The Four Gospels

It might surprise some people to learn that the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – are not actually the Gospel at all! These books chronicle the earthly ministry of Jesus, but the actual revelation of the Good News of redemption only came after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ! It is for this reason that the most important books in the Bible are the Pauline Epistles: letters written to the churches by the Apostle Paul.

The four Gospels provide accounts of Jesus’ parables, miracles and his encounters with the Pharisees, who were the religious elite of the day. The members of this Jewish sect would often try to trick Jesus because they felt that their religious empire, and pompous way of life, was under threat. There is a definite parallel here between religious pride during Jesus’ earthly ministry and some religious people today. It would seem that as soon as rule-keeping factors in the equation – pride and judgementalism is the result. I felt that being a Christian entitled me to be blessed more than unbelievers, as if God hates anyone who is not a Christian – but that is not true.

There are many Christians who read the Four Gospels as if they are some kind of rulebook. In fact, some Christians use the cliché of the word “Bible” being an acronym for “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. But as soon as the Bible becomes a book of rules, the onus of effort shifts from Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, to what we can do for other people and for God.

Jesus actually raised the Old Testament law to another level in the Gospels. In Matthew 5:20, Jesus said that our righteousness should exceed that of the Pharisees. This seemed impossible because no one was as religious as the Pharisees, who diligently kept all the Jewish laws and customs. Jesus actually opposed these laws by healing on the Sabbath in Mark 3:1-6. If the Pharisees were more interested in loving other people, rather than adhering to rules for selfish purposes, they would have been delighted that someone was healed; but no, we read in Mark 3:6 that the Pharisees plotted with the Herodians to kill Jesus!

Christianity seems to be so steeped in rule keeping that you would think that Jesus was more zealous of keeping rules and rituals than the Pharisees, but no, it was actually the other way around. In Matthew 12:1-2 we read about how Jesus’ disciples plucked corn to eat, but they came under criticism from the Pharisees because it was the Sabbath. You would have thought that Jesus would have agreed with them, if He was more interested in rules than in love. But no, we read in Matthew 12:3-4 of how Jesus answered the Pharisees by relating the story of King David and how he ate the showbread in the temple because he was hungry (which was considered unlawful in a religious sense).

If Jesus was more interested in rules than showing mercy on others then surely He would have been the first in line to stone to death the woman caught in the act of adultery in John chapter 8. In John 8:5 the Pharisees quoted the Law of Moses in that it stated that anyone found guilty of adultery should be stoned to death. Jesus replied to them in such a way that they felt convinced of a guilty conscience and left one by one. The Pharisees were adhering to the Old Testament law as set-out in Leviticus 20:10. Jesus being a Rabbi (Jewish Teacher) should have agreed with them – but He didn’t. The reason why Jesus did not agree with the Pharisees is because He was living according to love, not according to the Old Testament law of do’s and don’ts.

So if even Jesus did not keep the rules – how was it that He lived a life without sin? It was because He lived according to the Father’s love. Jesus fulfilled the law, even though He allowed His disciples to pick corn on the Sabbath; He Himself healed on the Sabbath; and He allowed the woman caught in the act of adultery to go free, rather than agreeing that she be stoned to death.

It is only in the Epistles, the letters to the churches that we read of Christ setting us free from the law so that we could be free to enjoy a relationship with God the Father, through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit.

So it seems that the whole purpose of the Four Gospels was to bring man to the end of himself. In other words, Jesus sought to show mankind that they could not stand blameless before God in their own effort; a Saviour was required who would save man from His sins. After all, who needs a Saviour when you think you’re good enough to live without one?