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SURVEYING THE NEW TESTAMENT

Dr. Paul Benware

Tyndale Theological Seminary

LOOKING AT THE BIG PICTURE

BACKGROUND TO THE LIFE OF CHRIST

I.IN THE BEGINNING: THE OLD TESTAMENT BACKGROUND

A. GOD’S GREAT PLAN FOR MANKIND IN CREATION, Genesis 1-3

MAN IN THE “IMAGE OF GOD”

THE ORIGINAL PLAN

THE PROBLEM AND THE SOLUTION

B. GOD’S GREAT COVENANT WITH ABRAHAM, Genesis 12

(1) BASIC PROVISIONS OF THE COVENANT

TO THE MAN ABRAHAM HIMSELF

TO ABRAHAM’S DESCENDANT THROUGH ISAAC AND JACOB

TO ALL OF MANKIND

(2) THE COVENANT IS “EVERLASTING”

(3) THE COVENANT IS “UNCONDITIONAL”

(4) THE COVENANT HAS BEEN “RATIFIED”

C. GOD’S GREAT SOLUTION TO MAN’S SIN: THE NEW COVENANT, Jeremiah 31:31-34; 2 Corinthians 3:1-6; Hebrews 8:6-13; Romans 11:17-28;

Galatians 3:1ff.

  1. THE BASIS OF THE COVENANT
  1. THE PARTIES OF THE COVENANT
  1. THE APPLICATION OF THE COVENANT
  1. THE CONTENT OF THE COVENANT
  1. THE MEDIATOR OF THE COVENANT --- JESUS CHRIST
  1. LEADING UP TO THE LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST: THE PERIOD BETWEEN THE OLD AND THE NEW TESTAMENTS
  2. THE PERSIAN PERIOD (539-331 B.C.)
  1. THE GREEK PERIOD (331-143 B.C.)
  2. ALEXANDER THE GREAT
  1. THE PTOLEMIES
  1. THE SELEUCIDS
  1. THE HASMONEAN PERIOD (143-63 B.C.)
  1. THE ROMAN PERIOD (63 B.C. – New Testament)

AN OVERVIEW OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

I. SOME BASIC TIME ELEMENTS IN CHRIST’S LIFE

A.THE DATE OF THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

  1. THE LENGTH OF CHRIST’S LIFE AND MINISTRY

II. AN OVERVIEW OF THE LIFE OF CHRIST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

MAJOR PERIODS
IN THE
LIFE OF
CHRIST
FOUND MAINLY IN THE
GOSPEL
OF

30+ YEARS3+ YEARS

1st 2nd 3rd 4th

Passover Passover? Passover Passover

Jn 2:13 Jn 5:1 Jn 6:4 Jn 11:55

THE EIGHT PERIODS IN CHRIST’S LIFE

BEFORE PERIOD #1 – JOHN 1:1-3

Truths About Jesus Christ Before His Birth

THE WORD

IN THE BEGINNING

WITH GOD

WAS GOD

PERIOD #1 - THE BIRTH AND CHILDHOOD OF CHRIST

A. TWO SUPERNATURAL BIRTHS – Luke 1 and 2; Matthew 1

B. THE CHILDHOOD OF JESUS CHRIST

1. Jesus’ First Years, Matthew 2:1-23

2. Jesus’ Childhood, 2:40-52

PERIOD #2 -THE PREPARATION FOR CHRIST’S MINISTRY

A. THE MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST, Matthew 3:1-10;

Luke 3:3-14; John 1:19-28; 3:30

“THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN” (3:2)

“BAPTISM” (3:6-7)

“THE WRATH TO COME” (3:7)

“REPENTANCE” (3:8)

B. THE BAPTISM OF JESUS BY JOHN, Matthew 3:13-17; Luke 3:23

“IT IS FITTING FOR US TO FULFILL ALL RIGHTEOUSNESS” (3:15)

“SPIRIT OF GOD…COMING UPON HIM” (3:16)

C. THE TEMPTATION OF JESUS BY SATAN, Luke 4:1-13; Heb. 4:15

PERIOD #3 -THE EARLY MINISTRY OF CHRIST

A. THE FIRST CALLING OF THE DISCIPLES, John 1:35-51

WHAT ARE “DISCIPLES” and “APOSTLES”?

