HOW DOES ONE STUDY THE GOSPELS? SHOULD ONE STUDY MATTHEW FIRST IN VIEW OF ITS PLACE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT? IF A PERSON DOES JUSTICE TO MATTHEW, IS IT NECESSARY TO READ ANY OF THE OTHER GOSPELS/ WHY NOT STUDY ALL FOUR GOSPELS AT THE SAME TIME? WHY NOT USE SCISSORS AND PASTE, AND TRY TO FIT ALL FOUR ACCOUNTS INTO ONE HARMONIOUS WHOLE ? IT IS NOT AS SIMPLE AS THAT. ANY ATTEMPT TO MIX ALL FOUR GOSPELS INTO A SINGLE ACCOUNT GAINS NOTHING AND LOSES MUCH. WHEN TATIAN TRIED TO COMBINE THE GOSPELS, THE EARLY CHURCH SOON REALISED THAT THE INDIVIDUAL INSIGHTS EACH GOSPEL HAS TO OFFER WERE LOST IN THE PROCESS. JESUS PERSON AND MINISTRY ARE LIKE A INCREDIBLY BEAUTIFUL DIAMOND WITH COUNTLESS FACETS TO IT. EACH GOSPEL WRITER CONCENTRATES ON ON PARTICULAR FACETS OF THE ONE DIAMOND. TO JUMBLES THE GOSPELS TOGETHER IS TO BLUR THREE TOTAL PICTURE THAT EMERGES WHEN EACH GOSPEL IS STUDIED IN ITS OWN RIGHT.
WHEN EACH EVANGELIST WROTE HIS RESPECTIVE GOSPEL, HIS GOAL WAS NOT TO PRESENT HIS READERS WITH A COMPLETE ACCOUNTS OF EVENTS IN JESUS LIFE. HE DESCRIBES THE LIFE MINISTRY, MISSION OF JESUS ONLY IN BROAD OUTLINE. WHAT DETAILS HE SELECTS ARE CHOSEN FOR A PURPOSE THAT HIS READERS MAY "BELIEVE" AND HAVE LIFE," JOHN 20:30,31.
TWO FACTS ABOUT MARK'S GOSPEL ARE OF GREAT IMPORTANCE.
FIRSTLY, IT IS GENERALLY AGREED THAT MARK WAS WRITTEN FIRST. THERE IS ALSO GOOD REASON TO BELIEVE THAT MARK SERVED AS A BASIS FOR THE WRITING OF BOTH MATTHEW, AND LUKE. MARK CONTAINS 661 VERSES. MATTHEW REPRODUCES 606 OF THESE AND LUKE 32O. ONLY 31 OF MARK'S 661 VERSES DO NOT APPEAR IN EITHER MATTHEW OR LUKE. MATTHEW OCCASIONALLY VARIES MARK'S ORDER OF EVENTS WITHIN HIS GOSPEL; LUKE DOES THE SAME. HOWEVER, MATTHEW AND LUKE TOGETHER NEVER VARY THE ORDER; ONE OF THEM ALWAYS AGREE WITH MARK'S ORDER OF EVENTS, AND MOST OFTEN BOTH DO. A KNOWLEDGE OF MARK HELPS A PERSON READ MATTHEW AND LUKE MORE INTELLIGENTLY. SECONDLY, DURING THE FIRST HALF OF THE SECOND CENTURY A.D., THE BISHOP OF HIERAPOLIS IN SOUTH PHRYGIA WAS A MAN CALLED PAPIAS. PAPIAS TOOK AN INTEREST IN COLLECTING INFORMATION ABOUT THE GOSPELS. HE WROTE ON ONE OCCASION THAT MARK CONTAINS THE MATERIAL THAT PETER USED IN HIS PREACHING. HE SAID THAT MARK WAS PETER'S INTERPRETER, AND THAT HE WROTE DOWN THE THINGS PETER USE TO SAY ABOUT JESUS. IF WE ACCEPT PAPIAS'S
STATEMENT AT FACE VALUE, IT WOULD MEAN THAT IN MARK WE HAVE VIRTUALLY AN EYE-WITNESS ACCOUNT OF JESUS LIFE. IF THIS IS SO, ONE CAN UNDERSTAND WHY MARK QUOTES AN OCCASIONAL WORD OF JESUS IN "ARAMAIC": "TALITHA CUMI," 5:41; "EPHPHATHA," 7:34; "ABBA," 14:36. IN THESE VERSES JESUS ORIGINAL WORDS ECHO DOWN TO US THROUGH PETER'S VIVID MEMORY. WE CAN ALSO UNDERSTAND WHY MARK OFTEN USES A TENSE THAT WE MIGHT CALL A HISTORIC "PRESENT" 151 TIMES IN ORIGINAL GREEK; IT READS MUCH LIKE THE REPORT OF AN EYE-WITNESS. MARK'S GRAMMAR AND STYLE HAVE BEEN 'IMPROVED" TO PRODUCE A MORE POLISHED LITERARY PRODUCT. OTHER FEATURES OF MARK STYLE ARE WORTH OF NOTE. MARK IS VERY FOND OF THAT LITTLE WORD "AND." OFTEN WHEN TELLING A STORY, HE JOINS ITS DETAILS TOGETHER BY ADDING "AND... AND... "AND..." IN THE GREEK OF CHAPTER THREE, 29 OF 35 VERSES BEGIN WITH "AND."
MARK IS ALSO FOND OF THE WORD "IMMEDIATELY." HE USES IT 41 TIMES IN HIS GOSPEL . 10 TIMES IN THE FIRST CHAPTER ALONE. HIS USE OF THE WORD CREATES A SENSE OF URGENCY---" THERE IS NO TIME TO WASTE. LISTEN NOW! BELIEVE NOW!
FOLLOW NOW! MARK'S STORY DOES NOT MARCH ALONG IT GALLOPS ALONG WITH SUCH SPEED THAT THE IMAGINATIVE READER HAS LITTLE TIME TO CATCH HIS BREATH.
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