WHY READ A HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS?

“But when the Father sends the Advocate as My representative- that is, the Holy Spirit- 

He will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.”  John 14:26

If the Gospels were meant to be read as a single story – why wouldn’t God give them to us that way?

Each Gospel was written for a specific purpose and to a specific group of readers.  My focus will be the Gospel of Luke since he set out to compose an ‘orderly account’ of the life of Christ.  We need to pay attention to the twin purposes of the Gospels – each one has its story and context while all four together tell a single story – The Gospel of Jesus Christ.  In this reading, I am proposing that as Grace family we should read all four Gospels collectively (in harmony) to grasp the fuller picture of the life and ministry of Christ. Aside from the events surrounding His crucifixion, the Feeding of the 5000 is the only event recorded in all four Gospels. So, if we want a full picture of the life and ministry of Jesus, we need to consider the story through the lens of all four Gospel writers together.  

What is the value of a chronological life of Christ?

First of all, the time ordered approach gives us the developments and growth of the disciples with Jesus.  They grew as He revealed more!  Then, the people of Israel also had many chances to recognize and receive the Messiah – each turn was an offering of Heaven to embrace the Lord.  Each rejection deepened their hatred that led to an inevitable cruelty at the Cross of Calvary.  We have a wonderful picture of Jesus living out the theme for our new year 2023 – Walk with Me!  Jesus patiently and faithfully walked with the disciples – teaching and leading them toward faith and ministry.

How do we know which harmony gets it right?

No harmony is perfect since we were not there and did not compose a diary in real time – but Luke tries to collect the accounts and witnesses to compile an accurate rendering.  The Gospels are each then a reflection of the Holy Spirit within the life of the author – Matthew  and Luke giving the most parables while John gives none.  Mark is a quick book with lots of miracles and includes 8 unique parables.  John’s Gospel is built around the Jewish Feasts and gives us the most accurate accounting of passing time.  Since each is unique who can we trust to weave these reports together?  While it may not be perfect, A.T. Robertson’s work has been considered a solid, reliable harmony for almost a century – it is still my favorite.  I linked the Blue Letter Bible chart on your reading schedule - it is very good!

Why should I do this?

The greatest advantage I have found to studying the life of Christ by using a harmony of the Gospels, in addition to studying each Gospel individually, is that I am studying the life of Christ! I am taking a deep dive into Jesus, and by doing so, I am giving the Holy Spirit the opportunity to do exactly what Jesus had promised He would do. Teach me about the Son’s life. I am falling more and more in love with Jesus as He has revealed Himself to us in the Scriptures.  So walk with me this year as we walk with Jesus!

Pastor Mike