Post 20 - Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - The First Three Disciples - John 1: 35 - 42

John 1 : 35 - 42
Again the next day John was standing there with two of his disciples.  Gazing at Jesus as he walked by, he said, "Look, the Lamb of God!"  When John's two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus.  Jesus turned around and saw them following and said to them, "What do you want?"   So they said to him , "Rabbi" (which is translated Teacher), where are you staying?"  Jesus answered, "Come and you will see."  So they came and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day.  Now it was about four o'clock in the afternoon.  Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two disciples who heard what John said and followed Jesus.
We in the west look at the first thing the two disciples said to Jesus, and think that is an odd question.  In the Middle East, asking where you are staying, is a very natural question.  In the East, who your father and mother are, and from what country you come from is very important.  Often, more important than what your beliefs are.  Knowing this, makes the Scripture reading easier to understand.  Andrew and John, were disciples of John the Baptist, and chose to follow Jesus, after the Baptist pointed to Jesus and said "Look the Lamb of God".  John and Andrew, came to John the Baptist, looking for "truth".  Those who truly seek God and His Truth, will find it.  You don't have to be in the Middle East, or in Church, to find God and His Truth.  This is exactly how people are still finding God and His Truth today.  After meeting God and His Truth, the Holy Spirit may urge you to start attending a God-fearing, Bible based Church, that will help you learn more about God, and associate with other believers.  A Church will help keep you accountable.  These are the very first disciples of Christ, they were sent by John the Baptist, to follow Jesus.  It is important for us to look for the Truth, and when we find it, not to depart from it.  We will see from the examples of Andrew and John, how a believer is to learn and act.    

Post 19 - Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - Temptations in the Wilderness - Matthew 4: 1 - 11; Mark 1: 12 - 13; Luke 4: 1 - 13

After Jesus was baptized the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness (desert); Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights; and was extremely hungry.  It was when Jesus was in this weakened condition, the tempter came to Him.  "If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become bread."  But he answered, "It is written, 'Man does not live by bread alone, but every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" (Deuteronomy 8: 3)  Then the devil (tempter) took him to the holy city (Jerusalem), had him stand on the highest point of the temple, and said to him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down.  For it is written, 'He will command his angels concerning you' and with their hands they will lift you up, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'"  Jesus said to him, "Once again it is written: 'You are not to put the Lord your God to the test.'" (Deuteronomy 6: 16).  Again the devil took Jesus to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdom of the world and their grandeur.  And he (devil) said to him (Jesus), "I will give you all these things if you throw yourself to the ground and worship me."  Then Jesus said to him, "Go away, Satan!  For it is written: 'You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.'" (Deuteronomy 6: 13).  Then the devil left him, and the angels came and began ministering to his needs. Matthew 4: 1 - 11.

Mark 1: 12 & 13.  The Spirit immediately drove him into the wilderness.  He was in the wilderness 40 days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.

You see a big difference between the Matthew and Mark accounts.  Matthew wrote Jesus was tempted after 40 days in the wilderness.  Mark writes Jesus was tempted during the 40 days, making it sound like Satan tempted him throughout the 40 days, instead of after the 40 days.  Mark also mentions Jesus being with wild animals.  Jesus would have had to deal with the animals he encountered in the wilderness; Jesus having created the animals would have a different relationship with them than just a regular man.

The Luke 4: 1 - 13, is very similar to the Matthew account I won't write it here, I gave you the Scripture Address,

It was necessary for Jesus to be tempted by Satan; Jesus had to withstand these temptations, he had to beat the devil to be worthy to become our "Perfect Sacrifice", our unblemished Lamb.

All of things Satan tempted Jesus with, would be things Jesus would take back by dying on the cross. If Satan succeeded in getting Jesus to worship him, the devil would have gotten God to do something ungodly.  This would have made Satan God, and not God.  This is very important to understand why Jesus had to be strong here; if He failed, we would be lost forever.

Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - John the Baptist Declares Jesus to be Messiah - John 1: 29 - 34 - Post 18

On the next day after Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!  This is the one about whom I said, 'After me comes a man who is greater than I am, because he existed before me.'  I did not recognize him, but I came baptizing with water so that he could be revealed to Israel."  Then John testified, "I saw the Spirit descending like a dove from heaven, and it remained on him.  And I did not recognize him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'The one on whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining - this is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.'  I have both seen and testified that this man is the Chosen One of God." (John 1: 29 - 34)
John the Baptist's choice of words echo back to Genesis 22: 8, "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son,"  Abraham replied, The two of them continued on together. As God provided a lamb for Abraham and Isaac, God will also provide a lamb for the perfect sacrifice needed to save us from our sins.  That Lamb is Jesus Christ.

