Overall Topic: Synoptic Gospels, Sources, and Themes

The central topics covered include the definition and relationship between the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), the distinct portraits of Christ in all four Gospels, the discipline of Source Criticism, and a detailed look at the themes within Matthew’s Gospel and the significance of the Transfiguration.

Key Questions and Topics Discussed

1. The Definition of the Synoptic Gospels

Question: What does the term “Synoptic Gospels” mean, and which Gospels are included?

• Explanation: The Synoptic Gospels are the first three Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke.
• The term “synoptic” comes from two Greek words: syn (meaning “same”) and optic (meaning “view”). These three Gospels are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they look very similar when read together.

2. Portraits of Christ in the Four Gospels

Question: How do the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) present different portraits of Jesus Christ?

• Explanation: All four Gospels offer different facets and portraits of the Lord Jesus Christ. Each gospel writer presents Jesus in his own characteristic way, focusing on different aspects of Christ.
• Matthew: Writes to the Jews from a prophetic perspective. Portrays Jesus as the promised Messiah King and the Son of David. Matthew focuses heavily on Old Testament prophecies. His emblem is the Lion (Lion of Judah).
• Mark: Writes primarily to persecuted Gentile Christians in Rome. His Gospel is action-oriented. Portrays Jesus as the Son of Man and the crucified savior who suffered. His emblem is the Man.
• Luke: Writes to the Gentiles from a historical perspective. Shows that Jesus came to bring salvation for the whole world. Luke especially focuses on the marginalized, such as women, tax collectors, Gentiles, and the poor. His emblem is the Calf (the animal of sacrifice).
• John: Reveals that Jesus is the Son of God. The focus is heavily on the Divinity (or Deity) of Christ. The content is very different from the Synoptic Gospels. His emblem is the Eagle, symbolizing that the thoughts and theology in John are higher than any others.

3. The Necessity of Multiple Gospels

Question: Why are there four Gospels instead of just one comprehensive biography?

• Explanation: Although some people have tried to create a single harmony of all four Gospels, this defeats the purpose.
• The Gospels were written to different communities with specific, distinct purposes. For example, Mark emphasized Christ’s suffering to encourage his audience who were undergoing persecution. Luke emphasized the downtrodden because his audience were Gentiles, showing the gospel is for everyone. Each Gospel fulfilled a different need of the community to which it was addressed.

4. Source Criticism and the Synoptic Problem

Question: What is Source Criticism, and what were the sources used by the Synoptic writers?

• Explanation: Source criticism is the field of study that tries to determine which sources the Gospel writers used as they wrote their accounts. This helps readers interpret God’s word better by understanding the author’s context and composition methods.
• Source Comparisons: Reading parallel passages helps show the distinctiveness of each gospel. The sources note that 90% of Mark’s material is found in Matthew, and 53% of Mark is found in Luke. Matthew and Luke often follow Mark’s order and wording.
• Three Major Solutions (Theories): Most scholars today believe the first solution: Mark was the earliest gospel written, and Matthew and Luke used it later.
• Four Document Hypothesis: This is the most widely accepted view regarding the sources:
  1. Mark: Used by Matthew and Luke.
  2. Q (Quelle): A hypothetical, non-existent document or oral tradition containing sayings and teachings used by both Matthew and Luke.
  3. M: Material that is unique to Matthew.
  4. L: Material that is unique to Luke.

Question: How did Matthew and Luke “improve” upon or edit Mark’s material?

• Explanation: They did not simply copy-paste but used Mark’s material to suit their audience and purpose. For instance, Matthew, writing to the Jews, begins with Christ’s genealogy and birth, which Mark does not include. They also incorporated their own unique material (M and L), adding significant content (e.g., Matthew has much teaching material, Luke emphasizes Gentiles).

5. Five Basic Themes in Matthew’s Gospel

Question: What are the main themes emphasized in Matthew’s Gospel?

1. Matthew is a Teaching Gospel: It contains huge chunks of teaching material and uses many sayings and teachings from Q and M. Matthew groups teachings together in different clusters, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the demands of discipleship (Chapter 10), and the Parables of the Kingdom (Chapter 13).
2. Gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven: Matthew frequently uses the phrase “Kingdom of Heaven” instead of “Kingdom of God” because Jews were reverent and careful not to use the Lord’s name in vain. The central emphasis is showing that Jesus is the promised King.
3. Gospel for the Church: This Gospel was likely used as a training manual for new Christians. It is the only one of the four Gospels that explicitly references the “church” and provides instructions on church discipline.
4. Christian Rewriting of the Book of Exodus: There are many parallels between the book of Exodus and Matthew’s Gospel. Examples include Jesus going to Egypt in infancy (like Israel) and being called out of Egypt. Matthew’s five major discourses are seen as complementing the five books of the Torah (Genesis to Deuteronomy), providing the Messianic equivalent of the Torah.
5. Jesus is the Messiah: Matthew constantly emphasizes that Jesus is the promised Messiah who fulfilled several prophecies and cam  from the line of Abraham and David.

