Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 7 Now that we have listened to how each gospel writer chose to begin his gospel we cannot help but marvel at how very different these beginnings are from one another. That is not a problem to be solved but a blessing to be received. These beginnings give us insight into the rest of each gospel. And they demonstrate beyond a shadow of a doubt that each writer was very deliberate and careful in how they began their gospel. These beginnings testify to the brilliance of each of the four writers. And, if we believe in the inspiration of God’s Word, they also testify to a God who speaks in different ways to meet different needs. Yes, these beginnings are the brilliant creation of their authors but they are also signs of the presence and activity of God in their lives and in the life of God’s people. The brilliance of these four beginnings gives us confidence that we can trust each one of these writers to proclaim the gospel to us. To be sure they all have their own community in mind as they write their gospels and the needs of that community is addressed in the way they begin their gospels. It will be helpful for us to imagine as best we can what their community may have looked like. That is not an easy task, but if we pay attention to what they say we can gain some insights. Our community is different from theirs and that will mean that we need to translate what they say to meet our own needs. At times we may find that what a gospel writer says has little meaning for us. But most of the time we will discover that the gospel they proclaim has power in our lives too. Reading each of these stories by themselves has power in our lives; but, reading them together is even more meaningful. Thinking about how each gospel writer chose to begin their gospel in contrast with how others chose to begin opens up new insight into each writer. That is the whole purpose of this study – to read the gospels together to increase our understanding and their meaning in our lives.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 6 We have one last gospel writer to consider. How did John begin his gospel? John begins his gospel in what might be the most unusual way of all. John begins his gospel with a theological statement about Jesus and about God. John does not begin with a narrative as the others do. He does not begin with a preface as Luke did. He begins with a theological formulation of how he wants his readers to think of Jesus and of God. He does theology. John makes it abundantly clear that the Jesus about whom he is going to tell his story is none other than God in human flesh and blood. The very presence of God dwells in Jesus. Of course John is also aware that Jesus is a human being. For all intents and purposes Jesus looked and acted like any other human being in the experience of those who shared life with him on earth. But John is intent on telling his readers that Jesus was more than just an ordinary human being. In his flesh dwelt the very being of God. As John puts it, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” This of course is an argument that moves far beyond the ability of our minds to either fully comprehend or to explain. John does not attempt to explain but he does intend to proclaim to his readers this important reality. To use later language used by church theologians, Jesus is the God-man. Jesus is fully God and fully human. Likely John has come to this conclusion after much reflection of the story of Jesus and the events that unfolded in Jesus’ life. It is likely long after the fact that most followers of Jesus came to understand that Jesus was not just a mere human being. After contemplating those events John could come to no other conclusion. And John thinks it is very important that his readers know from the very beginning that the main character in this story, Jesus, is God in human flesh – the he is the God-man. Knowing that colors all of the rest of John’s story. In this way John is very different from Mark and thus from Matthew and Luke who inherit from Mark a sense of secrecy regarding the identity of Jesus. There is no secret in John’s gospel. Jesus is the God-man. And the story John tells will reflect this reality from beginning to end. John does interject a brief reference to the narrative that will follow by telling of the witness of John the Baptist. This reference to John the Baptist is really not a part of John’s theological statement. As we move through John’s gospel we will encounter other instances in which theological statements will interrupt the flow of the narrative. This weaving together of theological statements and narrative does make listening to the Gospel of John more challenging. At times it may be difficult to distinguish between the narrative and the theological content. But that is not difficult in John’s beginning. This is theology. Why did John choose to begin his gospel in this way? Again we cannot read the mind of John so we can only speculate. If it is correct that John wrote his gospel toward the end of the first century then it makes sense that by that time it would be necessary to provide for readers statements about the meaning of Jesus more than to simply tell the story. A later date calls for theology because now the questions of meaning and purpose are far more prevalent than simply telling the story. John’s readers needed to know what the Jesus event meant. How are Jesus and God related? If God was active in the Jesus event, what was God doing and how was God doing it? John began his gospel with a theological statement and John weaves theology into his gospel to provide meaning to what had occurred. Likely another factor for John was that he sensed a need to proclaim to his readers that Jesus was no mere human being. In our time, we are challenged to think of Jesus as a human being. We overemphasize the divine sometimes to the near exclusion of the humanity of Jesus. Jesus is God. John faced a completely different challenge. Everyone knew that Jesus was a man. They had no trouble with his humanity. But was Jesus more than that? John believed so and he set out to present Jesus as that “something more than a mere man.” Thus Jesus is for him the God-man. And we would do well to learn from John that Jesus is more than God. His challenge was the opposite of ours today. It is likely for these reasons that John chose to begin his gospel in the way he did. Was John successful in his choice of how to begin his gospel? Certainly he was. John moved the church from an emphasis on the humanity of Jesus to a fuller position of seeing Jesus’ divinity too. Though his beginning is much different from the others and though wrestling with theology is challenging we can be thankful for the brilliance of John’s choice to begin his gospel as he did.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 5 Having listened now to Matthew and Luke, a dilemma faces readers who read these two gospels together. They cannot be easily fit into one. It is difficult to think of the Jesus Matthew invites his readers to ponder – a Jesus whose life is threatened from the beginning and must flee to save his life – with the Jesus who Luke invites his readers to think about – a Jesus who is brought faithfully right into the Temple of Jerusalem for display before the deadly Herod who resided there. So, how might we deal with the reality that these two writers think of the birth of Jesus in radically different ways? It will be helpful to begin with some things they hold in common. Both Matthew and Luke believe in the virgin birth of Jesus. Both place that birth in Bethlehem. Both know that his parents were Mary and Joseph. And both conclude their stories with Jesus leaving Bethlehem and settling in Nazareth as the place where Jesus grew up. That’s a lot to have in common! Likely, the actual birth story of Jesus was only vaguely known. Likely, both Matthew and Luke knew only these basic and rudimentary things about the birth that are listed above. Likely each of them has overlaid that story with their own material to suit their needs in the telling of the story. We will have difficulty in meshing them together. But, we can learn something important from each. And that is their main concern – to proclaim the gospel to their readers. If we can get past attempting to make everything fit neatly together which is really our need and not theirs, we will be able to hear both writers speak.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 4 Having provided his readers with this important preface, Luke now proceeds with the beginning of his gospel. As we learn in the reading of Luke’s gospel and also Luke’s second volume, the Book of Acts, the primary concern of Luke is to describe the coming of Jesus as “the visitation of God to his people” and their response to that visitation. So Luke begins his gospel firmly set in the environment of the OT. Luke’s story of the birth of Jesus is really a story of the visitation of God who comes in a most unusual way. Jesus is born in a manger because there is no place for him in the inn. When God comes there is no place for God. But as Luke thinks about how to tell this story of the birth of Jesus, he is also aware of another character who will play a major role in the visitation of God. That person is John the Baptist. So, prior to telling the story of the humble visitation of Jesus, Luke tells the story of the birth of John the Baptist. Once again this is a story that it firmly set in the context of the OT. In fact, as Luke contemplated how to tell the story of these births it seems evident that his mind went back to the OT story of the birth of Samuel. It is as if Luke has taken three birth stories and placed them side by side by side. A part of Luke’s thinking also is apparently connected with the fact that in the OT so many mothers of important children were first childless and then granted the gift of birth by God in a miraculous way. So Luke has written the story of the birth of Jesus, and for that matter of John the Baptist too, as if it were an OT story. Following the births Luke provides his readers with a couple of other important pieces of information. He tells of the circumcision and naming of Jesus and the sacrifice that was necessary to fulfil the OT law. In that process Luke introduces two faithful Jewish witnesses who welcome the birth of Jesus. And when Jesus is twelve years old Luke brings him once more to the Temple in Jerusalem – likely for the Jewish rite of passage into adulthood. Why did Luke tell the story in this way? Likely Luke has told the story as he has to do at least a couple of things. First of all this is the visitation of God to his people and what is at stake is how people respond to that visitation. Secondly Luke is intent on telling his readers that there were faithful Jews who received Jesus at his coming. Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, Simeon, and Anna are all faithful Jewish witnesses that the Messiah was indeed welcomed at this coming even if there is also evidence that “there was no room for God” in God’s visitation. Luke has set up this contrasting turn of events with a purpose. In telling the story of these faithful people who received the Messiah, Luke is also telling his readers that Jesus is a faithful Jew too. His parents are careful to observe the Jewish Law. In fact, Luke will tell his story in such a way that Jesus and his followers will also be known for their faithfulness within the Jewish tradition. That is because Luke is intent on arguing that Jesus, and the people of God who follow him, represents the “true Judaism.” Some of the greatest evidence for this is found in the book of Acts. For example, when Paul arrives in Jerusalem just prior to his arrest, Luke tells his readers through the words of the Jerusalem leaders of the church, “You see, brother, how many thousands of believers there are among the Jews, and they are all zealous for the Law.” Christianity is not a new religion for Luke but the true expression of what has always been. Was Luke successful in telling the story as he has? Most certainly he was. Luke’s story sets that stage in a way that helps his readers move into the story.