The Gospels are narratives about the life and time of Jesus. They describe not only Jesus' life but also what was taking place at that time. This helps to give us a better perception of why some things happened the way they did and what it was possibly like for Jesus. We are able to better understand some of the social and political aspects of life during Jesus\' time period, which can help us to overall understand the meaning behind the Gospels better. (Bible Dictionary)
The story of Jesus' life is meant not only as a biography but
also as an example to us as how to live our lives. Through Jesus' example of
even everyday activities we can draw from that how to apply his message to our
daily lives as well. (Bible Notes) Jesus is portrayed not only as a messenger
and savior but also as a normal human beings complete with a full range of
emotions. (Bible Dictionary) This means that in the Gospels we can see Jesus
angry, sad, joyful, scared and expressing many other human emotions. But, he
also shows us how to deal with those emotions and not let them get the better of
us. Even the examples of Jesus getting angry show us that he was human too and
that he was truly experiencing life the way we know it. It shows us also how
that we can survive, that it can be done, that we can live a productive and
happy life through faith in God. Jesus\' scared moments show us that even he
knew what it was like to feel despair and loneliness but also that when we do
feel that way that we are not alone.
The Gospels also spend time talking
about Jesus\' teachings. Jesus used parables and stories so that the average
person could better understand the message he came to bring us. Through parables
all people, even those who were not educated were able to comprehend what he was
getting at and what his message to us was. (New Testament Studies) Jesus told
stories also, that could relate to all types of people depending on who he was
speaking to so that it would be even easier for them to adapt what he was saying
into a situation from their daily lives.
The parables are an important part
of the Gospels because they are like quotes from Jesus and therefore an even
more direct summary of what he came to preach to us about. Even though some of
the parables differ from gospel to gospel still the direct message is the same
with the same underlying meaning. (Bible Notes) Although the context may differ
still the basic points are the same, giving us many ways to picture what exactly
Jesus was trying to say in those instances. Jesus\' parables help all people to
understand his universal message for salvation.
The gospels may differ from
one to the next but they still all carry the same basic message and considering
that the writers were all speaking to unique and separate audiences. This
enabled at that time, many different groups of people to relate to Jesus\'
universal theme. The people at that time might not have been totally united in
religion or politics therefore having a personalized version of the gospel
allowed them to understand how God was communicating directing with them.
A
theme repeatedly used in the gospels is Jesus\' was of challenging us through
change. He wants us to directly access what keeps us from being closer to him
and change so that we can live fully through him. The gospel is \"good news\"
and it has three real stages: 1) Who Jesus is and what His message to us is, 2)
Jesus\' teachings-his challenges and our salvation, 3)the four officially
approved written records-gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. All of these
are made to help us better understand what exactly went on when Jesus was alive
and what the point of his coming to save us was. (New Testament Studies)
The
Gospels can also help us to interpret what the Old Testament is directing us to
do because Jesus helps us to clarify it. He relates to us exactly how the Old
Testament is meant to be applied. (Unbound Bible) He told the people of his time
when they were and were not properly using the laws. He found that they were
taking some things too literally and other things not literally enough. Jesus
helped to amend these problems and that is noted in the bible by the authors.
We can continue to use the Gospels today as a way to guide us in
understanding Jesus' message. They can aid when we are confused about the
meaning in the Old Testament by clarifying more along the lines of what God
really wants us to be doing. Jesus embodies the Good News and the Gospels are a
way of analyzing it and putting it into easier terms to understand while at the
same time recording important information about what Jesus' message was to us.
(Bible Notes)
Personally, I think that the Gospels are like a cliffs notes
for the entire message that God has sent us through Jesus. They are like a
special aid to help us more fully understand how God fulfilled his covenant with
us. It is like the sequel to the Old Testament. I think that the Gospels are
important because they help us to better understand Jesus and God. The
criticisms of the Gospels help us to also understand more fully the different
reasons certain things were important to certain gospel writers and not others.
(Bible Dictionary) So, we can mentally put together a full picture of what each
of them were attempting to portray to their perspective audiences or
congregations. We get help in fully forming our own version of how to live and
apply the Good News of Jesus Christ.
\"Evangelist,\" Microsoft®
Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2000
Gigot, Francis E. \"Gospel and Gospels.\" Catholic
Encyclopedia 9.24
(1999) 8.20 (2000) http://newadvent.org/cathen/06655b.htm