B. THE FIRST MIRACLE, John 2:1-11

C. THE FIRST CLEANSING OF THE TEMPLE, John 2:13-22

PERIOD #4THE GREAT GALILEAN MINISTRY OF CHRIST

A CHANGE OF ADDRESS, Matthew 4:13-16

JESUS A WORKER OF MIRACLES, John 4:31-37; Matt. 8:17; 4:23-25

THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT, Matthew 5:1-7:29

1. Background to the Sermon

2. The Beatitudes, 5:1-12

3. Tradition and Practice, 5:13-7:6

4. The Application, 7:7-29

 THE SELECTION OF THE TWELVE APOSTLES, Mark 3:13-19;

Luke 6:12-19

 THE GREAT REJECTION OF CHRIST BY ISRAEL, Matthew 12

BEFORE / AFTER
THE FOCUS OF CHRIST’S MINISTRY
CHRIST’S METHOD OF TEACHING
THE PURPOSE OF HIS MIRACLES
THE SUBJECTS OF HIS TEACHING
  1. PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM, 13:1-58

PERIOD #5 - THE SPECIAL TRAINING OF THE TWELVE

A. MIRACULOUS FEEDINGS, John 6:1-13; Matthew 15:29-38

B. THE BREAD OF LIFE DISCOURSE, John 6:22-71

C. IN GENTILETERRITORY, Mark 7:24-30; Matthew 15:24

D. THE ROCK OF THE CHURCH, Matthew 16:13-20; Eph. 2:20

E. THE DEATH OF CHRIST FORETOLD, Matthew 16:21-26

F. THE TRANSFIGURATION OF CHRIST, Matthew 17:1-8; Luke 9:28-36

PERIOD #6 -THE LATER JUDEAN MINISTRY OF CHRIST

A. THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT CHRIST, John 7:11-52; 10:19-21

B. PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS, John 9:1-41

C. THE MINISTRY OF THE SEVENTY, Luke 10:1-24

D. THE PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN, Luke 10:25-37

E. ANOTHER SABBATH HEALING, Luke 13:10-21

F. THE CLAIMS OF CHRIST, John 10:22-39

PERIOD #7 - THE LATER PEREAN MINISTRY OF CHRIST

(NOTE: The Lord Jesus, wishing to stay out of the jurisdiction of the Jews, “abode” beyond the Jordan river in the area Perea (John 10:40). The crucifixion is only three or four months away as this period begins.)

