A Simplified Harmony of the Gospels

Using the Text of the HSCB

George W. Knight

• Publisher: Holman Reference
• Year: 2001
• Print ISBN: 9780805494235
• eBook ISBN: 9781433674761
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Biblical Studies

Most of the Gospel Harmonies use parallel columns to give side-by-side comparisons of the various events in Jesus' life and ministry. But how much easier could His storyline be followed if it were presented in one seamless narrative, streamlined in chronological order? Features: • The four Gospels woven into a single, running narrative • All Scriptures taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible • Sidebars call attention to major themes and difficult passages in the Gospels • Hundreds of study notes— a regular feature of every page—illuminate the text • Useful for both lesson and sermon preparation as well as stand-alone reading • Systematic reading plan for family worship and devotional use

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I. INTRODUCTION TO THE GOOD NEWS

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All the Gospels except Mark contain information of an introductory nature that sets the stage for the birth of Jesus. Luke contains the most information of this type. His Gospel tells us about the events surrounding the birth of John the Baptizer; the announcement to Mary of the forthcoming birth of Jesus; Mary's visit to her relative Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptizer; and the genealogy of Jesus as traced through Mary.

Matthew enumerates the family line of Jesus as traced through Joseph and tells us about Joseph's reassuring dream regarding Mary's pregnancy. The Gospel of John contributes its famous prologue that describes Jesus as the true Light and the Word made flesh.

1. LUKE'S PREFACE AND DEDICATION

Luke 1:1–4

¹Since many have undertaken to compile a narrative about the events that have been fulfilled among us, ²just as the original eyewitnesses and servants of the word handed them down to us, ³it also seemed good to me, having carefully investigated everything from the very first, to write to you in orderly sequence, most honorable Theophilus, ⁴so that you may know the certainty of the things about which you have been instructed.

original eyewitnesses: In writing his Gospel, Luke depended on people who had been with Jesus during His earthly ministry. A Gentile physician (Col. 4:14), Luke became a close companion of the apostle Paul and author of the Book of Acts who recorded Paul's missionary journeys. He had many opportunities to meet people who knew Jesus personally. Luke investigated their accounts of Jesus' life and ministry “carefully” and “from the very first” before writing his Gospel.

most honorable Theophilus: The purpose of Luke's Gospel was to show people of Greek and Roman background that Jesus was the humble servant of God. Thus, Luke dedicated his Gospel (and the Book of Acts) to this unknown Gentile of high official rank. Theophilus may have been the chief magistrate of some city in Greece or Asia Minor.

2. JOHN'S INTRODUCTION

John 1:1–18

¹In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²He was with God in the beginning. ³All things were created through Him, and apart from Him not one thing was created that has been created. ⁴In Him was life, and that life was the light of men. ⁵That light shines in the darkness, yet the darkness did not overcome it.

The Incarnation of Jesus

The introduction to the Gospel of John contains one of the strongest affirmations of the doctrine of the incarnation in the entire New Testament. The word incarnation means “embodied in flesh.” John declares that Jesus—the divine Son of God—took on a human body as a necessary step for carrying out God's plan of redemption in the world. Jesus is the Godman—fully human and fully divine—who can be experienced and understood by us as human beings.

⁶There was a man named John who was sent from God. ⁷He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that all might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but he came to testify about the light. ⁹The true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. ¹⁰He was in the world, and the world was created through Him, yet the world did not know Him. ¹¹He came to His own, and His own people did not receive Him. ¹²But to all who did receive Him, He gave them the right to be children of God, to those who believe in His name, ¹³who were born, not of blood, or of the will of the flesh, or of the will of man, but of God.

¹⁴The Word became flesh and took up residence among us. We observed His glory, the glory as the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

¹⁵(John testified concerning Him and exclaimed, “This was the One of whom I said, ‘The One coming after me has surpassed me, because He existed before me.’”) ¹⁶For we have all received grace after grace from His fullness. ¹⁷For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

¹⁸No one has ever seen God. The only Son—the One who is at the Father's side—He has revealed Him.

