| The Gospels of the Bible
By
Alison M. Stift
February 14, 2005
English 2, 1st hour
Non Fiction Book Review
"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."(John 3:16). You’ve probably heard this scripture passage more times that you can count, but have you ever read the Gospels from where it came from? Well, I have and I want to tell you about these four magnificent stories that make up the Gospels and how the writers achieved their goal of spreading the word of God. The Gospels of the Bible, written around 60 A.D., include four accounts of Jesus Christ’s birth, life, death and resurrection. Written by Matthew, John Mark, Luke, and John, the Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament. I believe everyone should read the Gospels because it is a factual account of the life of Jesus, the one God sent to save us. Christians have a special obligation to read the Gospels because they need to understand the principles of their religion.
John 3:16 tells the basic structure and reason for why Jesus came to earth and why people believe in him today. Jesus came to earth, born from the virgin Mary, and when he grew older he began to spread the Good News (the news that everyone was a sinner and the only way to have a true and fulfilling life was to believe in God and to ask him for the forgiveness of one’s sins). Since Jesus had such a revolutionary idea, many began to dislike him. Knowing that his destiny was to die, Jesus was crucified under the rule of Pontius Pilate for no justifiable reason. He was not defeated, though, because on the third day he rose from the dead, just like he had predicted in his metaphor "I will destroy the temple and build it up in three days"(Matthew 27:40). In doing this amazing act of selflessness Jesus has forgiven us of our transgressions.
The authors of these amazing stories: Matthew, John Mark, Luke, and John each told the story of Jesus’ life with a different twist. But all four authors had one thing in mind, to spread the Word of God to everyone in such a way that they would learn to understand and accept Jesus as their one savior and Lord and to believe that Jesus truly was the one that God had promised throughout history. Matthew, who was a disciple and former tax collector wrote his account to try and convince the Jewish community that Jesus was the true Messiah sent by God. By quoting more of the Old Testament (the first part of the Bible), Matthew helped to aim his writings to the Hebrews, who were very devout in the Old Testament scripture. He also stressed the idea that Jesus came to this earth to save us from ourselves. John Mark, also known as Mark, the author of the second part of the Gospels wrote to convince the Romans of the extraordinary fact that Jesus was both a Savior and a servant. "For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45). As a missionary of God’s awesome Word Mark wrote of Jesus’ compassion for all mankind. Mark also wrote of Jesus’ birth , whereas Matthew’s account started with Jesus as an adult.
On a totally different perspective was the story told through Luke’s eyes. This doctor wrote to convince his Greek friend, Theophilus, that Jesus was both God and human. Instead of starting his writings with the life of Jesus, he decided to start with the birth of John the Baptist, who was conceived through the Holy Spirit, as was Jesus. Luke wrote of much celebration, as well as the willingness of Jesus to do the dirty work of the ministry. John, the fourth and final book of the Gospels, was written in 90 A.D., about thirty years after the other stories were. John, the author of this miraculous account of Jesus’ birth, life, death, and resurrection, focused on Jesus’ deity, and his humanity as well. John also focused on the rebirth of the spirit, as he told in John 3. "No one can see the Kingdom of God unless he is born again...not unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit."(John 3:3-8). This was a revolutionary new idea that not many understood, and yet he pursued the account in his writings. John also wrote down that awesome scripture, John 3:16. The authors of the Gospels have not achieved their goal, for not everyone has heard the Word of God, but they have done an awesome job. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. Because of the accounts of Matthew, John Mark, Luke, and John, the Christian faith has grown tremendously, and their accounts have helped many to believe in Jesus.
"Whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it."(Mark 8:34). These words spoken by Jesus Christ, himself, have an important message. The message from Mark 8:34 is that people must be last in order to be first, and that people must be servants in order to be kings. The message is to have our lives changed from selfish to selfless, and I think that is a very important message. Everyone should read the Gospels in order to have their lives changed for the better. These accounts of Jesus’ life aren’t just another story, they are words to live by. Reading these books has changed my perspective on life and my overall sense of worth and well being. For Christians, the message is especially vibrant, and as Christians we must take the initiative to read what our Lord, the one we worship, has given us. In order to fully understand the basis of the Christian religion one must read the Bible, and the Gospels are a great place to start. Even though the Gospels are a small piece of this great book, they are a very important, and key part to the Christian way of life.
After reading these accounts of Jesus’ life I realized that I had inevitably grown closer to Jesus, as I felt that I had actually been with Jesus in his spiritual walk. I felt the pain that he felt of wanting his lost people to come back to him and rejoice in his name, and the pain of him dying for all of humanity’s sake. I suddenly hungered for more knowledge of him in my life, and I guess the authors had achieved their goal, at least for me. They wanted to write accounts that would spread the Love and the Word of God. For many, just like me, the authors have spread the Word and Love of God to them. And I pray that their message and their goal would be reached, because their books are wonderful, and true. "Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written."(John 21:25). Belief in Jesus means knowledge to no end, and that’s what I believe. |
