Preview

The portrayal of jesus christ in the four gospels of the new testement.

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
769 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The portrayal of jesus christ in the four gospels of the new testement.
Portrayals of jesus in the gospels

Short Writing Assignment #2

Each of the four gospels contained in the New Testament portrays a different and unique portrait of Jesus. Mark 's gospel represents Jesus as the suffering servant, while Matthew shows Jesus as the new Moses. Luke stresses Jesus ' inclusion of the outcasts and then John 's non-synoptic gospel shows Jesus as God 's presence and as an otherworldly figure.

Mark portrays Jesus as a powerful yet unrecognized and suffering Messiah. Stories throughout the gospel show Jesus to have control over storms, water and demons. He is able to heal lepers, cripples and people with withered limps. He also has undaunted authority over everything including sin and Sabbath laws. Yet the theme of the messianic secret is major within this gospel. Jesus often tells people "to tell no one" of the miracles he performs. This theme is part of the climax of Mark 's gospel when Peter proclaims that Jesus is Christ and Jesus responds by giving him strict orders to tell no one. He therefore is the unrecognized Messiah. Mark wrote his gospel to a suffering and fearful faith community. He wrote to inspire faith in them. That is why Mark emphasizes Jesus ' suffering to his readers so that they can relate and see that there is no glory without suffering. He therefore shows that in order to have true dominance one must first encounter suffering, just as Jesus had.

Matthew writes his gospel from a Jewish standpoint. He is careful to connect Jesus as the legitimate heir to the royal house of David in order to establish Jesus ' Hebrew roots. Matthew often refers to Hebrew scripture to show Jesus as the fulfillment of the scriptures. He says that Jesus is God present with us. Jesus is portrayed as the new lawgiver in this gospel. He is a teacher who concentrates on the overall being of a person, meaning their actions as well as their thoughts. Matthew stresses that it is just as bad to think impurely as it is to act impure. Jesus has come

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    To begin, the Gospel of Matthew’s primary purpose is to present the life of Jesus. Matthew wrote his Gospel to preserve what he knew about Jesus’ life as a man. This Gospel highlights all of the prophecies fulfilled by Jesus. “Matthew's Gospel is directed to an audience steeped…

    • 1830 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    bibl 104

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The book of Mark is a genre of gospel. Mark is one of four Gospels written in the New Testament. The gospel of Mark begins by describing the life and ministry of Jesus. John the Baptist said that “I baptize you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit. (Mark 1:8) After Jesus baptism, he was tempted by Satan but he overcame all of the temptations. Jesus then began calling on His disciples with the purpose being that these men would follow and learn from Him as Jesus shared and taught the gospel. Jesus predicts He will be killed and will rise three days later. Jesus predicts Peter will deny Him three times. Peter does just as Jesus predicted and denies knowing Jesus. Jesus is taken before Pilate and is sentenced to death. During Jesus Crucifixion (Mark 15) a man named Simon helped carry his cross. After three hours on the cross, darkness occurred for three hours, at which point Jesus cried out “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?; then Jesus had took his last breath. He was buried in a tomb cut out of rock, and rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb. He resurrected on the third day just as He predicted would happen.…

    • 670 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    “Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.” (Luke 2:11)…

    • 907 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Matthew 5-7 talks about the teachings of Jesus Christ to his disciples as he sat mountainside. He teaches them the way to live a blessed and holy life. His teaching are made up of four gospels (Good news) that begin the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The Christian Bible has two parts the Old Testament which is longer and the New Testament. The Old Testament is based on Jewish scripture while the New Testament begins with the teachings of Jesus Nazareth, a jew from Israel. Gospels are the stories about Jesus's life and teachings. There are four gospels in which the first three are synoptic gospels that focus on the summary of Jesus's life and actions. There names are Matthew, Mark, and Luke. The fourth gospel is much different from the…