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 3 Luke begins his gospel in yet another way. Since it is almost certain that Luke also had Mark’s gospel before him as his primary source, Luke also made the choice to lay Mark aside for the time being and begin his gospel in a different way. Like Matthew, Luke will pick up Mark’s story later on. But, like Matthew, Luke’s use of Mark will no longer be the beginning. There are really two beginning to Luke’s gospel that we need to notice. First of all, Luke provides his readers with a preface. The first four verses of Luke’s gospel serve the purpose of telling Luke’s readers a number of things. First of all Luke assures his readers that he has carefully followed all the events he is about to relate. Luke has done his homework and can be trusted. For modern readers these words of Luke also provide a powerful insight into the writing of the gospels and how we might understand the Bible as the inspired Word of God. Luke tells us of others who have also written about these events. Luke has followed them and Luke intends to use them as is evident from Luke’s use of Mark. The Bible is not the inspired Word of God because God dictated it to those who wrote. The Bible is not only the inspired Word of God it is also the creation of human people and they are responsible for what they write. Their inspiration is precisely that God was involved in their lives just as God is involved in ours. But God chooses to honor the humanity of people. That is a frightening and yet magnificent thing. Human beings matter. And Luke helps us to see that with his preface. Secondly, Luke tells his readers that his motive is to provide them with the truth about those things that they have received as instruction. How we understand what Luke means by truth is crucial. When Luke speaks about providing his readers with the truth, is he worried about historical accuracy? Most likely he was not thinking about truth in this way. Rather Luke was concerned about the veracity of the gospel. The truth Luke was telling was the truth that makes a person a part of God’s kingdom. He was concerned with the proclamation of the gospel. Readers of Luke’s gospel can know that if their hearts and minds are open this gospel will lead them to faith and relationship with God.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 2 Matthew begins his gospel in a radically different way from Mark. That ought to be somewhat surprising to us since it is almost certain that Matthew had Mark’s gospel before him as his primary source as he wrote his own gospel. So Matthew made a choice to lay Mark aside for a time and begin in his own way. He will pick up Mark’s story later but of course then it will no longer be the beginning. Matthew begins his gospel by providing his readers with the genealogy of Jesus. Matthew believes his readers are keenly interested in the origins of Jesus – he calls it Jesus’ genesis. Where does Jesus come from? What are his beginnings? Matthew’s genealogy is not so concerned with the actual order of things but is symbolic in nature. Jesus comes from a three-fold listing of fourteen generations beginning with Abraham. Of course we can recognize that this scheme can also be divided into six sets of seven ancestors with Jesus being the first of the seventh set – the perfect set. Matthew wants his readers to know that Jesus belongs to the Jewish history and experience of God. Jesus belongs to the OT story. His origin is there. And within this genealogy Matthew identifies four women all of whom are in some way connected with scandal. And then Matthew tells the story of the birth of Jesus which also has the possibility of being connected with scandal. Matthew knows that Jesus belongs to the OT people of God and that his origin is there but Matthew also believes in the virgin birth of Jesus which means that Jesus’ origin is also uniquely from God. There were stories afloat during that time of the conception of Jesus by a Roman soldier through a scandalous affair in which Mary was impregnated outside of marriage either by being raped or worse through an illicit relationship. Matthew is concerned with the legitimacy of Jesus both as a true Israelite and also as the unique Son of God. His beginning addresses both concerns. Matthew is also very aware that the powers of this world represented by Herod the Great will oppose Jesus. Like Mark, Matthew is aware that he will be telling the story of the crucifixion of this one whose origin is from the OT and from God. So Matthew colors his birth story with another story of an attempt to eliminate God’s people. Matthew colors his story by reminding his readers of the story of the attempted holocaust in Egypt when Pharaoh ordered that all male children be drowned in the Nile. Moses was the intended victim of that slaughter of the children and Moses will play in important role in Matthew’s gospel. Jesus will be described as the new Moses. Matthew also remembers the story of how God called his people into being and brought them out of Egypt to the Promised Land. Matthew colors the story of Jesus’ birth with this story too as Jesus and his family flea to Egypt and then out of Egypt God calls his own Son. Everything that Matthew is doing in his beginning would have resonated with an audience of Jewish Christians and would have satisfied their need to know the origin and the legitimacy of Jesus. Why did Matthew choose to lay Mark aside and begin his gospel in this way? Again we can only speculate but it is likely that Matthew’s community was assailed with rumors of the illegitimacy of Jesus and the question of whether or not Jesus could truly be the Messiah. Mark had provided nothing to counteract these concerns. Mark didn’t need to as he wrote to his own community. But Matthew did need to provide his readers with this story. Was Matthew successful by beginning his gospel in the way he did? Frankly, many modern readers find Matthew’s genealogy boring and uninteresting. I’ve known more than one person who, when I suggested that they read the Bible, come back and tell me that they got lost in the “begets” of Matthew’s gospel. They were thankful the genealogy wasn’t too long. Personally Matthew’s beginning doesn’t grab me like Mark’s does. But my context is not that of Matthew’s community. I think Matthew’s beginning was extremely successful for his own community of readers. Matthew has accomplished what he needed to do for them. Matthew’s beginning is very different from Mark’s but it is brilliant in its own way. And Matthew’s beginning also gives us confidence that we can trust Matthew to proclaim the gospel to us so that if we have open hearts and minds we will be transformed by that proclamation.

Reading the Gospels Together How do you begin a gospel? – Part 1 Each of the gospel writers needed to make a choice regarding how they were going to begin their gospel. Beginnings are important. How you begin says a lot about the story you are attempting to tell. Likely each gospel writer put much thought into their beginning. In this section we will listen to the beginnings of all four gospels and attempt to discern why each gospel writer made the choice he did. In this section we will need to consider Mark 1:1-15; Matthew 1-2:23; Luke 1:1-2:52; and John 1:1-18. Mark begins his gospel in a dramatic and powerful way. He wants his readers to know that what he is telling them is “the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” The implication is that there is more to the story than Mark will tell. In fact, when we get to the end of Mark’s gospel we will find ourselves thrust back to the beginning and forward into the story ourselves. Mark wants his readers to feel the power of the story he is about to tell them. Since he reaches back into the OT and quotes both from Malachi and Isaiah, it is clear that he views the appearance of Jesus as a culminating event and also the genesis of a new and dynamic activity of God in the world. Mark begins by introducing John the Baptist to his readers with a clear and unmistakable reference to the OT prophet Elijah who was to come and make all things ready for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist is Elijah. When Jesus arrives on the scene from Nazareth in Galilee he is baptized by John and the way is now fully prepared. John has completed his task. And in a violent and dramatic event Mark tells his readers that the heavens were torn in two and the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus. The movement is from heaven to earth and Mark wants his readers to feel the coming of God’s Spirit among them. God is on the loose! God speaks only to Jesus in Mark’s beginning and assures Jesus that he is indeed God’s beloved Son. Mark’s use again of the OT books of Psalms and Isaiah highlight the importance of this event. Following his baptism Jesus is cast out into the wilderness to be tested by Satan. The power of darkness and evil is confronted in this coming and the ensuing story will be one of battle between Jesus and the forces of evil. In Mark’s view everything from illness to demon possession to the rejection of Jesus by human beings is a manifestation of evil. The battle is on and Jesus will be victorious. Almost as quickly as Mark brought John the Baptist on stage he ushers John back off stage by telling his readers that John was arrested. The way is open now for Jesus and he returns to Galilee with the bold declaration that the time is up, the kingdom of God has dawned, and now is the time to repent and believe the good news. What Mark has described for his readers is no ordinary event – this is a crucial and powerful event with lasting effect. This is a crisis event. This is an event that really matters! Mark is very deliberate in creating this powerful event and through it Mark’s readers are thrust into the gospel which follows. Why did Mark choose to begin his gospel in this way? Of course we can only speculate about that but given what we learn from the rest of Mark’s gospel we are able to make some informed speculation. We might wonder whether or not Mark knew of stories of the birth of Jesus. Since he doesn’t mention anything about that the usual assumption is that Mark didn’t know about it. I think it is far more likely Mark knew those birth stories but they did not serve his purpose so he left them out. As we read Mark’s gospel it becomes very clear that identifying Jesus as the Crucified Messiah and that one can only truly know who Jesus is be seeing him dead on the cross is the central message of Mark’s gospel. Everything points to the cross. And the cross is a powerful and dramatic event. Some have observed that Mark seems in a hurry to get to the cross which I think is true. Mark does not waste time along the way. When Jesus dies Mark tells his readers that the curtain of the Temple was torn in two which thrusts his readers back to the baptism when the heavens are torn in two and God comes in the Spirit upon Jesus. And so as Mark thought about how to begin his story he linked these two events together. What better way to begin a gospel that will center upon the Crucified Messiah than to begin with this dramatic and powerful event! Was Mark successful with his beginning? I think so. His beginning is a stroke of genius. It is a sign of a brilliant and deliberate writer. We can read Mark’s gospel with confidence that it will proclaim the good news of Jesus to us and that if we listen with an open heart Mark’s gospel will transform us creating faith within us and motivate us to be a follower of Jesus.

