Synoptic Gospels E-Book

Dr. Paul G. Caram

• Herausgeber: Zion Christian Publishers
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

Dr. Paul Caram’s study of the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke will enable the reader to comprehend the whole story of the gospels by masterfully weaving together the accounts of all of the gospel writers. You will see how seeming discrepancies and dissimilarities, when viewed together give an enlightening perspective of the life and teachings of Christ, so that every believer would not only know and understand the ways of God, but also follow in His steps as true disciples of our Lord Jesus. 

Leseprobe

THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

A Comparison of

Matthew - Mark - Luke

Paul G. Caram, Ph.D.

"The Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke"

Copyright by Paul G. Caram

September 2004 Second Printing

All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form

or by any electronic or mechanical means without written permission from the publisher,

except in the case of brief quotations in articles or reviews.

All Scripture quotations in this book are taken from the

King James Version Bible unless otherwise stated.

Published with permission by Zion Christian Publishers

as an e-book on March 2015

in the United States of America

E-book ISBN 1-59665-177-6

For more information, please contact:

Zion Christian Publications

Box 256

Ulysses, Pa. 16948

Web: www.zionchristianbooks.com

Many thanks to the following for their input and resources:

• Dr. Brian J. Bailey

• Bullinger's Companion Bible

• Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary

• Vines's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words

• Matthew Henry's Commentaries

• The editorial expertise of Mary Humphreys and proofreading of Sharon J. Miller and Gary L. Perkins.

• Numerous other sources gathered from forty years of study and teaching.

Preface

The Gospels are the most important books of the Bible. They record the very words and life of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. In this study we will be comparing eighty-three of the same accounts recorded by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Of these, twenty-four are also found in John.

In addition to this, we will be looking at 52 accounts found only in Luke's Gospel, and 27 accounts found only in Matthew.

There is a map at the beginning of the textbook. I recommend that you meditate upon it and absorb it carefully. It is very useful to have a picture in your mind of where each event is taking place. Especially you should visualize the five main areas in Israel where Christ ministered—Galilee, Samaria, Judaea, Decapolis, and Peraea.

Chronology is very important too. There is an outline of the four Gospels. This must not be overlooked. On the contrary, it should be referred to often. Most of the Gospels are not in perfect chronological order. The outline helps to guide us accurately from one event to another in the order they occurred.

As we combine the Gospels, we get the full picture of each event. Each Gospel writer contributes something that the others omitted. Blending the narratives together, the scenes become vividly clear and new truths open up to us from the life of Christ.

This textbook should not be skimmed over like a newspaper. Of course, neither should the Scriptures. Go slowly through each paragraph, and ask God to make his Word alive to you. Underline those sections that the Holy Spirit quickens, and meditate upon them. Write down in a special notebook those things God illumines. Ask the Lord to write his Word upon your heart. For your own personal benefit, you should review your textbook over and over in the future. May the Spirit of the Lord be your Teacher now as you open the pages of this manual.

Every blessing in Christ Jesus:

Paul G. Caram

Cities of New Testament Times

Find and memorize the location of each of the following:

Aenon - a place where John baptized because there was much water there

Arimathea - city of Joseph, the godly counsellor who buried Jesus in his own sepulchre (Lk.23:51)

Azotus - the city to which Philip was translated, after being in Gaza (Acts 8:26-40)

Bethany - the town of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus

Bethsaida - in Galilee, hometown of Philip, Peter, and Andrew, near the place where Jesus fed 5000

Bethlehem - where Jesus was born, the city of David

Beersheba - the southern most part of Judea

Bethabara - another place where John baptized

Caesarea - Roman military base on the Mediterranean where resided Pilate, Cornelius, and others

Caesarea Philippi - at the base of Mt. Hermon, where Peter confessed - "Thou art the Christ."