6. The Transfiguration (Mark’s Account)

Question: What is the significance of the Transfiguration in Mark’s Gospel, especially regarding its Old Testament parallels?

The Transfiguration (Mark 9:2–8) shows that Jesus is the true Son of God and the final messenger from God, greater than both Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets). It reveals Jesus’ divine glory and confirms that He is the one we must listen to.

Old Testament Parallels and Connections:

1. God’s Glory on a Mountain:
   • Just like God showed His glory to Moses on Mount Sinai (Exodus 32–34),
     Jesus’ glory is revealed on a mountain before His disciples.

2. After Six Days:
   • Jesus goes up the mountain after six days, and His glory is revealed on the seventh day,
     just like God revealed His glory to Moses on the seventh day (Exodus 24:16).
     ➤ This shows completion and divine perfection.

3. Three Companions:
   • Jesus takes Peter, James, and John — similar to Moses taking Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu (Exodus 24:1).
     ➤ This shows that God’s revelation happens in the presence of chosen witnesses.

4. Moses and Elijah Appear:
   • Moses represents the Law, and Elijah represents the Prophets.
     ➤ Together they show that Jesus fulfills both — He is the center of all Scripture.

5. Peter Suggests Building Shelters:
   • Peter wants to build three shelters (tabernacles), reminding us of the Tabernacle in the wilderness.
     ➤ This reflects God’s presence dwelling among His people.

6. The Heavenly Voice:
   • The voice says, “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him.”
     ➤ This fulfills Deuteronomy 18:15, where Moses said God would raise a prophet like him whom people must obey.

7. Impact on the Disciples:
   • The disciples (especially Peter, James, and John) never forgot this event.
     ➤ It strengthened their faith and appears later in their writings (John 1:14; 2 Peter 1:17–18).

Part 2

The Synoptic Problem and Source Criticism and A Detailed Examination of the Themes in Luke’s Gospel, along with a specific discussion of the Triumphal Entry account.

Here is an explanation of the topics and specific questions covered:

I. The Synoptic Problem and Source Criticism

This section focuses on the relationship between Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and the academic methods used to determine their origins.

Key Questions Related to the Synoptic Problem:

The Synoptic Problem (sometimes called the Synoptic Challenge) arises because the first three Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) are very similar, leading scholars to raise several critical questions:

• Relationship and Order: How are the Synoptic Gospels related to each other, and which gospel came first?.
• Writers’ Knowledge: Did the writers know of each other’s work?.
• Differences: Why do the gospels differ so much in detail?.
• Source Material: What other sources did the writers have to work with?.

Source Criticism and Historical Accuracy Debate

Source Criticism is the process of asking which sources the Gospel writers used. Critical scholars ask specific questions as part of this process:

• Purpose: What purpose were these gospels meant to serve?.
• Accuracy: How accurate is the recorded history? Is it history, or is it a made-up story?.
• Composition: Who copied from whom, and what can be learned about their method of composition?.
• Authorial Intent: What light does the method of composition throw on the author’s intention and achievement?.

A major point of discussion is the historical accuracy of the Gospels. Some liberal scholars argue that the gospel writers were mainly seeking to encourage the faith of the readers and were not concerned about historical details. They conclude that there is very little history in the gospels.

This leads to the distinction many critical scholars make between the “Jesus of history” (the real Jesus, who may not be fully represented) and the “Jesus of the faith” (the Jesus presented by the gospel writers). However, the sources note that this distinction is considered a false dichotomy, as Gospel writers like Luke were concerned with recording history accurately. Luke, for example, carefully examined facts, interviewed people, and researched before writing his Gospel (Luke 1:1–3).

The Sequence of Gospels and Source Hypotheses

Most scholars now believe that Mark wrote his Gospel first. The idea that Mark abbreviated Matthew is ruled out because Mark is actually longer than Matthew or Luke when discussing narratives, and very little in Mark is absent in Matthew or Luke.