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 7 Identifying all these points of contact opens up an opportunity to hear the gospels in a new way. And, perhaps this exercise can help us to speculate just a bit more about the events that took place in the life of Jesus and his followers. Those historical questions are actually the least important to consider but perhaps an investigation of the stories together will shed light on what occurred. Once we have examined all these points of contact we will be able to come to some conclusions about what we have read and hopefully our insight into the gospel will be sharpened and grow in depth. The gospel writers are brilliant people that God used to tell the story and, more importantly, to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ, the crucified Messiah, the Savior of the world. We can treasure their efforts and marvel at their ability to proclaim to us the good news of salvation and life in Jesus name. We are finally ready to begin to truly “read the gospels together.”

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 6 The Passion Narrative is the place where all four gospel writers coalesce in an even more pronounced way. This area provides us with the most fruitful task of “reading the gospels together.” We will begin with a more general discussion – “Jesus and Passover.” From there we will move on to “The story of the anointing of Jesus by the woman.” This event leads into “The announcement of Judas as the betrayer.” “The story of the last meal” Jesus shared with his disciples is rich with material for consideration. The movement of the story from the meal to “The garden/Gethsemane” comes next followed by “The betrayal by Judas.” “The trial/hearing of Jesus before the Jewish authorities” is followed by “The denial by Peter.” From this point we move on to “The trial of Jesus before Pilate,” “The crucifixion of Jesus,” and “The burial of Jesus.” Finally we come to “The story of the empty tomb” and “The resurrection appearances of Jesus.” Last of all is to ask a question similar to the question that was asked at the beginning of this discussion – “How do you end a gospel?” Again, each gospel writer needed to make a choice about where and how to end their story. We will need to ask, “Why did each gospel writer choose to end in the way that they did?”

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 5 Points of contact multiply as the story reaches the Passion Narrative and just prior to that time. The first of these more direct points of contact is the story of “The triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem.” This is followed by “The Cleansing of the Temple.” An interesting point of contact is “The Jerusalem Controversy” during which Jesus does battle with the religious leaders of Jerusalem. As we will see, Mark has condensed that controversy to a day or two while John portrays the controversy as lasting about five month. Related to the cleansing of the Temple is “The prediction of the destruction of the Temple.”

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 4 At this point the storylines of Mark, Matthew, and Luke differ greatly from that of John. We have already spent some time examining how Mark, Matthew, and Luke are interrelated as we traced the storylines of Matthew and Luke so we will not spend much time repeating that. There is one major connection between the synoptic gospels and John; however, and that is the twin stories of “The multiplication of the Bread and Jesus walking on the Water” which is the next point of contact we will examine. This is really the only story from the Galilean ministry that John shares with the synoptic writers. It is surprising to most readers of the gospels to realize that John tells very few of the stories of the Galilean ministry of Jesus that are found in the other gospels. Points of contact between John and the synoptic gospels during the Galilean ministry can be noticed although they are far more indirect. An interesting point of contact has to do with “The relationship between Jesus and his family.” Another point of contact we will examine is “The dispute about Sabbath practice.” Yet another disputable point of contact is Mark’s story of the double “Healing of a blind man” (Mark 8:322-26) and John’s story of the healing of a man born blind (John 9) and even the “Healing of a paralytic” (Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:2-8; Luke 5:17-26; and John 5:1-18). As was noted earlier, a point of contact between John and Matthew and Luke is the story of “The healing of the official’s slave/son.” And there are apparent points of contact between Luke and John in at least three areas – “The Samaritans,” “The fishing episode involving Peter,” and “Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.” Another very indirect point of contact is to consider three topics, “Jesus and the religious leaders,” “Jesus the teacher,” and “Jesus the healer.”

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 3 The first point of contact is not really an event in the story but to consider how each of the four gospel writers chose to begin their gospel. We might call it, “How do you begin a gospel?” Each of the gospel writers had to make a decision about how to begin their story. Listening to how each begins and then asking why they made that choice will be an interesting topic. The first actual point of contact in the events of the story is the connection between “Jesus and John the Baptist.” Some of this overlaps with the previous point of contact since Mark and John begin their gospels with this event and Luke intertwines his story of the birth of Jesus with that of John the Baptist. The next point of contact is the story of the “Baptism/Anointing and Testing of Jesus” which is also connected with the ministry of John the Baptist. The next point of contact is the “Movement of Jesus to Galilee” and the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus. Next we have stories centered on “The Call of Disciples.”

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 2 If we think about our own lives we know that this is true for us as well. We experience lots of things and many of those events simply vanish from our memory, or at least they are only partially there. We may remember that we had a special birthday, but was it when we were ten years old or when we were nine? If we were to tell the story of our lives we may well recount events but have little certainty about their order. And the order really doesn’t matter much of the time. So, the conclusion that I have come to is that the storyline of each gospel reflects the actual order of things only remotely and that the storyline itself is important as a tool of the writer. In other words Mark has created his storyline, not to reflect the actual order of events, but to help him proclaim his gospel. The same is true for the others. Thinking in this way opens up a whole new range of ideas and possibilities for hearing the gospels. The questions that it drives us to ask are “Why did this gospel writer arrange things in the way that he did?” and, “Why did another gospel writer change the order or say things in another way?” In fact, it is this very premise that leads us to “read the gospels together.” It is in reading them together that we do two things. First of all we note the differences and secondly we note the points of contact among the four gospels. Our task in this chapter will be to note the points of contact among the four gospels. We can then go on to study each of these points of contacts asking why each gospel writer did what they did with the event. So let’s see if we can identify at least the major points of contact. For the most part I am going to use Mark’s storyline as the basis for my ordering of these points of contact. That is somewhat of an arbitrary decision and is not meant to say that Mark is more accurate than the others, but we need to have some sort of base line upon which to work. We will go on in future chapters to talk in more detail about these points of contact. The emphasis will be on the points of contact between John and the synoptic gospels (Mark, Matthew, and Luke).

Reading the Gospels Together Points of Contact among the storylines – Part 1 We have now established the storyline of each of the four gospels. A few observations from this exercise are these: Each of the four gospel writers has created a unique storyline for their gospel. No two gospel writers tell us exactly the same story. Yet, as we read the story in each gospel it seems evident that all four writers are reflecting upon exactly the same historical events. There are enough similarities to indicate that this is the case. That leads to some interesting questions and possibilities. One question we might ask is whether one storyline is more reliable than the others. We have noted that Mark, Matthew, and Luke are very much alike and in fact that Matthew and Luke have almost certainly used Mark’s gospel in writing their own. We have also noted that John’s storyline is significantly different from that of the others. Is Mark’s basic storyline which is followed for the most part by Matthew and Luke more reliable than John’s? Or is John’s the more reliable storyline, especially since the gospel of John claims that it is based upon the eyewitness participation of one called the “beloved disciple” who was present at least at some of the events? A better conclusion is to suggest that all of the storylines are the creation of their authors and none of them reflect fully what actually happened. So Mark created his storyline which was taken over and modified by Matthew and Luke. And John, independently, created his own storyline. It is very likely that none of the gospel writers actually knew the exact order of events – or that they cared much about that. They are proclaimers of the gospel first and foremost and so their storyline exists to assist them in that proclamation.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 14 But, the gospel of John will continue for one more chapter. Once again we are at one of the glaring “seams” in John’s gospel. John’s storyline would be complete without this last chapter. And at one point in time it is very likely that John’s gospel ended at this point. But the last chapter has been added and we can be pleased that it has. The last chapter does tie up a few loose ends in the story. The last chapter begins with a story set at an indefinite time later than the story of Jesus and his disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem on the second Sunday following Jesus’ death. The setting of the story is on the banks of the Sea of Galilee. This may be a bit surprising to readers of John’s gospel since so little of his gospel is set in Galilee. John tells his readers that seven disciples are present – Simon Peter, Thomas, Nathaniel, the sons of Zebedee, and two unnamed others. We learn later that one of these unnamed others was the beloved disciple. The story that John tells is one that Luke had used in a completely different context. The disciples have gone fishing. They have no success. So Jesus tells them to cast their net on the other side of the boat. And a great catch of fish are gathering in. At this point John tells his readers of the presence of the beloved disciple who recognizes that it is Jesus. He tells Peter and Peter puts on his clothes and jumps into the sea to get to Jesus. On the beach there is a charcoal fire burning – just like the charcoal fire in the courtyard of the high priest. Jesus feed his disciples with the fish he already has been cooking and then he encounters Peter. By the charcoal fire in the courtyard Peter had denied Jesus three times. Here, by the charcoal fire, Peter is given three opportunities to repent and in the end Peter is restored. Following the restoration of Peter, the beloved disciple makes one more appearance. Peter asks Jesus what will become of the beloved disciple and is told that, in effect, that is nothing of Peter’s business. If Jesus wants that disciple to live until his return so be it. But then John tells his readers that Jesus was not predicting that the beloved disciple would live until his return but only used his comment as hyperbolic speech to Peter that the fate of the beloved disciple was not Peter’s concern. Apparently, within the community of John’s gospel the belief had arisen that the beloved disciple would not die but that he had in fact now died. Was Jesus wrong? The writer of John’s gospel corrects the false expectation and perhaps that is one of the reasons why this last chapter was added to what was already a completed storyline. At any rate John goes on to tell his readers that it is the witness of this beloved disciple that stands behind this whole gospel. Only the gospel of John makes such a claim that one of Jesus’ closest disciples is at the foundation of the writing of a gospel. This is a significant claim and deserves our attention. And so we have come to the end of tracing the storylines of each of the four gospels. We have uncovered some striking similarities and also some striking differences. We have discovered that each of the gospel writers tells a unique and different story from the others. No two storylines are the same. We are now ready place these storylines beside each other and look for the points of connection between them. We will move to that in the next chapter.