Parallel Gospels in Harmony with STUDY GUIDE
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Parallel Gospels in Harmony with STUDY GUIDE World English Bible The Four Gospels of Jesus Christ according to Matthew, Mark, Luke and John Editor David A. Reed Parallel Gospels in Harmony: with Study Guide by David A. Reed June 2009 Books by David A. Reed include: Jehovah’s Witnesses Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House) Mormons Answered Verse by Verse (Baker Book House) http://www.ParallelGospelsInHarmony.com ISBN: 978-0-557-07435-8 Copyright notice: Parallel Gospels in Harmony: with Study Guide is dedicated to the public domain by the editor, David A. Reed. This work is copyright-free and in the public domain. It may be copied freely, translated, or reproduced at will. There is no need to request permission or to pay royalties. Scripture used in this book is taken from the World English Bible. The World English Bible is copyright-free and in the public domain. The name "World English Bible" is a trademark of Rainbow Missions, Inc. 2 Contents Preface 4 Parallel Gospels in Harmony 6 Study Guide 261 Week 1 262 Week 2 264 Week 3 266 Week 4 268 Week 5 270 Week 6 272 Week 7 274 Week 8 276 Scripture Index 278 Matthew 278 Mark 279 Luke 280 John 281 3 Preface HAVE YOU EVER TRIED to compare the Luke’s speaks to a cosmopolitan Greek audi- prophetic passages in Matthew, Mark and ence, and John’s stresses a close, personal Luke? Or to find the Lord’s Prayer in more relationship with Jesus. But all four relate than one Gospel? Or to work out the se- the same Gospel or “Good News.” quence of events surrounding Jesus’ birth or Differences in the Gospel accounts resurrection as related in the different Gos- pels? The purpose of Parallel Gospels in Why do the Gospels sometimes differ in the Harmony is to help you do that, and so to way they order the same or similar pas- encourage the reading and study of God’s sages? And why do Gospel harmonies or inspired Word. parallel Gospels occasionally differ in the se- quence they assign to certain passages? The A disciple in the garden of Gethsemane cuts main reason is that the Gospel writers off the ear of the high priest’s servant ac- themselves combine chronological presenta- cording to all four Gospels. But only John tions of events with topical arrangements of tells us the servant’s name, and that it was Jesus’ teachings. They include occasional Peter who wielded the sword. And only Luke flashbacks (Compare Matt. 14:2, 3, 6.) and tells us that Jesus healed the wound. This isolated anecdotes (“on another sabbath”— book allows you to see all of this at a glance. Luke 6:6; “on one of those days”—Luke 8:22, Matthew, Mark and Luke all record Jesus’ 20:1; “when he finished praying in a certain words concerning sin against the Holy Spirit, place”—Luke 11:1). but only Mark explains that Jesus said this, We can only assume that the Divine Author “because...’” (See page 76.) Three Gospels who inspired the Gospels chose, in his wis- warn against “the yeast of the Pharisees,” dom, to leave us with some uncertainty as to but only one of them explains what it is. the exact order of events. Rather than be (See page 108.) So, there is much that can unsettled by this, I believe we should accept be learned by reading the Gospels in paral- it in the spirit of Deuteronomy 29:29: “The lel. secret things belong to Yahweh our God; but Why four Gospels? the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all Why do we have four inspired Gospels in- the words of this law.” Our job is not to stead of just one? According to early Church puzzle out the things God has kept hidden writers, the Apostle Matthew wrote his ac- from us, but rather to trust and obey. count first in Hebrew, the language of the earliest disciples. Then Luke accompanied Gospel harmonies and parallel Gospels the Apostle Paul in his ministry to the Gen- Some time around A.D. 170 a Christian tiles, and wrote his Gospel in Greek. Later writer named Tatian compiled his Diatessa- Mark wrote what he remembered hearing at ron, a work merging the words of the four the Apostle Peter’s feet. And finally the aged Gospels into a single narrative. Less than a Apostle John wrote his account to further century later Ammonius the Alexandrian bless the Church. None of this was acciden- produced a copy of the Gospel of Matthew tal, of course: we have four inspired Gospels with corresponding passages from the other because the divine Author of the Bible chose Gospels arranged alongside—according to to record the life