Matthew and Luke The other synoptic gospels

Matthew and Luke The other synoptic gospels - Transcript

Mark is often the forgotten gospel because its short choppy and missing some of the good parts that Luke and Matthew have

No virgin birth no true resurrection narrative FYI two



Mark is also important because

passages were later added to Mark b c people wanted it to be more like Matthew no Beatitudes no extended sermons Why then Mark Because Mark has a unique story about Jesus to tell that deals with the lowest Christology a very human Jesus



Mark is the main source for these Gospels

We ll talk about the Four Source Theory later but

right now focus on this idea If Matthew and Luke had Mark then why the need to write their own Gospel
Why add anything Why subtract anything What theology theologies really are they trying to advocate Remember hermeneutics Always consider the author s motivations and historical context



The author of Matthew who will be called Matthew for now on is unknown but is considered to have come from a Jewish heritage

Note the genealogy at the beginning of Matthew

and the heavy allusions to the OT Jesus Christ the Son of David the Son of Abraham Mt 1 1 Note the emphasis on how Jesus relates to the Law I have not come to abolish the Law only to fulfill it Mt 5 17



Matthew sets up Jesus as the True Moses
The only authoritative lawgiver The center of everything Deliverer of his people out of the bondage of sin



Matthew at times was very critical of the Jewish authority and people
The story of the Magi Mt 2 1 12 shows that pagans

knew Jesus was the Messiah when his own people did not The reaction of Jews to Jesus condemnation Let his blood be on us and our children Mt 27 25



The author of Luke we ll call him Luke for now on was writing to Roman officials most notably Theopolis
Wanted to make Christianity a licit or accepted

and legal religion within the Roman Empire

Wonton rumors abounded about what exactly this new group of Christians or Followers of the Way actually believed Luke collected all the writings and stories he could to write down an account for Theopolis

Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us 2just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word 3it seemed fitting for me as well having investigated everything carefully from the beginning to write it out for you in consecutive order most excellent Theophilus 4so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught Luke 1 1 4
1



Its an open letter to more than just Theopolis

This means that he is speaking to Christians as



Luke s Gospel has a sequel

well Has multiple interpretations and motives but we must always be aware of his initial intent
The Book of Acts was written at nearly the same

time and was meant to be a companion to the Gospel



Mark Matthew and Luke are interconnected We know that Mark was used as the primary source for Matthew and Luke
This can be seen in the composition order and Called the Synoptic Gospels the prefix syn means together with



details that all three stories share Mark is believed to be the primary source and not the other way around because it has been effectively dated as the first written
This is called Markan Priority



Bible scholars know that Mark was used as a source for Matthew and Luke but where did the rest of the Matthew and Luke come from
and Luke

Some stories are not in Mark but are in Matthew
These stories have indications that they came from the same source These stories often agree with each other meaning they have been changed little from their original source This source of often called Q which is German for source



We do not know the content of the Q source and we do not know what parts
We know that most of Q is comprised mostly of
Jesus temptations Mt 4 1 11 Lk 4 1 13 Mk 1 12 13

Jesus sayings and teachings but there are two narratives in Q
Mk only mentions this briefly but note the length and depth of the narrative in Mk and Lk



We believe that Q must have been a written document
No other way that Lk and MT match so well but they

The healing of the centurion s servant Mt 8 5 10 Lk 7 1 10

must ve had different editions because there are slight variances



Most scholars are convinced that Luke more than likely kept the original sequence of Q
and placed him into one section

When Matthew used Mark he often gathered Mark
Ex Matthew took miracles in Mk 1 2 4 and 5 and placed them in one large Miracle section Mt 8 9

If this is true of Matthew s use of Mark it is logical to

think that he combined several parts of Q as well Deductive reasoning Therefore if we want to get closer to what Q contains we look toward Luke

We are not sure of everything that was in Q but we are certain that these stories were included in Q


The preaching of John the Baptist Lk 3 7 9 16 17 The three temptations in the wilderness Lk 4 1 13 The Beatitudes Lk 6 20 23 The command to love your enemies Lk 6 27 36 The command not to judge others Lk 6 37 42 The healing of the centurion s slave Lk 7 1 10 The question from John the Baptist in prison Lk 7 18 35 The Lord s Prayer Lk 11 2 4 The need for fearless confession in light of the coming judgment Lk 12 2 12 The command not to worry about food and clothing Lk 12 22 32 The parable of the unfaithful slave Lk 12 39 48 Entering the kingdom through the narrow Door Lk 12 23 The parable of the great wedding feast Lk 14 15 24



Q and Mark were not the only sources Matthew and Luke used

They both had sources independent of each

other These sources are unknown and are called L and M for their respective gospel writers We do not know whether or not L or M were one source or a composite of several sources or whether they were written or oral sources



The M source is believed to include the following stories
The visit of the Magi Mt 2 1 12 Flight into Egypt Mt 2 13 23 Jesus instructions on almsgiving and prayer Mt

12 45 46 The unmerciful servant Mt 18 23 35 And the ten virgins Mt 25 1 12



The L source is believe to have included the following stories


The birth of John the Baptist and annunciation of Mary Lk

1 5 80 Jesus as a 12 year old Lk 2 1 52 The raising of the widow s son at Nain Lk 7 11 17 The healing of the ten lepers Lk 17 11 19 Zacheus in the sycamore tree Lk 19 1 10 The parables of the good Samaritan Lk 10 29 37 The prodigal son Lk 15 11 32 Lazarus and the rich man Lk 16 19 31 The unjust judge Lk 18 1 8