Jesus in the New Testament
Mr. Dau
The Audience and Purpose of the Gospels.
In order to better understand their significance for Christians today, Christians should know for whom and
why the Evangelists wrote the Gospels. The respective authors of the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and
Luke drew on many of the same sources, but subtle differences in these texts point to different audiences and
purposes. John’s Gospel, which many scholars believe was the last one written, offers a reflection and commentary
on the life of Jesus, in order to protect the church from early heresies just beginning to challenge Apostolic
Tradition.
Scholars have differing views about which Gospel came first. Many modern scholars believe that Mark’s
Gospel was the first written, owing to its brevity, the lack of development of the post-Resurrection accounts, and the
fact that St. Matthew and St. Luke include word for word selections also found in Mark.
However, Ancient church tradition, handed down by St. Irenaeus, a disciple of St. Polycarp, a disciple of
St. John, says that St. Matthew was the first to write down a collection of the sayings of Jesus in either Aramaic or
Hebrew. “Matthew also issued a written Gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect, while Peter and Paul were
preaching at Rome, and laying the foundations of the Church” (Adv. Haer., III, i, 2). 1 The Catholic encyclopedia
states that “a fair number of Hebraisms are noticed in Matthew's Gospel,” 2 which supports the contentions that St.
Matthew wrote originally in Hebrew or Aramaic and that he targeted a Jewish audience. St. Matthew delights in
quoting from the Hebrew Scriptures, and most of his quotes come from Greek translation of the Old Testament, the
Septuagint. This is most likely because he found it convenient to use the already extant translation. In the same
way, his quotation of St. Mark may reflect revision of his original work.
Further evidence that St. Matthew wrote to a Jewish audience comes from the fact that St. Matthew
emphasizes the role of St. Peter as the chief of the Apostles. The Jewish community of the early church was
wrestling with the Judaizer heresy, and thus questioned the desirability of dispensing with the old ceremonial
Mosaic laws and with circumcision. While St. Matthew does not speak specifically of circumcision, he does include
texts speaking of St. Peter that are not found in the other Gospels. Particularly, Matthew 16:18-19, which speaks of
the Rabbinic power of binding and loosing, suggests that St. Matthew wanted to emphasize the virtue of obedience
to his Jewish audience. Because St. Peter is given the keys to the kingdom and the power to bind and loose, St.
Matthew suggests that his decision to include Gentiles in the Church’s missionary activity should be respected by
Jewish Christians.
The Church Fathers tell us that John Mark, a disciple of St. Peter, saw fit to write down in the second
Gospel his master’s teachings about Jesus. St. Mark wrote to the Church in Rome, as evidenced by the fact that he
names a certain Rufus as the son of Simon the Cyrenean (Mk 15:21). This same Rufus was likely the same Roman
greeted by St. Paul in Romans 16:13, though as the name was common, it is possible that this was a different man.
The Catholic Encyclopedia, citing the Church Fathers, says, “It is certain that the Gospel was written at Rome.” 3
Tradition speaks of St. Mark as serving as the secretary of St. Peter, who was the first bishop of Rome. The terse,
minimalist style, the colloquial Greek in which it was written, and its emphasis on the suffering of Jesus all give
evidence that the Gospel was indeed written to the Romans.
Although scholars do not agree on the date of composition, it seems likely St. Mark wrote to give hope and
encouragement to a persecuted Roman Church. This is particularly evident in the description of the Passion of our
Lord, where St. Mark vividly paints the portrait of the suffering servant. St. Mark’s inclusion of Jesus’ teaching,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mk. 8:34) would
particularly encourage those Roman Christians facing persecution for their faith.
St. Luke, traditionally regarded as the human author of the third Gospel, wrote in masterful Greek to
Greeks and other Gentiles, specifically to a person or group of persons he calls “Theophilus” or “God Lover.” The
Catholic Encyclopedia says of him, “St. Luke was not a Jew. He is separated by St. Paul from those of the
circumcision (Col. 4: 14), and his style proves that he was a Greek.”4 The fact that St. Luke does not include
Hebraisms in his Gospel supports this conclusion. In addition, Luke’s picture of Jesus resembles a Greek
philosopher, masterful in rhetoric and exceedingly learned and wise. St. Luke seems to have been familiar with
Damascus, as he named one of the streets of that city in his description of St. Paul’s conversion in Acts 9:11. Acts is
doubtless the sequel to the third Gospel, as evidenced both by the text itself (Acts 1:1), and by the similarity between
the language of the two books.
St. Luke, as a Gentile, emphasizes the universality of the Gospel message. All people are welcome at the
banquet feast of the king (Lk. 14:16, 21). Jesus eats and drinks indiscriminately with everybody (Lk. 11:37, 19:5),
without partiality (Lk. 20:21). St. Luke alone includes the parable of the Good Samaritan, which speaks particularly
about God’s impartiality. As a companion of St. Paul, St. Luke would especially emphasize the Catholicity of the
Gospel.