Capernaum - Christ made his headquarters here (in Galilee) during his ministry, also Peter

Cana - where Jesus performed his first miracle of turning water to wine at the wedding

Chorazin - a city condemned by Christ because of the miracles they saw, but no repentance

Damascus - oldest city on earth / place of Paul's conversion / 140 miles northeast of Jerusalem

Decapolis - an area east of the Jordan River where Christ ministered

Ephraim - a town northeast of Jerusalem (Jn.11:54) near the wilderness where Jesus abode awhile

Gadara - a town near the Sea of Galilee where Jesus delivered the demon possessed man

Galilee - a sea, also a large territory in northern Israel where Jesus and all the apostles came from

Gaza - where Philip preached to the Ethiopian eunuch

Hebron - one of the oldest cities on earth, yet never mentioned once in the New Testament

Jericho - where Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus

Joppa - where Peter had the vision at noon of God cleansing and accepting the Gentiles

Jordan R. - beginning at the base of Mt. Hermon, going into the Sea of Galilee, to the Dead Sea

Judea - This is southern Israel. Jerusalem was the capital. The temple was here - the center of Judiasm

Lydda - where Peter healed Aeneas, and all that dwelt in Lydda and Sharon turned to the Lord

Machaerus - the site of Herod's castle where John was imprisoned and executed

Mount Hermon - where Jesus is believed to have been transfigured

Nazareth - hometown of Jesus, twenty miles southwest of Capernaum

Nain - where Jesus raised the widow's son from the dead

Peraea - the area directly east of Jerusalem, across Jordan, where Jesus ministered

Phoenicia - area of Lebanon (Tyre) from which the Syro-Pheonician woman's daughter was healed

Sycar - in Samaria, where Jacob's well was (Jn. 4:5-6) where Jesus spoke to the woman at the well

Especially fix in your mind the five main areas of Israel where Jesus ministered:

JUDEA

SAMARIA GALILEE

DECAPOLIS

PERAEA

PALESTINE IN NEW TESTAMENT TIMES

SYNOPTIC GOSPELS

(Matthew, Mark, Luke)

INTRODUCTION

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called synoptic. Synoptic comes from the Greek word "synoptikos," which means: "to see the whole together, to take a comprehensive view." Together the three Gospels present the life and teachings of Christ, each from a different perspective. It takes all three Gospels together to have the full picture.

We could liken this to being on the witness stand in a court hearing. Each person describes the same incident but from his own particular outlook. When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, some saw the scene from nearby buildings. Others were standing near the motorcade on either side of the highway. Several were in the motorcade. Each one described what he heard and saw from a different viewpoint. Such was the case in the writing of the Synoptic Gospels. They record many of the same events but from different angles. John's Gospel is uniquely separate from the other three.

Two Reasons for Differences in the Gospel Accounts

Why are the Gospels dissimilar? There are two main things that we have to consider when we compare the differences between the Gospels. Number one, the personalities of the Gospel writers were diverse. Number two, the audiences to whom they were writing were different. Matthew, an accountant, was writing to the Jewish world. Mark, an interpreter in Latin for Peter, wrote to the Roman world. Luke, a physician and scholar, wrote to the Greek world. But John is written to all.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are inherently different. Yet, they all present the same Gospel and they were all inspired by the same Spirit. All three writers directed their messages to different audiences who had different needs. Each writer selectively recorded that teaching of Christ which would apply to his respective readers. Other teachings were purposely omitted. For example, Mark mentions women not divorcing their husbands (Mk.10:12), while Matthew did not include this in his Gospel to the Jews, since Jewish law did not permit a woman to divorce her husband anyway.

Uniqueness of John's Gospel

The Gospel of John is unlike Matthew, Mark, and Luke. John's Gospel deals chiefly with the words and discourses of the Lord Jesus Christ. John does not record any parables. Mark has four, Luke has nineteen, and Matthew has eighteen. The word "faith" is not found in John, although "believe" is frequently mentioned. One-third of the Gospel of John covers one day—the passover in which our Lord was crucified. Chapters 13 through 19 took place all in one 24 hour day.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all foretell Jerusalem's coming destruction (70 A.D.), and were written before Jerusalem fell. John was written long after the city was plundered, and does not predict its fall. John uses Roman time, which is the same as ours. The Synoptic Gospels use Hebrew time. The Jewish day started six hours earlier, at 6:00 in the evening. Ours starts at 12:00 midnight.

