One day Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only His disciples were with Him, and He asked them, “Who do people say I am?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say You are one of the other ancient prophets risen from the dead.” Then He asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Peter replied, “You are the Messiah sent from God!”
Jesus warned His disciples not to tell anyone who He was.
Luke 9:18-21
Following the Feeding of the 5000 there are marked differences between Luke’s account and the three other gospel writers. Matthew, Mark and John stick together inferring they follow the standard story tracking with Mark’s gospel. Don’t forget that Mark’s gospel was the first one.
- Why does Luke part company with the other three?
- What is going on? What is Luke’s purpose?
- What is the purpose of the other three gospel writers?
- What is it that Luke misses out?
Take time to compare them to work out for yourself what is going on. In all detective work related to the four gospels, study the differences and similarities between the gospel accounts to determine the reasons for additions, omissions, changes in order and other distinctive differences. At this stage our prime task is to work out what is happening to the text in the Gospel of Luke. Our focus is not Matthew, Mark or John; it’s Luke. So don’t get side tracked.
Some have asked why I do things like this. Also we have a number of new people joining us at the moment so I will take this time to explain again what my purpose is. There are numbers of you who like to practice the things I tell you. You like to do the things I suggest for you to do so that you hone your own skills in handling the Word of God. Others of you feel you don’t have time to do that and would rather I didn’t do this. The way I figure it is I can accommodate both sets of people. For the ones who like to do it for themselves I give the time (normally just a day) for you to do it. For those who just want to read the fruits of what I have found, you have to wait an extra day. I feel that is an acceptable extra time to wait so that I can please both groups.
So dust off your detective skills and get to work. For those of you who have just joined me, I suggest you click http://www.e-sword.net/ and download E-Sword for free along with a number of the multiple versions which come with it. Then use the Harmony feature from the top menu. Click <Bible> then <Harmony> . There are a number of excellent harmonies of the gospels available in book form. One of the best ones is A Harmony of the Gospels by Robert L Thomas and Stanley N Gundry, published by Moody Press. But unfortunately this book is not free. But you don’t have to have a harmony of the gospels. You can just simple use your Bible and check what comes after each pericope in each of the gospels and compare them. However it is so much easier to use a harmony where it is all laid out for you in comparative form. The comparative columns I give to you in the Gems are simply clipped from the Harmony function in E-Sword. It’s easy.
Ok now is the time to work. See what you can find out about Luke’s purpose and the differences between the gospels following the Feeding of the 5000.
Work with a smile on your face, always keeping in mind that no matter who happens to be giving the orders, you’re really serving God.
Arthavina Baringbing
TRUST is allowing God to interrupt your schedule without you complaining.
Rick Warren
Linger long and often in his presence. Meditate on his grace. Ponder his love. Memorize his words. Study His Word.
Max Lucado
My relationship with God is only as deep as my relationship to His Word.
Robb Thompson
The best translation is when you translate the Word of God into your daily life. You ought to be a living Bible.
Rick Warren