Four Gospels, One Jesus

This week we talked about the challenges of reading the Gospels. Why did God give us four parallel, complementary accounts of Jesus' life, ministry, and teachings, and not a single, more comprehensive volume presenting his complete biography? We need to remember that these too are occasional documents, written to specific audiences with definite pastoral concerns and theological interests. We have talked about the importance of context in interpretation, and the Gospels are certainly no exception. We need to look at the historical situation of Jesus, and appreciate what his actions and teachings revealed to his disciples and to the multitudes. We also need to think about the historical context of the writer, years after the cross and resurrection. The writers used selectivity in bringing together and arranging their accounts of the teachings and works of Jesus in order to teach and minister to the needs of their audiences. The Gospels are reliable accounts of what Jesus did and said, but they are not exhaustive biographies. They have a message. They teach theology. We need to read each of the four as complete narratives, and study them carefully to understand what the writer was teaching his original readers. Having done that, we can ask how the principles taught relate to us in our 21st century context.

Reading Biblical Narratives

The title of this blog, "What's the Story?", relates directly to our current topic: reading Biblical Narratives. Narrative is the most common literary genre in the Bible. We must read these texts remembering that they present a trustworthy account of what was said and what happened as redemptive history unfolded. I am convinced however that none of these documents were written merely to preserve an account of "what happened back then." They were written for the "here and now" of the author, with a purpose of speaking to the community of faith, and encouraging them to know God better and to walk more closely with him. All this means that as we read these books we need to ask what God was doing in and through the people in the story, and also what the writer was trying to teach his readers about knowing God and living faithfully. Once we understand what the writer was saying to his readers, we can ask what God is saying to us through these stories. Keep reading, and have a great weekend!
Dr. Nash