The Gospels of Matthew and Luke

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that the description of Jesus as the merciful messiah is especially prevalent in the Gospel of Luke, as he emphasizes the power of forgiveness; whereas, Matthew, whose account is deeply rooted in the Old Testament, highlights the wisdom and justice of Jesus's teachings. The author points out that the question of the sources for the Gospels of Luke and Matthew has been debated often, with most scholars leaning towards the two-source hypothesis. A manuscript of Jesus's axioms and sayings, often referred to as the "Q" source, which would have served as a source for both Luke and Matthew or an earlier version of Mark's gospel. The paper relates that the story of the death of Jesus illustrates Jesus's failure to see that the connection between Jesus's and humanity's relationship with God leads to his persecution and subsequent death; however, in his death, mankind finds salvation and the opportunity to once again discover and enter into a covenant with God.

From the Paper:

"Jesus as the suffering servant is an overarching theme that is especially characteristic of Matthew's account of the death of Jesus but also found within Luke's gospel. When the Roman soldiers deride Jesus as the "King of the Jews" and give him a mock robe, crown, and in Matthew's gospel a scepter, Jesus suffers just as the real King of the Jews in Psalm 22. The continued mockery by the crowd also fulfills Psalm 22 as it reflects the two charges against Jesus: the threat to destroy the temple and the claim to be the Son of God or Messiah. Even Jesus' last words continue to illustrate the theme of a righteous sufferer, as they are a direct quotation of Psalm 22:1. Furthermore, the rejection of Jesus, who is essentially God's prophet, is done by the entire leadership of Israel, a clear allusion to the prophets of the Old Testament who were similarly persecuted by their own people. Jesus' response to the charges by the Sanhedrin is also remarkably similar to Jeremiah's testimony when he was on trial."l

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