The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John - Essay Example

In the parable of the soils, Jesus is teaches concerning the conditions necessary for an individual to grow into a mature Christian. While others were in attendance during this parable, the explanation of the parable seems to indicate that this was a special teaching opportunity for Jesus and his disciples. The purpose behind the story was to offer insight into the possible outcomes their future proselytes might realize after hearing the word if they were not properly prepared. Jesus beings with the imagery of the sower. The sower went about his business of distributing the seed of grain, but not all of the seeds fell on the same sort of ground. The four types of ground described by Jesus were the wayside (or roadside), stony places, thorns and good ground (13 Matt. 4-8 King James Version). Each one of these different seed-beds results in a very different experience for the seeds that land in them. The seeds that fall among the wayside are immediately devoured by birds. The seeds that fall in the stony places sprout up immediately but soon whither because their roots are not firmly established. Seeds that fell among the thorns begin to develop normally, but are then chocked out as the thorns spring up and outpace their growth. Finally, the good ground that the Lord mentions in the parable provides all the elements necessary for the full maturation of the crop. From that one seed, the fully mature plant can “…bring forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold and some thirtyfold.” (13 Matt. 8 King James Version) In clarifying his use of parables to the Apostles, Jesus explained that he did this so the people would understand. Understanding the teachings of the Gospel were important because Jesus likened the seeds that fell on stony ground to people that heard the Gospel and did not understand it. Their maturation was stopped even before the seed could germinate. This lack of progress was due to ignorance even after receiving the word. In a way, Jesus was expressing to the Apostles the need for clear and succinct teaching of Gospel doctrine. The second group of individuals take root but can not make it through the trials and temptations inherent in daily living. They cannot withstand the heat of these trials and so are scorched as if by the sun. Their faith withers and their maturation ceases. The third group to receive the word are described as landing among thorns. Maturation progresses as expected among the thorns but the good crops are soon outpaced by the bad. The tender growth of the individual is chocked out by other competing growth such as, “…the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things…” (4 Mark 19 King James Version). The final seeds fall in good soil. While no detailed description of this soil is given, it is easy to ascertain that it is soil at the very least free from stony places, are not a part of the wayside and are free of thorns. In this parable, what is most remarkable about the progress of an individual towards becoming a mature Christian is how that maturation shows in the actions of the Christian. No longer can the Christian simply remain apart from the world upon maturation. The mature Christian now feels compelled to bring forth good fruits according to their abilities, some an hundredfold and others less. The Gospel of Matthew and the Gospel of John are both written testimonies of Apostles that lived, worked and served closely with Jesus. Taken together with the Gospels of Luke and Mark, a vivid picture of the teachings and acts of Jesus Christ is revealed. None of the Gospels are intended to be a history of the life of Jesus. Instead, they are individual testimonies of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Their purpose is not to catalog the daily events so much as they are intended to share events that help the Apostles present Jesus in a light according to the intended audience of their writings. From the content of Matthew’s Gospel, it appears as though he is writing to the Jews of antiquity in an attempt to convince them that Jesus is the fulfillment of prophecy. He appeals to ancient prophets in his attempt to show the Jews that this man Jesus is in fact the promised Messiah. He also frequently refers to Jesus as the Son of David. This is done so that Matthew can emphasize the importance of Jesus Christ’s lineage back through he royal household of David. Matthew refers to the Old Testament prophets more than the writer of any other Gospel. In contrast to this, the Gospel of John does not use much of the same phraseology as the other Matthew or any of the other Gospel writers for that matter. Much of what John wrote is exclusive to his Gospel. He skips many stories and events related by the other three writers, such as the Mount of Transfiguration, the 40 days spent in the wilderness and the casting out of evil spirits. These differences in content may be accounted for by the possibility that John was writing for a different audience than the other writers of the Gospels. Much of the basic teachings of Jesus are skipped, leading the reader to infer that perhaps he was writing to mature Christians of the day. They did not need so much instruction as the audiences favored by the other writers of Gospels. John instead focuses on the divinity of Jesus as the Only Begotten Son of a Heavenly Father. The evidence for the intent behind Matthew’s writing is presented clearly throughout his Gospel. The beginning of the Gospel According to St. Matthew is a family record showing the clear connection of Jesus Christ through the royal household of David to father Abraham. This genealogy would have bee important for Matthew’s Jewish readers because this would legitimize Jesus as a leader of the people in some ways. When Jesus came into his own country to teach and preach and do might works among the people, his credentials were brought into question by some. “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him.” (13 Matthew 55-57 King James Version) Matthew, by showing the heritage of Jesus back to Abraham through David, sought to add an earthly legitimacy to Jesus to counteract the attitudes expressed by those that grew up with Jesus. This is also the reason that he so often referred to Jesus as the Son of David as he does in 9 Matthew 27, 12 Matthew 23 and 21 Matthew 9. All of this is to show that Jesus was not only the Son of God, but that he had a lineage worthy of such respect. Matthew also appeals to various prophets of the Old Testament during the discourse of his Gospel. “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying…” (1 Matthew 22) is a refrain we hear several times over the course of Matthew’s Gospel. The first such reference is made using the prophet Isaiah. “Therefore the Lord himself shall five you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” (7 Isaiah 14) Matthew’s allusion to this ancient prophetic voice is added as a suffix to the account of the Immaculate Conception and subsequent birth of Jesus. The triumphant entry of Jesus in Jerusalem is also linked to ancient prophecy by Matthew. “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.” (9 Zechariah 9) The importance of Matthew’s use of prophecy and genealogy can not be overstated. These were important points in his personal testimony of Jesus Christ. He clearly felt that they were important and they would be valued by many of the Jews that he was converting into the fold of Jesus Christ. John, not surprisingly , begins with a genealogy of sorts in his Gospel as well, but it is not an earthly genealogy. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (1 John 1-5) As John was writing to Christians that were mature in the faith during the course of his Gospel, he needed to establish the vital relationship between God the Father, the Son and mankind. The opening verses of his Gospel accomplish this succinctly and beautifully. John obviously did not feel the need to establish Jesus Christ in the same way Matthew felt compelled to do. There is no mention of Joseph or Mary at this time. No attempt to relate Jesus to David or even to justify his position through references to ancient prophecy. Instead, the relationship between the Father, Christ and mankind through the Spirit is established first and foremost. The spiritual life and progression of mankind is of utmost importance to John. In John we find the only account of Jesus speaking with Nicodemus. This is the most clearly stated instruction in scripture relative to spiritual rebirth and the necessity of such actions in order to gain salvation. “Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born? Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (3 John 3-5) The emphasis of the spiritual Christ and mankind’s spiritual relationship to that Christ was the message mature Christians needed in order for them to continue on their path towards perfection in the Kingdom of God. The different content and messages in The Gospel of St. Matthew and the Gospel of St. John are both important for us to understand. The universal nature of Christ’s salvation teaches us that the Gospel net will need to catch many different types of fishes (and men!). It is important to understand that these Gospels present many different facets of the Christ to many different types of people. The Good Word needs to be presented today as Matthew and John presented it. The sharing of individual testimonies of the goodness and glory of Jesus Christ is still the best way to proselytize. What these Gospels tell us about Christ is that he was far from being a one dimensional individual and that his teachings are capable to appealing to the newest Christian as well as the most spiritually mature. The plurality of Gospels in the Bible give us intimate portraits of the nature of Christ, his teachings and his links with the prophets of old. The wisdom of incorporating them in the cannon of scripture that is now accepted by Christianity is indeed a testimony of the goodness of God and the divinity of Jesus Christ. In conclusion, we can learn many different things from these Gospels. From John we learn more of the spiritual relationship between God and man, as well as more information or the relationship between Jesus and the Father. Matthew, on the other hand, shows us more detail concerning the connection between the prophecy of the coming of the Messiah and the earthly importance of Jesus Christ. The differences between the feeding of the five thousand in the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Gospel of St. John are striking. The account in Matthew is much briefer than the account in John and does little more than relate the rudiments of the miracle preformed by Jesus in that place. The account is separate and distinct from the subsequent events of Jesus walking on the water across the sea and the teachings on the Bread of Life. Considering the fact that Matthew was writing to a different audience than was John, the lack of detail concerning these important teachings is appropriate, but the account in John presents information that is vital for the mature Christian to possess. In John, the events of the feeding of the five thousand, the night journey across the sea of Galilee and the Discourse on the Bread of Life are linked by narrative, rather than being viewed as separate events. After feeding the five thousand in a miraculous manner, Jesus walks on the water to catch up with his Apostles who had departed by ship. I think it is noteworthy that Matthew chooses to dwell on the event of Peter expressing faith and then loosing it as the waves frighten him. John on the other hand focused on the Apostle’s general fear of the sight of the Savior upon the top of the water, but then all, “…immediately received him into the ship; and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.” (6 John 21) The account in John kept the focus on Jesus as the doer of miracles and the source of safety and it was important for the followers of Christ to overcome their fears and accept him into their abode. The link in the narrative of John to the Discourse of the Bread of Life occurs when an explanation is offered as to why the multitude followed Jesus to the other side of the sea. Finding that Jesus was no longer with them and knowing that he had not taken to any ship, they immediately followed and asked him how he had gotten to the other side. The response of Jesus to their inquiries sets the stage for the spiritual teaching Jesus is about to impart. “Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.” (6 John 26 King James Version) Jesus then delivers the Discourse on the Bread of life. He explains that there is a more important bread than the physical bread he has provided them, and that anyone who eats of this bread will never hunger again. He then likens that bread to his won person, in a prelude to the last supper. He states that those that partake of his flesh are eating the bread of life and that only these individuals will enter into the Kingdom of God. Those present wanted a sign that would prove to them that Jesus was indeed this bread of life, even though the thought of consuming his flesh clearly upset some of the listeners. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hat everlasting life. I am that bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” (6 John 47-50 King James Version) After teaching the people this, and of the disciples Jesus were concerned and drifted away. They said that Jesus had given them a, “hard saying.” (6 John 60 King James Version) Jesus then explained that the words he had been delivering were not literal words. They were words beyond the physical world and had spiritual meanings. To the murmuring crowd, Jesus said, “Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before? If is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (6 John 61-63 King James Version) These teaching in John are very important for our understanding of Jesus Christ and his Gospel. John focused on the spiritual relationship between God and mankind. Again, in His teaching, Jesus showed that things of the spirit are more important and of greater value than those of the flesh. There are things temporal and things eternal. Placing a value upon the eternal is where eternal life is found. A focus on the worldly and the physical will not prove worthy of life in the eternal realm with God. Read More