The origin of the word "gospel" is the Anglo-Saxon god-spel, meaning "good story," which is the equivalent of the Greek euangelion (from which we get "evangelism"), meaning "good news." We have not one but four "good stories," the books called Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, and while they may seem like ancient relics of the religious past to us, to their first readers their stories were news indeed. Something unprecedented, mind-boggling, shockingly beyond the ordinary had happened.
The gospels are something like biographies, although the writers never pretended to be unbiased. They reported events that really took place, drawing out the theological significance of what happened, striving to persuade readers to join the movement set in motion by Jesus. As keenly interested as the early Christians were in what Jesus said and did, he was not (to them) merely the greatest teacher ever, or the most spectacular wonder-worker. Among many great teachers, Jesus alone suffered a horrific death but then did not stay dead. It is Jesus' identity, his horrific suffering but glorious vindication, that defines him, and our belief in him.
How interesting it is that we have not one, but four Gospels, which do not fit snugly together like puzzle pieces should. The four versions are a little jagged-edged, and we might wish we had just one coherent narrative of Jesus' life. But the first Christians preferred the four vivid accounts treasured from the beginning, and so opened themselves to criticism, so obvious were the tensions. But good, deep, meaningful stories are like that. When lovers try to describe their beloved, they tell it one way, but then regather and from a fresh angle regale you with an especially lovely detail, a particularly pleasing anecdote. The event of Jesus was like a visit to the Grand Canyon, where not even the technological wizardry of a panoramic lens can take it all in. We have four good stories.
We have no idea who wrote these four good stories. The names Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were attached later. But all four were written about a generation after Jesus died, and all four were accepted and treasured in the early Church. On TV or in novels you may hear about other gospels which were covered up - but this is a terribly inaccurate viewpoint, as you can read in my review of The DaVinci Code.
At first, stories of Jesus were passed along word of mouth. Soon, Mark, then Matthew and Luke, and then John were penned, because the first Christians wanted to be certain they had accurate testimony for future generations. We plunge into the Gospels with questions - only to discover they have questions for us, questions that (when we wrestle with them diligently) redraw our map of the world, turn our values upside-down, and lure us into an adventure of joining those first disciples who put down their nets to follow this Jesus...
James
james@mpumc.org
The full eBibleQuestions series may be viewed online by clicking here.
Coming up:
eBibleQuestions27 - Was Mary a virgin? and did she have other children?eBibleQuestions28 - Are angels real?
eBibleQuestions29 - Did Jesus' miracles really happen?
