The story of Jesus is presented in four different Gospels, each capturing His life from an individual writer’s unique perspective. It’s been said that Matthew presents Jesus as the King who comes to reign and rule; Mark portrays the Servant who comes to serve and suffer; Luke describes the Son of Man who comes to share and sympathize; and John introduces the Son of God who comes to reveal and redeem. Most of the Gospels also present genealogies that highlight who Jesus is.
Matthew traced Jesus’ heredity from David to Abraham, presenting Jesus’ right to the throne as a direct descendant of David, their greatest king, and Abraham, the founding father of the Jewish nation (Matthew 1:1-19).
The absence of a genealogy in the Gospel of Mark, which portrayed Jesus as a servant (Mark 10:45), is telling. Perhaps the lineage of a servant is humbly put aside.
Luke cited verifiable historical events and people (Luke 1:1-4, 2:1-2). Jesus’ genealogy in this book is deliberately given only after He was a full-grown man—traced all the way back to Adam. It identifies Jesus as part of the human race, as fully man (Luke 3:23-38).John gave us a very different genealogy—the divine revelation of Jesus as the Son of God. He delved into eternity past and affirmed the deity of Jesus, revealing that He is the second person of the Godhead (John 1:1-5). So Jesus was also fully God, who entered human history as a man (John 1:14).
John himself explained: “But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in Him you will have life by the power of His name” (John 20:31).
More:
• John 20:29-31
• 2 Peter 1:16-21
• 1 John 5:13
Next:
Which of the Gospels has made the biggest impact on you? Why? How does Jesus being portrayed differently in each of the books help you more fully understand Him and His teachings?
fieldlily on January 31, 2010 at 10:02 am
In day and age of Biographies we do need to think about who Jesus really is. The Bible is full of facts of who He is, spoken before His birth, during His life and after His death. Creator, Savior, carpenter, Son, teacher, healer, King, Servant….
Thank you for this reminder of who Jesus really is.
shayskin on January 31, 2010 at 12:54 pm
Jesus came to the earth to save my soul
Love him
God get the glory Amen
mikan on January 31, 2010 at 2:36 pm
The Lord is really such a faithful God..what has been prophesied has come into fulfillment. Whether we like what is happening or not it is the truth. The good thing is God loves us so much that he saves us by sending His only Son Jesus Christ and save us from the fires of hell.
Jesus showed to us that He is the Son of God, the Savior, Rabbi, Servant Leader, and that He came to earth as a man- feel what we feel, he felt pain,and joy ; see what we see, and hear what we hear.
God is truly worthy of Praise! I love you Father God. ^_^
jjw2855 on January 31, 2010 at 4:59 pm
Who do you say is JESUS? I say, “My LORD, My GOD, and MY SAVIOUR?” I am nothing without HIM. jjw2855 🙂
bethanyF on January 31, 2010 at 6:43 pm
I am taking an Early Christianity class at my college and I am blessed that we will soon be studying the books of the New Testament. I hope that I can be a light for Jesus.