Burning Bush Blogs
Equipping Men with Biblical Knowledge and Leadership Skills
Category: Personal Study
Thread: New to the Bible – Bible Structure
Post Topic: NT Gospels
Post in Thread: #7
Previous: New Testament Structure
Next: NT Church History
Scripture: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John;
John 3:16-21
Key Verses:
John 3:16-17
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Note on this post
This post fits within a continuing series meant for readers who are less familiar with Scripture. Unlike most Burning Bush blogs, this series is designed to explore the organizational structure of the Bible more than a particular topic. The same introductory overview is included in each post in case someone jumps into the middle of the series.
Books of the Bible – Overview
Imagine two bookshelves – one with 39 books, and one with 27 books. The shelves have dividers between groups of books. Each group belongs to its own genre. There’s a group of historical fiction, a group of thrillers, a group of how-to books, biographies, etc.
Now imagine that the top shelf is the Old Testament and the bottom shelf is the New Testament. The genres, or categories, of each testament, is what we’re going to discuss.
NT Gospels
The Gospels all tell the same story, but from different perspectives. They were written by four different writers: Matthew and John were immediate disciples of Jesus; Mark was a later follower of Christ, but not a member of his inner circle; Luke was a companion of the apostle Paul on many of his missionary journeys.
The story enclosed in the gospels is the story of Jesus, the Son of God, who lowered himself to take on human form and lived and died among us. The gospels also address the question of why God would do such a thing.
This post will summarize the gospels and Jesus’ life at a high level, but will zero in on the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3:16, which summarizes the entire message of Christianity.
Observations
The Gospel Writers
- Matthew was a despised, cheating tax collector before being called by Jesus to be one of the 12 disciples.
- Mark (sometimes called John Mark) was thought to be a wealthy young aristocrat when he first met Jesus. After Jesus’ ascension, Mark traveled with apostles on their missionary journeys, learning from Peter in particular.
- Luke was a Christian physician. He painstakingly interviewed Paul and the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ ministry in order to compile his gospel.
- John was known as the beloved disciple. A former fisherman from the north, John’s family also had contacts inside Jerusalem.
Jesus’ Life
- He was born in a humble stable in the humble city of Bethlehem (Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:1-21) to a virgin named Mary
- He performed numerous miracles and healings
- Jesus taught a different message of behavior, focused on the heart rather than ritual
- Thought by many to be the long-awaited Messiah who would overthrow the Romans and free his people, he lived and died and lived again for a bigger purpose: to save the world from our lives of sinfulness.
- He disappointed those who expected a different type of Messiah; He angered the elite who felt threatened by his messaging and his following.
- The religious leaders pressured the Roman leaders to put Jesus to death. Both sides wanted to keep the status quo with their power intact.
- Jesus defeated death, rising from the dead on the third day, and appearing to hundreds of his closest followers before ascending into heaven.
John 3:16
- This verse is part of a longer private conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. John 3:1-21 tells us that Nicodemus was a Pharisee who was honestly seeking the truth, but was afraid to show himself to Jesus during the day.
- His only Son – Jesus is the Son of God, who became one of us.
- So loved – God sent his son to earth in human form because of His love for us.
- Shall not perish – this phrase indicates our plight without God’s love and without his Son
- Whosoever believeth – Redemption is open to anyone who believes
- Eternal life – This is the gift for our belief
Interpretation
Setting – The clandestine meeting between Nicodemus and Jesus happened in the middle of the night. Nicodemus knew his associates had it in for Jesus. And Jesus’ disciples were likely wary of Nicodemus’ intentions. But Jesus knew his heart.
Genre – Historical narrative.
Takeaways
- Born again – Earlier in the chapter, Jesus tells Nicodemus he must be born again – not from his mother’s womb, but born of the spirit. Verse 16 further clarifies what this means. It means putting your trust in the God’s Son.
- This is a simple step, but hard for us humans to do. It is not about us and what we do. It is about Jesus and what he did.
Correlation
- Philippians 2:5-9 – The Son humbled himself, taking the form of a man and obeyed the Father’s will to the cross; therefore God exalted Him – Jesus’ name is the name above all names.
- Romans 5:8 – Emphasizes God’s love, exhibited by Jesus dying for us while we were yet sinners.
- Isaiah 53:11 – The Old Testament prophet Isaiah predicted the Messiah’s suffering, describing how He would bear our iniquities (sins).
- John 11:25-26 – Jesus talking to Martha, the sister of the deceased Lazarus, before Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead: “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die…”
Application
Generic Applications
- We deserve eternal separation from God; But God loved us so much that he has given us a means of reconciliation through his Son.
Personalize it
- Are you certain that you have eternal life with God?
- Have you given yourself to Jesus? This is the most important decision you could ever make. If you have questions, please reach out to me directly – I’d love to address your questions in complete privacy.
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.