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 13 All four gospel writers provide their readers with unique stories of the empty tomb. About the only things that they agree about are that the event happened early in the morning on the first day of the week following the death of Jesus and that Mary Magdalene was present. In fact, in John’s story Mary Magdalene is the only one who comes to the tomb. When she comes there is no one to greet her – only the empty tomb. John tells his readers that she runs and tells Peter and the beloved disciple who arrive at the tomb and confirm what Mary has told them. Luke had also told his readers that Peter went to verify the empty tomb when the women came and announced that the tomb was empty only to have the male followers accuse the women of telling an idle tale. It is only after taking a second look into the empty tomb that Mary sees two men dressed in white who apparently had not been there before. She thinks perhaps they have stolen the body and asks them to return it. They ask why she is weeping. Then Mary turns and encounters Jesus but she does not recognize him and mistakes him for the gardener and thinks perhaps he has moved the body so she asks him to return it. And then Jesus speaks Mary’s name and she recognizes him and runs to tell the others. John now tells a story that sounds a lot like the story Luke told of the disciples gathered in the upper room. The event happens in the evening of the first day of the week. Jesus reveals himself to the disciples and bestows on them the Holy Spirit, breathing the Spirit into them much as God breathed the breath of life in human beings at creation. John now tells his readers of a second appearance of Jesus to his disciples in the same room a week later. Thomas had not been present at the first encounter and had not been willing to believe his friends. So Jesus appears again and Thomas believes. Thomas has seen and believed. Jesus, with readers like John’s first readers in mind, tells Thomas that those who are truly blessed are those who have not seen and yet. John is now ready to end his story. He ends it by telling his readers the purpose for his writing. He tells them that there are many things he could have told about Jesus but that he has chosen to tell the things he has so that they might believe and the believing they might have life in Jesus’ name. John’s storyline has taken his readers from the theological claim that Jesus is the God-man who came from God to be the Savior of the world. And now he has accomplished his mission and returned to God. Believing in Jesus, the God-man means life and salvation.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 12 When morning dawns, John tells his readers that the Jewish religious authorities take Jesus to be tried before Pilate. He provides his readers with some very important chronological information. He tells them it was the day of preparation for the Passover and that the religious leaders do not want to enter Pilate’s headquarters because then they would be defiled and unable to celebrate the Passover. John tells his readers that the day is Thursday and that the Passover will happen that night at sundown when Thursday become Friday. So, once again, John wants his readers to think that the meal Jesus shared with his disciples was not the Passover as it is in the other gospels. The trial before Pilate is expanded by John and is a skillfully written text. In a set of scenes, Pilate move inside and outside his own palace as he attempts to deal with Jesus and his accusers. On three separate occasions Pilate declares Jesus to be innocent. But the religious leaders prevail. Only John tells of the dialogue between Jesus and Pilate about what it means for Jesus to be king. And in the end Pilate’s hand is forced when the religious leaders tell him that if he does not condemn one who claims to be a king he is no friend of Caesar. So Jesus is condemned to die. Though expanded and more skillfully written John’s story of the trial before Pilate is quite similar to the other gospel writers. While John’s story of the crucifixion of Jesus is similar to the other gospels in many ways, there are also some important differences. First of all, John tells his readers that it was noon on the Day of Preparation for Passover that Jesus was crucified. That is a day earlier than in the other gospels. The timeframe of noon on the day of preparation is highly significant since it was at that very hour that the lambs for the evening Passover meal would be slaughtered. Jesus dies with the lambs. John has told his readers that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. Jesus is far more in control of what is going on in the story as John tells it. He carries his own cross. There is no mention of Simon of Cyrene. Like the other gospel writers John tells of the dividing of Jesus clothing among those who crucify him. But then the scene changes dramatically. There are no people parading around the cross mocking Jesus. Instead John tells his readers that four women gather at the foot of the cross. They are his mother Mary, her sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. With them is the beloved disciple. It is to these people that Jesus speaks. John has mentioned Mary once before at the turning of the water into wine at Cana. There she had mistakenly misinterpreted Jesus’ hour. But now the hour has come. Jesus tells his mother and the beloved disciple that they now belong to one another. A new family is created which may well be a symbol for John of the creation of the church. Jesus is fully in charge even at his crucifixion. There is no cry of despair as in Mark and Matthew and even no surrender of himself to God as in Luke. Readers of John’s gospel recall that Jesus had said that he would lay down his life and take it up again. No one would take it from him. And so in death when Jesus says that he thirsts it is really the loving thirst of God for his people. And when he has tasted the sweet wine salvation Jesus declares that all is now finished. The cry of Jesus is one of triumph – Mission Accomplished! The death of Jesus is his victory of sin, death, and the world of evil. Following his death, John does not tell of the curtain in the Temple being torn in two as the other gospel writers had said. There is also no mention of the centurion in charge saying anything. Instead John tells his readers that there is concern on the part of the Jewish authorities that bodies be left on the cross when the great feast of Passover was about to take place. They ask that those who were crucified be killed sooner than normal and that their bodies taken down lest the Passover be defiled. The legs of the others crucified with Jesus are broken and presumably they die. But Jesus is already dead. His legs are not broken. Not one bone in the body of the Passover lamb was to be broken. But just to be sure a soldier does pierce the side of Jesus, thus inadvertently fulfilling the scripture. And John tells his readers that water and blood flowed forth from the body of Jesus. John tells his readers that they can be assured that this really happened since the beloved disciple witnessed it. And so Jesus’ body is taken down from the cross and placed in a tomb that is found in a garden near the crucifixion scene. John agrees with the other gospel writers that Joseph of Arimathea is one who buries Jesus. But, he is joined by another character who has shown up a couple of times in John’s story named Nicodemus.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 11 Once the meal scene has ended John tells his readers that Jesus and his followers go to a garden to the east of Jerusalem. Although John does not mention the Mount of Olives or Gethsemane it is clear that he is talking about the same events that Mark and the others were talking about. Once in the garden, John does not mention Jesus going off to pray and struggling with his decision to follow God’s will. There is no Garden of Gethsemane scene in John’s gospel, but we have already noted that at the end of the public ministry of Jesus, John tells his readers that Jesus was deeply sorrowful and in agony asks whether he should ask God to take this cup from him and decides there that he will not avoid what is coming for that is the very purpose for which God had sent him. And even here in John’s story, following the arrest of Jesus, Jesus says to his followers, “Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?” Instead of telling the story of Jesus in agonizing prayer John moves on to tell of his arrest at the instigation of Judas. The scene John portrays is filled with drama. Jesus asks who they are looking for and went they tell him they are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Jesus responds with the divine “I am!” The God-man is who they unknowingly seek. At the words of Jesus all fall to the ground in worship. That’s how you respond in the presence of God. So Jesus must ask a second time who it is they seek. And this time Jesus is arrested. Rather than depicting the disciples as all fleeing, John tells his readers that Jesus asks that they be allowed to go and they are. Jesus is now brought to the home of the high priest; but, in contrast with the other gospels, no trial occurs. In John’s gospel Jesus has already been tried in absentia and found guilty. It is only a matter of bringing Jesus before Pilate for the Roman trial. In the midst of detention of Jesus at the home of the high priest, John tells the same story of the denial of Jesus by Peter and the crowing of the cock to signal Peter’s failure. John does add one interesting note to the story. Not only Peter follows to the home of the high priest but one the other disciples, the “beloved disciple” follows too and he is the one who enables Peter to enter the courtyard since he is known to the high priest. The role of the beloved disciple is emerging more and more in John’s gospel.