New Testament Overview

Overview

Some people use pictures and words to make scrapbooks about things they want to remember. Maybe you have a baby book with words and pictures. It tells about your birth or adoption and the first years of your life. Or instead of a baby book, you might have a file on the family computer with all kinds of pictures.
The stories in the first four books in this section of our Bible are like big albums, full of pictures. Each story adds a picture that tells us about Jesus: how he lived, what he taught, and what we need to remember. The stories in the first four books were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Each of them wrote in their own way to tell their stories about Jesus. You'll hear stories about how Jesus used parables to teach about God. And there are stories about how he healed people with his words and his touch. When Jesus taught and when he healed people, he wanted them to think bout how they could live with one another.
Jesus met a lot of interesting people: Peter, Mary and Martha, Joanna and Susanna, and Zacchaeus. And there are stories about some people whose names we don't even know. Each person was different after meeting Jesus.
After Jesus died and was alive again, he left the earth. And everyone who knew him had to decide how to start all over again, living the way Jesus taught. Luke also wrote another book. It's called the Acts of the Apostles. It tells stories about the beginning of the church. Here you'll meet people like Philip and Paul, Tabitha, Lydia, and Timothy. As you hear their stories, think about how people are like people you know in your church.
The New Testament also has many letters that people wrote to the churches and to individual people as the church was just getting started. These letters reminded these very first Christians how they were to live together, how thy were to treat other people, and how they were to love like Jesus.
What pictures of Jesus and the church do you want to remember? How will those pictures and stories help you remember how Jesus wants you to live in this world?

*Taken from Growing in God's Love by Elizabeth Caldwell

This video is 8:17 minutes long

Highlights

Overview

Not a book of rules, a book of Love
The Gospels
As we grow and change, our understanding of who Jesus is also grows and changes.
Read the gospel of Mark and bring back your observations about Jesus. “I never knew he was so mean” says a 6th grader.
Epiphany (News flash) Jesus was not always warm and fuzzy. He is also edgy.
Gospel Good news Greek evangelion– A gospel means Jesus Life, Ministry and Teachings
- Ever heard of the four gospels?
- Acts follows and tells stories of Jesus’ followers and the start of the Christian Church
- Each gospel is a stand alone story of Jesus’ life and ministry. This means they are not sequel chapters in a story book. Rather four complete and unique versions of Jesus’ life. We call those synopitc- So unlike a children’ storybook Bible you all probably have where all of the four gospels stories are smooshed together, a youth bible and adult bibles are stand alone stories and can now be studied with a more grown up understanding.
- Gospels - Let’s do this!

Matthew

First book of NT – 2nd longest
Held with Mark and Luke – following the same basic story outline of Jesus life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth
Written later in the 1st Century. Matthew was likely not the author. But the book was named Matthew to give it more authority.
Church’s gospel – only gospel that has the word “church” in it.
With a focus on discipleship and salvation and more teaching materials like the sermon on the mount. Used to teach catechism in the early church. It quotes the OT more than any other gospel.
Scriptural essence:
- Beatitudes Blessed are those, 5:2-11
- Love your enemies, pray for those who persecute you 5:43-44
- Do unto others 7:12
- Love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself - 22:37-40
- 25

John

Does not follow the structure of the other Gospels at all
Latest written
Not the disciple John
Other gospels focused on what Jesus did and said, John points to who Jesus is.
Jesus is the Good Shepherd, the True Vine and the Bread of Life
Scripture essence – For God so loved the world

Iconic Stories of the Gospels

Jesus turns the tables over in the temple - Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18
The woman at the well (John) 4:1-42
Call of the Disciples (Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-34; Luke 5:1-11)
Zacchaeus the tax collector (Luke 19:1-10)
The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7)

Parables of Jesus

Parables are always a story about God’s extravagant (EXTRA, over the top) love
Parables are always a reversal of what you first think (first shall be last)
Parables are always moving you to a different place than where you began
Good Samaritan Luke 10:2-37
The Lost Sheep and Coin Luke 15:1-10
Loving Parent Luke 15:11-32
The Sower Matthew 13:1-9
The Mustard Seed Matthew 13:31-3

Moments in the Life of Jesus

Shape the rhythm of our Worship Year
- Stories of Jesus’ birth (Advent)
- Jesus lost in the temple (New year)
- Jesus Baptism (New year)
- Temptation in the wilderness (Lent)
- The Transfiguration (Post resurrection)

