If you wanted to write a Gospel, where would you start?

We're on our second visit to the Gospels this week, and we're still nowhere near Christmas, so I guess that's good. Instead, after looking at where and when the Gospel story takes place, we're going to look at where and how the different versions of the story begin. Enjoy!

(2) Who Do We Say That He Is?

If you look at more than one “chronology” of the New Testament, you’ll probably find different verse references, changes in the order of events, some events combined while others are split… etc. Yet the Gospels all tell one story.

1.       Can you think of any reason why it might be hard to combine them into a single account?

2.       Can you think of any advantage we gain from having several accounts?

3.       Does the fact that the accounts aren’t the same make them more or less believable?

4.       Do you wish there were more than one account of other events too—creation for example? (Look at Genesis 1:1-4 vs Genesis 2:4-7. Do you think maybe there is more than one account of creation?)

And, thinking of creation, John’s Gospel starts at the beginning of time. Read John 1:1-5, 14

1.       What would Greeks have thought of when they heard the word Logos/Word?

2.       What would Jews have thought of?

3.       What do we think of?

4.       What is different about John’s description of the Word?

Read John 1:6-13, 15-18

1.       What is the connection between Word and wisdom?

2.       Between Word and information?

3.       Between Word and creation?

4.       Between Word and science?

Without checking, do you remember where the other gospel accounts start, or which include and which fail to include which details of “the beginning”?

Matthew starts with a genealogy. Read Matthew 1:1-17

1.       What’s the significance of 14 (verse 17)? Or of there being 3 groups of ancestors?

a.       Are we meant to take the numbers of generations literally?

b.      How else could we take them?

2.       What’s the significance of genealogy?

3.       What are the high points of this genealogy? And the surprises? Read Matthew 1:3,5,6

a.       How do you, as women, react to these surprises?

b.      How might these surprises be significant for everyone?

c.       How might these surprises be important in the story Matthew’s telling? Read Matthew 28:18-20

Luke starts with a dedication to Theophilus and a statement of purpose Read Luke 1:1-4

1.       Who is Theophilus, or who might he be?

2.       What is Luke’s purpose in writing?

3.       How might this be different from Matthew’s and John’s?

a.       What do you think Matthew’s focus might be, given how his Gospel starts?

b.      What do you think John’s focus might be?

c.       Read Mark 1:1-4 How might his focus be different?