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 10 John begins his Passion Narrative by telling his readers that for a third time that Passover was about to happen. The first scene takes place at a meal in Jerusalem. John tells his readers nothing about the preparation for this meal. Clearly this is the same meal that Mark, Matthew, and Luke tell about in their gospels. But the events which take place at the meal are strikingly different. All four gospel writers reveal to their readers that Judas Iscariot is the one who will betray Jesus. John tells his readers that it was Satan who put the betrayal into Judas’ heart. The event begins with Jesus taking the form of a servant and washing his disciples’ feet. Only John tells of this foot washing. Following the foot washing the meal proceeds. But John does not tell the story in the same way as the others did. There is no taking of bread, blessing it, and no command to eat it because it is the Body of Christ. There is no taking of the cup and blessing it and calling it the Blood of Christ. John does not describe this meal as a Passover meal because in John’s chronology this meal happens on the day before Passover. At the meal we are first introduced to one who is called the “beloved disciple” who is sitting next to Jesus at the meal and asks Jesus to tell him who it is who will betray Jesus. By taking bread and giving it to Judas Jesus identifies his betrayer. John tells his readers that in the taking of the bread Satan enters into Judas. Yet, even with this clear identification of the betrayer the disciples do not fully understand when Jesus tells Judas to go and do what he must. They think Judas has been sent to prepare for the Passover meal which will happen the next night. Following the meal John tells his readers that Jesus spent a good deal of time attempting to prepare his disciples for his death. The narrative shows Jesus’ deep concern for how his disciples will function in his physical absence from them. Jesus promises them that he will send another advocate to care for them. This advocate will be the presence of Jesus following his death. This advocate is the Holy Spirit who the Father will send. John tells his readers that Jesus has been successful in bringing the message to his disciples – they know that Jesus has come from God and is returning to God and that Jesus will come again in the advocate, the Holy Spirit. Only John provides his readers this material centering upon Jesus’ deep concern for his followers that they might continue in the absence of Jesus. As chapter 14 comes to an end John tells his readers that Jesus commands his followers to rise and be on their way. At this point we encounter another of the “seams” in John’s gospel. Instead of moving on to the next episode John doubles back and provides his readers with three more chapters which are set in the room where the meal has taken place. These three chapters all center on the same concern of Jesus that his followers will be able to continue following his death and physical departure from their presence. Some of the material in these three chapters repeats what was said in the earlier chapter as Jesus talks about the sending of the Holy Spirit. All of this works together to make the meal scene in John incredibly longer than in the other gospels – at least 10 times longer. John invests a good deal of time in this event. It is clearly important to him. And even though John does not provide his readers with the story of Jesus transforming Passover into Holy Communion the event is a highlight of the narrative.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 9 John now tells his readers that it is six days before the Passover. Jesus is staying at the house of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha in Bethany at the summit of the Mount of Olives. John tells his readers that Mary anointed Jesus feet with expensive perfume and dried them with her hair. All four gospel writers tell a story that is very similar to this one. Luke places the story earlier in his storyline as a woman comes into the house of a Pharisee who had invited Jesus to dine with him. Mark and Matthew place the story just a bit later, after Jesus had made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. John tells this story just before the entry. Likely they all have the same story in mind. John now reminds his readers of the decision to kill Jesus and adds to it their decision to kill Lazarus too since his rising from the dead had brought so much attention to Jesus. They must dispose of any evidence that Jesus might really be the Messiah. John now joins with the storyline of the other gospel writers as he tells the story of Jesus entry into Jerusalem in a triumphant procession. Of course John’s telling of the story has far less punch than it did for Mark and the others since Jesus had already spent a good deal of time in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, the story is important in John’s storyline as once again Jesus is identified as the King. At this point in John’s gospel he tells his readers that some Greeks come and want to see Jesus. Are we to understand these Greeks as Gentile or as just Greek speaking Jews? Most likely we should see them as Gentiles. And their coming to Jesus functions as a trigger in John’s gospel. Jesus now announces that his “hour” has come. And it is an hour in which he will lose his life in order to gain it and in the process to gain a great harvest. John now tells his readers that Jesus speaks about his death. John tells us that Jesus is greatly troubled as this “hour” approaches. Jesus asks if he should say, “Father, save me from this hour?” and answers, “No, it is for this very reason that he has come from the Father.” The whole scene sounds a lot like the struggle that Mark, Matthew, and Luke will tell about at Gethsemane. John will tell of no struggle when he talks about Jesus in the garden there. But the struggle is here. And Jesus meets the need of humanity offering up his very life. And when he is “lifted up” he will draw all to himself. In Matthew’s and Luke’s gospels Jesus had lamented over Jerusalem. Here in John there is something of a lament too and Jesus quotes the words from Isaiah regarding how God has blinded the eyes of his people so that they might not see. Mark had used those words as his explanation for the parables that Jesus told. These words function for John as a summary of the frustration of God and the God-man over humanity that will not receive what God wants to give. We have now reached a crucial point in John’s gospel. The public ministry of Jesus is now over and John will move on to what has been called the Passion Narrative. As we look back over the story that John has been telling us we recall that John has told his readers that Jesus traveled back and forth between Judea and Galilee several times. In fact, Galilee has not figured greatly in John’s story. Most of the action in Galilee that John tells about happened in a town called Cana which is a town none of the other gospel writers even mention. The one event that happens near the Sea of Galilee is the multiplication of the loaves by Jesus to feed the 5000 followed by Jesus walking on the sea. John mentions Capernaum which was the center of the action in Mark, Matthew and Luke, but tells nothing about what happened there. So the geographic settings for John’s gospel are radically different from the others. We also recall that John has told his readers of three Passovers. The first one happened early in the ministry of Jesus as Jesus visited Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple. The second happened in Galilee in connection with the multiplication of the loaves and is followed by Jesus’ lengthy interpretation of the meaning of the multiplication of loaves and has deep allusions to Holy Communion and its bread/body and wine/blood symbolism. The third Passover is about to happen. So the chronological time frame for John’s gospel is also radically different from the others. John has also told the story of John the baptist in quite a different way than the others. John has a larger role in John’s gospel and does not function as the Elijah figure which is clearly his role in the others. Yet, we discover that John’s story often connects with elements in the others and clearly they are all reflecting upon the very same historical event. Now that we have reached the Passion Narrative we will discover that John is more closely connected with the other gospel writers. All four Passion Narratives follow the same basic chronology and tell most of the same stories. So let’s continue and trace John’s story of the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 8 At this point in John’s gospel we find a story that likely did not belong to the original storyline of John’s gospel. The story is of a woman caught in adultery. The story is not found in any of the earliest manuscripts of John’s gospel and is even found in a couple of late manuscripts of Luke’s gospel. This does not mean that the story does not have authority in our lives and should be omitted but it is not a part of John’s storyline so we will pass by it. The deadly conflicting controversy between Jesus and the Jews continues in the next chapter of John’s gospel. The story is not a very pleasant one and likely reflects the painful and bitter controversy that was boiling over at the time the final version of John’s gospel was written. Throughout these chapters Jesus will consistently reveal who he is and the Jews will not accept him. Over and over again Jesus claims for himself that he is “I am” the OT reference for God. This is not acceptable to the Jews. They accuse Jesus of blasphemy. They are unable to trap him and to kill him but the controversy is deadly. In the middle of the controversy John will tell another of his skillfully told stories. This story is of a man born blind who receives his sight when Jesus puts mud on his eyes and tells him to wash in the Pool of Siloam. The story sound remarkably like a similar story Mark told of how Jesus had to heal a blind man twice. Could there be a connection between these two stories? Perhaps there may be a connection between these two stories, but to press things that far may be too much speculation. The story concludes with the blind man having received more than just his sight – he comes to “see” Jesus as “I am”, the Messiah. The religious leaders end up being the ones who are blind. Still in Jerusalem and still embroiled in the Temple Controversy Jesus tells his hearers that he is the Good Shepherd which is a clear allusion to the role of God and God’s Messiah in the OT. As the Good Shepherd, Jesus will lay down his life for the sheep. No one will take it from him. And not only will Jesus lay down his life but he will take it up again. John is pointing forward to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus. And he is pointing backward to the identity John the baptist first made of Jesus. He is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. John tells his readers that some welcomed these words of Jesus and other did not. Time has now passed and Jesus is still in Jerusalem. He has been there since late October or early November. John tells his readers that the Feast of Dedication takes place. This feast which commemorated the victory of the Maccabees and the restoration of the Temple in 165 BC would have taken place in late December or early January. The controversy is still brewing and the religious leaders accuse Jesus of blasphemy because he claims to be the Son of God. Of course readers of John’s gospel know that Jesus is indeed the Son of God – he is the God-man. An attempt is made to arrest Jesus but his “hour” has not yet come and he leaves Jerusalem for a short time and crosses over the Jordan River. John now tells his readers of the plight of a family who lives in Bethany at the summit of the Mount of Olives. Their names are Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Luke had told his readers of a visit of Jesus to the house of Mary and Martha and likely we should understand that this is the very same family. The need of Mary and Martha and Lazarus is great. Lazarus is deathly ill and they call out for Jesus to help. Will Jesus come to the aid of his friend Lazarus? At first Jesus does not go but once he is sure that Lazarus has died he goes back into the fire-pit of controversy and does the most remarkable of things – he raises Lazarus from the dead. This is spoken of by John as the last of the signs Jesus did. And the sign both engenders faith in some and enrages hate in others. In fact, as a result of this event the religious leaders gather together for what is described as a trial of Jesus in absentia. Their verdict is to put Jesus to death. John will not tell his readers of a trial before the Jewish authorities once Jesus has been arrested. They have already tried him in the aftermath of the raising of Lazarus.