    • 443 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Gospel of John, written by John the Apostle, is unlike from the other three Gospels and covers copious theological contented in respect to the being of Christ and the significance of faith. Matthew, Mark, and Luke are frequently mentioned to as the "Synoptic Gospels" for the objective that of their identical periods and comfortable, and meant at they suggestion a plan of the period of Christ. The Gospel of John twitches not thru Jesus' birth or worldly ministry but then through the action and features of the Son of God previously His becoming man (John 1:14). The Gospel of John highlights the divinity of Christ as is understood in his usage of such expressions as "the Word was God" (John 1:1), "the Savior of the World" (4:42), the "Son…

    • 222 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As diverse and multicultural as today’s society may appear, the majority of individuals have still heard of the gospels that help make up the Holy Bible. Although there are many in the Bible, the four canonical gospels, Mathew, Mark, Luke, and John, are perhaps the most widely recognized. These four, although composed by different individuals, share many similarities in common such as how those who encounter Jesus after his resurrection behave. Even certain traits that characterize Jesus himself after resurrection are somewhat related.…

    • 958 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Jesus and the Gospels

    • 2190 Words
    • 9 Pages

    Jesus and the Gospels (Relb 160) 9/11/12 Reading the Gospels in Context * The World of the Gospels * Political * Judea a Colony of Rome- An occupied land * Comprises of the two southern tribes * Ruled in the first century by a representative of Rome * Herod Antipas-North * Pontius Pilate-South * Local Government-Sanhedrin * Religious * Social * The Literary Backgrounds of the Gospels * Genre * Source 9/13/12 Religious * Primarily of the Jewish People *…

    • 2190 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    The four Gospels have somewhat of a different view of the resurrection of Jesus and of many facts that go along with it. All four remember the resurrection being on the first day of the week. The time was also a similarity they shared. They all said it was early in the morning. When it came to who was in attendance, then the story was a bit different. John often focuses on Jesus as God. Much of the content found in this Gospel is unique, and focuses on specific events or details not mentioned in the other three accounts. This book was written specifically to provide us with a sure foundation for our trust in Jesus - in who he is, as well as in what he can do in our lives. Luke focused more on the "human side" of Jesus. He felt like Jesus was a real person, with a genuine interest in people. He knew what it was like to live in a world full of trouble. He was willing to associate with those who were less fortunate. He wanted hope and salvation for a world that was hopeless and dying - a hope that is available to all who are willing to trust in him. Mark is an action-packed account of Jesus as a servant - one who was even willing to suffer and die for the good of others. We are servant also, servants to God. We are called to be Jesus' disciples. He wants us to follow in his example. Matthew focuses on Jesus as the King, one who does exactly what he says he's gonna do. More than that, he is also the one specially chosen by God, to bring salvation to the ends of the earth (Hinks, 2001).…

    • 1210 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    The bible can be dissected into 4 gospels Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each of these writers cater for a different biblical audience by changing the focal point in their stories to suit their audience. Matthew’s gospel was written in 75-80 AD he writes his gospel for his audience of Jews, in his gospel he clarifies sin and outlines the harshness of punishment. Mark’s gospel was written in 60-65 AD he writes his gospel for his audience of Roman Gentiles, in his gospel he focuses on what Jesus did not so much on what he said. Luke’s gospel was written in 75-85 AD he writes his gospel for his audience of Gentiles, in his gospel he focuses on the human aspect of Jesus’ work through social justice. John’s gospel was written in 90-100 AD he writes his gospel for his audience of Jews, in his gospel he refers to Jesus’ divinity and humanness and also acknowledges Jesus was in heaven before coming to Earth.…

    • 417 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The three Gospels written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke are collectively known as the Synoptic Gospels. The fourth Gospel, which was written by John, bears some stark distinction between itself and the Synoptic Gospels. It is important to understand that the Gospels, which were written around 70 A.D., are not biographies or eyewitness accounts of Jesus. Instead, they are sermons about the meaning of Jesus' life. Moreover, the Gospels are two generations removed from the actual life of Jesus. The first generation would be considered the life of Jesus himself from approximately 4 B.C. through 30 A.D.. Had Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John actually been close to Jesus during his life, perhaps the Gospels would likely be different from what they are today. The second generation is made up of earlier accounts written by numerous sources between the death of Jesus at roughly 70 A.D.. As a result of this forty-year gap between the actual life of Jesus and what we know of today as the Gospels, it can be assumed that what is written in the Gospels are in no way a detailed account of Jesus'…

