QUESTIONS
1. Discuss at least five contents of the gospel according to Matthew.
2. Examine the characteristics of the gospel of Mark as a Christian document.
3. Who is the gospel of Luke addressed to?
4. Define Synoptic problem and proffer solution.
5. Why is Jesus' birth so important to the world?
6. Why is Jesus' teaching on the Fatherhood of God so important to Christians?
7. Define resurrection and state the different appearances of Jesus after resurrection as written in the synoptic gospel.
8. Narrate the ascension account of Jesus as written in the synoptic gospel.
ANSWERS
Question 1: Contents of the gospel according to Matthew
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The genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17), tracing His lineage from Abraham through David, establishing His messianic and Jewish credentials as heir to the covenant promises and Davidic throne.
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The birth and infancy narratives (Matthew 1:18-2:23), including the virgin birth, the visit of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, and Herod's massacre of the infants, presented with strong emphasis on fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy.
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The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), a comprehensive collection of Jesus' ethical teaching, including the Beatitudes, teaching on the Law, prayer (the Lord's Prayer), and practical Christian living.
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Accounts of Jesus' miracles and ministry (Matthew 8-9 and throughout), demonstrating His authority over sickness, nature, demons, and death, presented as evidence of His messianic identity.
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Parables of the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13, and scattered throughout), a distinctive collection including the sower, the wheat and tares, the mustard seed, and the pearl of great price, explaining the nature and growth of God's kingdom.
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The Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20), Jesus' final post-resurrection instruction to the disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptising and teaching them, which serves as the climactic conclusion of the gospel.
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The Passion narrative (Matthew 26-27), detailing Jesus' betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and death, presented with repeated reference to Old Testament fulfilment.
Question 2: Characteristics of the gospel of Mark
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Brevity and conciseness: Mark is the shortest of the four gospels, characterised by a fast-paced, action-oriented narrative style, frequently using the word "immediately" to link events in rapid succession.
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Emphasis on Jesus as a man of action rather than a teacher: Mark records comparatively fewer of Jesus' discourses/sermons than Matthew or Luke, focusing instead on His deeds — miracles, healings, and exorcisms.
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Portrayal of Jesus as the Suffering Servant/Son of God: Mark places strong emphasis on Jesus' suffering, particularly in the latter half of the gospel, and opens by declaring Jesus as "the Son of God" (Mark 1:1), a title reinforced at key turning points (e.g., the centurion's confession at the cross).
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The "Messianic Secret" motif: Mark repeatedly records Jesus instructing those He heals or delivers, and even His disciples, to keep His identity secret, a distinctive literary/theological feature largely unique to this gospel.
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Simple, vivid, and direct language: Mark's Greek style is simple and unpolished compared to Matthew and Luke, giving an immediate, eyewitness-like quality to the narrative, consistent with the tradition that Mark recorded Peter's testimony.
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Written primarily for a Gentile (likely Roman) audience: Mark explains Jewish customs that would be unfamiliar to non-Jewish readers (e.g., Mark 7:3-4) and uses Latin loanwords, reflecting a Gentile/Roman readership.
Question 3: Addressee of the gospel of Luke
The gospel of Luke is addressed to "most excellent Theophilus" (Luke 1:3), a name meaning "friend/lover of God," who was likely a Roman/Gentile official or dignitary of some social standing (indicated by the honorific title "most excellent"), for whom Luke compiled an orderly, carefully-researched account of the life of Jesus, so that Theophilus might have certainty concerning the things he had been taught (Luke 1:4). Beyond this individual, the gospel's content and style suggest it was intended more broadly for a Gentile Christian audience seeking historical and theological assurance about the Christian faith.
Question 4: Synoptic problem and proffered solution
Definition: The Synoptic Problem refers to the scholarly question of explaining the striking similarities — in wording, order of events, and structure — as well as the notable differences, found among the first three gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), collectively called the "Synoptic Gospels" (from the Greek meaning "seen together," due to their parallel content when arranged side by side). The problem concerns determining the literary relationship and possible common sources behind these three accounts.
Proffered solution — The Two-Source Hypothesis (Markan Priority):
The most widely accepted scholarly solution proposes that:
- Mark was written first, and both Matthew and Luke used Mark as a primary source, incorporating much of its content (explaining why Mark's material appears, often nearly verbatim, in both other gospels).
- A second common source, referred to as "Q" (from the German Quelle, meaning "source"), containing primarily sayings of Jesus, was used independently by both Matthew and Luke to supply material not found in Mark (explaining material common to Matthew and Luke but absent from Mark).
- Additionally, Matthew and Luke each drew on their own independent sources (sometimes labelled "M" and "L" respectively) for material unique to each of them individually.
This hypothesis (Mark + Q + M + L) accounts for both the extensive verbal agreement among the synoptics and the distinctive material unique to each, and remains the dominant, though not universally unchallenged, solution to the Synoptic Problem.
Question 5: The importance of Jesus' birth to the world
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Fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy: Jesus' birth fulfilled numerous messianic prophecies (e.g., Isaiah 7:14's virgin birth, Micah 5:2's Bethlehem birthplace), confirming God's faithfulness to His covenant promises across centuries and validating Jesus' identity as the promised Messiah.