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 7 At this point we run into another of the glaring “seams” in John’s gospel. Almost from “out of the blue” John tells his readers “after this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.” The action had just been in Jerusalem. Now Jesus is said to return from one side of the Sea of Galilee to the other. How did he get to Galilee? When did he come? What does “after this” refer to? All of these issues reveal a “seam” in the story. John will now tell the only Galilean story that he shares with Mark, Matthew, and Luke. And he will tell it in the very same order and with almost the same words. Clearly this is a story that was told in this way long before either Mark or John worked with it. The story is of Jesus feeding the 5000 and then walking on the water. John does add a time reference to the story. He tells his readers that once again Passover is approaching. This is the second Passover John mentions in his storyline. Once the details of the story have been told, John expands greatly upon the story by having Jesus explain the breaking of the bread. Jesus is the bread of life. Just as the bread fell in the wilderness so Jesus has come down from heaven to give life to the world. Much of John’s argument is once again couched in theological language. In the story John makes clear allusion to the sacrament of Holy Communion. John will not tell a story of Jesus celebrating Passover with his disciples at the end of his life when he takes the bread and breaks it and tells his disciples that it is his body and then takes the cup and blesses it giving it to them with the words that this is his blood. Here Jesus speaks of the bread as his flesh and adds mention of the drinking of his blood even though there is no drinking of anything in the original story of the feeding of the 5000. Though John does not tell the story of Jesus transforming Passover into what Christians will come to know as Holy Communion at the last Passover, he does allude to it in the telling of this second Passover. We will need to talk about why John omits the story of Jesus actually celebrating Passover at the end of his life later, but this material is helpful for us to know that John is also aware of the bread/flesh wine/blood connection that Jesus makes. The whole event ends with a crisis for followers of Jesus. John tells his readers that many leave him and that even the twelve are troubled. This is the only time that John refers to the Twelve. He has told us only of the call of five disciples so far. He is aware of the Twelve but makes nothing of them. In the end they are the ones who remain with Jesus in this story. Following the story of the feeding of the 5000 with its long interpretation John tells his readers that Jesus went about Galilee. He provides no details of what happened. Readers of John’s gospel might well be surprised that so much of Mark’s storyline is simply missing from John. And after an indefinite period of time once again John tells his readers that Jesus returns to Jerusalem. This time the reason for his going is to celebrate the Feast of Booths which would have happened in the fall of the year in either late October or early November. Mark had told his readers of the tragic conflict between Jesus and his family. John does not tell the same story but he does clearly tell his readers that Jesus’ own brothers do not believe in him and almost taunt him to go to Jerusalem and do his mighty works there. They are pictured by John as tempters and testers of Jesus. As we have seen before John tells his readers that at first Jesus refuses to do what they ask and then does it. It’s as if Jesus will act on his own terms and not at the whim of anyone else. John also has told his readers that Jesus is avoiding Jerusalem because of the danger that lurked there – the religious leaders are looking for an opportunity to kill him! Jesus appears to go to Jerusalem incognito; however, in the middle of the festival he reveals himself and the conflict begins to rage on. In John’s storyline this is the beginning of what we might call the Temple Controversy. Mark had restricted that controversy to a single day or at most two. Luke had made it at least somewhat more extended to an indefinite time. John extends the controversy for about five months – from November to March.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 6 At this point John throws another curve at readers who are familiar with Mark’s, Matthew’s, and Luke’s storylines. John tells his readers that Jesus returns to Jerusalem for a festival. This is the second time John has told his readers that Jesus leaves Galilee and goes to Jerusalem. Actually, not much has happened in Galilee and none of the stories John tells can be found in Mark. Only the story of the healing of the official’s son has a possible connection to those storylines and that connection is vague at best. John is clearly aware of a Galilean ministry but he neglects to say much about it. John does not tell his readers which festival it is that Jesus goes to Jerusalem to celebrate. And soon the focus is on an encounter between Jesus and a man who is lame. The event takes place at the pools just to the north of the Temple. The story of the healing of this lame man follows a pattern that John will use. The man has the opportunity to grow in faith much as the woman at the well did but he does not. Instead he goes to the religious authorities and identifies Jesus as his healer and thus a controversy between Jesus and the religious authorities begins. The crux of the disagreement has to do with Jesus violation of the Sabbath. Disagreement about Sabbath is one of the themes of Mark’s storyline as well. John and Mark agree that Jesus’ interpretation of and healing on the Sabbath is one of the main contentions in their respective stories. We will need to remember this connection. Only John tells this story of the man at the Pool of Bethzatha. We have heard from Mark, Matthew, and Luke of the Temple Controversy that occurred between Jesus and the religious leaders in Jerusalem at the end of Jesus’ life. The semblance of that controversy begins here in John’s gospel. This is much earlier than it was for Mark, although Mark does tell of controversy between Jesus and the religious leaders throughout the Galilean ministry of Jesus too. At this point in his storyline John provides for his readers a great deal of theological language and argument. Within the controversy story John portrays Jesus as one who knows where he comes from and where he is going – the center of the God-man’s mission since he comes from God and returns to God. The Jewish leaders, in fact, the Jews in general do not understand and reject Jesus.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 5 Following the encounter with Nicodemus in Jerusalem, John tells his readers that Jesus and his disciples enter into the countryside of Judea and spent some time baptizing there. John also tells his readers that John the baptist is still baptizing in the same wilderness. A degree of competition emerges between John and Jesus. We had noted that Mark and the others had spoken of the arrest of John before Jesus went to Galilee. Here John remarks about the arrest of John telling his readers that John was not yet arrested. John is aware that John the baptist will indeed be put in prison thus he agrees with the other gospel writers. It is only the matter of timing that differs, but that is a significant difference. As chapter four begins John returns to speak of the competing ministries of baptism between Jesus and John. In chapter three one is led to believe that Jesus is also baptizing. But in chapter four John tells his readers that Jesus did not baptize and that only his disciples did the baptizing. Why this difference? This is one of the “seams” we spoke of earlier. Two contrasting stories have been put near one another without resolving the contrast. In the second story not much is said about the baptism but the story serves as a bridge for John tell about the next movement of Jesus. John now tells his readers that Jesus leaves Judea once again and begins to travel north toward Galilee. On the way he passes through Samaria. Jesus could have avoided Samaria by travelling on the east bank of the Jordan River but he does not. He enters Samaria. Not once does Mark or Matthew mention Jesus being in Samaria. We have noticed that Luke places Jesus at the border between Galilee and Samaria in the journey of Jesus to Jerusalem at the end of his life. John tells his readers that Jesus travels early in his ministry to Samaria and there he has a successful ministry among the Samaritans. Only John tells the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well in Samaria. And the story is skillfully crafted by John and typical of so many other stories John will tell. It is a story with much movement and drama within it. Slowly the woman discovers who Jesus is and by the end of the story Jesus will reveal to her that he is indeed the “I am” of the OT. John has told his readers that in Jesus the very presence of God dwells. Jesus is the God-man and by claiming for himself that he is “I am” which is the divine name, Jesus is revealing this to the woman. She hears and understands and she and many Samaritans become followers of Jesus. The disciples do not understand what is going on. They will understand later. We noticed that both Matthew and Luke knew a saying of Jesus that the harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. John knows this saying too and places it here in the midst of the Samaritans who were outcasts in Jewish society. The outcasts are the plentiful harvest for followers of Jesus who are willing to see. As John’ storyline continues Jesus reaches Galilee once again. We might expect that now Jesus will stay there in Galilee. We will need to wait and see. Readers of Mark’s gospel and the other will recall that it was at Nazareth in Galilee that Jesus made the remark that a prophet is not without honor except in his own country. John tells his readers that Jesus makes this remark as he leaves Samaria and Judea on his way to Galilee. In John’s storyline Jesus never goes to Nazareth. Once he is back in Galilee John tells a story that he likely shares with both Matthew and Luke. There are some differences but the base of the story is the same. An official has a son who is deathly ill. Jesus has returned to Cana where his first sign was accomplished. The official was from Capernaum and he comes to beg Jesus to come and heal his son. At first Jesus refuses and then heals the boy. The official in this story has the same type of faith as the Roman centurion in Luke’s and Matthew’s story. And John tells his readers that this was the second sign that Jesus did.