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"IN THE MOUTH OF TWO OR THREE WITNESSES SHALLEVERY WORD BE ESTABLISHED"(2 Corinthians 13:1)
INTRODUCTION
THE ESSENCE OF THE NEW TESTAMENTVolume One
A STUDY OF THEGOSPELS
A COMPLETE RENDERING OF THE LIFEAND TEACHINGS OF JESUS
Written and Collated by David Allen Rivera (2008)
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………………………2Chapter One: The Canonical Record……………………………………………………………………6Matthew…………………………………..………………………………..…………………………..7Mark…………………………………………………..………………………..……………………..19Luke……………………………………………………..……………………..……………………..27John………………………………………………………..…………………...…………………..…33Conclusion…………………………………………………..……………………..…………………41Chapter Two: Major Prophecies in the Old Testament Concerning Jesus ……………................45Chapter Three: The Complete Life of Christ……………………………………………………..……50Chapter Four: What Jesus Taught Us (The Main Points)...…………………………………….…153Map: Palestine at the Time of Christ……………………..……………………………………….….176Acknowledgements…………………………………………………………………………………..…177Bibliography………………………………………………………………………………………..……178
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INTRODUCTION
For many years, because of the extensive research I had done on the New World Order,the brunt of my Bible study revolved around Eschatology or end-time prophecy– although Iwould meander into other areas when pursuing studies on other projects. I had always wantedto study the entire Bible, but I never got around to it.Back in 1974, I had written a high school term paper called "From Ape to Adam?" It wasan attack against evolution, because even at that age, I chose to believe that God created manin His image. Back at that time I began to collect research material on the book of
Genesis
, andover the course of a few years I eventually completed a 217-page rough draft– it is still a roughdraft. Then in January, 1999, I began planning strategy for an intensive Bible study, which I wasgoing to put on my website. That idea got derailed as I became sidetracked with other things.In 2008, I came to a point in my life where I had started to evaluate a lot of things. Ilooked at what I had done, and the fruit that it bore. I looked around at the legacy I was leavingand realized that it was not how I wanted people to remember me. As I began to get rid of theclutter in my life…things…distractions…I began to see a clearer picture of where God wantedme to be. I had gotten sidetracked and lost focus– so it would be necessary to reformat mycourse of study.I wanted to have a better understanding of the Bible, and the only way to do that, is tohave a singular focus and commitment to study it– but not as another research project. Insteadit would have to become a lifestyle, it would have to become part of my genetic make-up, itwould have to be who I am. Only then could I hope for God to reveal those hidden things thatwould bring insight and revelation.To anyone who studies the Bible, without a doubt, it is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christwho is the keystone of the entire Book. So, I wanted to begin my study with Him.When I began to study each Gospel, I got the sense that there was a better way toapproach it. If the Bible is the divine Word of God, then its contents should dovetail andcorroborate each other. This means, that you should be able to combine all four Gospels into asingular narrative that lends itself to more efficient study. Amazingly, I found out that somethinglike that wasn't really available, and prospects of it were avoided, because there are subtledifferences that seem to prevent that from being possible.I say again, if the Bible is the divine Word of God, then there has to be a reason for anydiscrepancies. One subtle difference is that the sequence of events varies from Gospel toGospel. When you understand the nature and intent of the authors of the Gospels, then youbegin to get a feel for how they are handling their subject. In that regard, I tried very hard toadhere to
Matthew
because of his probable background for keeping organized records.Then there are the differences in numbering. In
Matthew
, there are two possessed withdevils,
1
two blind men,
2
and one angel;
3
in
Mark
, there is one possessed,
4
one blind man,
5
andone angel;
6
and in
Luke
, there is one possessed,
7
one blind man,
8
and two angels;
9
and in
John
,
1
Matthew 8:28
2
Matthew 20:30
3
Matthew 28:2
4
Mark 5:2
5
Mark 10:46
6
Mark 16:5
7
Luke 8:27
8
Luke 18:35
3there are two angels.
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On the surface, this would appear to be cause for alarm, and I ponderedthis inaccuracy for a time. Then it occurred to me– these four were not educated to be writers–Matthew was a tax collector, Luke was a physician, and John was a fisherman. In the OldTestament, the prophet Jeremiah had a scribe named Baruch;
11
and in the New Testament,Paul had a scribe named Tertius to help him with the book of
Romans
,
12
and Peter hadSilvanus.
13
But the Gospel writers had no one to assist them. Therefore we are left with their recollections as best as they were able to put them into words. Today, when you read books,magazines, and newspapers, they have been tidied-up by editors for spelling, grammar,punctuation, and style. But the Gospel writers didn't have that opportunity. Instead we havebeen left with a raw document giving their account, from their point of view. My gut feeling is,that when a writer describes "one," when another describes "two," it's because they havefocused on the one who was noteworthy, or whose words were recorded. This deviation inliterary composition should not detract from the overall document.Then I had to decide on what style I was going to use. Although I was sure this has beendone before, I found a few that utilized different formats and styles:
The Harmony of the GospelsFor Historical Study: An Analytical Synopsis of the Four Gospels
(1932) by Wm. Arnold Stevensand Ernest DeWitt Burton, presented in 4 parallel columns; "The Four Gospels Paralleled (or AHarmony of the Gospels)" by A. T. Robertson and "The Interwoven Gospels (or The Four-in-One Gospel)" by William M. Reese (part of the
The System Bible
Study, 1938), The
Combined Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John
(1947) by Russell Hubbard White, presented in acombined text but preserving all chapter and verse designations; "Harmony of the Gospels,"part of the
Holy Bible
(KJV, Master Reference Bible, 1968),
The Reese Chronological Bible
(1977) by Edward Reese;
an online version of the out-of-print 1973 book by Charles B.Templeton called
Jesus, A Bible in Modern English: A Blending and Paraphrase of the Four Gospels
, which sought to tell the story of Jesus in up-to-date language, and the 2007 book
All About
Jesus, compiled by Roger Quy, using language from the N
I
rV.I wanted the rendering to be a narrative, and I also wanted something more accurate–and therefore wanted to keep the original language of the Authorized King James Version,which I consider to be the most accurate rendering of the Holy Scriptures. Surprisingly, thisworked out better than expected. At places where I had to put in words to bridge passages, I putbrackets around those words to differentiate it from the surrounding text. Also, I have addedclarification to make the King's English a bit easier to understand, and to give some directionwhen necessary. They have also been bracketed.Another reason I wanted to retain the language of the King James Version, is that I didn'twant this being perceived as an attempt to overshadow Scriptural authority, as some versionsdo. It is for study purposes only. It is an educational tool. In addition, because I didn't want it toseem as though the individual authors of the Gospels were being pushed out of the picture, Ihave prefaced this work with some background information on each of the Gospels. It isimportant to remember that there are a number of reasons why there are four Gospels in theNew Testament Canon, and this information will make it easier to understand why there aredifferences in style and substance.Besides the four Gospels, I have expanded the concept to consider other relevant NewTestament passages that pertain to Jesus.
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Luke 24:4
10
John 20:12
11
Jeremiah 45:1
12
Romans 16:22
13
1 Peter 5:12
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