SUMMARY OF MATTHEW'S GOSPEL

Matthew's Personality - An Accountant

Matthew, a former tax-collector, is the only one of the Gospel writers to record the story of Jesus paying the temple tax (Mt.17:24-27). A man's life-experience always comes out in his preaching. More inferences to money occur in his writings than from any other. Matthew makes reference to rarer coins, while Mark mentions three coins used by the poorest, (the mite, farthing, and penny). Luke refers to the mite, farthing and pound, whilst Matthew who was in the habit of handling money uses such terms as Tribute money (didrachmon) 17;24; Piece of money (stater) 17;27; and the Talent 18:24; 25:15, which was valued at about sixty times the pound mentioned by Luke. Matthew also speaks of gold, silver and brass, and financial terminology as reckoning, debt and money changers which would be familiar to an accountant.

Matthew is categorical. True to his "accountant" instincts, he constructed his Gospel under headings. He took fragments of the Lord's sermons and put them together into one big sermon which we call, "The Sermon on the Mount" in chapters 5,6,7. Christ did not preach this sermon all at one time. Luke helps us better appreciate when Jesus preached these scattered messages (Lk. 6:20-49, 11:1-13, 11:33-36, 12:22-34). Matthew collected the Lord's parables of the kingdom and grouped them together in chapter 13. He also gathered other messages and important narratives and placed them under distinctive headings:

Chapter 1-2 – The Genealogy and Birth of Jesus

Chapter 3 – The Baptism of Jesus

Chapter 4 – The Temptation and Commencement of Christ's Ministry

Chapter 5-7 – The Sermon on the Mount

Chapter 10 – The Charge to the Twelve / The Command to Take Up Our Cross Daily

Chapter 13 – The Parables of the Kingdom

Chapter 18 – The Teaching on Greatness and Forgiveness

Chapter 23 – The Denunciation of the Pharisees

Chapter 24 – The Olivet Discourse / His Coming

Chapter 25 – The Parables in Light of His Coming

Matthew Addresses the Jewish World

Matthew writes to the Jews. He is uniquely and thoroughly Jewish in his presentation. This is evidenced by the genealogy which traces Christ's ancestry back to Abraham through David (1:1), and his emphasis on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy which the Jews would find very meaningful. Matthew has about 129 references to the Old Testament; Mark contains but a few. Mark's Gospel, written to the Roman world, had little background and appreciation for the O. T.

Matthew sought to convince the Jewish world that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Messiah of the Old Testament. He repeatedly related Messianic prophecies to the life and ministry of Jesus, showing how they were fulfilled in Him. Because Matthew is writing to the Jews, he seeks to answer three major questions that were foremost in the minds of the Jews concerning the Messiah:

1.) COULD THE LINEAGE OF JESUS BE TRACED BACK TO DAVID?

2.) DID JESUS UPHOLD THE LAW?

3.) HAD JESUS COME TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM?

1.) THE LINEAGE OF JESUS COULD IN FACT BE TRACED TO KING DAVID! The first thing the Hebrews had to know about Jesus was his ancestral relation to David. They all knew and under- stood that the Messiah would descend from David's line. Therefore, Matthew clearly answered the Jews' first question when he opened his Gospel with the genealogy of Christ. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham" (1:1).

Jesus is called the "Son of David" repeatedly (9:27, 12:23, 15:22, 20:30, 21:9, 21:15). Jesus made it very clear that he was not only a descendant of David, but also David's Lord (22:42-45). Christ received his physical body from David's line (Rom.1:3). His spirit, of course, was eternal. The miracle of the incarnation made Jesus both God and man simultaneously.

2.) JESUS SURELY UPHELD THE LAW! He declared, "Think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets: I am not come to destroy but to fulfill" (Mt. 5:17-18). Christ came to fulfill the Law in the truest sense of the word, bringing the Law into the heart by a new and better covenant. He came to bring redemption into the very core of man's being. Jesus taught that one's righteousness had to exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees (which was exterior) if he wanted to be worthy of the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:20). Christ held up a very high standard, commanding: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your heavenly Father is perfect" (5:48). See Appendix I.

For the benefit of the Jewish readers, Matthew was portraying Jesus as a new and greater Moses. This new and greater Moses gave higher implications to the Law. He taught: "Ye have heard that it was said of old … but I say unto you" (5:21, 5:27, 5:31, 5:33, 5:38, 5:43). Each time he said, "but I say unto you", he was giving deeper interpretations to the Law. Jesus was going beyond acts to attitudes of the heart. The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 - 7) is a picture of the Law written in the heart. Christ, as the new and greater Lawgiver, was seeking to bring the Law into the hearts of his people. He spoke as one having authority, and not as one of the Scribes (7:28-29).