Cherished Stories of Jesus

Stories about Jesus’ call on our lives just as he called the disciples, Zacchaeus or even the Samaritan woman. Remind us of our calling to be different from the rest of the world in how we treat one another and how we worship God. Call to walk the way of the cross with him so that we too might have life, and have it abundantly.
The Call of the Disciples
- (Matthew 4:18-22 Mark 1.16-20; Luke 5:1-11)
The Sermon on the Mount
- Matthew 5:1-7;29
Woman at the Well
- John 4:4-42
Zacchaeus the Tax Collector
- Luke 19:1-10
Jesus’ Entry into Jerusalem (Palm Sunday)
- Matthew 21.1-11
- Mark 11.1-10
- Luke 19.28-40
- John 12.12-19
Passion/Crucifixion (Good Friday)
- Matthew 26.36-27
- Mark 14.32-15.47
- Luke 22.39-23.56
- John 18.1-19.42
Resurrection (Easter)
- Matthew 28
- Mark 16
- Luke 24.1-12
- John 20:1-29
Ascension
- Mark 16.19-20
- Luke 24.50-53
- Acts 1.6-11

Differences between Jews and Gentiles

Galatians 3:26-28
You are a Gentile (not born Jewish)
We celebrate our diversity in the Church, but we don’t use differences to treat people differently or say that one or the other is more valuable in the Christian community.
Men and women are different. Within the Church there were also people who were born Jews and people who were outside of the Jewish community.
Yet despite these differences they both called each other Christians.

Mark

Earliest Gospel
Short and swift– bare bones
Written perhaps by John Mark a newer version of Peter and Paul in Rome
The best introduction to the full arch of the story of Jesus Christ

Luke

Historian – accurate and orderly account of the life of Jesus of Nazareth
Longest book
Lots and lots of stories about birth of John the Baptist and annunciation to Mary.
Jesus is Jewish
Inclusion of Non-Jews in the saving work of Jesus Christ
parables and life of Jesus
I part of a II part series – Acts

Acts

Chronicles the lives and ministry of the first apostles after Jesus’ resurrection.
Stories of Paul’s conversion -the ways the first Christians shaped community, the struggles they had with both Jewish and Roman authorizes and the internal conflict they endured they began to evangelize and grow outside the historically Jewish community.
Difference between apostle and disciple. Disciple is a student who is the disciple of the teacher.
Apostle is literally one who is sent. Apostles were specifically those sent out into the world to spread the teachings of Jesus.

Read Feeding of the 5,000

(Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15)
Notice the differences
How do the gospels portray Jesus?
Is he impatient?
Is he a storyteller?
Is he a political activist?
Is he a keeper of wisdom?
Why don’t the gospels tell many stories about when Jesus was a child or teenager?
How were these gospels included while other were rejected?

Miracles of Jesus

From miracle worker as a child, when get older can understand how he used miracles not just to illustrate his divinity but to show the world as God intended it to be.
Feeding the Multitude Mark 6:30-44
Walking on Water Matthew 14:22-33
Raising of Lazarus John 11:1-45
Water into Wine John 2:1-11
Healing of the Paralytic Luke 15:17-26

Stories of Holy Week (and beyond)

Jesus entry into Jerusalem – Palm Sunday
The Last Supper – Maundy Thursday
Passion/Crucifixion (Good Friday)
Resurrection (Easter)
Ascension Post Resurrection
Stories we use to understand the real power and love of God who will not leave us abandoned.

Names of Jesus

Son of Mary and Joseph
Son of God
Promised Messiah
Prophet
Liberator
King of the Jews
Rabbi and teacher
Beloved of God
Miracle worker
Fully human yet without sin

The Early Church

Rooted in community from the very start
To be a Christian outside of community means losing an essential part of how the Bible models faith expression and the practices of faith.
Connected to the body 1 Corinthians 12:14-20
Gift of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2) - birthplace of the church
- Conversion (Call) of Paul (Acts 9) – Christians have been persecuted and Christians have also been the persecutors

The Journeys and Letters of Paul

21 Epistles
Scholars have debated which ones were written by whom.
Majority were written by the Apostle Paul
Give insight into both the beliefs and the church
Expectations that were put on early church leadership
How laws of the OT were applied or abandoned
How the early church slowly developed unique worship traditions.
Paul travelled along the Mediterranean as far as Rome, teaching people about Jesus.
How to shape life together and how to deal with conflict and disagreements within the community.

The Book of Revelation

Revelation to John is often described as apocalyptic literature, a type of writing in which other worldly beings reveal secrets about the future and or the cosmos to ordinary mortals.
Revelation describes the vision of John on the island of Patmos and describes the coming of Jesus Christ again to the earth and all that goes into the final judgment of the world.

Learn theNew Testament Through Music