The Gospel Record
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide the most accurate record of who Jesus is. Each of the Gospel writers was present during the life of Jesus. Matthew, Mark, and John were three of the twelve Apostles. Luke was a companion of the Apostle Paul and must have known the other Apostles as well. They wrote first-hand accounts of Jesus’ ministry on earth. While each of them wrote from different perspectives, as you would expect from four different witnesses, all of them left no doubt that Jesus was God in the flesh. Show More
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel of Matthew was written to a Jewish audience and as a Jew, Matthew wanted to show that Jesus was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. That Jesus was the fulfillment of time-awaited prophecy. As a result, Matthew uses the expression, “that it might be fulfilled”. He quotes more from the Old Testament than any of the other Gospel writers.
Matthew emphasizes the teaching nature of Jesus and the theme of the “kingdom of` heaven or the kingdom of God” as a means of describing Jesus’ rule on the earth and in the human heart. Matthew left no doubt to the deity of Jesus. The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Lion, which represents Jesus as King!
Gospel of Mark
The Gospel of Mark was probably the first Gospel written. Theologians believe that the Matthew and Luke may have used Mark’s Gospel as a source of information. Mark focuses on Jesus as the suffering servant who ministers to the physical and spiritual needs of those He was sent to.
Mark’s Gospel is the shortest of the Gospels and written to a Gentile (non-Jewish) audience, probably to those who were Roman citizens.
The message of Mark’s Gospel is that Jesus was a man of action and His message was urgent and important. Mark demonstrates to the Roman mind, that Jesus was the son of God. He even uses a Roman soldier’s words at Jesus’ crucifixion, “Truly this Man was the Son of God!” (Mark 15:39). The symbol for the Gospel of Matthew is the Bull, which represents Jesus as humble, a servant and powerful!
Gospel of Luke
Luke was a Gentile and wrote to a Gentile audience. He starts with Jesus’ birth and because Luke also wrote the Book of Acts, the birth of the Church. In Luke there are many parables that are not recorded in the other Gospels. Jesus is portrayed as the compassionate Savior of the world. It is important to know that the words Savior, Messiah, and Christ have the same meaning but in different languages. Savior is English, Messiah is Hebrew, and Christ is Greek. All of these terms are used to describe the nature of Jesus- to rescue the lost. Which is the nature of God!
The Gospel of Luke is universal in appeal in that he is all-inclusive. The Luke’s Gospel is for all people, Jew or Gentile, male or female, rich or poor, slave or free, and noble or outcast!
Luke emphasize the work of the Holy Spirit and the importance of prayer in Jesus’ life and ministry. This is of course to meant to be an example to us all… the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer! The symbol for the Gospel of Luke is the figure of a man, which represents Jesus’ wisdom and character.
Gospel of John
John’s Gospel is the most theological of the Gospels with its focus on who Jesus is rather than what He did. The purpose for John’s Gospel message is, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you have life in His name” (John 20:31).
John’s Gospel is the divine gospel in that it clearly demonstrates though seven miracles and seven statements that Jesus is God! The symbol for the Gospel of John is the Eagle, which represents Jesus as deity!
The Number Seven
Before we look at the seven miracles found in the Gospel of John lets turn our attention to the number seven.
While the Bible does not explicitly say that the number seven is a holy number, Christiansand Jews consider seven to be a holy number. Genesissays that God completed or perfected creation in six days. Then God rested on the seventh day. The Hebrew word for seventh day is Shabbat or Sabbath. Since God rested on the Sabbath that is God’s day and is known as the seventh day.
Since man was created on the sixth day, the number six represents man a creation not a creator; less than God!
As a side note the early Hebrews and Greeks did not have a number system. The Arabic number system we use today was not created until the 6thor 7thcentury by the Hindu’s in India.
Because God completed His work and rested on the seventh day, that is the reason for the observance of the Hebrew Sabbathon the last day of the week. For Christians the triple 7 as in 777 represents the threefold perfection of the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit).
Most people know that the number 666 represents the number of the “beast” Remember, 6 is less than 7. I heard someone say that the 666 means, “not God, not God, not God”! It makes perfect sense to me.
- Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man: His number is 666”.
The Seven Signs in the Gospel of John
Signs and wonders, or miracles, are indicators or point to something. Just as a street sign points to a direction or name of the street. In the same way God’s miracles point to the divinity of Jesus and the following:
- That Jesus is God
- That Jesus is the healer
- That Jesus is the provider
- That Jesus has conquered death
- That we can trust in Jesus
Jesus is God and He is at work… in us!
John 14:12″Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
Seven Miracles found in the Gospel of John
Miracle One – John 2, Water Turned to Wine.
Jesus demonstrated his power over time by instantly changing water into wine.
1 On the third day, there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Now both Jesus and His disciples were invited to the wedding. 3 And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Jesus said to Him, “They have no wine.” 4 Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.”
5 His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6 Now there were set there six waterpots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece. 7 Jesus said to them, “Fill the waterpots with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. 8 And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it. 9 When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it came from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom. 10 And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then the inferior. You have kept the good wine until now!”
11 This beginning of signs Jesus did in Cana of Galilee and manifested His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
Miracle Two – John 4, A Nobleman’s Son Healed.
Jesus showed his control of space by healing the nobleman’s son from a distance of several miles away.
46 So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum. 47 When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. 48 Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49 The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. 51 And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
52 Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” 53 So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.
54 This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
Miracle Three – John 5, A Man Healed at the Pool of Bethesda.
The Lord’s authority over infirmity was shown by the cure of the man at the pool of Bethesda.
1 After this there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Bethesda, having five porches. 3 In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. 4 For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. 5 Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” (Dependence on man and not God!)
8 Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 9 And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.
Miracle Four – John 6, Feeding the Five Thousand.
Jesus demonstrated His authority over lack by feeding the 5000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.
1 After these things Jesus went over the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberias. 2 Then a great multitude followed Him because they saw His signs which He performed on those who were diseased. 3 And Jesus went up on the mountain, and there He sat with His disciples.
4 Now the Passover, a feast of the Jews, was near. 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?” 6 But this He said to test him, for He Himself knew what He would do.
7 Philip answered Him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may have a little.”
8 One of His disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, said to Him, 9 “There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two small fish, but what are they among so many?”
10 Then Jesus said, “Make the people sit down.” Now there was much grass in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. 11 And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. 12 So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” 13 Therefore they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the five barley loaves which were left over by those who had eaten. 14 Then those men, when they had seen the sign that Jesus did, said, “This is truly the Prophet who is to come into the world.”
Conclusion
What is very true of our God is that nothing is impossible with Him and that everything seen, and unseen was created by Him. Link that with the fact that God loves you and you have a God that will move Heaven and earth for you!
John 21:25 “And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen”.
To be continued in the next episode.
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