The Journey
Part 3
Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4
The New Testament
MATTHEW
The Book of Matthew is the first of the four Gospels. The others are Mark, Luke
and John. All four Gospels are about the life and message of Jesus, but each have
a different purpose. The main point of the Book of Matthew, was to show the Jewish
people that Jesus was the Messiah of the prophesies of the Old Testament. It serves
as a link from the Old Testament to the New Testament, due to the many references
to the Old Testament.
Matthew - He was one of the twelve disciples of Jesus. Before he became a disciple,
his was a tax collector. Tax collectors were not highly esteemed people. They were
put in the same group as sinners by the Pharisees, who were the priests of those
days.
The Genealogy and Birth of Jesus - This shows the unblemished human line that the
Messiah would come from, which means it was genetically pure, with no unnatural influences
due to the intermingling of angels.
John the Baptist - He announced to the people of those times that the Kingdom of
Heaven was near, along with presenting Jesus as the Savior. If Jesus would have
been accepted by all of the people as the Messiah, the new kingdom would have started
in those days.
The Temptation - After Jesus was baptized by John, He was lead to the wilderness
to be tempted by Satan. But even Satan could not sway Jesus into doing wrong, even
though He was human. His obedience was to God The Father, and the mission He was
sent for.
The Sermon on the Mount - This was the first public teachings of Jesus, which sums
up everything that is required to live a life that is pleasing to God. It was directed
toward the lowly people of the world, because these were the people that had no hope.
They were oppressed by the rich, and also by the ways of society, just as in the
present times. Jesus said this message was truly for those who were burdened and
weary in society, to show the blessings that will come to them and all who believe.
The Miracles - After the teachings, Jesus began to perform miracles, which was the
proof that He was truly from God. These were done so that people would believe He
was the Messiah that was spoken of in the Old Testament, who would save the world.
The Apostles and the Teachings - Jesus chose twelve men to be His disciples, who
would then spread His message to the world. They were men of various positions in
society.
The Parables - Many of the teachings of Jesus was in the form of parables. He did
this so that the truth was not readily apparent to all, except to the ones that truly
wanted to know. This weeded out the ones who were sincere in their quest for truth
and righteousness.
The Fig Tree - The parable of the fig tree is actually a prophesy. The fig, when
used in prophesy, always refers to the Nation of Israel. When the branch starts
to grow leaves, this means that they would be settled in a permanent land and grow
as a nation. This happened on May 14th, 1948, which is one of the greatest events
that shows us where we are in the prophetic time line. Jesus said, the generation
that was on earth when this happened, would be the one to witness the events of the
end times.
The Crucifixion - This is the pivotal point in all of history. The Angel of the
Lord, who was also the main instrument in creating everything that exists, became
mortal as other men. He then voluntarily sacrificed his life to carry out the justice
of God. Since He was an example of perfected man and did not sin, His sacrifice
was the greatest in all of heaven and earth. Through the actions of one Man, every
person could be saved from the wrath of God for not following His perfect laws.
The Saints Raised - This is an event that is only mentioned in the Book of Matthew.
Many of the saints, which is anybody who is a believer even though they still sin,
were raised after His resurrection and went into Jerusalem and appeared to many.
The Resurrection - This was the most important event there ever was. The whole reason
to follow Jesus and believe His words rests on this one moment of time. He was the
first Man to ever be raised from the dead and transformed with a body that could
never die. He was now immortal, as He was in His former glory. This is the greatest
gift of God, to be immortal in a perfect world without sadness and pain. Everyone
can finally have happiness as God intended it to be, by just simply believing and
following His words.
MARK
The book of Mark shows Jesus as the Servant of God, in which action and deeds are
stressed. This account of the life of Jesus starts at the point when He began His
ministry and then details the miracles to show that He was the Son of God, so people
would believe in Him. It was intended more for the Roman population that resided
in Israel at that time, due to the omission of genealogical records. Rome controlled
all of the land of Israel, and they were focused more on service than history.
Mark - He was a nephew of Barnabas, who was with Paul on the first missionary journey.
Because of this, Mark was able to accompany them on this historic trip. Paul was
responsible for a large amount of the writings of the New Testament, which gave much
insight for the Book of Mark. Mark covers much of the same material as Matthew,
but omits others because his book was focused on a different audience.
The Miracles - The writings of the miracles start at the beginning of the book, because
of the sense of urgency in conveying the message that Jesus was indeed the Son of
God. These acts of service would appeal to the Roman population of that time.
The Prophecies - Jesus predicted the destruction of the Temple, and then described
the end times and His return. Only God The Father knows the time of His return.
Neither Jesus or the angels know the exact time, but He told of the signs that will
show it is near.
The Resurrection - The fist person Jesus appeared to after He was resurrected was
a woman, Mary Magdalene. This shows the importance of the roles women have in the
plans of God.
LUKE
The book of Luke was written more for the Greeks and the surrounding nations, otherwise
referred to as the Gentiles. Any person who was not of Israel was referred to as
a Gentile. Luke was highly educated and thorough in his writings. He was not a
Jew, but he was a good friend of Paul and accompanied him on his second and third
missionary journeys. His account is focused on showing all the people of the world,
that Jesus was the perfect Man who would save imperfect man.
