The new

testament
4 CATEGORIES /
SECTIONS OF
BOOKS IN THE
NEW
TESTAMENT
I. Gospels
II. Acts of the Apostles
III.Letters or Epistles
a) Letters of Paul
b) General Letters
IV.Revelation to John
 DIVISION OF THE NEW
TESTAMENT BOOKS
Biographies History Epistles Prophecy
Romans
1&2 Corinthians
• Matthew Revelation
Acts Galatians
To
• Mark Ephesians
of the Philippians John
• Luke
Apostles Colossians
• John 1&2Thessalonians
1&2 Timothy
Titus
Philemon
Hebrews
James
1&2 Peter
1,2,3 John
Jude
 THE GOSPEL
TESTIMONIES
TO JESUS
the recorded testimonies to
the person and work of
Jesus;
how Mark, Matthew, Luke &
John crafted their narratives
– both similar & different -
 gospel’s structure,
 audience
 and message
 a side by side comparison of
the Gospels
The Unique Features in each
Gospel:
In Mark - Jesus’ miracles play
a larger part
In Matthew only – Jesus’
sermon on the Mount is found
In Luke – Jesus’ parables
more numerous and better
known
● In John - Jesus’ “I am”
sayings– unique to the 4th
 The gospels:
the good news
 After Jesus resurrection and
ascension, stories of and about
Jesus – who was and what He
came to do – were written down
and organized into books.
 They were written so that
readers and hearers of the Gospel
would “know the truth”
concerning Jesus (Luke 1:4) and
“have life in His name” (John
20:31
 I. GOSPELS
 gospel – comes from the Old
English word
 “godspel” – “God’s [good] story”
which derives from the Greek
word…
 euangelion – from eu - meaning
“good” (as in eulogy, euphemism
and euphoria);
 and angelion – meaning “message”
or “news” = “good message / news”
 I. GOSPELS
 the “Good News” – is that the Son
of God died that we might not
perish but have eternal life (Jn.
3:16), and that by knowing the
truth about Jesus we might have
life in His name (Jn. 20:31).
 the 1st 4 books of the NT – the
books containing the good news
 the written testimonies to the life,
death, resurrection and teachings
of Jesus Christ.
 I. GOSPELS
 contain biographical material but
covers only 10% of Jesus’ life (His
last three years or so)
 primary concern is not with the
facts of Jesus’ life --- but with the
meaning of His life.
 intention of the writers was not to
write historical accounts of the
life of Jesus, but to present their
understanding of the person and
work of Jesus for their audiences.
 the dating & writing of the GOSPELS
MARK (65-70 A.D.) - 1st to be
written
MATTHEW & LUKE (mid-80s)
JOHN (mid-90s)
Stories about Jesus were
transmitted, initially, in oral
form;
Need for a written account of
Jesus’ life occurred because
His followers were dying.
written to answer a number of
questions in the first century
world; two of the most
important were the following:
1. If Jesus was the Messiah, why
did the Jews not recognize
and accept Him as such?
• Answer: Most Jews were
looking for a king to lead Israel
in the overthrow of Rome, not
a suffering servant.
2. If Jesus was the Son of God,
why was He crucified as a
common criminal on a
cross?
• Answer: God sent His Son to
die a public sacrificial death
for the sake of the world.
 Two-fold structure of the gospels
I. The 1st Half has to do with
Jesus’ Public Ministry
His sermons, parables,
discourses and teachings to the
crowds, which are interspersed
with healings and miracles to
authenticate His message
(validating the message through
the messenger).
 Two-fold structure of the gospels
II. The 2nd Half has to do with
Jesus’ Disciples
His teaching that the way of
salvation is through the Cross
(Mark 10:45) , followed by his
arrest, trials, beatings and
crucifixion and then His
resurrection to again confirm
His message.
WHY ARE THERE FOUR GOSPELS?
 each of the four testimonies
was an authentic, distinctive,
valuable witness to Jesus
 and that our understanding of
Him would be richer & deeper
with all four rather than only
one, or with a harmonized,
composite gospel.
 WHY ARE THERE FOUR GOSPELS?
 If the Gospels are written
testimonies to Jesus, why are
they different? The reason:
- the authors were writing to
different communities or
audiences and
- each chose to emphasize, in
shaping his narrative, different
aspects of the Jesus story.
 Mark wrote to Christians
suffering persecution in Rome.
 Matthew wrote to Jewish
Christians that Jesus was the
long-awaited Messiah.
 Luke wrote to Gentile
Christians that Jesus was the
Savior of the world.
 John wrote a theological
reflection on the meaning of the
One in whom “the Word became
flesh.”
 The synoptic GOSPELS
Matthew
Mark
Luke
 The word synoptic comes from
“syn” (“with” or “together”) and
“optos” (“seeing” as in optic),
meaning that these three gospels
see things in much the same way.
 MARK MATTHEW LUKE
SOURCE • is Peter – an • is Mark – more • is Mark – more
eyewitness than 90% than 50%
source • add’l “Q” – quelle – •add’l “Q” – quelle –
• based on meaning source – meaning source –
Peter’s common non- common non-
recollections Markan stories Markan stories
of his years (about 230 verses) (about 230 verses)
with Jesus • “M” – his special •“L” – his special /
• was with or unique materials unique materials
Peter in Rome (some 300 verses) (some 500 verses)
at the end of (different birth (different birth
Peter’s life (1 narratives & narratives &
Peter 5:13). parables) parables)

