Why are there 4 gospels?
Why did God give us four books that tell us about the ministry of Jesus?
Wouldn't one book be enough?
This question can be
answered by a Rubik's Cube. If you don't know what a Rubik's
Cube is, it is a cube that has 6 different colors, one on each side.
And each side has 9 sections that can be turned and messed up beyond
belief. Some people have made contests on who can solve it the fastest. I don't think I could
get it if I worked for 22 years.
I have never solved
a Rubik's Cube once it has been messed up. I have always had to
take a screwdriver and pop open one of the pieces take them all apart and put
them back together the right way.
But the Rubik's Cube does
help answer the question: Why are there four gospels?
Before I answer this
question let me give you a little science lesson. Did you know that when
you look at a cube, no matter how you turn it, you can only see up to 3 sides
at a time? It's true.
Take a
look at this cube.
Right now we only see the
yellow, green, and red sides of this cube. There are still 3 other sides
that we can't see. The white, blue, and orange sides are hidden from us.
But if you and three of your friends stand in a circle around it, each
person would be able to see the different sides. You might see some of
the same colors as your friends, but together you will be able to see the
whole cube. Each person could tell others what colors they see.
Now if we think of the
Rubik's Cube as Jesus' life and we have four people looking at it from all
different points of view, we can know the whole story. Some of the Gospels tell
the same story, but each of them has points the others don't.
·
Only Matthew tells about the wise men and Joseph and Mary's flight into
Egypt (Matthew 2).
· Only Mark tells of the healing
of the blind man which was done in two stages (Mark 8:22-26).
· Only Luke gives us the story of
Jesus' birth. (That's why we read Luke 2 at Christmas time.) He also is the
only one to tell us the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32).
· Only John tells of the raising
of Lazarus from the dead (John 11:1-45).
God gave us four Gospels so
they could lead us to Jesus. Each of them tell how he died to take the punishment
for our sins.
I have
some good news and some bad news.
The Bad News is that everyone has done something wrong. God calls
those wrong things sin. And God does not let sin into heaven. In
fact, God's punishment for sin is DEATH!
Romans 6:23 For the
wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ
our Lord.
That little lie you
told…Death! That small thing you stole…Death!
Also to add to it is an
eternity spent in the place of punishment, Hell. Hell is a real place.
It is a place of fire that burns forever and ever. Once your life
is over you are either instantly in Heaven or instantly in Hell. There is
no judge where you weigh your good deeds against your bad ones. The Bible
says in Isaiah:
Isaiah 64:6a But we are all
as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags,
The Good News is: Jesus paid the punishment for our sins. He
knew we wouldn't be able to pay the price, so he came to earth, lived a sinless
life and died for us. He has given you the gift of Heaven. But you
have to accept it.
If on Christmas day you
came out and saw all of the presents under the tree and never opened them would
they still be a gift? They were paid
for, they were given, but you didn’t receive them. That would be dumb.
Jesus has paid the price,
he is holding out the gift of eternal life in Heaven. All you have to do is accept it.
It is as easy as A B C.
A.
Admit – Admit you are a
sinner, and have done things wrong.
B.
Believe – Believe that
Jesus, who is God’s son, died and rose again.
C.
Confess – Confess your sins
and ask Jesus to forgive you and to come into your life and take you to Heaven
when you die.
That’s it. God made is so simple that anyone could do
it.
God gave us four Gospels so
they could lead us to Jesus. Each of them tell how he died to take the
punishment for our sins.
Your homework is to find
out one more thing about each Gospel that is only told in that book.
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