In the beginning was the Word: These words call to mind Genesis 1:1, but they go beyond creation into eternity itself to affirm the preexistence of Jesus Christ as the eternal Word.

Word was God: With these words John affirmed the full deity of Jesus Christ. This claim was John's answer to a growing heresy of his times, Gnosticism, which minimized the importance of Jesus by making Him just one of many spiritual entities linking heaven with earth.

All things were created through Him: The eternal Word participated in the creation of all things. God the Father is the source of divine creation, but He created all things through the Word.

life … light: In His creative capacity, the Word bestowed life, and in His redemptive work He offered eternal life. By becoming “alive” in the form of a human being, Jesus brought the light of God's revelation into the world.

man named John: John the Baptizer broke a four-hundred-year silence when he appeared in the wilderness of Judea in the role of the ancient prophets. Notice the contrast between the words used to describe the Word and John. John “came,” but the eternal Word “was.” John was “a man,” but the Word was “with God.” John was “sent from God,” but the Word “was God.”

He was not the light: John had an important, God-given mission—to bear witness to Jesus in such a way that people would believe in Him. However, the Baptizer must not be confused with the One to whom he bore witness.

true light: As the eternal Light, Jesus would make the truth of God available to every person. He is the only source of this true knowledge.

world did not know Him: The irony is that Jesus came to the world He had created, but the world rejected Him. Especially tragic was the rejection of the Word by the very people who had been prepared to receive Him. He was born a Jew, but many of His countrymen rejected Him. But not everyone rejected Him. John and all the earliest believers were Jews. Later they were joined by a host of Gentile believers.

Word became flesh: This phrase describes the reality, glory, and purpose of the incarnation of the Son of God. The word flesh shows the full humanity of the eternal Word. The phrase “the glory as the only Son from the Father” shows His full deity. The Gnostics claimed that the Son of God only appeared to become human; John insisted that He became fully human.

full of grace and truth: Jesus was the vehicle of divine grace expressed in His deeds of mercy and sacrificial love. He was also the vehicle of divine truth as He taught His listeners about God and themselves, about God in His holiness and justice, and about themselves in their sinful condition and need for salvation.

law was given through Moses: God made Himself known in an intimate way through Moses. But not even Moses saw God in the full sense in which He later revealed Himself in His Son Jesus. Jesus declared, “Believe in me and you shall have life eternal.” This is the message of divine grace. It offers blessing not as a reward for good works but as a free gift.

He has revealed Him: Jesus came into the world to be the revealer of the Father. This was the reason for the incarnation—that God might be made known in all His love, compassion, justice, and redemptive purpose.

3. ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIZER

Luke 1:5–25

⁵In the days of King Herod of Judea, there was a priest of Abijah's division named Zachariah. His wife was from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ⁶Both were righteous in God's sight, living without blame according to all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. ⁷But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.

⁸When his division was on duty, and he was serving as priest before God, ⁹it happened that he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense. ¹⁰At the hour of incense the whole assembly of the people was praying outside. ¹¹An angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. ¹²When Zachariah saw him, he was startled and overcome with fear.

The Angel Gabriel

Gabriel was an archangel, a heavenly being higher in rank than an angel. As a special messenger from God, he appeared to Daniel in the Old Testament (Dan. 8:16). Gabriel's appearance to Zachariah and to the virgin Mary (Luke 1:26–38) was a dramatic statement from God that the Messiah would soon appear. Some interpreters believe Gabriel is the archangel whose voice will be heard when Christ appears in the clouds (1 Thess. 4:16).

¹³But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zachariah, ...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Half Title
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table of Contents
• Expanded Outline: A Simplified Harmony
• Acknowledgments
• How to Use This Book
• About the Holman Christian Standard Bible
• Introduction
• Chapter 1
• Chapter 2
• Chapter 3
• Chapter 4
• Chapter 5
• Chapter 6
• Chapter 7
• Chapter 8
• A Systematic Reading Plan
• Scripture Indices
• Subject Index