When taking a picture of someone, the subject appears according to how the picture-taker viewed that person at the moment the picture was taken, how the photographer wanted to present the subject to his viewers and what message he wanted to convey about the subject.
The gospel narratives of Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John give each of their views of Jesus, how they wanted to portray him to their readers and what they were inspired to interpret about his message to the general audience.
Mark’s gospel narrative makes the case about how the Old Testament prophecies about the coming Messiah were fulfilled in his birth; how his lineage can be traced to the root of Jessie through King David.
Mark’s emphasis through his own lens is on Jesus being the active Suffering Servant - the Obedient One who came to serve and in the process endure the most heinous scorn and death at the hands of those He came to serve.
Luke, being the most educated of the gospel writers his narrative is the longest of all four, is more elegant in his writing, he takes the stance of an objective journalist reporting his miraculous and never seen before activity; the writer has a deep concern and desire to train and to educate the new students of the teachings of Jesus, to avoid distortions and misconceptions about the Messiah.
John’s voice through his writing is unique and significantly distinctive than the others. His approach is grounded in a highly developed theology of the person of Jesus Christ. His gospel, being the last one written about Jesus, has given John numerously veritable, reliable sources, eye-witness accounts, and his very own and independent view imbued with his profoundly theological understanding of Jesus’ divine nature make his portrait of Jesus richer than the others. The initial three verses of his narrative present the reader with a stunning picture of Jesus as the active Word of God being with God and being God from the beginning. John also adds to this picture a declaration that no one else, certainly the other writers of the gospels, and most assuredly anyone claiming to be God: All things were created through Him and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. This portrait of Jesus Christ in all His Majesty and power is humbling to read and take in the words John uses to describe the indescribable. No man has ever uttered such words and certainly, there will be fewer to describe or paint the person of Jesus Christ as John has done.
This page and blog will attempt and strive to present Jesus Christ as He truly is, and ensure that the truth about him is told. This blog is about him and everything connected to it is unashamedly dedicated to making Him known to a new generation. For His sake and the sake of many. SDG.
April 6, 2020
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