St. Luke includes many women in his Gospel, more than the other Gospels combined. He is our greatest
source of information about Mary, Jesus’ mother and ours. He alone includes information from Mary’s perspective
about the Joyful mysteries. Many scholars think that St. Luke may have interviewed Mary in the course of writing
the Gospel, because of the details that he, as a careful historian as well as Evangelist, records. Indeed, he shows a
great sensitivity to widows and speaks often of them, whether it be the parable of the persistent widow (Lk. 18:1-8),
the compassionate raising of the widow’s only son (Lk 7:11-17), or the saying about the poor widow’s contribution
(Lk. 21:3-4).
Many scholars believe that St. John wrote his Gospel last of all, as evidenced both by external and internal
testimony. Internal evidence from the text suggests that St. John wrote his Gospel prior to the destruction of
Jerusalem in the year 70 A.D., since Jn. 5:2 speaks of Jerusalem in the present tense, as if the city still stands. St.
Irenaeus says, after recording the circumstances of the writing of the Synoptic Gospels, “afterwards, John, the
disciple of the Lord, who also had leaned upon His breast, did himself publish a Gospel during his residence at
Ephesus in Asia.” St. John’s Gospel does not “lay the foundation all over again” (Heb. 6:1), but rather presupposes
that the audience is familiar with the Gospel message. The prologue (Jn. 1:1-18), Bread of Life discourse (Jn. 6:2259), and post-Resurrection accounts (Jn 20-21), all demonstrate an already rich Christian faith tradition.
At the particular time and place where St. John wrote, the Church was beginning to struggle with docetism,
which frequently denied Jesus’ bodily incarnation, and various heresies which denied Jesus’ divinity. Indeed, in his
Epistle, undoubtedly written by the same man who wrote the Gospel, St. John forcefully condemns docetism (1 Jn.
4:1-6). St. John’s Gospel, while it includes the story of Jesus walking on the water, interestingly does not even
mention that the disciples thought He might be a ghost, as Mt. 19:26 does. The inclusion of such details as the
description of the word as “flesh” (Jn. 1:14), the story of the blood and water (Jn. 19:34), Jesus’ eating after His
Resurrection (Jn. 21:12), and the examination of Jesus’ body by St. Thomas (Jn. 21:27), all serve to confute the idea
that Jesus was not truly human.
Likewise, St. John includes details to emphasize Jesus’ divinity, which is perhaps why many scholars
describe it as having a “high Christology.” St. John speaks of Jesus as the Eternal Word Who was with God and
Who was God (Jn. 1:1), as the great I AM (Jn. 8:58, Jn. 18:5-8), and as, in the words of St. Thomas, “my Lord and
my God” (Jn. 20:28). Jesus tells St. Philip “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (Jn. 14: 9). However, St.
John also emphasizes the distinct relationships between the different persons of the Trinity, and makes it clear that
the Father, Son, and Advocate are different Persons in relationship with each Other and with us.
While the four Gospels have different human authors, different audiences, and different purposes for
having been written, they compliment one another, and bring the picture of the historical Jesus of Nazareth into
sharper focus. Originally directed towards the great cultures of the Hebrews, Greeks, and Romans, they bear a
timely message of hope for the entire world today. Ultimately, God willed that each should come down to us, and
He used the various controversies of the times to illuminate His Word for us. “All things work to the glory of those
who love God” (Rom. 8:28). Had not St. Matthew’s community be divided over circumcision, St. Mark’s church
been persecuted, St. Luke’s people shunned by some of the Jewish Christians, or St. John’s community been
threatened by error, we might not have the vivid and beautiful portraits of our Savior that we so treasure today.
Works Cited
St. Irenaeus, Adverses Haereses. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103301.htm
The Catholic Encyclopedia. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/10057a.htm
3
Ibid. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09674b.htm
4
Ibid. Online: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/09420a.htm
2
Porter, J.R. The Illustrated Guide to the Bible. New York: Oxford University Press. 1995.
Matthew, a Devotional Commentary. Maryland: The Word Among Us Press. 1999.
Mark, a Devotional Commentary. Maryland: The Word Among Us Press. 1999.
Luke, a Devotional Commentary. Maryland: The Word Among Us Press. 2000.
John, a Devotional Commentary. Maryland: The Word Among Us Press. 2000.
Vocabulary
1.
St. Irenaeus
2.
St. Polycarp
3.
Aramaic
4.
Septuagint
5.
Hebraisms
6.
Judaizer heresy
7.
Simon the Cyrenian
8.
Theophilus
9.
Docetism
10.
High Christology
Study Questions
1.
For whom was St. Matthew’s Gospel originally written, and how do we know this?
2.
What message did St. Matthew intend to give his community through his Gospel?
3.
For whom was St. Mark’s Gospel originally written, and how do we know this?
4.
What message did St. Mark intend to give his community through his Gospel?
5.
For whom was St. Luke’s Gospel originally written, and how do we know this?
6.
What message did St. Luke intend to give his community through his Gospel?
7.
For whom was St. John’s Gospel originally written, and how do we know this?
8.
What message did St. John intend to give his community through his Gospel?
9.
What negative circumstances led to the writing down of the Gospels?
10.
What did you learn from the reading that you may not have thought about before?