The Baptist' message was for individuals to repent and come back to God.  The one coming after him was bringing the message to a much larger audience, Jesus was to bring the message of repentance to the whole Nation of Israel, and the whole world!  Since God created the world and gave us "free choice", we as humans have always sought after the devil and the world; rather than the things of God.  This is why the study of God, is so hard.  Left to ourselves we will pursue the darkness, instead of the Light.  The Baptist could be talking to us today.  We would rather do what we want, and say, I will do what God wants right before I die.  This is dangerous, because none of us knows when death will come to us; when it comes, will we be smart enough to ask God to help us find His Ways?  Or will we die, without making the change.

When the Baptist used the words the Spirit remained on him.  John the Apostle uses the Greek word meno, it means permanency, The Apostle uses it to describe the relationship between God the Father and the Son; and the relationship between Jesus and the Holy Spirit.  Permanence, is a good way to describe God and His Words.  They will never go away, they will never fade.  This study is provided with the hopes of making your belief in God stronger, or providing you with information to help you make the decision to follow Christ.  After the commitment is made you can no longer live as you did before the commitment was made.  Praise God!!!      

Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - Baptism of Jesus - Matthew 3: 13 - 17; Mark 1: 9 - 11; Luke 3: 21 - 22 - Post 17

Matthew's account of the Baptism of Jesus says that John the Baptist was hesitant to Baptize Jesus, because John knew Who Jesus was (even though he was related to Jesus); the Baptist felt he was not worthy to perform the Baptism of Jesus.  We have to understand why Jesus told John it is right that John Baptize Him.  God is a God of order, and it was right that the Baptist Baptize Jesus.  God instituted the Tabernacle and the Temple worship.  But the Levites who were in charge of the Temple started worshiping God, according to their own understanding, instead of following the way God had set up.  This is very interesting, because we are doing this same thing in our "Christian" Churches today.  The Jews were only going through the motions of Worship, but not engaging God in their worship.  God wanted the Jews to be "hearers, but also doers" of His Word.  The attendance of our Church Services show that we don't even want to be hearers, much less doers.  The religious leaders at the time of Christ, did not even recognize Jesus as their Messiah, that shows how far they had fallen.  Since the conventional religious system did not recognize Jesus it made God have to go a different way to reach the people and draw them back to Him.  The Prophets in the Old Testament, were raised up by God in order to try to bring the people back to a personal relationship with Him.

Look at the account in Matthew, about what happened after John finished baptizing Jesus, the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming on Him.  And a voice from heaven said, "This is my one dear Son; in Him I am well pleased."  This is very unconventional indeed.  Think if this happened in your Church, would you go about your business like nothing happened?

Mark's account is very similar to what Matthew said.   Luke's account says that Jesus waited until all the other people who came to baptized to finish before  He came to John.

All of these accounts are similar, with Matthew and Luke providing the most information.

Matthew's account should have a lot of detail, because he wrote to the Jews, to prove to them that Jesus of Nazareth is the Messiah as foretold by the Prophets in the Old Testament.
If you are a believer do you have a personal relationship with Christ??  You have to be a doer beside a hearer of the Word.  

Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - Introduction of Christ - Matthew 3: 11 & 12; Mark 1: 7 & 8; Luke 3: 15 - 18; John 1: 19 - 28 - Post 16

Matthew and Luke talk about a winnowing fork, this a tool used for the process of removing the wheat kernels from the stock and chaff of the wheat plant after the wheat has died.  The threshing floor is a special plate that has raised ridges, with valleys in between to provide a place for the kernels to accumulate before they can be swept up to take to the mill.  The valleys are narrow enough to keep the stock and chaff from gathering there.  This terminology is used to describe the work the Messiah will perform while He was on earth during His Ministry.  John the Baptist used the apocalyptic language of baptism with the Holy Spirit and with fire; to show the importance of the Messiah's coming and why it will impact all of humanity.  Matthew and Luke both mention that the wheat will be gathered into His storehouse.  This talks about the separation of the good from the bad, and where both will end up.  This also is a very strong image painted here by the Gospel accounts, to show that the coming of the Messiah is very serious and important.  Inextinguishable fire, is a metaphor for hell.

