Category: Scripture

In the Synoptic Gospels, the coming of God’s Kingdom is the central theme in Jesus’ ministry and teaching, “‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1:15).

Also called the Kingdom of Heaven and the reign of God, Jesus proclaims the Kingdom of God after his baptism and his forty days in the wilderness.

Jesus teaches that the Kingdom of God is God’s reign or rule in our lives, in this world, and in the eternal life to come. Jesus proclaimed that this saving intervention of God is close at hand, and in a certain sense is already present in him.

Jesus not only proclaimed the Kingdom with his words and his teachings such as parables; he also witnessed to it with his works and miracles. The Kingdom is present and active in Jesus.

The coming of the Kingdom of God is closely connected with the Person of Jesus. Jesus does not merely announce the coming of the Kingdom, as did the prophets of the Old Testament. He is the Person through whom God establishes his reign.

The progress of the Kingdom coincides with the destiny of Jesus, whose triumph is the Kingdom’s triumph and establishment. The full coming of the Kingdom is still in the future and an object of hope and prayer as reflected in the Our Father: “‘Your kingdom come’” (Matthew 6:10).

From the beginning, Jesus not only preached the Kingdom, he also called people to follow him. The Gospel according to Mark includes three call narratives, which describe how Jesus summoned others to hear and respond to the word and the power of God.

As Jesus began his ministry, he invited four ordinary people—Simon, Andrew, James, and John—to help him proclaim the message of the Kingdom of God. Jesus expected an immediate and total commitment to serve God. In similar ways, he invited others to follow him, too (see Mark 1:16-20).

For three years Jesus taught and preached the Good News, healed in the name of the Father, and called people to repent and believe. As we read the Gospels, we see glimpses into the future suffering and Death that Jesus will endure before he is raised in glory.

Mark’s Gospel begins with Jesus’ public life, when, around the age of 30, Jesus began his ministry and gained a following of local people. This earliest Gospel begins with the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

John believed that the messianic hopes of the Jews would soon be fulfilled. In spite of his insistence that he was not the Messiah, people continued to flock to John to be baptized and to hear him preach.

Jesus came to John seeking a baptism of repentance, as did many other Jews. John knew from the moment he saw him that Jesus was truly the Messiah. As Jesus approached the banks of the Jordan River, John proclaimed to the crowds,

“‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29).

John the Baptist at first balked at baptizing Jesus. John knew that the baptisms he conferred using water in the Jordan amounted to very little compared to the Baptism the Messiah would grant through the Holy Spirit; in other words, it was not sacramental.

Jesus, however, rebuked John and instructed him to proceed, saying that it must be done. And just as he [Jesus] was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven,

‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
—Mark 1:10-11

The baptism given by John was a sign of a person’s willingness to turn from sin and toward God. Even though Jesus was without sin, he sought to be baptized. This showed his connection with God’s People who sought to strengthen their relationship with him. And the baptism of Jesus is the first of several New Testament events that reveal something of the nature of the Holy Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

The second half of the Gospel of John is often referred to as the Book of Glory. Jewish leaders feared that Jesus was becoming too popular, which could upset the Romans, and thus reduce the power granted to them by the Romans (see John 11:45-53).

This section of the Gospel continues to reveal Jesus as the Son of God who is the one sent by God the Father. The author uses symbolism and irony to assist in our understanding that we, too, belong to God and must choose to follow the light rather than darkness.

When you participate in Mass, you hear the words said at the Consecration: “This is my body. . . . This is my blood” (Roman Missal). Each of the Synoptic Gospels contains these words spoken by Jesus at the Last Supper.

Bibles often place a heading before this section stating: “The Institution of the Lord’s Supper,” or “The Institution of the Eucharist.” These words are absent from the Last Supper account in the Gospel according to John.

Instead, in Chapter 13, John references the Passover meal, which the Apostles share with Jesus (see John 13:3), and the washing of the feet.

Jesus says that this act (washing the disciples’ feet), which is not recorded in the Synoptics, emphasizes an important part of discipleship and leadership. Jesus came to serve, not be served. He expects the same of his Apostles. We receive Christ in the Eucharist, and we grow as the Body of Christ when we serve others.

The ways we worship and participate in the Sacraments strengthen us to live a life of virtue. “Christians contribute to building up the Church by the constancy of their convictions and their moral lives” (CCC, 2045).