A. CHRIST’S REQUIRMENTS FOR DISCIPLESHIP, Luke 9:23; 14:25-35

B. PARABLES ON STEWARDSHIP, Luke 16:1-17:10

C. CHRIST AND THE QUESTION OF DIVORCE, Matthew 19:1-12

D. THE RAISING OF LAZARUS FROM THE DEAD, John 11:1-44; 12:11

E. JESUS THE COMING/POSTPONED KINGDOM, Luke 19:11-27

PERIOD #8 - THE LAST DAYS IN JERUSALEM

A. SUNDAY – THE TRIUMPHAL ENTRY, Luke 19:28-44

B. MONDAY – CURSING AND CLEANING, Mark 11:12-18

C. TUESDAY – DAY OF DEBATE

1. The Fig Tree, Mark 11:20-25

2. The Debate Over Authority, Mark 21:23-46

3. The Question About Tax Money, Luke 20:20-26

4. The Question About Resurrection, Luke 20:27-40

5. The Question About the Son of David, Matthew 22:41-46

6. Christ’s Denunciation of the Religious Leaders, Matthew 23:1-39

7. Christ’s Prophetic Discourse, Matthew 24:1-25:46

8. Preparing for the Death of Christ, Matthew 26:1-13; John 12:2-8

9. The Traitor, Judas Iscariot, Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6, 22

D. THURSDAY – DAY OF PREPARATION

1. Preparing the Passover Meal, Luke 22:7-13

2. In the Upper Room, John 13:1-14:31

3. On the Way to Gethsemane, John 15:1-17:26

D. FRIDAY – DAY OF CRUCIFIXION

1. In Gethsemane, Mark 14:32-52; John 18:2-12

2. The Trials of Christ,

(a) Jewish Trials

(b) Roman Trials

3. On the Way to the Cross, Luke 23:26-33

4. The Seven Sayings from the Cross

5. The Phenomena Accompanying Christ’s Death, Matt. 27:51-54; Luke 23:44-45

6 AM 9 AM NOON3 PM 6 PM

FRIDAY

6. The Burial of Christ, John 19:38-42

7. The Watch at the Tomb, Matt. 28:1

E. SUNDAY – DAY OF RESURRECTION

(Note: The resurrection of Christ from the dead was the great and final proof of the fact that Jesus was indeed the Messiah. It is also the basis on which the Christian faith is based---no resurrection, no Christianity. The Apostle Paul emphasized the strategic importance of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20. If Jesus did not rise bodily from the grave the nour faith is empty and meaningless, our hope of an afterlife is false, our assurance of the forgiveness of sins is untrue and futhermore we are the biggest fools on the planet. But since He did come out of that grave alive and lives forever, our faith has meaning and substance to it and we, of all people on the planet, can live meaningful lives.)

There were numerous resurrection appearances by Christ, so that our faith would have solid evidence for its validity. Not all of Christ’s resurrection appearances are given in the Scriptures (See Acts 1:1-4). But there were eleven recorded by various writers.

# / APPEARED TO / LOCATION / TIME / SCRIPTURE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

G. THE ASCENSION OF CHRIST, Luke 24; Acts 1

THE FOUR GOSPELS

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

I. THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL

None of the gospel writers actually identify themselves in their gospels. It is necessary, therefore, to rely on the early church fathers and on any evidence found within the gospels themselves to determine authorship.

The first gospel is traditionally ascribed to Matthew, who was surnamed Levi (Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14). This was the testimony of the church fathers, such as Papias (c. AD 100). Matthew was a Jew but collected taxes for the Roman government. His occupation caused him, and all of his fellow tax collectors (called “publicans”) to be despised by their fellow Jews. Matthew became exposed to the life and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth in the Galilee region. He eventually responded favorably to Christ’s call to come and be one of His disciples. Later on, Matthew was selected by Christ to become one of His 12 Apostles. Aside from the accounts in the gospel record which all of the 12 Apostles would have witnessed, there is very little known about him. There are just a few incidents where he is mentioned by name.

Matthew appears in the list of the Apostles in Acts 1:13, but then disappears completely from the biblical account.

II. THE PLACE AND DATE OF WRITING

Conservative scholars are generally in agreement that Matthew wrote his gospel prior to the fall of the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 because he speaks of the events as future. It is quite difficult, however, to give an exact date for the writing of this gospel.

One of the issues surrounding this gospel was whether or not it was the first gospel (of the four inspired gospels) written. It has been the opinion of a number of scholars that Mark was actually the first gospel written, but that opinion is being questioned by more and more scholars today. In this course we will hold to the priority of Matthew’s gospel for two basic reasons. First, the tradition of the church has been strongly in favor of the priority of Matthew, and second, there was an immediate need for a gospel that was directed towards the Jew. And Matthew’s gospel clearly has a Jewish audience in mind. If Matthew was, in fact, the first gospel written, then we would assign a date somewhere around A.D. 40-50 would be reasonable.

Since the last record we have about the man Matthew is Acts 1:13, when he was in Jerusalem, we cannot be certain about where the gospel was written. Though committed to a ministry to the Jews, Matthew’s travels and ministry are clouded in uncertainty. The two locations of Jerusalem and Antioch in Syria are most commonly held as the place where he wrote, based on church tradition.

III. THE THEME OF MATTHEW’S GOSPEL

The Gospel of Matthew was written primarily with a Jewish audience in mind.Hewas writing to the Jews to demonstrate that Jesus of Nazareth was the long awaited Messiah, the King of the Jews. Matthew reached back into the Old Testament to show his Jewish readers how Jesus fulfilled the prophecies concerning the Messiah. Matthew made 53 quotes from the Old Testament (far more than any other gospel writer) and thus his gospel forms a bridge between the two testaments.

As we interpret this gospel we need to remember that technically we are still under the economy of the Old Testament (that is, the Mosaic Law code is still in effect) and that the church of Jesus Christ has not yet begun.