John's account is more interested in viewing Jesus Christ as the Son of God.  This is why the Apostle points out who the Jewish leaders were and what questions they asked the Baptist.  The Jewish leaders started asking the Baptist who he was, The Baptist answered "I am not the Christ!"  The Jews were looking for the Messiah (Christ) to come.  Then they asked the Baptist if he were Elijah; this was because the Prophet Malachi said that the Lord would sent Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord.  At this point in time, God had not mentioned that the Messiah would come twice.  I believe that this is why John the Baptist used apocalyptic language in his Ministry Messages.  John the Baptist understood that Rome was in charge, and the Messianic Scriptural references talked about.  After the Baptist had told the Jewish leaders he was not any of the people they asked him about.  Then they asked him what he would say about himself.  The Baptist quoted Isaiah 40: 3, making the path straight is a metaphor for becoming straight through repentance.
When the Baptist said this the Jewish leaders wanted to know by whose authority the Baptist was baptizing.  The Jewish leaders asked this question, because they felt they were the voices of God and they had not given their permission to baptize the people.  God will use Whom He Will to accomplish His Will.  That even includes women and children!!

Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - Introduction of Christ - Matthew 3: 11 & 12; Mark 1: 7 & 8; Luke 3: 15 - 18; John 1: 19 - 28 - Post 15

Matthew 3: 11 & 12
"I baptize you with water, for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am - I am not worthy to carry his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clean the threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire."
Mark 1: 7 & 8
He proclaimed, "One more powerful than I am is coming after me; I am not worthy to bend down and untie the strap of his sandals.  I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
Luke 3: 15 - 18
While the people were filled with anticipation and they wondered whether perhaps John could be the Christ, John answered them all, "I baptize you with water, but one more powerful than I am is coming - I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals.  He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.  His winnowing fork is in his hand to clean out the threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his storehouse, but the chaff he will burn up with inextinguishable fire."  And in this way, with many other exhortations, John proclaimed good news to the people.
John 1: 19 - 28
Now this was John's testimony when the Jewish leaders sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, "Who are you?"  He confessed - "I am not the Christ!"  So they asked him, "Then who are you?  Are you Elijah?"  He said, "I am not!"  "Are you the Prophet?" He answered , "No!"  Then they said to him, "Who do you say about yourself?"  John said, "I am the voice of one shouting in the wilderness, 'Make straight the way for the Lord, as Isaiah the prophet said"  (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)  So they asked John, "Why then are baptizing if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?"

These accounts are similar, yet different.  I felt it would help to see all the accounts, so you would be able to follow my explanation and differences between them.  The Matthew and Luke account say "He will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire."  Mark does not use this language, because his Gospel was aimed at the Romans.  John's (the Apostle) account talks more about John the Baptist's qualifications then how Jesus will baptize.  Matthew's Gospel was written to the Jews to show Jesus Christ as the Messiah.  Mark's account was written to the Romans to give an account of Jesus Christ.  Luke's account is the most historical account and was written to the Greeks.  John's account was to show Jesus Christ as the Son of God.
   

                                                                                                                                                       

Study of all 4 Gospels at the Same Time - His Message (John the Baptist) - Matthew 3: 7 - 10; Luke 3: 7 - 14 - Post 15

The Message of John the Baptist was very harsh.  He was telling the Jews, that their worship of the Lord was sending them to damnation.  He said that they have "no fruit", meaning they know what God wants them to do, but refused to do so.  This is very hard for the Jews to hear, because the Scriptures tell them they are the chosen by God.  Now John the Baptist is telling them it is not enough.  John could be talking directly to us today.  You can imagine this did not set well with a large number of Jews, and they would go back to the Temple in Jerusalem to complain to the religious authorities.  When John the Baptist saw the Pharisees and the Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them "You offspring of vipers!  Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don't think you can say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as out father.'  For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones!  Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matthew 3: 7 - 10)!  Who are the Pharisees and the Sadducees?  The Pharisees, were the Levitical Rabbi's that were teaching the people in the Synagogues.  The Pharisees were of the house of Aaron, and could work in the Temple as well.  The Pharisees believed in the Resurrection, but were not sure which form the resurrection would take.  
The Sadducees, were the Levitical Jews that lived in the Southern part of Israel and worked in the Temple.  The Sadducees were the political group that did not like the Roman occupation, but they were willing to work with them, and took a more liberal view of interpreting the Scriptures.  The Sadducees also did not hold to the resurrection teachings of the Scriptures.
The Jews believed very strongly in keeping their family lines pure.  This is one of the reasons, Jews hated the Samaritans, even though they were related to them.  I will talk more on this in later blogs in this study.  When John the Baptist tells the Pharisees and the Sadducees, that God could turn these stones into "Sons of Abraham."  John was telling them their special treatment of God and their worship was lacking.  This is a hard thing to hear for anyone.  How about you reading this blog, are you Christian?  Do you remember when you became a Christian?  Has your life shown any change?  If you can not see any change in your life for the better; maybe you should look at where you failed to change.  This was John the Baptist's challenge to the Jews of his day.  And This is the same challenge we are under today.  Where are you??