UNIQUE • no birth • different birth •different birth

FEATURES narratives, narratives narratives
•no •Sermon on the •Sermon on the
resurrection Mount Plain
appearances, •use of different •use of different
parables parables
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
 Jesus’ principal teaching in
the Synoptic Gospels
 mentioned some 50 times in
the first 3 gospels and hardly
at all in John.
• What is the Kingdom of God?
 “The kingdom of God has
come near ” (Mark 1:15)
 “The kingdom of God is
among you” (Luke 17:21)
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
• What is the Kingdom of God?
“There are some standing
here who will not taste death
until they see that kingdom of
God has come with power”
(Mark 9:1)
does not mean a kingdom, i.e.
not a geographical place,
but kingship, as in the kingly
rule or reign of God.
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
 It is a spiritual concept, not a
political one.
• Is the kingdom here, or is it
coming in the future?
• And how does one enter the
kingdom?
 As to the 1st question:
• Jesus came to inaugurate the
kingdom: the “kingly rule” of God
will come when Jesus returns.
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
 So it has two dimensions:
a.) It is already among us
b.) and not yet (“thy kingdom
come”)
 As to the 2nd question:
• One enters the kingdom by:
 repenting and believing the
good news (Mark 1:15);
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD
 and being in the kingdom is
so important that one should
sell all that he or she has to
obtain (enter) the kingdom
(Matt. 13:44-46).
 THE KINGDOM OF GOD

