2-1-1-2-Synoptic Gospel

2-1-1-Synoptic Gospels-Year of Preparation

Hello there and welcome back.  By this time you have some experience.  This semester talks about the first year of Jesus ministry.  This is called the Year of Preparation.

Goals

1. Tell what the synoptic Gospels are and use the technique of comparing to study the life of Christ in all four of the Gospels.

2. Name Nine episodes from the Year of Preparation, 3 in Matthew and six in John's Gospel, and put them in the right Chronological order.

3. Use the "Measuring-Rod of John's the Baptist" to put the episodes of Jesus ministry in one of the three years of His public ministry.

When we put the parts of the four gospels together to get the whole story of Christ's ministry we are using a new technique of Bible Study.  It is the technique of comparing.  In this lesson you will learn how to use the technique of comparing to study the four Gospels.  Ready to Begin?  Why not pause and ask for God's help before going on?

The technique of comparing can be used to study a theme, an episode, or even one of the five steps of the life of Jesus.

We will use a theme as an example:  Matthew.  Compare Matthew 9:( with Mark 2:13-14.  In Matthew we see the Greek name Matthew.  In Mark, we see the Hebrew name: Levi.

I purposely made this first example very simple so that you could easily understand how to use the technique again later when we study theme.  We will use the technique again later when we study themes at a deeper level.  At that time, we will use the technique of comparing to study throughout the whole Bible.  It is also a good technique for the study of Episodes in the life of Christ.  An Episode is a happening in Christ's life which can be told as a separate story all by itself.

For example, the story of the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4) is an Episode.  This story is just one happening in the life of Jesus which can be told as a complete story without telling every thing about Jesus' life.

Read each of the verses in the list below: Think of a title for the Episode which starts with each verse and write it in the block provided:

1. Matthew 3:1:

2. Matthew 3:13:

3. Matthew 4:1:

Exercise: Use a Green pen or pencil, underline the verses listed above.

We are able to use the technique of comparing to study these episodes because they can be found in the other Gospels as well as Matthew's.  Read the following verses: Mark 1: 49; and 12-13; Luke 3: 2-3 and verse 21; and Luke 4:1-2.

You have discovered for yourself that three of the four Gospels tell many of the same episodes of Jesus life.  The preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and the temptations of Jesus are good examples.  Because these three Gospels are so much alike, they are called the Synoptics.

Although the Synoptics tell many of the same episodes in Jesus' life from a different point of view.  When we compare episodes found in all three of the Synoptics with each other we are able to learn many valuable details about the happenings in Jesus' life.

Let's take an example.  If you want to make a closer study of the episode of the temptation of Jesus, you can use the technique of comparing and read the episode in two Gospels.  Read Matthew 4:1 and Luke 4:1 in your Bible.

Both Matthew and Luke tell us that Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit.  However, only one of the two tells us that Jesus was also returned in the power of the spirit at the end of the episode of the temptation.

Which of the two Gospels states that Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit?  Matthew 4:11  Luke 4:13-14

As a result of reading the episode in both Matthew and Luke you have discovered that Jesus was not only led into the wilderness by the Spirit, but He was also kept by the same Spirit until the end.

The likeness between Matthew, Mark, and Luke can be seen all the way through the whole life of Christ and not just in the Year of Preparation.

The Gospel of Mark has 661 verses in all.  606 of these verses are also found in Matthew and Luke, although some of them have been shortened.  What is the name we use for these three similar Gospels?

Learn to use the technique of comparing well.  It is the basis of an effective teaching ministry.  Without the use of the technique of comparing it is hard to have a good understanding of the life of Jesus.

Now  we will see how we can use the technique of comparing to put a series of episodes into the order in which they happened.

In the last semester we put all the main episodes of the Infancy of Jesus into the order in which they happened.  Remember?  We used the technique of comparing the episodes in Matthew and Luke.  For instance, we put the "announcements of the birth of Jesus"  before the birth itself and not after it, because that was the actual order in which the things happened.

When we place episodes into the order in which they happened we call this their chronological order.  Place the three events in the chronological order.

