls the Christian’s ultimate inquiry. “Do you believe,” asks Dever, “that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? If you do not, or if you are not certain, you may wish to consider further why the identity of Jesus is absolutely central to Christianity. Not only that, you may wish to consider why two thousand years’ worth of Christians would tell you this is the most important question you could ever ask. Who is Jesus?”⁹⁷

Bruce Gordon underscores the same question, but with Jesus as the questioner. Gordon writes, “‘Who do you say I am?’ This is the question Jesus asked His disciples over 2000 years ago and is asking us the same question today. ‘Who do you say I am?’ This is the most important question we will ever face. Our answer to this question will affect literally everything concerning our life, death, and our life after death.”⁹⁸

Indeed, Jesus’ question distills the Gospel to its essence. Jesus asks it of His disciples because He knows they aren’t quite getting it. They aren’t quite getting Him. Contemplate this exchange one more time: Jesus says, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is? And they reply, ‘Some say John the Baptist; others say, Elijah; and others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.’” (Matt. 16:13–14). He then presses his disciples for their opinion. “He said to them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’” (Matt. 16:15). Peter answers, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matt. 16:16).

Map showing Palestine in the time of Jesus.⁹⁹

Map showing the locations of Jesus’ ministry.¹⁰⁰

So as you read the following chapters and the Gospels themselves, please keep at the forefront of your mind this question: “Who do you say I am?”