3.) JESUS HAD TRULY COME TO ESTABLISH THE KINGDOM! Matthew alone uses the expression "the kingdom of heaven", and he uses it 33 times. First and foremost, Christ came to establish an inward, spiritual kingdom in the lives of people. The principles for kingdom living were embodied in his Sermon on the Mount. Christ taught that the heart needed to be conquered (15:18-20). In order for society to change, people's hearts need to change. The real problems in life are spiritual. Thus, Christ spoke on the subject of the heart more than anything else. Politics are not the answer. Only a move of God's Spirit can change the way people live. Society never changes unless men and women have a divine change in their hearts. This spiritual kingdom that Christ came to establish is an inner reality of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom.14:17).

The kingdom of heaven, therefore, refers to three realms: 1.) It is heaven itself. 2.) This heavenly kingdom needs to come into our personal lives. Jesus taught, "The kingdom of God is within you." 3.) Eventually, there will be a physical kingdom brought to earth. "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." This takes place in the Millennial Age, but it starts in the heart.

Matthew's Gospel is highly Jewish. Many of the statements of Christ have a special Jewish flavor: "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (15:24), and, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (10:5-6). Matthew is the only Gospel writer who counters the Jewish charge that the disciples of Jesus had stolen his body (28:11-15).

SUMMARY OF MARK'S GOSPEL

Mark's Gospel was composed by John Mark, under the direction of Peter. When the Apostle Peter proclaimed the Word of God in Rome, there were a great number present as John Mark interpreted Peter's messages into Latin. Peter's audience requested Mark to reduce Peter's teachings to writing. The result was the Gospel of Mark. Under the Holy Spirit's guidance, Mark took of the words of Peter and created his Gospel, tailoring it especially to his Roman listeners (A.D. 65).

The early Church was unanimous about two things: Mark's Gospel was written by John Mark, and it presents the preaching of Peter. Early Church fathers such as Papias, Eusebius, Clement, and Origen ascribe this Gospel to Mark. Papias (140 A.D.) quotes the Apostle John as saying: "Mark being the interpreter of Peter, whatsoever he recorded he wrote with great accuracy … he was in company with Peter, who gave him such instruction as was necessary, but not to give a history of our Lord's discourses."

Mark Writes to the Roman World

Mark geared his Gospel to the Roman world. The Romans were not religious, neither were they philosophers like the Greeks. They were impressed by physical strength and military might. The Romans respected authority, and they were people of action. Therefore, Mark's Gospel is very rapid and is filled with action. The words immediately, straightway, forthwith, as soon as, and anon are found 44 times.

Mark's Gospel Contains:

• Little teaching

• No Sermon on the Mount

• Few parables (4) - Matthew has 18, Luke 19

• No record of the Lord's birth or childhood

• No genealogy of Jesus

• Few quotes from the Old Testament (Matthew has 129)

• But nearly all the notable miracles of Christ

THEME: Christ is not presented to the Romans as the Teacher of Israel or a greater Moses, as Matthew portrayed to the Jews. Instead, Mark introduced Him as the mighty miracle worker. He could control nature - the winds and the sea obeyed Him. The spirit world trembled before Him. He had power over all manner of sickness and disease, and even death. Whole cities were healed by Him. He had power over the economy, feeding five thousand with just a handful of food. He spoke with an authority which none of his peers could gainsay. In spite of having such awesome authority, He was able to humble Himself before those who were far weaker and give His life as a ransom for many (Mk.10:42-45). This was a challenge to the Roman mind and thinking.

Christ taught that true greatness and true strength is not attained by asserting ourselves over others to reach the top. This is the way of the world. He told us that if we would be chief among the brethren, we must learn to be the servant of all. People who are truly great are servants. They can endure looking like a failure, but insecure people desperately need to look successful. Jesus could come into Jerusalem riding upon a donkey. Only someone truly great could ever do that! See Zech. 9:9.

