The Intended Audiences of the Gospel - Essay Example

The Intended Audiences of the Gospel Paper Outline Introduction The Gospel of Mark; the Suffering Servant The Gospel of Matthew; the Promised Messiah The Gospel of Luke; the Savior of Mankind The Gospel of John; Eternal Life From faith Conclusion References The Intended Audiences of the Gospel Nobody that has read the Christian bible lacks the knowledge on what the gospels are and the message they proclaim. The Gospel is a collection of five books in the new testament of the bible. They were written at about a century after the death of Jesus Christ. The books include; the gospel of Matthew, Luke, John and Mark(Burridge 2005). Though written by different authors anointed by the power of the Holy Spirit, all the four books of the gospel tell the same story. However, they also reflect varied ideas and concerns. The gospel of Mark attempt to highlights the story of life up to the prophesized death of the Messiah. The narrative exposition employed in the gospel of Mark began the tradition of the gospel(Burridge 2005). The Gospel of Matthew writes to a Jewish Christian audience and is predominantly concerned with portraying Jesus as a teacher who is greater than Moses (Brown 1997). The Gospel of Luke attempts to answer the question of whether Christians whose allegiance is the Kingdom of God able to stay loyal to the Roman Empire? The book of John is an exception that views the Messiah as a ‘Stranger from Heaven’ and is often called the spiritual gospel (Burridge 2005). This paper thus intends to explain the different targeted audiences of the four gospels and the messages they proclaim to the readers. TheGospel ofMark The gospel of Mark was written by John Mark who dwelt in Jerusalem as revealed in the book of Acts 12:12(Burridge 2005). It was initially written in a bilingual set up that involved the Greek and the Aramaic languages. The author was influenced to write by the young Christian generation, also known as the Christians of the second generation or the young man(Burridge2005). John Mark wrote this book and addressed it to the Gentiles and the Roman leaders in Rome or probably in Syria or Decapolis. During this time, the Gentiles were young and new to the Christian faith. They knew very little of Christianity and the death of Jesus to save mankind. At the same time, there was an ongoing persecution by the ruling class on Christians and those who proclaimed the message of the Gospel. Many Christians were killed and forced to denounce their loyalty to God. Mark therefore wrote this book to encourage and harden the Christians at that time in their worship and proclaiming of God’s Kingdom(Burridge 2005). In the book, Mark reveals Jesus as a suffering servant of God who is ironically powerful. He reveals to the Romans and the Gentiles that Jesus taught with authority as asserted by the mighty miracles he performed(Burridge 2005). He also shows the Romans the immense suffering Jesus underwent when he sacrificed his own life to redeem human race from perishing. Mark’s gospel is fast paced as it omits the birth of Christ and goes straight to his baptism and ministry. The Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew. Matthew was originally called Levi and he was a tax collector prior tohis calling by Jesus Christ to be one of his twelve apostles. This is revealed in Mark3:18 clearly(Burridge 2005). The book was multi-lingual and its writing was influenced by early Jews, Christians and a section of trained Scribes at that time(Brown 1997). The book is said to have been written in Galilee or near Antioch in Syria in late 70s after the death of Jesus Christ. The book was written while targeting the Jews(Burridge 2005). At that time, the Jewish community was better educated than the other communities(Brown 1997). They had read the bible vastly and knew a lot about it(Brown 1997). However, they centered their argument mostly on the law. This was because they were conversant with the mosaic laws they had deeply read. In his book, Matthew mentions a lot the Mosaic laws to confirm with his target audience; the Jews(Burridge 2005). Matthew thus wrote the book in response to the Jewish state of living. He meant to teach a community how to live harmoniously in state of internal divisions. He presents Jesus as the prophesized Messiah and a king of the Jews. The book was written with a conviction that Jesus was the prophesized Messiah in the Old Testament prophecies(Burridge 2005). This is the reason the book begins with a genealogy to prove that Jesus is indeed the right heir of King David(Brown 1997). In the birth narration, five prophecies are fulfilled. The book contains five major teachings: the Kingdom’s law, mission, mysteries, greatness and future that are easily seen in the chapters(Brown 1997). The Gospel of Luke The writer of this gospel is Luke. Luke was a physician and a close companion of Paul as depicted in 2Timothy 4:11. He wrote the gospel in the mid 80s after the death of Jesus Christ(Burridge 2005).He was influenced by the Gentile Christians then who were well educated and a Greek historian who was believed to be a client of Theophilus(Burridge 2005). The book was written probably in Greece (Caird 1963). He directed the book to the wealthy Gentiles who were Christians and lived mostly in urban areas thus becoming complacent(Brown 1997). Luke brings out Jesus to the gentiles as the utmost and only savior of human kind. Luke explains Jewish customs in places other like Palestine(Brown 1997). He explores the Roman rule and laws and stipulate how as Christians, the gentiles ought to maneuver in the society(Burridge 2005). He writes his narration in a clear and consecutive order to enable the reader identifies the exact truth in the teachings of Christ(Brown 1997). He also paid a unique attention to women as he wrote the birth narrative from Mary’s perspective(Caird 1963). He reveals a lot of women who played a lot of roles in Christ’s ministry(Burridge 2005). The gospel of Luke challenges believers to act as per their faiths(Caird 1963). The Gospel of John This book was authored by John, one of the sons of Zebedee who was also among the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ(Burridge 2005). The epilogue of this book was written in the 50s but the main edition would later be written in the 90s after the death of Christ. He was inspired and influenced by his fellow apostles and the Jewish Christians to write. He wrote the book to a mixed audience; Jews, Gentiles and Samaritans. The book was written in Galilee and aimed to strengthen the groups created by other Jews for their faith. The book was also written to show that Jesus was undeniably the son of God and was sent by God to offer eternal life to faithful believers(Brown 1997). John 20:13 clearly streamlines his purpose for writing; so that we may believe in that Jesus is Christ and the only son of God. Through believing people may have life in his name (Burridge 2005). Written over different times, to different audiences and by different authors, the gospels proclaim diverse messages. As Christians today, it is our obligation to synchronize the messages into one and use them as they reflect different perspectives of our lives. Nevertheless, the Gospels explain Jesus as the true son of God assured in the Old Testament. Besides, they are also centered to God’s plan of salvation through His son; Jesus Christ. Reference Brown, R. The Birth of the Messiah. New York: Doubleday, 1977 Burridge, Richard A. Four Gospels, one Jesus?: a symbolic reading. Wm. B. Eerdmans Caird, G.B. St. Luke. 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