• the flight to Egypt

• the birth of Jesus

• the announcement of the birth of Jesus

123

Clearly, God has given us the Four Gospels in the New Testament so that every Christian worker can benefit by learning to use the technique of .  In this way the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus will stand out with far greater depth and meaning.  One of the main purposes of this course is to teach you how to use this technique with more and more effectiveness.

Why not stop and take a moment for prayer.  Praise God for his great gift of the four Gospels.  Ask him for his help in learning to use the technique of comparing one to the other more and more effectively as we continue in this course.

Chapters 3-(4) of Matthew's Gospel tell the story of the Year of .  During this year Jesus left his work as a in the town ofin the province ofand went down to the banks of the river Jordan to be with .  Large crowds gathered to listen to John the Baptist preach, the message of the .  Jesus was relativelythroughout the entire Year of .

In this lesson we will deepen our understanding of the Year of Preparation by studying the one Gospel which is not a synoptic gospel, that is, the Gospel according to.

Before going any further, let's clear up a point which has often caused a lot of confusion.  In the Gospels there are two people called John.  One is John the Baptist.  The other one is John the Apostle.  You must learn how to tell the difference between the two men.  Of course, you already know some of the main happenings in the life of John the Baptist, so now we must compare these with the life of John the Apostle.  He was the brother of James the disciples of Jesus and do close friend to Peter.

According to the measuring-Rod of John the Baptist:

If John the Baptist is preaching and baptizing we know that this is the Year of Preparation.

If John the Baptist is in prison we know that this is the Year of.

If John the Baptist is dead we know that this is the Year of.

Now let's look at some of the episodes in the Gospel of John.  Below are three episodes in the Wrong order:

• Wedding at Cana

• Cleansing of the Temple

• The first Disciples

1. Begin reading in your Bible at John 1:35 keep on reading until you discover which of the three titles listed above is the best one for this episode.  Write your answer in the space provided:

2. Now begin reading at John 2:1.  Choose one of the titles from the list for this episode and write it here:

3. This time begin reading at John 2:13 and keep reading until you are able to find a good title for this passages.  Write that title in the space provided:

Read John 1:29

1. What was John the Baptist doing at this time?  Was he preaching, in prison, or dead?

2. According to the Measuring-Rod, if John was still preaching we know that these three episodes in John 1 and 2 took, place in the same year of Jesus ministry.  What year was this?

3. Jesus cleansed the temple twice.  One time was at the beginning of His ministry and once at the end.  The Synoptics only tell about the second time He cleansed the temple which was during the last week of the Passion.  John only, tells about the first cleansing of the temple in the year of Preparation.

4. We will now look at three more episodes in John's Gospel.  They are listed below in the wrong order:

• The Samaritan Women

• Nicodemus

• The Official's Son Healed

From the titles given above, choose the best title for the episode which starts in each of the following verses:

1. John 3:9

2. John 4:7

3. John 4:46

Exercise: Underline with Green the following words in your Bible.  They will act as a guide to help you remember the contents of each of these episodes.

• John 1:35 "Disciples"

• John 2:1 "Wedding at Cana"

• John 2:14 "Temple"

• John 3:1 "Nicodemus"

• John 4:7 "Samaritan Woman"

• John 4:46 "Official Whose Son Lay Sick"

John not only tells us more than the Synoptics about the Year of Preparation but he also gives us a totally different understanding of the relationship between Jesus and His disciples.  If we didn't compare the Synoptics with John's Gospel we would have a very limited idea of the relationship between Jesus and His disciples.  We might even have a completely wrong idea.

If we limited our study of the call of Jesus' disciples to the story in the Synoptics (Matthew 4:18-22) we could have some wrong ideas about how Jesus called His followers.  In fact many people do this.  Even some ministers assume that the first time called Peter, Andrew, and John (the Apostle) was beside the Sea of Galilee at the start of the Year of Popularity.  It is only by using the technique of Comparing to see what John's Gospel tells us that we can avoid this mistake.

For example, the first time we find Jesus with Peter, Andrew, and John (the Apostle) in Matthew is when they were fishing.