 A final question has to do

with the church:
• Is the church the kingdom
of God on earth?
• No, it is the witness to the
future coming of kingdom.
 Matthew :
The jewish-christian gospel
 The Gospel written by a tax-
collector who became one of
Jesus’ disciples.
 Portrays Jesus as the Promised
Messiah, the fulfillment of
Israel’s hopes,
 With the Sermon on the Mount –
which summarizes the essence
of Jesus’ teachings about how
Christians are to live in the world
 and the Great Commission as
its unique materials.
 It is written for the Jewish
Christians (Jews who believed
that Jesus was the Messiah)
thus the need to trace the
Jewish genealogy of Jesus.
 Represented by a MAN –
symbolizing Jesus’ humanness,
because his gospel begins with
the human ancestry of Jesus.
Matthew’s Message
 Jesus is the long-awaited Messiah
whom the Jews fail to recognize
and refuse to acknowledge.
 Matthew’s claim that Jesus is the
Messiah is set forth in two ways:
1. His genealogy from Abraham to
David to Joseph shows that Jesus
was a descendant through
Joseph, his “legal” father, of the
House of David.
Matthew’s Message
2. His numerous references to the
prophecies of Isaiah, Micah,
Hosea, Jeremiah and others
regarding the Messiah.
He uses what are called
“fulfillment citations” to show
that various events took place in
the life of Jesus to fulfill what
had been spoken or written about
the Messiah.
 Mark: The foundation gospel
 The first Gospel to be written,
the shortest and
straightforward presentation
of the life and ministry of
Jesus Christ.
 With emphasis on His miracles
 and His portrait as the crucified
Son of God.
 His main source was Peter, one
of the first disciples of Jesus
 And he wrote for the Gentile
-Christians in Rome.
 It is represented by a LION –
symbolizing Jesus’ mighty
power as his gospel opens
with “the voice of one crying
in the wilderness” during
Jesus’ baptism by John the
Baptist.
Mark’s Message:
 Mark writes to strengthen the
courage and faith of his readers
despite the persecution,
 tells them that hoping in Jesus is
real hope,
 just as it was for Jesus’ disciples
when He assured them that if
they lost their lives “for my sake”
they would be saved. (8:35)
 Luke: the universal gospel
 The longest book in the New
Testament (1,149 verses)
 Luke-Acts comprise 1 quarter of
the New Testament
 Written by “the first Christian
historian,” a physician and a
second-generation Christian as
he was not among the disciples
or the first-hand eyewitnesses
of Jesus’ public life.
 Luke did not know or claim to
have known Jesus during his
public life.
 Based his gospel on the writings
and eyewitness accounts of
others (1:1-3)
 He is careful to name people
(such as emperors) and to date
events (“In the 15th year of…”) as
though he is writing history
which he continues in the Acts of
the Apostles
 His intent, however, is
theological: to show God working
out His purposes on the plane of
history.
 Most of the parables of Jesus,
the most unique and popular
were presented in this account
 portraying Jesus as the Universal
Savior,
 with an OX
as a symbol to represent Jesus’
sacrificial death.
Luke’s Audience
 written to convince readers that
Jesus was the Universal Savior
 genealogy goes beyond David and
Abraham to Adam:
 Jesus did not come to save only
Israel, He came to save all who are
lost.
 readers are believed to be
Christians who lived in northern
Mediterranean cities
 wrote for Greco-Roman audience,
which knew little about the OT or
Judaism, as seen in his
 dedication to Theophilus
 literary style & vocabulary
 frequent use of Greek rather than
Hebrew words such as:
 Master rather than Rabbi
 Mount of Olives rather than
Gethsemane
 Place of Skull rather than
Golgotha
  his general avoidance of
Semitisms such as Messiah and
Son of David
 and his limited references to
Jewish customs
Luke’s Message:
 Jesus’ homily in the synagogue at
Nazareth (4:16-21), which marks
the beginning of Jesus’ Galilean
ministry, as Luke’s gospel in a
nutshell:
Luke’s Message:
 Jesus understood Himself to be the
One anointed by the Spirit (4:18) –
 the One who came to bring the
good news of salvation to the poor,
the sick, and the demon-possessed;
 to tax collectors e.g. Matthew &
Zacchaeus; to adulterers &
adulteress;
 to women as well as men (women
receive more attention in Luke than
in the other gospels)
Luke’s Message:
 to the lost, e.g. the one stray sheep,
the Prodigal Son
 and to outcasts and the despised
e.g. lepers, Samaritans & even
Roman soldiers (7:1-10)
 Luke is not as terse as Mark, nor as
harsh as Matthew, nor as other
worldly as John
 Message is that Salvation is now:
Message is that Salvation is now:

