The Different Books of the Gospel - Book Report/Review Example

Synoptic Analysis The centurion of Capernaum is a story of a man who was highly regarded in Capernaum who went to Jesus to ask him to heal his servant who was sick and also of a leprous man who received healing. (Mathew 8:5-13, Mark 1: 40-45, Luke 5:12-16, 7:1-18). On the other hand, the story of death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is reflected in the gospels, Mathew 28:1-10, Mark 16:1-8, and Luke 24:1-12. The stories are brought out differently in the different books of the gospel. Mathew focuses on the centurion man who despite his high position humbled himself and chooses to believe in the power of Jesus. He pleaded for healing on behalf of his servant. Apart from the faith that, the centurion had, the chapter also brings out the humble nature of the centurion (Matt. 8.5-13). A significant difference is the fact that, in Mathew, the centurion man is depicted to have personally approached Jesus, while, in Luke, the centurion is said to have sent the elders of the Jews to present his requests to Jesus (Luke 5.12-16, 7.1-18). A very significant difference is also notable in the way the women discovered that Jesus was not the there. In Mathew, the women are said to have seen an angel who was shining seated on the stone which was rolled away outside (Matt. 28.1-10). In Mark, they are recorded to have seen the angel inside the tomb on the right side of the sepulcher (Mark 16.1-8). There is even a bigger difference in Luke where they are recorded to have seen two angels, and the words they spoke to them are also different in the different gospels (Luke 24.1-12). The passages bring out the aspect of the miracles that Jesus performed while on earth. The fact that Jesus resurrected is a miracle in itself because it is not a usual occurrence for people to resurrect from death. The miraculous healing of the centurion’s servant just by Jesus uttering a word is in itself astounding. The stories can, therefore, be generally classified as miracle stories. Original sources of the book of Mathew were in Hebrew language while Luke was originally written in Greek. In Mathew, the story of the centurion is recorded from the context of the healing of a leprous man after he came down from the mountain (Matt. 8.5-13). In Luke, it is recorded from a context of Jesus giving his teachings to crowds of people before he entered Capernaum. The women at the tomb and the guard at the tomb story is told from a context of the women preparing spices to be used on the body of Jesus in the book of Luke. In Mark, it is written from the context of how Joseph was given the body of Jesus and how he took care of it (Mark 1.40-45), while, in Mathew, it is written from the context of how Pilate ordered guards to watch over the tomb. In most instances, the passage is not connected to the occurrences before and after them, for example, the story of the healing of the leper is not in any way connected to the story about the centurion apart from the fact that they were both all about healing. On the other hand, the story about Joseph requesting for the body of Jesus is not in any way connected to His resurrection. The rest of the passages continues with discussions on the happenings thereafter and moves on to other unrelated topics like the story of the resurrection of Jesus end with the disciples preaching the good news to other people. The manner in which the constituent elements of the passage are connected is set to depict the character of Jesus as being all powerful and His ability to make the impossible happen. The thought units begin with scenes that portray a desperate situation or a situation that is quite helpless and with Jesus in the picture, the situation turns for the better which is in the end depicted by the miracles that Jesus performs to make the situation better or solve it once and for all. The emphasis on these passages is mainly on the powerful nature of Jesus. The fact that He was able to resurrect and that there were actually angels in the tomb where He was laid to rest and also on how He was able to heal the centurion's servant just by merely mentioning a word regardless of the fact that the sick servant was not on the same geographical position as He was at the time of his healing. The passages are mainly divided in terms of the scenarios where the desperation or the need is presented and where the solution is finally found. In each gospel, the passage is all about how the stone used to cover the tomb was miraculously removed, and how the guards and women are left in awe as they see an angel in the tomb and Jesus’s body missing from the tomb having already resurrected, something that was unheard of before. The passage on the centurion, on the other hand, is all about an important personality taking a step of faith and asking Jesus to heal his servant. The major character in the passages is Jesus and the other main characters are Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Jesus, Mary James and the centurion. I would summarize the passage in the statement “Jesus, the all-powerful healer and resurrector”. Redaction criticism is the arrangement or editing of pre-existing traditional material in order to make the work fit the purpose for which It is intended. The gospel writes are perceived to have edited the original, traditional stories to bring out theological significance. The book of Mathew has shaped its passage to portray the greatness of Jesus portrayed by the angel, and the awe in the women and the guard (Mathew 28.1-10). It majors on depicting the fact that, everything about Jesus is powerful and unique in nature, and that, He is almighty. The book of Luke, on the other hand, focused on the how the women regarded Jesus in high esteem taking their time to prepare spices and going to the tomb every first day of the week. They changed the simple story of how the women went to the tomb as per their culture, to make it look like a special case, to show how they regarded Jesus. The theological concerns of Mathew are to show the continuity from the old covenant to Jesus’s ministry. In this passage, it is depicted by how the powerful nature of Jesus as depicted in the old covenant. On the other hand, Luke theological concern is to depict the new covenant in Jesus and how it applies to humanity. This is depicted in this passage on how the relevance of the resurrection of Jesus is clearly depicted. Marks version and theology differs by the fact that, He depended on the works of other already edited works. There are always parallels consisting passages from John. A good example is the passage on John the Baptist (Mathew 3.1-6; Mark 1.2-6; Luke 3.1-6 and John 1.19-23). As in the other instances, there are notable differences in the passages in the different books. Works Cited Aland, Kurt. Synopsis of the Four Gospels-FL. New York: Hendrickson Publishers Marketing, LLC, 2006. Robert, C. The Holy Bible, King James Version. The Bible League publishers, 2000. Read More