00:00 Intro music and voice over.
Welcome to jesus loves the world podcast. For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!
00:20 Speaker
All four gospels - that is the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - portray Jesus’ ministry on earth. They were complied from eye witness accounts and each of the four are told from a different perspective. Together all four give us a comprehensive glimpse into the heart of the divine. Leading us deeper in relationship with the living God.
So as we journey through the gospels and take a glimpse into heaven, we will discover the significance of the lion, the ox, the man and the eagle.
The gospel according to Matthew is believed to be written primarily to those of Jewish lineage. Matthew therefore emphasises certain aspects of Jesus that fulfil the prophecies of old given to their patriarchs. Especially those eternal promises given to king David and father Abraham, many centuries before Jesus’ earthly ministry.
Through Nathan the prophet, God promised king David an eternal kingdom through his lineage.
Let us go to that moment in time during king David’s reign over Ancient Israel. 2 Samuel 7:12-13 “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.
Verse 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”
Therefore Matthew begins his gospel with the most significant evidence that Jesus is the Messiah, that is the anointed one, who fulfils the promise of an eternal kingdom through David’s lineage. Let us take a look at the first two verses of the Gospel according to Matthew.
Matthew 1:1-2 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
The gospel of Jesus according to Matthew begins with the Jewish genealogy of Jesus. Jesus is from the direct line of king David, who was from the tribe of Judah. Judah being one of the 12 sons of Jacob and tribe of the Ancient Israelites. It was promised to this tribe Judah, that the sceptre or right to rule and reign, would not depart from that lineage.
So Matthew links these Old Testament prophecies with the historical fact of the genealogy of Jesus. Jesus is from the tribe of Judah, the line of Abraham and King David. Jesus is the Jewish king and king of all kings.
For a greater revelation of this please listen to our jesus loves : the world podcast titled - All Hail King Jesus.
Matthew emphasises righteousness (or rightness), discusses the law and Jewish customs, all with the first hearers in mind. Those of Jewish lineage needed to know that Jesus is the one, the Messiah and King.
One of the most frequently used titles for Jesus throughout the gospel according to Matthew is Son of David. This is another reminder that Jesus is the anointed one, the Jewish King.
Whilst the gospel of Matthew emphasises that Jesus is the Jewish king, Matthew also reveals that Jesus is the king of all people. In his narrative of Jesus’ birth, Matthew uniquely includes the homage to Jesus of the wise men of the East. They were of non Jewish lineage, yet they came to worship the king of the Jews. The wise men of the east were students of the stars. They saw His star, followed it and found Him with Mary and Joseph. They bowed down before the child Jesus and acknowledged His right to rule and reign. Jesus the king of the Jews is the king of all kings and people.
God’s eternal kingdom is a significant motive throughout the gospel according to Matthew. Only in Matthew are there such parables of the kingdom of heaven is like the landowner who went out early to hire labourers, the trilogy of the Hidden Treasure, the Unforgiving Servant, the Wedding Banquet, the wise and foolish virgins, the sheep and the goats and the wheat and the tares. They are all about God’s eternal kingdom of heaven.
Each one emphasises the necessity to receive the eternal king and His right to rule and reign. In the telling of these parables, Jesus makes it very clear that entry to His kingdom is for all people. It is a choice. Regardless of ethnicity - receive the king, receive His kingdom.
In the animal kingdom there are certain species that depict certain aspects or characteristics. Throughout history the animal that is considered king is the lion. Matthew’s portrayal of Jesus emphasises Jesus’ kingship. He is the lion of the tribe of Judah. The eternal one who is the king of God’s eternal kingdom. Jesus fulfils all promises given to king David, father Abraham, the Ancient Israelites, and ultimately all people.
The gospel according to Matthew - Jesus - the Son of David, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the eternal king.
The gospel according to Mark is believed to be written primarily to those of non Jewish lineage. Therefore Mark explains in detail Jewish customs and outlines Old Testament prophecies.
The Gospel according to Mark is a succinct presentation of Jesus’ adult servant ministry. There are no details of Jesus’ origins, birth or childhood. Mark begins with the forerunner of Jesus, the first witness, John the Baptist. He prepared the way and testified that Jesus is the anointed one of whom the prophets foretold. So let us begin the gospel according to Mark.
