The interesting places in which I find myself, Father! I have brought the boys golf team to a meet and am enjoying the accommodations of their clubhouse. A week ago I was typing at a large agricultural facility with horses and the like – quite a bit more rustic. But no matter where I find myself, You are always there. Thank You, Father, for Your comforting presence wherever I go!
Luke 1:1-4 (<<click to read the passage)
I find it fascinating that all four Gospels – Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John – all had the same goal, which was to proclaim the story of Jesus, the Christ, the Messiah. [It might be helpful to have a little bit of background…the name Jesus means Savior and it is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua. Of course, Christ (Greek) and Messiah (Hebrew) both mean Anointed.]
They all had the same goal but like anyone witnessing – say a traffic accident – each of them had a different perspective. And each of them was writing to a different audience, if you will, then and that probably applies today, as well.
Matthew was written with a Jewish audience in mind. They were very scripturally and prophetically minded.
Mark was written to a Roman audience. They were people of action. Scripture meant nothing to them but power did and his Gospel foots the bill.
Luke wrote to the Greeks. Interestingly enough he is the only Gentile (non-Jewish) writer in the entire Bible! (He also wrote the Book of Acts.) Greeks loved culture, beauty, and ideas and their goal was the pursuit of truth. Luke fills his book with insights, interviews, songs, and details that fascinate the inquiring mind.
And John? Well, he wrote to everyone, because everyone needs to meet God and only Jesus can reveal Him. In this book, we meet an absolutely powerful God in human flesh who controls and rules the Universe He created. And in it, we find Jesus our only hope!
(From Four Gospels, Four Audiences? by John Barnett)
But with all of this information, it must be stressed, as my study Bible* states, “Christianity doesn’t say, ‘Close your eyes and believe,’ but rather, ‘Check it out for yourself.’ The Bible encourages [us] to investigate its claims thoroughly (John 1:46; 21:24; Acts 17:11-12) because [our] conclusion about Jesus is a life-and-death matter.”
…these people…received the message [of salvation through faith in the Christ] with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. As a result many of them became believers, together with a number of prominent Greek women and men. Acts 17:11-12 (AMP)
God’s Word speaks to us all but we must read it! It can impact as nothing else can!
Lord Jesus, Your Word is life! May we partake of it often. We must never close our eyes and believe but we must check it out for ourselves! Amen!
*Life Application Bible New Living Translation
Sept 26th, 2019, Thurs, 3:56 pm