Different Personalities / Different Calls

Why are Matthew, Mark, and Luke so alike, and yet so different? They are all presenting the same Gospel, and they are all inspired by the same Holy Spirit. However, all three writers had different personalities, and they were writing to people who had differing backgrounds and needs. Each writer, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, selected from the teachings of Jesus that which would apply to the needs of his respective readers.

God uses men with different personalities and gifts to reach certain kinds of people. Eloquent Luke was commissioned to write to the philosophical Greeks. Matthew Levi ministered to the Jewish world. Explosive Peter (through John Mark) ministered to the aggressive Romans.

God will also prepare you and send you to a people of his choosing. God knows and understands each of us intimately. He knows precisely which people we can minister to the most effectively. We might think we know the ones with whom we can best identify, but God may have another plan for our lives. You will be able to reach people that others could not. Others will be able to reach people that you could not. God will anoint us and flow through us in His own unique way, just as He did through Matthew to the Jews, Mark to the Romans, and Luke to the Greeks. Remember the word of the Lord to us in Psalm 47:4: "He shall choose our inheritance for us." It is God who determines which people we will minister to and claim for our spiritual inheritance (see Psa. 2:8).

Matthew and Mark Compared

Clement of Alexandria (A.D. 144 - 220) stated that the Gospels containing the genealogies (i. e. Matthew and Luke) were written first. The Gospels of Mark and John came later. Therefore, the supposition by some that Matthew had to borrow from Mark's content is probably wrong. Mark was written after Matthew. (Conjectured dates of writing: Matthew - 50's A.D. Mark - 65 A.D.)

• Matthew was written to the Jews and quotes extensively from the Old Testament.

• Mark was written to the Romans and quotes very little from the Old Testament.

• Mark explains certain Jewish traditions (cf. Mk. 7:2-4, 7:11, 14:12).

• Mark translates Aramaic words (Mk. 5:41, 7:34, 14:36, 15:22, 15:34).

• Mark explains the geographical relationship of the Mount of Olives to the temple (Mk.13:3).

• Mark explained Greek expressions by their Latin equivalents (Mk.12:42, 15:16).

• Mark mentions that women should not divorce their husbands.

• Matthew did not include this because women in Jewish society were not permitted to divorce

their husbands anyway.

It is very clear that Matthew and Mark were writing to two different societies. Matthew would never have tried to clarify Jewish customs to the Jewish world as Mark did to the Romans (Mk. 7:2-4). Nor would Matthew have ever explained that the Mount of Olives was in plain view of the temple (Mk.13:3). Every Jew would know that. Matthew did not need to interpret Aramaic words to Jews; but Mark, who was writing to a non-Jewish society, found it quite necessary. Luke, who was writing to the Greek world, also explained that the feast of unleavened bread was called the Passover. Every Jew would have known this from his youth, but not a Gentile (cf. Lk. 22:1).

SUMMARY OF LUKE'S GOSPEL

Luke was a physician and travelling companion of the Apostle Paul (cf. Col. 4:14). Paul refers to him as "the beloved physician" indicating his sweetness of character. Many had deserted Paul at the end of his life. Nevertheless, Luke remained supremely loyal to the finish (cf. 2 Tim.1:15, 4:16). Among Paul's last words were these—"Only Luke is with me" (2 Tim. 4:11).

Luke had unusual capacity for research. He was an accurate and able historian, possessing a polished vernacular no New Testament writer could supersede. Besides his medical knowledge, he had an interest in ships and had experience at sea. He was a traveller. This is evidenced in his narratives in the Book of Acts. In Acts he joined Paul on his missionary journeys (16:10), and continued in close contact with him until Paul's death. He never discloses his name in the Acts narrative, but includes himself inconspicuously, saying "we" or "us" (16:10-17, 20:5, 21:18, 27:1 - 28:16). This signifies his humility of mind and heart.

As a New Testament writer, Luke ranks number two in content, second only to Paul. Luke wrote almost as much as Paul. Combining the 24 lengthy chapters of Luke's Gospel with his 28 chapters of the Book of Acts, Luke contributed almost as much to the New Testament as Paul's fourteen epistles. The Apostle John ranks third.