 “Today (in the synagogue in

Nazareth) this scripture has been
fulfilled in your hearing” (4:21)
 “Today salvation has come to this
[Zacchaeus’s] house” (19:9)
 “Today you [the penitent sinner]
will be with me in paradise.”
(23:43)
 John: the spiritual gospel
 The spiritual, theological and
most popular Gospel
 Written by the beloved disciple
of Jesus addressed to the
Christian community in
Ephesus,
 Presents Jesus Christ as the
Word Incarnate or the “Word
made flesh”
 With the “I am Sayings” of
Jesus as its unique feature.
 It is represented by an
EAGLE
because its first words are
“In the beginning” meaning
“in the heavens” symbolizing
Jesus’ divinity.
John’s Message:
 simple yet profound
 begins his gospel with Gen. 1:1:
 “In the beginning was the Word”
Jn 1:1
 “who became flesh and lived
among us” 1:14
 Jesus is much more outspoken
about who He is (“I am the Way”)
than in the other gospels.
 He is the Son of the Father, who
sent Him – the very Son of God,
the incarnate Word of God, the
revealed & living presence of God.
 Jesus did not come to bring the
message of eternal life:
 He is the message - the very
incarnation of the message
 He was not the one who spoke
God’s Word, as the prophets had
done; He is the Word - the living
Word.
 The Gospels: Four Stories,
One Jesus
• Matthew, Mark, Luke and John have
given us different portraits of Jesus,
but they all have the same Jesus, who
lived and died and rose again.
• Those who were imprisoned, thrown
to the lions, sawed in half and burned
at the stake went to their deaths
because they believed that the gospel
testimonies to Jesus are true.
 MARK MATTHE LUKE JOHN
W
VERSES 661 1,068 1,149 878
DATE 65-70 Mid-80s Mid 80’s Mid-90s
AUTHOR John Mark, Matthew, Luke, a John, the
a follower the disciple, companion disciple &
of Jesus or his of apostle apostle
followers Paul
AUDIENCE Gentile Jewish Christians Christian
Christians Christians in the commu-
in Rome in Syria / Greco - nity in
Galilee Roman Ephesus
world
JESUS’ “To give “To fulfill “To seek To do “the
MISSION His life as what has out & save will of Him
a ransom been the lost” who sent
 MARK MATTHE LUKE JOHN
W
Portrait Crucified Promised Universal The Word
of Jesus Son of God Messiah Savior Incarnate
Beginning Baptism by Birth and Birth and Before
of the John the Jewish universal Creation
Jesus Baptist Genealogy genealogy (the divine
Story (fr. Abraham) (fr. Adam) logos)
Jesus’ 1st Capernaum Sea of Nazareth: Cana:
Important : Jesus’ 1st Galilee: Jesus’ 1st Jesus’ 1st
Public healing Jesus’ 1st Self-claim Sign
Act (1:21-28) Sermon (4:16-21) (2:7-11)
(5-7)
Structural Peter’s Peter’s Start of Jesus’
Center- confession confession Jesus’ washing
point of Jesus as of Jesus’ journey to the
 MARK MATTHE LUKE JOHN
W
Unique Jesus’ Jesus as Jesus’ Jesus as
Jesus action and the birth “the Word
Materials urgency fulfillment narrative; made
/ Stories “immediately” of Israel’s Jesus’ flesh”;
in the Jesus’ hopes; concern Jesus’
Narratives human- Jesus’ for “born
ness; Sermon sinners, again”
Jesus’ on the outcasts dialogue
miracles Mount; and with
(1/3 of the Jesus’ women; Nicodemus
gospel); “end-times Jesus’
Jesus’ discourse parables
passion (24-25); (most in
(first Jesus’ number
written Great and most
 MARK MATTHE LUKE JOHN
W
Special • Earliest • Pride of • Historical • Indepen-
Features • Shortest place • Sophisti- dent of
• Straight- • Systematic cated Synoptics
forward • OT • Holy Spirit • Eyewitness
• Two references • Book of • Theological
endings Acts • Most
& citations sequel popular
• Catechetical

SYMBOL Lion – Man – Ox – Eagle –

lives in the symbolizing a sacrificial soar higher
wilderness; Jesus’ animal than any
opens with humanness; symbolizing other bird;
“the voice begins with Jesus’ the first
of one the human sacrificial words in
crying in the ancestry of death; his gospel
wilderness”; Jesus. starts with “In the