Earlier in the year (semester one) I relished the opportunity to study the Gospels more deeply. Our New Testament class took on a hermeneutic of love and devotion to the pages as we discussed the context and historical background…
We learned that the four Gospels – all “theological biographies” – were written down after the Resurrection, and after Pentecost, with the writers looking back and seeing how the words and works of Jesus declared God’s purposes for the world through the Jewish people.
We looked at the outworking of the Sermon on the Mount, the meaning of the miracles of Jesus, the Parables, the “end times” passages, and what the disciples understood about the death and resurrection of Jesus. The writers portray Jesus as powerful whilst remaining humble, mysterious yet knowable.
I was really strengthened in my faith and excited to see how the evangelists’ records of Jesus all demonstrate that “he taught as one having authority” (Matt 7:29; Mark 1:27; Luke 4:32, 20:39-40), and that the disciples, the crowds, and the Pharisees and teachers of the law were “amazed”, again and again (Matt 7:28, 8:27, 22:33; Mark 1:22, 4:41, 6:50-51, 10:24, 26, 12:37; Luke 4:22, 36, 8:25, 9:43, 13:17). I have come to appreciate that the four Gospels taken together are essential for a full understanding of the picture of Jesus and his purpose.
Personally, it’s been an incredible time of growth, developing a richer understanding of who Jesus is through the Gospels.
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