and teachings of Jesus Eusebius, who went on to build on that work Christ in this manner. a more complex system of cross-references. The four Gospels according to Matthew, About this book, and its use of brackets [ ] Mark, Luke and John each present the life and teachings of our Lord and Savior Jesus The four Gospels are presented here in par- Christ from a different perspective. But it is allel columns, in roughly chronological or- one story. Mark’s account is fast-moving, der, with corresponding passages side by Matthew’s emphasizes the fulfillment of side. I have not aimed for innovation, but prophecies from the Hebrew Scriptures, have simply built on the work of countless 4 Bible readers and scholars down through Unless the context dictates otherwise, I have the centuries who have written on the life of placed these passages in parallel to aid com- Christ and who have produced their own parison. And when the context does point to parallel Gospels or Gospel harmonies. clearly different occasions when Jesus used the same words, I have again kept them in There are five main differences that set this their context, but also repeated them in work apart from others that have preceded brackets [like this] next to the parallel pas- it. (1) It uses the text of the World English sage. Bible. (2) It is in the public domain, not copyrighted. (3) To preserve the flow of the Where selected notes from the World English Gospel message, it does not break up the Bible are included, they are at the bottom of material into pericopes or numbered selec- the column of text they pertain to. My own tions. (4) It includes a Study Guide to facili- comments appear as headings at the top of tate personal study and group discussion. each page and as explanatory notes at the (5) It places in parallel, not only the events bottom of certain pages, beneath the table of and sermons that Gospel harmonies usually parallel columns. However, notes and com- group together, but also, in a few places, the ments are kept to a minimum, to avoid dis- sermons and events that bear a very close tracting from the Gospel message itself. resemblance to each other although they Rather than copyright this book, I have cho- appear to be different events. I have placed sen to follow the example of the creators of these inside brackets [like this]. the World English Bible by placing Parallel For example, Luke tells of a meal at the Gospels in Harmony: with Study Guide in the home of a Pharisee, during which Jesus public domain, so that anyone who wishes said, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, may freely copy it, reproduce it, reprint it or hypocrites!” and Matthew records the same translate it, without any obligation to pay words in a sermon Jesus gave to a large au- royalties or even to ask permission. dience in Jerusalem. (Luke 11:44 and Matt. – David A. Reed, April 2009 23:27) I have placed these accounts on pages 140 and 196 in what appears to be About the World English Bible their proper places chronologically, but have The side-by-side Gospel passages in this also placed the similar words in parallel col- book are from the World English Bible. umns, with the out-of-sequence passage in- side brackets. According to its creators’ website at http://www.eBible.org, “The World English During the course of his earthly ministry, Bible (WEB) is a Public Domain (no copy- Jesus visited many towns and cities in Gali- right) Modern English translation of the Holy lee, Judea, Samaria and the surrounding Bible. That means that you may freely copy area, so it is reasonable to assume he re- it in any form, including electronic and print peated the same thoughts and even the formats. The World English Bible is based on same sermons to different audiences. What, the American Standard Version of the Holy then, about the Sermon on the Mount? Mat- Bible first published in 1901, the Biblia thew presents it as a single unified discourse Hebraica Stutgartensa Old Testament, and (Matt. 5:1-7:29), whereas Luke records many the Greek Majority Text New Testament.” of the same words as sayings of Jesus scat- tered throughout chapters 6, 11, 12, 14 and This book uses the HTML version of the 16. For example, Matthew and Luke both WEB at eBible.org dated August 28, 2007. present the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:9-13 and About the Editor Luke 11:2-4), Matthew as part of the Sermon on the Mount, and Luke “when he finished David A. Reed served for a decade as a con- praying in a certain place” and the disciples tributing editor of Dr.