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 4 Following the events in Cana John tells his readers that Jesus moved on to Capernaum. This is beginning to sound a lot like Mark’s storyline. Readers of John’s gospel must not miss this seemingly insignificant reference. John knows of the ministry of Jesus at Capernaum and that it was near the beginning of his ministry. But then John does a surprising thing. He tells his readers that Passover was approaching and so Jesus returns to Jerusalem. We will remember that in Mark’s storyline once Jesus arrives in Galilee he will not leave again until his makes his journey to Jerusalem and his death which comes at the end of the story. John brings Jesus back to Jerusalem almost immediately. John and Mark stand in stark contrast with one another at this point. We will need to consider how this can be when we begin to place the four storylines side by side. But for now we need to note John’s storyline. Furthermore, this is the first of three Passovers that John will tell his readers about. In Mark’s storyline there is mention of only one Passover and that comes at the very end of Jesus’ life. What happens when Jesus comes to this first Passover in Jerusalem? The very same thing that Mark tells his readers happened when Jesus came to his last and only Passover in Mark’s storyline. Jesus cleanses the Temple. John and Mark have placed this event in very different sequences in their respective gospels. There are those who argue that Jesus must have cleansed the Temple twice but that seems highly unlikely. There is no mention of a Temple cleansing in John’s gospel at the end of Jesus’ ministry. It is more likely that both have the same event in mind and place it at two very different times in their storyline of Jesus. Presumably still in Jerusalem Jesus engages a religious leader named Nicodemus. Only John mentions Nicodemus. He comes to Jesus at night – and this is more than coming under the cover of darkness but part of John’s rich symbolism. Nicodemus is “in the dark” in more ways than one. In the conversation Jesus tells Nicodemus that he must be born from above if he is to have eternal life. Jesus has come from above and will return above to the Father. Only those who are born from above will know Jesus. As we mentioned earlier, very quickly this encounter changes from a story between Jesus and Nicodemus to a theological claim by John. He tells his readers that just as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness and brought life to those who looked upon that image Jesus will be “lifted up” (an allusion to crucifixion) and those who see will have eternal life. Jesus has come from God and returns to God. All of this is theological language provided by John for his readers to understand the meaning of Jesus.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 3 Having begun with his bold theological claim that Jesus is the God-man, John now proceeds to introduce his readers to John, who the other gospel writers know as John the baptist. John indeed does baptize in John’s gospel but he is pictured more as John the witness who first reveals who Jesus is. Mark, Matthew and Luke had all understood John as Elijah who was to come to prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John; however, clearly states that John is not Elijah. Nor is John the Messiah, nor the prophet like Moses which is really another way of talking about the Messiah. John bears witness to Jesus and tells his followers and thus the readers of John’s gospel that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. John also witnesses that he saw the Spirit descend and remain upon Jesus, but the gospel writer John does not tell his readers that John baptized Jesus. If we only had the gospel of John we would likely conclude that John did not baptize Jesus. Like Matthew and Luke, John has a lot more material about John the baptist than Mark did – in fact much more than Matthew and Luke. John the baptist plays a significant role throughout the beginning of John’s gospel. In their own way each of the gospel writers have dealt with the call of Jesus’ disciples. John is unique in that he tells his readers that at least a couple of Jesus’ disciples were first disciples of John the baptist. The first two disciples to be called are Andrew and an un-named disciple, likely the one who will become known and the “beloved disciple.” Andrew then calls his brother Simon, who Jesus calls Peter, to follow and so there are three. All of this action takes place at the Jordan River, to the east of Jerusalem. John now tells his readers that Jesus decides to go to Galilee and there he finds two more disciples. First he finds Philip and then Nathaniel. Philip is from Bethsaida, the hometown of Peter and Andrew. Only John names Nathaniel as a disciple. The movement of location from Judea to Galilee is important in John’s storyline and matches the storyline of Mark and the others to this point. John has not mentioned anything about the arrest of John the baptist though. For Mark, Matthew, and Luke the arrest of John happened just before Jesus first went to Galilee. Once he is in Galilee John tells his readers that Jesus and his disciples, presumably the five, go to a wedding at Cana in Galilee. Only John mentions the town of Cana. While at Cana, John introduces his readers to Jesus’ mother, Mary. Mary will not appear again in John’s story until the crucifixion and here it seems there is at least some measure of tension between Jesus and Mary. The host of the wedding has run out of wine so Mary goes and tells Jesus. Was she expecting him to do something about the need? John does not specify, but Jesus response to Mary is that his “hour” has not yet come. We will learn that the “hour” Jesus is speaking about is his death. This is another part of John use of symbolism. Why responding to the need for wine should lead to Jesus’ death is peculiar. But, even though Jesus first seems to rebuff Mary and refuse to help, he goes on to change water into wine. One of the things we will notice about John’s storyline is that often Jesus refuses at first and then does what he was asked to do. John tells his readers that this was the first sign that Jesus did and that his disciples believed in him. John will speak of seven signs – again symbolism is involved.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 2 So, as we turn to John’s storyline we will need to observe the same things as we have with each of the other gospels. Where does the action take place? What indications of time are provided by the writer of John? How are the character developed? All of these are important as we trace John’s storyline. So let’s begin. We have noted how each of the gospel writers begins in their own distinct way. John is perhaps the most unusual of all. John begins with a theological claim about Jesus and about God. John introduces his readers to someone he calls the “Word” and then goes on to tell them that the “Word” was with God from the beginning and, in fact, the “Word” was God. John then tells his readers that at a particular point in time this “Word” became human – “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!” This is a very bold theological claim by John. We soon learn that the “Word who became flesh” is Jesus. So John is claiming and telling his readers that in Jesus the very being and presence of God dwells, yet Jesus is a human being. John wants his readers to know that at one and the same time Jesus is both God and human. John is not saying that Jesus is God some of the time and human some of the time. No, Jesus is always both Divine and human. John is not saying that Jesus is somehow 50% God and 50% human. No, Jesus is 100% God and 100% human. John begins his gospel by introducing his readers to what we might call the God-man. God and humanity are dwelling as one in the person of Jesus. All of this, of course, presses our minds to the edge and perhaps over the edge of understanding. We are finally not able to explain how this can be – John does not attempt to explain either, but he does tell his readers in the first ending of his gospel that he has written his gospel that we might believe in the God-man and that believing in him will mean life. In one sense this theological claim rests outside the actual story. In another sense this claim is essential to the story. John wants his readers to know from the very beginning that Jesus is unique – that Jesus is the God-man. Of course none of the participants in the story know this. One of the main tasks of Jesus will be to reveal this to his disciples and to anyone who is willing to be drawn to God. If one were to look at the big picture of the storyline of John’s gospel that storyline can be summed up by saying that John tells the story of Jesus who comes from God and returns to God whose work is to make God known to those who believe in Jesus. But we need to trace that storyline more carefully.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of John’s Gospel – Part 1 We have come to the last of our gospels, the gospel of John. As we begin I want to remind you that it is my conviction that the gospel of John is independent of all the other gospels. That is, John did not use and likely was not aware of Mark, Matthew, and Luke. It is also likely that none of those gospels used the gospel of John or were aware of John’s gospel – although we have noted that Luke has some connections which we will need to think about later. The point here is to emphasize that the gospel of John is an independent story of Jesus. There are a few special challenges that we will need to consider as we work with the gospel of John. First of all, John uses much more theological language as he writes his gospel. In fact, at times the gospel of John seems to abandon the story-mode and become more like a theological treatise. For example, in the third chapter of John Jesus is in conversation with Nicodemus but soon the conversation seems to evaporate and John begins to discuss in theological language the purpose of Jesus’ coming and the reason why human beings accept or reject Jesus. When John writes his most famous verse – John 3:16 – it is no longer Jesus speaking, but John theologizing about how God so loves the world that he gave his only son and that people who reject Jesus love the darkness rather than the light. To be sure each of the other writers is a theologian too, but they are more covert in their theology. John is straightforward in often presenting his theology. Related to this is the fact that John uses far more symbolic language than the others. In the example above darkness has little to do with physical darkness but is a symbolic term. John presents many of these symbolic references. Theology and Symbolism present John’s readers with a challenge. A second challenge readers of John’s gospel encounter is that there are several places in John’s gospel where the “seams” are still showing as John “sews” together his narrative. The best example is in the story of Jesus at the last supper. Chapters 13 and 14 are about that experience; and then, at the end of chapter 14, Jesus tells his disciples to “rise and leave” but the story continues for three more chapters in the same setting of the supper. Another example is that the gospel of John has two distinct endings – one at the end of chapter 20 and a second at the end of chapter 21. All of these “seams” indicate that the gospel of John is in some way a compilation of different writers – or perhaps one writer who “hammered together” a variety of pieces to make a whole. It is likely that the gospel of John is a gospel that grew over time through the work of more than one writer until the final product as we have it was produced. This challenge of the “seams” is related to a third challenge and that is that John is the only gospel that makes the claim that at least some part of it, if not the whole, comes from the hand of an eyewitness who was one of Jesus closest disciples. John tells his readers of a follower of Jesus he calls “the beloved disciple” or sometimes just “the other disciple” who bears witness to events in the story. We have noticed that Mark, Matthew, and Luke tell their story as an omniscient narrator who is outside of the story and yet knows everything that is going on in their story and even in the minds of the characters in their story. John shares this same reality; however, in the presence of the “beloved disciple” the narrator becomes at least to a limited extent a character in the story too. It is my conviction that the “beloved disciple” is a real person and that he does indeed stand at the foundation of John’s gospel – though it is also my conviction that the gospel of John as we have it today was not written by this disciple but by his followers. Just who the “beloved disciple” was is impossible to determine. We can do better to eliminate who he likely was not than to establish who he was. Tradition has said that John, the son of Zebedee, was the beloved disciple, but that is almost certainly not true. John has deliberately left the identity of the beloved disciple to be anonymous. We need to respect that, but the reality of a “beloved disciple” as an eyewitness participant who stands behind the community who has given us the gospel of John is important. And it does present