IV. THE OUTLINE OF MATTHEW’S GOSPEL

I. THE PRESENTATION OF THE KING, 1:1-4:11

II. THE PROCLAMATIONS OF THE KING, 4:12-7:29

III. THE POWER OF THE KING, 8:1-11:1

IV. THE OPPOSITION TO THE KING, 11:2-16:12

V. THE INSTRUCTIONS IN LIGHT OF THE KING’S REJECTION, 16:13-20:34

VI. THE FINAL REJECTION OF THE KING, 21:1-27:66

VII. THE GREAT VICTORY OF THE KING, 28:1-20

THE GOSPEL OF MARK

I. THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL

Although Mark is not mentioned in the gospel as it’s author, there is the strong, consistent testimony of the early church that Mark wrote this gospel under the direction of the Apostle Peter. Peter apparently was the one who led Mark to the Lord (cf. 1 Peter 5:13) and, therefore, this gospel of Mark has long been thought of as “Peter’s gospel”, as Mark apparently received much of his material from Peter perhaps as Mark listened to the oral presentations of Peter on the life of Christ.

He is called John Mark in the Scriptures; with John as his Jewish name and Mark as his Latin surname (cf. Acts 12:12). John Mark was the nephew of Barnabas, an important figure in the beginning of the Church. We first hear about Mark when he joined Paul and Barnabas on the First Missionary journey (Acts 13:5). While Mark is remembered for his failure on that journey, it is good to note that he later proved himself to be an able and dependable worker for the Lord, so much so that Paul changed his mind about Mark and saw him as a valuable servant of Christ (2 Timothy 4:11). He is mentioned numerous times in the New Testament (cf. Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5, 13; 15:37, 39; Col. 4:10; Philemon 1:24; 2 Tim. 4:11; 1 Pet. 5:13)

II. THE PLACE AND DATE OF WRITING

Although several dates have been suggested for the gospel of Mark, a date of about A.D. 64-68 seems probable. This is based to a large extent on the idea that Mark wrote this “gospel of Peter” down sometime near the time of Peter’s death. Peter is believed to have died around A.D. 64 in the persecutions of Emperor Nero.

It is generally accepted that Mark wrote his gospel in Rome with a Roman audience in mind. This was the uniform view of the early church and the content of the gospel of Mark would be supportive of such a tradition. For example, he translated Aramaic expressions for his readers (e.g. 3:16; 5:41; 7:34) and even more indicatively, he explained Greek expressions by their Latin equivalents (e.g. 12:42; 15:16) as well as using a number of other Latin terms. Also, it should be noted that he refers to Simon of Cyrene as the ‘father of Alexander and Rufus’ (15:21), which only makes sense if these men were familiar to Mark’s original audience. Romans 16:13 tells us that indeed Rufus was part of the church at Rome.

III. THE THEME OF MARK’S GOSPEL

In this gospel Jesus is viewed as the Servant of the Lord, which is a theme and viewpoint of the Messiah found in the Old Testament. Mark wanted to show what the Lord Jesus did as the Lord’s Servant. Mark is less concerned about what Jesus said but emphasizes His works. Perhaps the key verse in this gospel is 10:45.

IV. THE OUTLINE OF MARK’S GOSPEL

I. THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD’S SERVANT, 1:1-13

II. THE MANIFESTATION OF THE LORD’S SERVANT, 1:14-3:6

III. THE OPPOSITION TO THE LORD’S SERVANT, 3:7-8:26

IV. THE INSTRUCTIONS IN VIEW OF THE OPPOSITION,8:27-10:52

V. THE REJECTION OF THE LORD’S SERVANT, 11:1-15:47

VI. THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD’S SERVANT, 16:1-20

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE

I. THE AUTHOR OF THE GOSPEL

Church tradition affirms the author of the third gospel to be Luke. There is a unanimous testimony from the early church fathers that Luke, who was from Antioch of Syria, wrote this gospel. Irenaeus (c. A.D. 185), Justin Martyr (c. A.D. 150), the Muratorian Canon (c. A.D. 195), the anti-Marcionite Prologue to the third gospel (c. A.D. 160) and a number of other sources agree that the author of this gospel was indeed Luke.