Luke - He was referred to as a physician, and his purpose in his writings was to
have an orderly account of the details of the life of Jesus. He was a witness to
the amazing events of His ministry. This was to show that these were facts and not
just stories.
The Date of the Birth of Jesus - The exact date for the birth of Jesus is not mentioned
in the Bible, probably due to the fact that people will worship a time of year more
than God. Mary visited Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist, when she was first
pregnant. Elizabeth was already in her sixth month and her husband was a priest
of Israel that served at a certain time of the year. By knowing the time when his
service ended, which was when she conceived, and then adding the six months that
she was pregnant, would be the approximate time that Mary visited her. Then add
nine months for Mary, which had just conceived, to arrive at a time around the months
of September or October. Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to pay taxes when Jesus
was born, and this always happens in the fall, just as in our present times. Also,
the shepherds were still out in the field, which would not have been if this event
would have taken place in the winter months. It gets cold and snows in Israel just
as in many parts of the world in winter months.
The Ministry - Jesus was thirty years old when He started His ministry. But, His
ministry only lasted three years until the most important event of all human history
would take place, which was His crucifixion and resurrection.
The Ascension - There is a greater account of the time between the resurrection and
the ascension in the writings of Luke. The scriptures were now spiritually opened
to the disciples, so they could carry on the mission after Jesus went to be with
God The Father.
JOHN
The book of John was written to show that Jesus was The Savior and Son of God, so
people would believe in Him. It shows that Jesus existed before His human birth,
and that He was with God The Father at that time. The main focus of the book is
centered on the relationship of Jesus with God The Father. The emphasis is on people
having a relationship with God The Father, the only True God.
John - He wrote the fourth Gospel and also Revelations. His writings declared as
fact, that Jesus was the Son of God and that everything was created through Him.
As a witness to all of the events of the life of Jesus, his mission was to lead
people to believe in the Man who was the Savior of the world. John was a favorite
disciple of Jesus because of his close fellowship with Him. The Book of John is
one of the most powerful of all, because of the very direct examples that prove Jesus
is the God of creation.
Before the Creation - It was shown in this Gospel that Jesus was the Word of God,
which is the Angel of the Lord, and that He existed before His human birth. He was
with God The Father before there was the physical creation that we now know. The
verses state, there would be no creation without Him. God The Father is the master
architect, but it was through Jesus that everything came into being.
The Ministry - The writings of the ministry of Jesus in this account are focused
on revealing the nature of God The Father to people. Jesus shows that it is God
The Father that gives the power to make anything possible.
God and Jesus - The Book of John shows that Jesus is truly the Son of God, and that
He came from The Father. He is God to us, just as the Father is God to Him. The
Father is also our one true and most high God. This shows that God The Father, Jesus
and the Holy Spirit are not one entity as many believe, but three separate beings
with one purpose of mind. They work together in harmony, just like people are supposed
to do. It is these traits that show a person is of the same mind as God and is truly
one with Him.
The Holy Spirit - There is much detail about the Holy Spirit, who is described as
the Helper. It is the Holy Spirit that goes deep in our mind and conscience to connect
us with God The Father, through the words of Jesus. It is the words of Jesus that
give true life.
Doubting Thomas - It was Thomas, one of the twelve disciples, that would not believe
Jesus was resurrected until he could physically see Him. When he did see and touch
Him, then he believed and said He was his Lord and God. The Bible is a true witness
that was written by man, through the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit. By listening
to the words of Jesus and believing, more blessed are the ones that believe through
faith and have not seen. More and more proof is found, as the years go by, confirming
the truth of the Bible.
ACTS
The Book of Acts continues where the Gospels left off, and it was also written by
Luke. After the ascension of Jesus, the apostles are to go out in the world as His
representatives. The Holy Spirit of God would now guide them, and every other person,
that believes in the message of Jesus and what He did for us. The book shows God
using the poor and down trodden people of the world to spread this message to every
corner of the world. It is truly a miracle that these people of little means could
accomplish such great feats. There has never been anything like this in history,
which has spread and flourished up till this present day. The fact that a movement
that started with one Man and spread all over the world, is why we can confidently
know that it is truly from God.
The Holy Spirit - The whole book is centered on the workings of the Holy Spirit in
peoples lives through the apostles. Now that Jesus was with God The Father, as He
had been before His human life, the Holy Spirit would now take His place.
Baptism of Spirit - Anyone who repents of their wrong ways and receives the words
of Jesus is instantly baptized, and will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Apostles - The twelve apostles, that were taught by Jesus, went out into the
world and turned it upside down. This was because their message was so radical and
totally at odds with the world system in those days, and at the present times. They
performed many miracles which made them known throughout the land. They were up
against many odds, but they were always victorious through the help of God.
Paul and the Journeys - There was a man named Saul, also known as Paul, who was famous
for persecuting the believers of Jesus who were of the Way, which was the name of
the new movement that was spreading throughout the land. One day on his way to Damascus,
he had an incredible experience, he had an encounter with the risen Lord Jesus. Even
though he was one of the greatest haters of this movement, due to this meeting, he
was totally changed and was used by God to take the message to other countries. This
shows that anyone, no matter how bad a person is, can be transformed by God. A great
amount of the writings of the New Testament were by Paul. It was mainly because
of him, that the Gospel of Jesus was spread throughout the Gentile nations.
Next - The Journey Part 4