us with a challenge. One further challenge that presents itself is that we do not have only the gospel of John but we have three letters of John that surely come from the same community and belong together. So, perhaps more than a challenge, the existence of the letters of John presents us with an opportunity. They help us to get a better perspective about the time in which John was written. As with each of the other writers I will attempt to give some indication about the circumstances and possible time in which the gospel of John was written. Since I have already said that this gospel likely is the product of more than one hand, written over time, these comments will pertain to the final version of the gospel of John as we have it. Likely there is much material in John’s gospel that comes from an earlier time. It is simply impossible for us to determine which parts and when those parts were written. We can only deal with the final product anyway so there is where my focus will rest. As one reads the gospel of John something that becomes apparent is that a bitter and painful split has occurred between Jewish followers of Jesus and Jews who reject Jesus. The followers of Jesus have been “cast out of the synagogue” and are no longer welcome or even recognized as a possible expression of Judaism. If we pay attention to Luke’s story and especially to the book of Acts, the picture that emerges at first is of Jewish believers in Jesus and those Jews who do not believe that Jesus was the Messiah living at least in some toleration of one another. By the time we get to John’s gospel that toleration has evaporated – and both sides shares in the split. In some ways, the gospel of John reveals a reality when Christianity has emerged as a distinct religious belief apart from its parent, Judaism. We need to remember Luke’s conviction that Jewish Christians represented an expression of Judaism still within the family of Judaism. By the time of John’s gospel it would be better to speak of Christians and Jews. So, the crisis that lies behind the gospel of John as we have it today is this bitter and painful split. Such a split likely became reality in the last decade or so of the first century of even the beginning of the second century. It is likely that the final form of John’s gospel as we have it today came from the 90’s or perhaps a bit later. Again, it is important to remember that there is likely material in John that was written much earlier than that.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 14 We have come to the end of Luke’s storyline. In many ways we have noted that Luke follows Mark faithfully. In many other ways we have noted how Luke departs from Mark’s storyline and goes his own way. Luke has shaped his storyline around the visitation of God to his people and the question of whether or not people will welcome or reject that coming. Luke has gone out of his way to tell his readers that some faithful Jewish people did welcome the Messiah. And Luke has gone out of his way to demonstrate to his readers that Jewish followers of Jesus as the Messiah are faithful Jews. Luke portrays Christianity as the true expression of Judaism. Luke has also placed the disciples in a far more favorable light by softening Mark’s words about them at almost every turn. Luke will continue this favorable appraisal of the followers in his second book, the book of Acts. We will not follow Luke’s argument there but we do need to keep Acts in mind as we consider Luke’s storyline.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 13 At this point Luke’s story of the resurrection of Jesus is markedly different from Mark’s. Of course we can recognize that they are speaking of the same event, but Luke has removed any mention of Galilee as the destination of Jesus and the disciples after the resurrection. Mark had spoken of one man sitting inside the tomb who met the women. Luke tells of two who appear as angels sitting outside the tomb. And Luke tells his readers that the women are faithful in going and telling the disciples what they have found. Luke tells his readers that the disciples think the women are telling a tale, although he also mentions that Peter went to verify what the women had said and reports that the tomb is indeed empty but has no answer about what this might mean. Luke’s story of the resurrection is far closer to John’s version of the story than it is to Mark’s. We have noticed for some time now that Luke has elements in his story that are shared with John. A huge question is emerging for those who are paying attention to these similarities. Is there a connection between Luke and John? If so, what kind of connection is this and how might we understand it? This will be a part of our comparison of the storylines and what we might learn when we read them together. When we left Luke’s storyline we left it with the puzzle of Peter’s discovery that the body was indeed no longer in the tomb. Luke now tells his readers of a journey of two followers of Jesus as they leave Jerusalem to travel to Emmaus. Only Luke tells this story and it is creative in unfolding. Jesus comes and travels with these sad and bewildered followers and eventually reveals himself to them as the resurrected Christ in the breaking of the bread – Luke is clearly alluding to the power of the sacrament of Holy Communion to reveal Jesus. And then, Luke tells a story that again sound much like a similar story John will tell in his gospel. Jesus appears to his disciples in a room in Jerusalem and reveals himself to them. In both the story of Emmaus and here Luke tells his readers that Jesus revealed himself as one who fulfilled the OT scripture – Jesus opened their minds to understand the scriptures! The power of the Word is emphasized. Luke has lifted up both Word and Sacrament as means that Jesus uses to reveal himself to his followers. Finally Luke reports to his readers that Jesus led his disciples out of the city to Bethany at the summit of the Mount of Olives and there Jesus blessed them and ascended into heaven. The disciples return to Jerusalem and the Temple and there they live in praise of God for what God has done. Luke will tell a slightly different story in the book of Acts about the ascension of Jesus but the idea is the same. And in the book of Acts Luke will tell his readers that Jesus comes to them in the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Absent for Luke’s storyline is any mention of Jesus meeting with his disciples in Galilee.

Reading the Gospels Together The Storyline of Luke’s Gospel – Part 12 At this point Luke has reached what is often spoken of as the “Passion Narrative” – the story of the betrayal and death of Jesus. Luke will again follow Mark quite closely with a few modifications. Like Mark, Luke provides his readers with information regarding when this all happened. The time of Passover was near. It is significant that Luke omits the story of a woman anointing Jesus for his burial. We noted earlier that he likely takes that story and moves it forward in his narrative to tell the story of the woman who comes into the house of the Pharisee, Simon and is used by Jesus as an example of great love. Luke now tells how Judas decides to betray Jesus just as Mark had done, but Luke adds mystery and drama to Judas telling his readers that Satan had entered his heart. Luke will attribute much more to Satan than any other of the synoptic gospel writers and agree more with John who also attributes Judas’ actions more to the power of Satan than anything else. Luke follows Mark in the story of the preparation for Passover and, like Mark, again gives the time marker of saying that this took place on the day when the Passover lambs were slaughtered which would have been Thursday. Luke is much more definite about Jesus actually eating the Passover supper with his disciples telling his readers who Jesus had longed for this moment. There can be no doubt in Luke’s mind that this was in fact the Passover. Luke does modify Mark’s story a little by speaking of the cup first followed by the bread and then followed by a second cup. Actually in the Passover meal several cups were used so Luke may be reflecting a bit more of the actual event than Mark did. At the end of the supper Luke inserts some material into Mark’s storyline about the disciples arguing about who was the greatest and they are chastised by Jesus who then tells them that they will reign on twelve thrones over the twelve tribes of Israel. Only Luke provides this material. Luke now begins to move the scene to Gethsemane just as Mark had and tells of Jesus prediction that Peter will deny Jesus. Luke again adds mystery to the drama by telling how Satan has been given permission to sift the good from the bad. Again the role of Satan is added by Luke. And just as they are arriving at Gethsemane Luke adds a comment that remembers the missionary journey of earlier and then invites his disciples to now take the necessary provisions and to even take a sword. They have two and that is enough. Luke tells his readers that all of this is necessary to fulfill the scripture. At Gethsemane Luke will follow Mark again quite closely; however, he changes Mark’s picture of the disciples nearly excusing them for falling asleep since they are so overcome with grief. Luke softens Mark’s condemnation of Jesus’ followers putting them in a much more favorable light. The arrest of Jesus follows Mark’s storyline as does the report that Jesus is brought to the house of the high priest and the report of Peter’s denial. Following Mark, Jesus is found guilty of blasphemy in the hearing before the council and is delivered to Pilate. At this point Luke inserts a story of Jesus being sent to Herod Antipas once Pilate hears that Jesus is from Galilee. Only Luke mentions Herod Antipas in the proceeding. Once back in the custody of Pilate, Luke weaves his story to have Pilate three times declare Jesus to be innocent. Something John will also do. The story is similar to Mark’s but shaped in a little different way. Once Jesus condemned, Luke tells the story of the crucifixion in a similar way that Mark did. Luke; however, paints the scene in different colors and places three words on the lips of Jesus. First, Jesus forgives those who crucify him. Second, Luke inserts that story of a conversation between the two insurrectionists crucified with Jesus with one of them siding with Jesus and asking to be with Jesus in paradise. He is promised that he will indeed be with Jesus. And Luke omits Mark’s cry on the lips of Jesus when Jesus says, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me.” In its place Luke tells his readers that Jesus dies with the words, “Father! Into your hands I commit my spirit.” Mark had told his readers that after Jesus had breathed his last the curtain of the Temple was torn in two. Luke tells his readers that the curtain is torn just before Jesus speaks his last words – as if the tearing of the curtain made God accessible for Jesus to place himself in God’s hands. Luke also reports to his readers that the Roman soldier, upon seeing the Jesus is dead, says to those around, “Certainly this man was innocent” instead of Mark’s report that the soldier said, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” And Luke tells his readers that those who witnessed the crucifixion went home beating their breasts in agony at what they had done – apparently they agree with the Roman solider, Jesus was innocent. But now what could they do? Mark had removed all the male followers of Jesus from the scene and mentioned that some women saw at a distance. Luke changes Mark’s storyline to include not only the women but others who were almost certainly the male followers. Once again Luke is putting the disciples in a far more favorable light. The burial of Jesus in Luke’s gospel follows Mark almost exactly. Luke does emphasize that the woman rested on the Sabbath – they are faithful Jews and recall the way in which Luke had brought people like Zechariah, Elizabeth, Simeon and Anna into the scene. There were faithful Jews who followed Jesus.