The attempt to explain the sources led to two main theories:

1. Two Document Hypothesis: This theory suggests that both Matthew and Luke used material from Mark and Q (Quelle—German for “source”). Q is a hypothetical, non-existent document or possibly an oral tradition containing sayings and teachings.
2. Four Document Hypothesis: Later scholars realized that specific materials were unique to Matthew and Luke, necessitating two additional sources:
   • M: Material unique to Matthew (Matthew’s source).
   • L: Material unique to Luke (Luke’s source).
   • Under this hypothesis, Matthew drew from Mark, Q, and M; and Luke drew from Mark, Q, and L.

The speakers in the transcript agreed that the Four Document Hypothesis is more convincing because M and L account for the unique resources, experiences, and research capacity of Matthew (a tax collector expert in record-keeping) and Luke (a doctor and educated person).

II. Main Themes in the Gospel of Luke

The second major topic is an examination of the main characteristics or themes found in the Gospel of Luke:

1. Universal Gospel: Luke emphasizes that the gospel is for everyone, not just for a few people, including Samaritans and Gentiles.
   • Luke traces Christ’s genealogy back to Adam to show that Jesus is for all humanity, unlike Matthew, who starts with Abraham to appeal to Jewish readers.
   • Simeon prophesies that Jesus is the “light of revelation to the  `12345 1  Gentiles”.
   • Luke commends the faith of a Gentile Centurion and highlights the fact that out of ten cured lepers, a Samaritan was the only one who returned to thank Jesus.
   • Luke omits the story of the Syrophoenician woman, likely because he did not want to offend his Gentile readers with Jesus’s reference to “dogs” (referring to Gentiles).
2. Gospel of Rejoicing: The gospel frequently features the theme of joy.
   • The angels bring “good news of great joy” to the shepherds.
   • The gospel ends with the disciples returning to Jerusalem with great joy after the Ascension.
   • The gospel contains several songs, sometimes called the four songs of Christmas (from Zechariah, Mary, and the angels).
3. Gospel for the Down and Out: Luke focuses on the outcasts and rejected within society.
   • Jesus is shown eating with tax collectors and sinners, who were despised because tax collectors were seen as traitors working for the Romans.
   • Jesus came “to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).
   • Jesus offered salvation to the dying thief (a criminal/revolutionary) on the cross.
   • The despised Shepherds (whose testimony was not accepted in court) were the recipients of the good news of Jesus’s birth.
   • Luke contains the three Parables of the Lost (Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son) in Chapter 15, showing God’s concern for the lost, the poor, and the oppressed.
4. Women’s Gospel: Luke emphasizes and shows respect and reverence for women.
   • The opening chapters detail the pregnancies of Elizabeth and Mary.
   • Luke records the tragedy of motherhood, such as the Widow of Nain, whose son Jesus restored.
   • Luke lists the women who cared for Jesus and supported his ministry (Luke 8:1–3).
   • Women were faithful at the cross until the end, while male disciples (except John) deserted Jesus.
5. Gospel of the Supernatural: This gospel emphasizes the supernatural, including the Virgin birth, the appearance of angels announcing Jesus’s birth, and many miracles of healing.

6. Gospel of Prayer: Luke teaches the necessity of prayer and presents Christ as an example.
   • Luke uniquely notes that Jesus was praying at the time of his baptism.
   • Jesus prays before selecting the disciples.
   • Prayer is emphasized at Peter’s confession and at the Transfiguration.
   • Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane before the crucifixion.
   • The gospel contains parables about prayer, such as the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and the parables of the persistent widow and the friend who comes late at night, emphasizing the importance of continuing to pray.

III. The Triumphal Entry (Luke’s Account)

The discussion concludes by highlighting six specific differences in Luke’s account of the Triumphal Entry compared to the other Synoptic Gospels:

1. Omission of Prophecy: Luke does not use the quotation from Zechariah (which Matthew uses to portray Jesus as King) because Luke’s Gentile audience would not be focused on Jewish prophecy.
2. Focus on the Colt: The two disciples are sent to find and bring a “colt,” but Luke does not use the word “donkey” like Matthew. The detail of Jesus needing to borrow the animal may have been intended to encourage the poor Christians in Luke’s audience.
3. Abridged Cry: The crowd cries out two things (“Blessed is the king…” and “peace in heaven…”) instead of the three things recorded in Matthew’s Gospel.
4. Pharisees’ Rebuke: Luke uniquely includes the detail that the Pharisees rebuke the crowd and urge Jesus, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples”.
5. Jesus’s Reply: Jesus gives a unique response not found in Matthew’s Gospel: “I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out“.
6. Weeping Over Jerusalem: As they approach Jerusalem, Luke uniquely records that Jesus weeps over the city and prophesies its destruction, noting that the people “did not recognize the time of God’s coming”.