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’ —John 13:34-35

Following the washing of their feet, Jesus teaches the disciples the central principle of all of his teaching, Jesus teaches that love is the heart of Christian service. Jesus’ lesson in the washing of his disciples’ feet illustrates that loving one another means being willing to serve one another. To love as Jesus loves means to love others without expecting anything in return. 

From this section of the Gospel according to John we learn much about the relationship of Jesus to the Father and to the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity.

In his discourses, Jesus teaches his Apostles the importance of the Holy Spirit, the unity that exists among the Trinity, and the necessity for the followers of Jesus to be united to the Trinity and to one another.

The Holy Spirit, the Advocate, would continue to lead the disciples. As Jesus tells them, “‘I have said these things to you while I am still with you. But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you’” (John 14:25-26).

Now on the night before he dies, Jesus promises his followers that he will not leave them orphans.

The image of the vine and branches further emphasizes the unity of God and his people. We are united to God and to one another through the Church. And the Church is called to become one in God, to bear fruit in his name, and to be a sign of that oneness and the new everlasting life that comes through it (see John 15:1-8).

The Last Supper discourses end with Jesus offering a prayer to God the Father (see John 17:1-25). The prayer, sometimes called Jesus’ Priestly Prayer, begins with Jesus giving glory to the Father and asking for the Father to glorify him.

Jesus continues his prayer by relating to the Father what he has done and how his followers belong to the Father. Finally, Jesus asks the Father to bless his disciples with the truth and to make them all be one.

The Gospel according to John takes a formal, structured approach to the works and words of Jesus. Mark presents Jesus performing one healing or miraculous deed after another without much explanation.

In contrast, John describes seven miraculous “signs” and uses them to explain Jesus in symbolic terms. Some scholars refer to this first half of the Gospel as the Book of Signs.

In the Gospel according to John, Jesus makes a connection between himself and the Old Testament. He uses the phrase “I am . . .” a number of times during his explanations of the signs he performed. In later courses, we will address the “I am” statements in more detail. Here are a few examples.

● “‘I am the bread of life’” (John 6:35)

● “‘I am the good shepherd’” (John 10:11)

● “‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life’” (John 14:6)

As you recall, God referred to himself as “I am” when he spoke to Moses from the burning bush. In other words, John makes it clear throughout the Gospel that Jesus says, “‘The Father and I are one’” (John 10:30).

As pointed out before, three Gospels in particular show a great deal of similarity—Mark, Matthew, and Luke. You may recall that these three Gospels are labeled the Synoptic Gospels. “Synoptic” simply means “similar” or “to see together.”

The Gospel according to John, on the other hand, is quite different from the other three. We already mentioned that biblical scholars generally agree that the Gospel according to Mark was the first one written.

For instance, verses from Mark are found in the Gospels according to Matthew and Luke, sometimes using the same wording. It is clear that the writer of Matthew knew the Gospel according to Mark and built on it. Luke’s author also used this Gospel as one of his sources.

Some time ago, scholars discovered another interesting feature in the Synoptic Gospels. Matthew and Luke share some passages in common that are not found in Mark. How can this be explained?

The best explanation is that there was an additional written source that both Matthew and Luke had access to when composing their Gospels. We don’t have an actual copy of this source, but its use is clearly evident within the two Gospels themselves.

Since German scholars made this discovery, they labeled this earlier source quelle, German for “source.” Scholars refer to this source as the Q Source. Thus, what we have in Matthew and Luke are:

(1) material they both used from Mark; (2) material they both used from a common source, now called Q; and (3) material that is unique to either Matthew or Luke, not found in any other Gospel.

Even with the common intention of giving an accurate account of the essentials of Jesus’ life and teaching, and using other sources, the Gospel writers still display unique characteristics.

The Gospels are more like portraits than photographs. Painted portraits reveal something about the artist and the “school” of art with which he or she is associated. Similarly, each Gospel, including John, tells us about its subject (Jesus) as well as about the author and the community to which the author belonged.

For instance, why does Matthew change some of the wording about an incident that he clearly knew Mark described somewhat differently? He wasn’t trying to “correct” Mark as much as he was trying to make a slightly different point about Jesus and the message in that passage.

Using these unique differences in each Gospel as background information, let’s now look at the elements found in the portraits drawn by the synoptic authors. Different Gospels may emphasize different elements of Jesus and his teaching. However, that doesn’t mean other Gospels don’t address those topics, too.