1. Where did this take place?  Read Matthew 4:18-22:

2. Where was John the Baptist at this time?  Read Matthew 4:12:

3. In what year of Jesus ministry did this take place?

4. According to John 1:35-37, from whom did Jesus get His first disciples?

5. In what year was this?

During the Year of Preparation Jesus became close friends with these disciples of John the Baptist.  They were to become His most trusted apostles.  Which two people were the disciples of John the Baptist before they became followers of Jesus?  Read John 1:40-42: 1. 2.

Andrew was one of the two disciples of John the Baptist who followed Jesus.  It was he who went to look for his brother, Peter, after a short time.  We are not told the name of the other disciples, but it is pretty certain that he was the other  disciple but it is pretty certain that he was the author of the fourth Gospel himself, John the Apostle.

Identify the following episodes from the year of Preparation.  Jesus disciples are with him in each of them.

• John 2:2

• John 2:13-22

• John 4:27

In what other places do we find Jesus accompanied by His disciples?

• John 2:12

• John 3:22

Was Jesus with His disciples during the Year of Preparation?

How long were Andrew, Peter, John, and the other disciples of Jesus in training with Him before He finally called them to leave their boats on the shore of the Sea of Gallilee and follow Him full-time?

1. a day

2. a month

3. a year, more or less

Not only did they prepare with Jesus Himself, but even before that they had been the students of John the Baptist.

At this point ask the Lord's help

Read 1 peter 3:15 and 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

1. is preparation to serve the Lord important?

2. Why do we need preparation?

3. What can we do to prepare ourselves better?

4. Have you learned anything from the example of the apostles about the need to prepare yourself for the lord's service?

5. Speak to somebody about the fact of being a Christian than send a email report to your trainer of what happened.

6. Discuss about the way in which Jesus' disciples were prepared?

7. Read the story in Acts 1:21-22.  Do you think it is likely that ALL of Jesus' disciples had been baptized by John the Baptist?  If you have not been, will you now?

What do you do with your failures? Our mistakes come to us as pebbles; small stones that serve as souvenirs of our stumbles.... Here are some failures that have been drug into my office.

Could you do it all over again, you’d do it differently. You’d be a different person. You’d be more patient. You’d control your tongue. You’d finish what you started. You’d turn the other cheek instead of slapping his. You’d get married first. You wouldn’t marry at all. You’d be honest. You’d resist the temptation....

But you can’t. And as many times as you tell yourself, “What’s done is done,” what you did can’t be undone.

Can anything be done with it? ... What do you do with the stones from life’s stumbles?

My oldest daughter, Jenna, is four years old. Some time ago she came to me with a confession. “Daddy, I took a crayon and drew on the wall.”

I sat down and lifted her up into my lap and tried to be wise. “Is that a good thing to do?” I asked her.

“What does Daddy do when you write on the wall?”

“You spank me.”

“What do you think Daddy should do this time?”

“Love.”

Don’t we all want that? Don’t we all long for a father who even though our mistakes are written all over the wall, will love us anyway? Don’t we want a father who cares for us in spite of our failures?

We do have that type of father. A father who is at his best when we are at our worst. A father whose grace is strongest when our devotion is weakest. If your bag is bulky, then you’re in for some thrilling news: Your failures are not fatal.

(From Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado)

What price have you paid for sin? Remember, God does not want you to live in guilt or defeat. Embrace Christ for healing and hope. Trust Christ for tomorrow. In faith, begin to heal wounds today.

Testimony

BIO:Girolamo Savonarola 1452-1498 Italian reformer. Girolamo Savonarola
was in a Dominican mon- astery for seven years. He began to preach the
Bible in Florence, Italy, in 1481. This city became a republic due to
Savonarola's preaching and his immense popularity with the common
people. They elected him to be the city manager. Pope Alexander VI
offered him a cardinal's position if he would quit preaching the Bible
and exposing the sins of the Vatican. Savonarola refused the "red hat"
of the cardinal and replied, "I'll take a red hat of blood." He was
excommu- nicated, imprisoned, tortured, then burned at the stake.
Before dying, he said, "Rome will not quench this fire." Nineteen years
after Savonarola's death, Martin Luther began the Reformation.
ARTIST'S NOTE: The color motif is that of blood and gloom.
Alexander's offer is suspended over Savonarola's head, with its real
import pictured clearly: the price of blood.
Ruckman '66