Luke's two literary masterpieces (The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts) could be considered Volume One and Volume Two of one work. Acts continues where his Gospel leaves off. The Book of Acts was written shortly after his Gospel. (The Gospel perhaps in 62 A.D. and the Acts in 63.) Both books were written to Theophilus and those surrounding him. Theophilus was a high ranking Greek nobleman whom Luke entitles "Most Excellent Theophilus" (Lk.1:3, Acts 1:1). Thus, Luke was writing to a cultured Greek society. His presentation of the Gospel was to the educated, the thinkers, and those who appreciated beautiful speech and intricate details.

Luke's Sources for Writing

For many years Luke had close contact with Paul and numerous Christian leaders such as Philip, Timothy, Silas, Mark, Barnabas, James the Lord's brother, the twelve apostles, and many of the five hundred brethren who were with Christ during his ministry and had witnessed His resurrection (cf.1 Cor.15:6). As a result of being in Jerusalem (Acts 21:17), Caesarea, and other places where Christ and his apostles ministered, Luke had splendid opportunities to obtain firsthand knowledge regarding our Lord, his teachings, his miracles, redemption, and the beginnings of the Church.

Luke declares in his prologue (Lk.1:1-4) that he made an intensive research of the Gospel story in order to be able to write a reliable account. His prologue shows clearly that he had access to a number of written documents as well as oral testimonies from reliable eyewitnesses (Lk.1:1-2). Luke had at his disposal the most intimate and direct sources of information. He knew James the brother of Jesus personally (Acts 21:18). Probably he knew Mary the mother of our Lord as well. He had direct dialogue with many of the men and women he describes in his Gospel and the Book of Acts. Luke was able therefore to accurately trace the history of all things regarding Jesus, so that he could write a Gospel that enabled believers to know with certainty "those things which are most surely believed among us" (Lk.1:1, 1:4).

Luke's Devotional Life

Luke, more than any of the other Gospel writers, took special notice of how often Jesus prayed. This is an indication of Luke's own heart. Luke himself was a man of prayer and would naturally be attracted to this aspect of the life of Christ. Luke alone was the only writer to record that Christ was praying as he was being baptized. " … It came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened" (Lk. 3:21). Matthew and Mark omit the part of Jesus praying.

Only Luke includes the episode of Jesus praying all night when he had to select twelve apostles from his many disciples. "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles" (Lk. 6:12-13).

When Jesus asked his disciples, "Whom do men say that I am?", Luke draws attention to the fact that Jesus had been in the spirit of prayer before he asked the question. "And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?" (Lk. 9:18). Luke implies that the Father prompted Jesus to ask this when he was praying. Matthew and Mark do not include this.

In Luke 9:29, Christ was transfigured as he was praying. Prayer opens the heavens and brings us in touch with God's glory. Once again, Matthew and Mark do not include this facet of Christ's praying as He was transfigured. (See 1:10, 5:16, 6:28, 11:1-2, 18:1, 21:36, 22:32, 22:40, 22:44, 22:46.)

Luke's Style of Writing

Luke was a physician. He pointed out rare diseases in his Gospel, such as the man with the dropsy in 14:1-6. All four Gospel writers record that Peter cut off a man's ear with the sword, but only Luke includes that Jesus healed him (22:50-51). Luke is the only one to record that Christ's blood vessels in his forehead broke from the pressure against his mind in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:44). Luke alone includes Christ's message in Nazareth when he began His ministry saying, "He hath sent me to heal" and concluded with, "Physician, heal thyself" (4:18,23). Luke alone records that "The power of the Lord was present to heal" (5:17). There is more mention of healing in Luke than in Matthew and Mark combined. Being a physician, it was natural for Luke to do case histories on those he writes about, using extravagant details. This is especially true of the births of John the Baptist and Jesus. Certainly a doctor who had delivered many babies during his career would be fascinated with the supernatural conception of the child Jesus (Lk.1:30-38). Luke alone includes this in his narrative. And when he recorded the genealogy of Christ, he traced it all the way back to Adam, and to God Himself in 3:23-38. Truly, the "beloved physician" believed in getting to the source of all matters. No writer is more thorough, precise, orderly, and scientific than Luke.