    • 2190 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Bibl104

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The book of Matthew was a very important asset to the New Testament because Matthew himself was one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. It explains how Jesus is a descendant of King David. Later Jesus was baptized and then he was tempted by Satan to do the wrong things. He then fasted for 40days to build his strength against Satan. Jesus became stronger and went to Galilee. In Galilee he told his apostles to go and teach on, “adultery, divorce, giving, prayer, judging, worry, treasures in Heaven and warnings to people.” Matthew and the other 11 apostles were the followers of Jesus during his humanly travel across Jerusalem. When Matthew had come to Jesus he was a Jewish tax collector. Nonetheless, he chose to leave his profession and follow Jesus Christ. However, we also have to keep in mind that every apostle played a very pertinent role in the life and death of Jesus Christ. In (Matthew21:1) it talks about how the triumphal entry by Jesus into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and ends in the trial and crucifixion of Jesus on the cross as a sacrifice for all the sin in the world.…

    • 933 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The expression Good News completely embodies the quintessential tenet of Christianity requiring people to make sacrifices to atone for their sins. “The “good news” of the Gospels is that of the life and message of Jesus Christ” and God’s reparation with the people, through Jesus’ death on the cross (Rinehart and Winston 196). Jesus’ resurrection after his death is a key aspect of Christianity because it proved that his followers prayer and suffering were not in vain. “According to Christian belief, God established a new covenant, or testament, with humanity by sending his only son to die for people’s sins” (Rinehart and Winston 196). By killing his only son in such a public and grotesque manner, God provided his followers with a demonstration…

    • 247 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Four Gospels

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The first significant point that Mark shares with the other Gospels is that all the Gospels retell Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. The second significant point that Mark shares with the other Gospels is that they all state Jesus’ birth, teaching, miracles, journeys, struggle, and many more things. The third significant point that Mark shared with the other Gospels is that they all talk about the execution and resurrection in very detail. Even though, all the Gospels are pretty similar to each other, Mark can be a little different to the other Gospels.…

    • 708 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of John each present an illustration of Jesus in both humanity and divinity. However, each gospel portrays Jesus in a different way. The Gospel of Mark focuses on the mortality aspect of Jesus such as the concern of dying. On the contrary the Gospel of John focuses on the spirituality aspect of Jesus, and the revelation of Jesus and the Father being one. Despite the differences in portrayal of Jesus leading up to the Last Supper. Throughout this event both Gospels portrays Jesus’ crucifixion, however, Mark present Jesus similarly to the Passover Lamb. John on the other hand reveals Jesus’ parting in preparation of what to come so that they may believe.…

    • 730 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Starting with Christology one can start to examine the Gospels of John and Mark, where they agree and disagree. Jesus’ proclamation of his Deity resulted in skepticism as seen in John 5:18, “calling God his own Father, thereby making himself equal to God. Jesus said to them, ‘Very truly, I tell you, the Son can do nothing on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, the Son does likewise”. Jesus tries to explain that even though He claims to have God as his Father and Him being equal to God, He is doing what God is calling him to do. He is doing God’s will and spreading the word of God. Similarly in Mark 2:5, when “Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.’ Now some of the scribes were sitting there questioning and wondering, “Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Another instance of the inquiring and searching that a lot of people had towards Jesus’ teachings. Both John and Mark, depict the adversities He had to deal through his journey on Earth. A similar theme that is seen in both gospels is the way Jesus went about his ‘secret’ mission of spreading His divinity can be seen in Mark 5:40, “He took her by the hand and said to her, “Talitha come, and immediately the girl got up and began to walk about. At this they were overcome with amazement. He strictly ordered…

    • 1971 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays