*N.B. This is a transcript of my complete chapter taken from "Sixty-Six Books - An Overview of the Bible Book by Book"**
INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUR GOSPELS
THE WRITING OF THE GOSPELS
According to long-established tradition, the first four books of the New Testament are known as Gospels. This is probably because they record the gospel, or ‘good news’, of the coming of Jesus Christ, the world's Saviour.
Each of the four Gospel writers had a special purpose in writing his book, and he selected and used his material accordingly. Each gave his own emphasis to teachings and events taken from the life of Jesus, according to the purpose of his book. Each Gospel writer wrote for different people, who lived in various countries and came from different racial and religious backgrounds. Yet there is no disagreement in the picture of Jesus Christ they describe. All four writers declare: he is divine and human, Lord of all and the Saviour of people .
These Gospels are not just attempting at doing straight biographies of Jesus, and they make no attempt to give a detailed or chronological account of Jesus' life. Nevertheless, they give all the facts that people need to know in order to believe in Jesus as the Son of God and so have life through him (John 20:31).
Taken together the four Gospels present a picture of all the main periods in Jesus' life. These three periods are his early childhood, his public ministry (i.e., his teachings, healings, miracles, etc.) and his death, burial, and resurrection. The stories of events leading to, including, and immediately following Jesus' birth are given at some length in several gospel accounts. However, nothing more is written about his childhood until he was twelve years old, and even then, only one incident is recorded. But that incident is enough to show that even at an early age Jesus knew he had a special relation with God, for he was God's Son (Luke 2:49; Luke 1:35).
Nothing more is recorded in the Bible of the next approximate eighteen years of Jesus' life. Then, when about thirty years old, he began his public ministry (Luke 3:23), and this lasted about three and a half years. Much of his work was done in Galilee and how he met his fiercest opposition in Judea in the south, particularly in Jerusalem, the centre of Jewish religious power is described for us. The religious leaders considered that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy in claiming to be the Son of God, and they were constantly looking for an opportunity to kill him. Jesus, however, continued to carry out his ministry openly, knowing that he would be arrested and killed but only when he had finished his ministry and the time appointed by his Father had come (Luke 13:31-33; John 8:20; John 13:1; John 17:1; John 17:4).
Jesus' last week in Jerusalem was full of activity and is recorded in greater detail for us than any other part of life. He entered Jerusalem as Israel's Messiah, cleansed the temple, debated with hostile Jewish opponents, gave teaching to his disciples on many subjects, then was arrested, cruelly treated, falsely condemned and crucified. Thereafter follows an account of his burial, resurrection, and activity after his resurrection. Finally, he returned to his Father with the promise that one day he would come again (Luke 24:50-51; Acts 1:9-11).
Soon after Jesus' ascension, we see his disciples began the task of spreading the good news of the salvation he had brought. They started in Jerusalem and from there the gospel spread to neighbouring provinces, then to countries beyond, till Christianity was firmly established in western Asia and eastern Europe This growth took place over a period of about thirty years (the AD 30s to the 60s) and is described in detail for us in the book of acts which follows on immediately after the gospel accounts.
As the years passed and the church grew, those who had seen and heard Jesus personally became fewer in number and more widely scattered. In order to preserve what these witnesses taught about Jesus, people began to prepare written accounts of the things Jesus said and did (Luke 1:1). In this sort of activity, we can see the origins of the four Gospels, the first of which was probably written about AD 60, and the last about AD 90.
It seems that Mark's Gospel was the first to be written. Mark had assisted the apostle Peter in missionary work that took them through the north of Asia Minor (Modern day Turkey) and brought them eventually to Rome (1 Peter 1:1; & 1 Peter 5:13). When Peter left to go on further journeys, Mark remained for a while in Rome. The Roman Christians asked Mark to write down the story of Jesus as they had heard it from Peter, with the result that he wrote the book that we know as Mark's Gospel.
Over the years Luke had also been preparing an account of the life of Jesus. Luke gathered material Paul had delivered as well as stories and eyewitness accounts from people still living in Palestine who had seen and heard Jesus. When he arrived in Rome and met Mark, he took some of Mark's material to add to his own and so bring his book to completion. Whereas Mark wrote for a group of Christians, Luke wrote for someone who was probably not a Christian. This person, Theophilus, appears to have been a government official of some importance, and Luke's purpose was to give him a trustworthy account of the origins of Christianity (Luke 1:1-4). Luke's account was so long that it was divided into two books. The first, which covers events from the birth of Jesus to his ascension, we know as Luke's Gospel. The second, which covers events from Jesus' ascension to Paul's arrival in Rome, we know as the Acts of the Apostles ( Acts 1:1-2).
The Gospel of Matthew appears to have been written about ten years after the Gospels of Mark and Luke. Matthew's concern was to produce an account of Jesus' ministry that was especially suited to the needs of Christians of Jewish background. His book shows a particular interest in the fulfilment of God's purposes concerning Israel's Messiah, and the responsibility of the Messiah's people to spread his message to the Gentiles. By this time Mark's Gospel had become more widely known, and because it represented Peter's account of Jesus' ministry, it was well respected. Matthew included much of Mark's material in his own book. (About 90% of Mark is found in Matthew.) There is also a significant amount of material common to Matthew and Luke that is not found in Mark.
Because of the parallels between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the three books are often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels, meaning Gospels that 'see from the same viewpoint', in contrast to the Gospel of John. However, each of the Synoptic Gospels, has material of its own that has no parallel in the other Gospels. In Mark’s, this amount is less than 5%, in Matthew about 28%, and in Luke just under 50%.
John's Gospel is different in form and style from the other three Gospels. The book was written probably within the last decade or so of the first century, by which time the other three Gospels were widely known. Although John follows the same general development of the story from Jesus' baptism to his resurrection, his purpose was not to produce another narrative account of Jesus' ministry. He wanted to instruct people in basic Christian truth concerning who Jesus was and what this meant for the people of the world.
The reason John wrote his Gospel was that in the region where he lived (probably Ephesus, in western Asia Minor, people were confused because of the activity of false teachers. Some of these denied that Jesus was fully divine, others that he was fully human. John opposed these teachers (1 John 2:18-23; 1 John 2:26; 1 John 4:1-3), but his chief reason for writing was not negative. He had a positive purpose, and that was to lead people to see Jesus as the Son of God and so to find true life through him (John 20:30-31). Much of John's Gospel therefore consists of teaching, but most of this teaching comes from the recorded words of Jesus himself.
Matthew has been called by some the most important book of our Christian Bible. Some even say it is the most important book that has ever been written. The title 'Matthew', given to it in the second century, reflects the early church's belief that the author was the apostle Matthew.
Author
The book itself does not identify its author, but the early writers of the church unanimously credit it to Matthew. There was, however, some uncertainty concerning the stages of development that the book went through before the final version appeared. However, it is recognised without reservation that Matthew’s writings must have at least provided a major source of material for the book.
Recipients
Like the rest of the New Testament, the Gospel of Matthew was written in Greek. It seems to have been written for Greek speaking Jewish Christians of Syria and Palestine, to reassure them that Jesus was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament, and that he fulfilled the purpose of saviour Messiah for which God had chosen both him and Israel.
A likely place for the writing of the book was Antioch in Syria, which was intricately connected with the Jewish churches of the region and a place of mission to the Gentile nations. The church was born and at first only increased in Jerusalem and Judea.
Opposition soon developed (Acts 8:1-2) and because of this a need for a life of Christ, which could encourage persecuted Jewish believers, refute their opponents was important. A gospel account that would prove that the gospel of Jesus was not a contradiction of the Old Testament, but a fulfilment of it.
Message
The subject is Jesus Christ as Messiah, King of Israel. He is referred to as “the Son of David” Throughout. (Mt. 1:1, cf.1:20, 9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30-31, 21:9, 15, 22:45). The Magi seek the “King of the Jews” (Mt.2:2). The prophecy of Micah 5:2 is applied to Him (Mt. 2:6). He is said to fulfill many of the Old Testament prophecies and He is called the King (Mt. 21:5, 27:37). The message is Jesus is the Messiah Who was rejected by Israel, died, arose, and commissioned His disciples to make disciples.
Structure
In Matthew, the material is arranged according to subject matter rather than chronology. It is built around five main teaching sections where Jesus instructs his followers in what he requires of those who enter his kingdom. Each of the five sections concludes with a statement such as 'When Jesus had finished these sayings.
1) The Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7),
2) The Charge to the Twelve (Mt. 10),
3) The Parables of the Kingdom (Mt. 13),
4) The Teaching on Greatness and Forgiveness (Mt.18),
5) The Olivet Discourse (Mt. 24-25).
These five discourses dominate the book and about 60% of Matthew’s 1,071 verses contain the spoken words of Christ. These five discourses area the major dividing markers of the book. In the final analysis, the subjects covered in the book determine its structure.
Purpose
The first purpose of Matthew is to explain that even though Jesus was proven by prophecies to be the Messiah/King, Israel rejected Him. So, the kingdom was deferred, and the church was born allowing everyone worldwide to potentially enter God’s blessing. Jewish believers now faced a dilemma concerning Christ. The Jewish nation had expected a conquering king who would set up a great Jewish kingdom. If Jesus were the Messiah, then why was He rejected? What happened to the kingdom? Was it the spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament, or had God revoked the promises and covenants based on Israel’s rejection of the Messiah? They needed clarification concerning Christ’s relationship to the Old Testament, the kingdom and to His new purpose to the church. Matthew meets this need by pointing out repeatedly that Jesus did fulfill the Old Testament prophecies and promises concerning the Messiah. He uses more Old Testament quotes and allusions (about 130) more than any other book to show that Jesus fulfills the qualifications for Messiah.
Matthew also refers to the kingdom of heaven 33 times, but the exact expression does not occur anywhere else in the New Testament. He first shows that when they rejected their king, the Jews rejected an earthly kingdom (Mt. 21:28-22:10,11:1624). Then, he shows that God’s coming kingdom is postponed. The promises of Israel are not cancelled, they are yet to be fulfilled (Mt. 19:28, 20:20-23, 23-39, 24:29-31, 25:31-46). In the meantime, God has inaugurated an entirely new and previously unrecognized program, that is, the church. Matthew is the only Gospel in which the word “church” appears. Because of the universal character of the church, Matthew shows an emphasis towards the Gentiles also. This can be seen in many ways: Firstly, in his mentioning two Gentile women in Christs genealogy (Mt. 1:5), then in his reproduction of the sayings that many from the east and west would sit down in the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 8:11-12), in his quoting the prophecy that Messiah would proclaim judgment to the Gentiles and that the Gentiles would hope in Him (Mt. 12:18-21), and by issuing the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:19)
The second purpose of Matthew is to encourage persecuted Jewish Christians in their faith. Jewish Christians were often persecuted by unbelieving Jews for forsaking the religion of their ancestors. Matthew reassured these Christians by pointing out that they were not the ones who had wandered away from the Old Testament religion. Rather they had found the true fulfilment of it. Jesus did not contradict the law but brought out its full meaning (Matthew 5:17). Jesus had laid the foundation of his church, and no opposition, whether from the Jews or the Romans, could overpower it (Matthew 16:18).
Summary:
Matthew presents Jesus as the Messiah and the Christ, the King of Israel, who was rejected, who died and arose and who commissioned His disciples, telling them to go and make disciples among all nations.