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The incarnation — God becoming man: Jesus' birth marks the central Christian doctrine of the incarnation, in which God took on human flesh, bridging the gap between the divine and human, making God directly accessible and comprehensible to humanity in a way never before possible.
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Inauguration of salvation history's climax: The birth of Jesus initiates the definitive phase of God's redemptive plan for humanity, setting in motion the events (life, teaching, death, resurrection) that would provide the means of salvation from sin for all people.
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A demonstration of God's humility and identification with humanity: Jesus was born not in royal splendour but in humble circumstances (a manger, to poor parents), demonstrating God's willingness to identify fully with the lowly and marginalised, offering a model of humility for humanity to emulate.
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Universal significance transcending Israel: Though born a Jew, Jesus' birth was announced and celebrated by figures representing both Jewish (the shepherds) and Gentile (the Magi) worlds, signalling from the outset that His significance and the salvation He would bring were intended for all nations, not Israel alone.
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The beginning of a new era (calendar significance): Jesus' birth is historically significant enough that it became the reference point for the widely used calendar system (BC/AD), reflecting its unparalleled impact on world history and civilisation.
Question 6: The importance of Jesus' teaching on the Fatherhood of God
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Establishes an intimate, personal relationship with God: By teaching His followers to address God as "Father" (and specifically "Abba," an intimate Aramaic term), Jesus transformed the believer's relationship with God from one of distant reverence alone to one of close, familial intimacy and trust.
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Affirms believers' identity as children of God: This teaching grants Christians a new identity and status — as adopted children of God (cf. John 1:12) — bringing with it the assurance of belonging, love, and inheritance within God's family.
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Basis for confident prayer: Jesus' model prayer (the Lord's Prayer, beginning "Our Father") establishes that believers may approach God with the same confidence, trust, and expectation of care that a child has toward a loving parent, transforming the nature and boldness of Christian prayer.
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Assurance of God's providential care: Jesus taught that if an earthly father knows how to give good gifts to his children, how much more will the heavenly Father provide for and care for the needs of His own (Matthew 7:9-11), grounding Christian hope in God's benevolent, personal provision.
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Foundation for ethical living and forgiveness: Understanding God as Father provides the model and motivation for how believers are to relate to one another as siblings within God's family — including extending forgiveness, since as children of a forgiving Father, believers are called to forgive others as they have been forgiven (Matthew 6:14-15).
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Distinguishes Christian revelation from other religious concepts of God: The emphasis on God's Fatherhood — as opposed to a purely distant, impersonal, or solely judicial deity — represents a distinctive and central feature of Jesus' revelation of God's character, shaping the entire Christian understanding of divine-human relationship.
Question 7: Resurrection and post-resurrection appearances
Definition of resurrection: Resurrection refers to the act of rising from death to life again in a transformed, glorified bodily state — in the case of Jesus, His return to physical life on the third day following His crucifixion and burial, marking His victory over death and validating His identity as the Son of God.
Appearances of Jesus after His resurrection (as recorded in the Synoptic Gospels):
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To the women at the tomb (Matthew 28:9-10) — Mary Magdalene and the other women, returning from the empty tomb, encountered the risen Jesus, who greeted them and instructed them to tell His disciples to go to Galilee.
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To the two disciples on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35) — Jesus walked and talked with two disciples travelling to Emmaus, explaining the Scriptures concerning Himself, though they did not recognise Him until He broke bread with them at the meal.
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To Simon Peter individually (Luke 24:34, mentioned briefly) — Jesus appeared personally to Peter, an appearance referenced by the other disciples though not narrated in detail in the Synoptics.
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To the eleven disciples (and others) in Jerusalem (Luke 24:36-43) — Jesus appeared suddenly among the gathered disciples, showing them His hands and feet, and eating fish before them to demonstrate the physical reality of His resurrected body, dispelling their fear that they were seeing a ghost/spirit.
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To the disciples in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20) — Jesus appeared to the eleven disciples on a mountain in Galilee, where He gave them the Great Commission.
(Note: additional appearances, such as to Mary Magdalene alone and to disciples by the Sea of Galilee, are recorded primarily in John's gospel, outside the Synoptics.)
Question 8: The ascension account as written in the synoptic gospels
The ascension of Jesus is recorded, among the Synoptic Gospels, primarily in Luke 24:50-53 (with a parallel, briefer reference in the longer ending of Mark 16:19, though this passage's authenticity is disputed by many scholars as a later addition).
According to Luke's account, after His resurrection appearances, Jesus led His disciples out as far as Bethany, near the Mount of Olives. There, He lifted up His hands and blessed them. As He was blessing them, He was parted from them and carried up into heaven — a visible, bodily departure witnessed directly by the disciples present.
Following this event, the disciples worshipped Him, and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, where they continued continually in the temple, praising and blessing God — an emotional and spiritual response marked not by sorrow at His departure, but by worship and joyful anticipation, reflecting their understanding that this departure was not an abandonment but a glorious completion of Jesus' earthly mission, and (as developed further in Acts 1, Luke's second volume) accompanied by the promise of the coming Holy Spirit and Jesus' eventual return.