Almost all are in agreement that the author of this third gospel is the same one who penned the book of Acts. Both books are dedicated to a man named Theophilus, both are similar in language and style, and the latter refers to the former. It is also clear that the author of these two books was a companion of the Apostle Paul because of the “we” sections of Acts (cf. Acts 16:10, 11; 20:5; 21:1). In these sections of Acts, the author includes himself in the journeys of Paul. The question then becomes one of identifying the correct companion of Paul. After viewing all of Paul’s known companions, and after noting all the historical data, it has appeared best to scholars to see Luke as the author of both Acts and the Third gospel.

Luke apparently was a gentile who was trained as a doctor. This would mean that he was highly educated and thus very capable of writing in the good Greek style of Acts and the 3rdgospel.

II. THE PLACE AND DATE OF WRITING

If Luke was written to aid in gentile evangelism (see page 7) then it had to have been written after Paul began proclaiming the gospel to the gentiles and saw a clear need for such a gospel. While there is some uncertainly as to the exact place and date of writing, a date around 58 A.D. from Caesarea would be reasonable. The determination of the date is determined largely by one’s view of the order of the writing of the four gospels.

III. THE THEME OF LUKE’S GOSPEL

Luke seems to have a special audience in mind as he writes his gospel, given that it is addressed to one named Theophilus, a Greek. It would seem that Luke’s gospel would appeal to the Greek mind. Luke wrote and revealed the humanity of Jesus Christ. Jesus was a real human being---the ideal man. Luke uses the phrase “son of man” twenty-four times in his gospel; a title used frequently by the Lord Jesus of Himself. This messianic title emphasizes His humanity (cf. Dan. 7:13). Luke’s gospel has sometimes been referred to as the “Greek gospel” because of its universal appeal.

EMPHASIS IN LUKE’S GOSPEL

CHAPTERS IN
LUKE’S GOSPEL / 1:1-2:52 / 3:1-9:50 / 9:51-19:27 / 19:28-24:53
AMOUNT OF TIME
INVOLVED / ABOUT
3O YEARS / 3 YEARS / 3 to 4 MONTHS / 8 DAYS

IV. THE OUTLINE OF LUKE’S GOSPEL

I. THE PROLOGUE OF LUKE’S GOSPEL, 1:1-4

II. THE COMING OF JESUS THE SON OF MAN, 1:5-4:13

III. THE MINISTRY OF JESUS THE SON OF MAN, 4:14-9:50

IV. THE MINISTRY OF JESUS THE SON OF MAN IN TIMES OF REJECTION, 9:51-19:27

V. THE SUFFERING AND SACRIFICE OF JESUS THE SON OF MAN, 19:28-23:56

VI. THE FINAL AUTHENTICATION OF JESUS THE SON OF MAN, 24:1-53

V. SOME OF LUKE’S UNIQUE CONTRIBUTIONS

Each of the gospels has unique contributions to make to the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Some 59% of Luke’s gospel is unique; that is, it is contains stories, miracles and teachings not found in the other three gospels.

It is impossible to say how many individual miracles the Lord Jesus Christ worked during His years of ministry because so many are included collectively in summary statements. There are, however, some thirty-five miracles that are specifically detailed in the gospels, twenty of which are found in Luke. Of these twenty in Luke, seven are unique to this gospel alone.

  1. The miraculous catch of fish, 5:1-11
  2. The raising of the widow’s son from the dead, 7:11-17
  3. The casting out of a demon, 11:14
  4. The healing of the crippled woman, 13:10-17
  5. The healing of the man with dropsy, 14:1-4
  6. The healing of the 10 lepers, 17:11-19
  7. The restoring of the ear of Malchus, 22:49-51

The teachings of Christ were full of illustrations from life. Many of Christ’s illustrations could be classified as parables. But of those that are extended narratives, there are some fifty-one “parables” spoken by Christ (although there is some minor disagreement on this total). However, of the 51 so classified, 35 are found in Luke, and 19 of those are unique to Luke’s gospel.

1. The two debtors, 7:41 14. The unfaithful steward, 16:1

2. The good Samaritan, 10:30 15. The rich man and Lazarus, 16:19

3. The friend at midnight, 11:5 16. The unprofitable servants, 17:7