The New Testament: The Gospels (Good News’)
“The Synoptic Gospels” are four very different renditions of the same saga, during the time Israel was under Roman rule, of a young Jewish man named Yehoshua/’Y’shua (commonly known as Jesus) who leads a few members of a Jewish reformation movement (lead by John the Baptizer) and others to teach them how to honor God, and teach others to honor God, like he did.
What made him so different was that he followed God’s instructions (often called commandments), but not according to the traditions of the Rabbis when rabbinic traditions prevented followers from honoring God according to His instructions. They had polluted the purity of God’s instructions through their interpretation of scripture. Y’shua’s way of following God was perfect throughout His life and through a grueling death, and therefore provides the only perfect pattern for all to follow.
He healed people of many ailments and conditions and raised a few from being dead to alive. The more miraculous things he did, the more people followed his movement until he had great crowds that came, mostly for the healing, but with the healing He taught them about the correct way to follow God and that those who did would be part of the Kingdom of God.
Because of His teachings on the purity required to properly honor YHWH, and the miracles He performed, people believed him to be THE Messiah that the prophets foretold would come. They expected that along with his teachings, he would lead the Jews in revolt.
He was arrested over trumped-up charges of political insurrection brought by the Jewish leadership who saw his popularity as a threat to their authority and the system of control they held over the Jewish people. The Roman government carried out the sentence of death that the Jewish Leadership insisted be imposed.
Within three days, YHWH resurrected Y’shua from death to life and He spent the next month or so teaching his disciples more. The last time they saw him he was flying through the air and taken up in a cloud while he blessed them.
The Text
Some of the text in Matthew, Mark, and Luke are “somewhat” inconsistent with the Tanakh; however, most of John is obviously theological exposition and more in line with Greek philosophy than simply telling the most accurate story of the life and ministry of Y’shua. It is somewhat troubling to call John “scripture” when compared to the other Gospels and the Tanakh.
Luke is the most compelling version of the story because it is easier reading with its better sense of chronology, and because the writer plainly explains his purpose and sources. Obviously there were many stories and renditions of stories available for the upstart movement and the writer sought to only pass along that which was verifiable from reliable sources to someone He seemed to care about - Theophilus.
Although there are obvious and irreconcilable inconsistencies, numerous competing theological claims, and contradictions between the gospels there is a core saga that can be understood regarding this movement.
