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With this study we reach the greatest news of all time and begin to examine a seismic shift in God's self-disclosures.With the four Gospels, God's new deal has begun!
This is study No. 1 of eight studies of the four gospels.This one looks overall at the first three. They announce the most momentous news of all time!
Input
Mark, Chapter 1 verse 14. In other words:
"Today a new era has begun.
Nothing will ever be the same again."
Question - The Christian Gospel is the most momentous news ever to hit this planet.
How have Christians made it dull?
Behind the Headlines
The first three reporters of God's new deal are Matthew, Mark and Luke.These three are called the SYNOPTIC gospels because they view the same scene - namely the colossal impact of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
The Shape
MATTHEW
MARK
LUKE
This line is the great turning point in the life of Jesus.
To the left of it are vivid examples of his ministry in and around Galilee.
To the right of it is the climax of it all - the last part of Jesus' life on earth.
This turning point is reported in all three Gospels:
(They are deliberately top-heavy)
Matthew Chapter 16 verses 12 to 25
Mark Chapter 8 verses 27 to 33
Luke Chapter 9 verses 18 to 26
Deduction
Each Gospel follows the same pattern. None of them attempts a day-to-day diary of Jesus, but faces us with what he did, who he was and what he came to do.
Here Jesus clearly defines how he saw his life's calling and purpose.
NOTE-God's Messiah-King was the lynch pin of the great Old Testament vision of God's Kingdom here on earth. SNAG! It had become to stand for a Hebrew version of Superman - a wonder-working magician who would put Israel on top of the world. (Even John the Baptist was worried about reports of no political 'action' (Luke Chapter 7 versus 18 to 28).
Impact
The very idea of a suffering, rejected, murdered Messiah (despite Is. a Chapter 52 verse 1, to Chapter 53 verse 12) was a Blasphemy! It got worse when the followers of this Messiah were to be prepared to go the same way (Matthew, Chapter 16 verses 24 to 25).
Output
Matthew 4 verses 1 to 11
What was the real showdown in the dessert about?
There are three ways in which men can be controlled:
Bread
Mystery
Authority
Mark1 verses 12 to 13
Luke4 verses 1 to 13
Have we humans ever understood the way Jesus works?
What precisely did Jesus come to do? If He alone could do it - what was it?
Let your prayer time centre on the real Jesus.
Optional preparation for next meeting. Speed-read right through Mark's Gospel, noting down anything that leaps out at you.
Future help can be obtained on "Cooke's Turn of the Bible" New Testament
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