Mark 1:1-8 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in the Prophets: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, Who will prepare Your way before You.” “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ” John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. Then all the land of Judea, and those from Jerusalem, went out to him and were all baptized by him in the Jordan River, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And he preached, saying, “There comes One after me who is mightier than I, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to stoop down and loose. I indeed baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
By beginning with the role of John the Baptist as the first witness of who Jesus is, the first hearers of non-Jewish lineage would have been able to connect with how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. Especially given they lived in the time of the Roman Empire. They would have seen the Roman kings and dignitaries frequently parading through the streets on the roads that had been prepared before them.
Mark is interpreting the old testament prophecy in a culturally appropriate way for the first hearers of non Jewish lineage. So that they too will come and know and understand that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.
The Gospel according to Mark in its entirety is a wonderful representation of God serving humanity. One parable that is only included in Mark is about the Kingdom and how no matter what the man in the parable does, the seed grows, develops and the harvest is there.
Let us go to the record of Jesus teaching through this story. Mark 4:26-29 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground, and should sleep by night and rise by day, and the seed should sprout and grow, he himself does not know how. For the earth yields crops by itself: first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head. But when the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest has come.”
In God serving humanity, the man in the parable gets the incredible privilege to sow the seed that God has provided. The seed represents the gospel or good news of Jesus Christ. God gives His gospel truth to humanity to not only sow but to have the incredible privilege of being part of His harvest. God is the one who provides, God is the one who grows and God is the one who gets all the glory.
Jesus states in Mark 10:45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Mark portrays how Jesus did this during His ministry on earth. Jesus preached, taught, walked with His disciples and did life with humanity. He healed, cast out demons, provided practically, and ultimately sacrificed His life. All for the sake of humanity. To set humanity free.
In the animal kingdom there are certain species that depict certain aspects or characteristics. In ancient rural cultures, the ox is considered a worker or servant. The ox ploughs the land ready for the sowing of the seed. It also thrashes the chaff separating the wheat from the chaff.
Mark’s portrayal of Jesus emphasises Jesus’ servant ministry. Jesus is the king who became the anointed servant.
One of the most frequently used titles for Jesus throughout Mark is Son of God. He is the servant king.
The gospel according to Mark - Jesus - the Son of God, the servant king.
The gospel according to Luke is believed to be written primarily to all people. That is, both those of Jewish and those of non-Jewish lineage. This belief has come from the content within Luke, and Luke’s intent in writing an orderly account of Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection.
Luke, a physician, reveals Jesus’ humanity and compassion, and how He reaches out to the individual and brings healing to people. Within the gospel of Luke their is the inclusion of parables about everyday concerns, injustices of this world, imbalances of power and relationships. There is the trilogy of God’s concern for the lost, known as the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son. Also unique to the gospel according to Luke are such parables as the Good Samaritan, the rich man and Lazarus, the Pharisee and the tax collector, the widow and unjust judge and the two debtors.
The gospel according to Luke also reveals that Jesus was born of the perfect seed of the Holy Spirit. Unlike all of humanity, Jesus was not born of the corrupted seed of humanity. Jesus chose to become the one to carry our sorrows. Not only carry our sorrows but through His selfless sacrificial act, takes away our sorrows. For He gives His eternal salvation to all humanity. Regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, age or gender Jesus sacrificed His life for all. God placed the highest value on each individual’s eternity.
Luke’s portrayal of Jesus emphasises Jesus’ compassion and humanitarianism. Jesus is the Son of God who became the Son of Man. In His humanity and divinity Jesus came to preach the good news to the poor, heal the broken hearted, proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind. Jesus came to set at liberty those who are oppressed and proclaim now is the acceptable time of salvation.
Jesus’ genealogy according to Luke’s gospel emphasises Jesus as the son of man. Luke goes all the way back to the first man, Adam.
Luke 3:23 Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
And verse 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
The most frequently used title for Jesus throughout the gospel according to Luke is the Son of Man. For Jesus is the sinless man who sacrificed His life, so that humanity could be truly free.
The gospel according to Luke - Jesus - the Son of Man, the perfect human.
The gospel according to Matthew - Jesus - the Son of David, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the eternal king.
The gospel according to Mark - Jesus - the Son of God, the servant king.
The gospel according to Luke - Jesus - the Son of Man, the perfect human.
Tune in next week where we will continue on with the Lion, the Ox, The Man and the Eagle. We will take a glimpse into heaven and discover the significance of the lion, the ox, the man and the eagle.
19:40 Outro music and voice over.
For more information and free resources visit our website jesuslovestheworld.info Be blessed empowered and transformed in Jesus’ name!