When Luke describes the birth of John the Baptist, again he performs a case history on the lives of John's parents (1:5-25). Zacharias and Elizabeth had been praying many years for a son but still remained childless. Suddenly, at a certain hour of the day, as Zacharias was ministering at the altar in a certain priestly course, a particular angel (Gabriel) appeared to him. Not only did Gabriel appear at the altar, but at the right side of the altar. Luke included every point. Yet, every detail was saturated with revelation and spiritual life. This was the man God chose to write to the Greek world. Although Luke was highly educated, his intellect was surrendered to God.

ACCOUNTS FOUND ONLY IN LUKE

Luke preserved many of the words and parables of Jesus which would have otherwise been lost. Some of the most beautiful and significant narratives regarding Christ are found only in Luke.

Below is a list of accounts found only in the Gospel of Luke:

1:5-25 The announcement of John the Baptist's birth

1:26-38 The annunciation of Christ's birth to Mary by Gabriel

1:39-56 Mary's visit to Elizabeth; the leaping of the babe in her womb / Mary's song of rejoicing

1:57-80 The birth of John the Baptist / Naming of John / Tongue of Zacharias loosed to prophesy

2:1-20 Taxation by Caesar / birth of Christ in Bethlehem / the angels' glad tidings to the shepherds

2:21-38 Circumcision of Jesus; Mary's purification / Jesus in the temple; joy of Simeon and Anna

2:39-40 Jesus' childhood at Nazareth

2:41-50 Jesus' visit to the temple at age twelve / the confounding of the doctors of the law

2:51-52 The eighteen silent years at Nazareth

3:1-2 The political and religious scene

3:10-14 Answers John the Baptist gave to those who came to his baptism

3:19-20 The reason Herod imprisoned John the Baptist (John disapproved of his marriage)

3:23-38 Genealogy of Jesus traced back to Adam

4:16-30 Detailed description of Christ's preaching at Nazareth and the rejection that followed

5:1-11 The miraculous draft of fishes

6:24-26 The four woes (not included in Matthew's Sermon on the Mount)

7:11-17 The son of the widow of Nain raised from the dead

7:36-50 Jesus anointed by a sinful woman; (parable of the two debtors); the woman's salvation

8:1-3 The second tour of Galilee / The women who followed Jesus and ministered to him

9:51-56 The Samaritan towns who rejected Jesus / Desire of James and John to consume them

10:1-24 The sending out of the seventy / Their return

10:30-37 Parable of the good Samaritan

10:38-42 In the home of Mary and Martha

11:5-8 Parable of the friend at midnight

11:27-28 Blessedness of those who obey more than the blessedness of Mary

12:13-21 Warnings against covetousness / Parable of the rich fool

12:47-48 Many or few stripes (Judgment is determined by the light one has.)

13:1-9 Tale of two tragedies / Parable of the fruitless fig tree

13:10-17 Healing of the woman bound by Satan eighteen years

13:31-33 Christ's reply to the warning to flee because "Herod will kill thee."

14:1-6 Healing of the man with dropsy (edema - abnormal accumulation of body fluid)

14:7-15 Teaching on humility (taking the low place i.e. If you stay down you can't be put down.)

14:28-33 Parables on counting the cost

15:8-10 Parable of the lost coin

15:11-32 The prodigal son

16:1-13 Parable of the unjust steward

16:14-15 Hypocrisy of the Pharisees (not how we appear to men but to God)

16:19-31 The rich man and Lazarus

17:7-10 The servant's duty (After going the second mile we should say, "This is only my duty.")

17:11-19 Healing of the ten lepers (Only one healed leper used his healthy body to glorify God.)

17:20-21 Interpretation of the kingdom of God (It is spiritual; it is within you.)

18:1-8 Parable of the unjust judge (on importunity - I insist on having an answer.)

18:9-14 The self-righteous Pharisee versus the publican who had no plea

19:1-10 The conversion of little Zacchaeus

22:31-33 Peter's need of conversion (Peter was the wheat; his self-strength was the chaff.)

22:35-38 The two swords

23:6-16 Jesus stands before Herod

23:27-31 Jesus and the wailing women (They bewailed him because he was dying without seed.)

23:40-43 The repentant thief on the cross

24:13-35 The two Emmaeus Disciples

24:33-35 The news of Christ's appearance to Peter

24:44-49 Christ's appearance to open the scriptures / Command to preach but wait for the Spirit

On the following pages we would like to give several comments on each of the above accounts which are found only in the Gospel of Luke.