Different Perspectives on the Life and Work of Jesus, Essay Sample

The most reliable source of information about life and work of Christ, the Messiah are the four gospels books found in the New Testament. Each of the four gospels writers, had a specific target group, and so they arranged the historical data in a way to best suit their audience. The difference between Luke and Saint Mathew is seen evidently through the description of the baptism of Christ.in the gospel of Matthew; he is putting more importance on John the Baptist who is believed to prepare a way for the coming Messiah. In contrary, Luke writes the flow of events paying less attention to John.

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In their versions, Matthew and Luke differ significantly on the birth of Jesus. Matthew traces the origin of Jesus to Abraham to stress his responsibility as the Messiah of the Jews. Saint Luke describes him as a descendant of Adam, to express universal significance of Jesus' life and teachings. Matthew says Christ's birth took place in Bethlehem because there lived Mary together with Joseph. They then fled from King Herod in Bethlehem to Egypt for safety. They afterward returned and settled in Nazareth as they were at a safe there. Luke states that they resided in Nazareth, after which they went to Bethlehem for the process of the census and were forced to have baby Jesus born in a manger. Matthew does not give a manger as a place of birth. Lucas says the baby was visited by the shepherds whereas Matthew says the wise men visited.

After baptism and temptation of Jesus, Saint Luke immediately takes us to Nazareth, while Matthew tells us that relocated to Galilee after John the Baptist was put to prison. At the termination of Jesus' preaching at Galilee [Luke] deliberates his location near the onset of his message. Jesus proceeded to Capernaum where he performed miracles [Luke 4: 14-15, 23]. He afterward went to Nazareth. Guided by the Holy Ghost, he defeated the enemy with his overwhelming words and began his mission. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Lk 4:18), and now we preach, we announce, cancel ... declare. Luke once again emphasizes the significance for the Holy Ghost to have you, preach and declare the good word. People in Nazareth were all talking about the Messiah, and they were expecting him (Lk 4:22). It is at this juncture that Luke's narration took a turn. Jews expected the Messiah to be a political savior, to liberate them from Roman dictatorship. According to Matthew's account, In Jerusalem, King Herod hunts all over the region for baby. He intends to kill the already famous Jesus. From Luke's story, the child is declared publicly in the center of the city of Jerusalem by Anna and Simeone. Saint Luke says about Jesus and his family moving to Jerusalem, but according to Saint Matthew, they are believed to avoid the city. But Jesus tells the people he will not revenge, but instead will bring them salvation. This meant that the kingdom was at risk of being snatched from Jews. In history, the religious structure was challenged by the word of Christ for the first time, and this made people refer Jesus as the Messiah.

After Nazareth's interview, Luke's takes us to Capernaum where he gives us the impression that Jesus had not gone there before. He nevertheless inform us in (Lk 4:23) he is aware that the Messiah had gone there before getting to Nazareth. He now informs us what Jesus is engaged in by preaching, healing the sick and casting away demons - a sign showing the Lord's kindness to them. People bring forth the question: "What is this learning?" - Lukas once again emphasizes speech inspired by the Holy Spirit, while Mark on the same happenings simply asks: "What is it? "[5]

This also applies to the description of Jesus' act of healing the mother-in-law to Peter, as in Luke 4: 38-39, Matthew 8: 14-15 and Mark 1: 29-31. In Matthew's narration, He is said to have touched the woman's hand and lifted her, and that Luke was rebuking the fever. He stresses the words said by Jesus; "I have to preach (Luke 4:43), and therefore preached (Lk 4:44)

The two gospels have a similarity in how they refer Jesus as they both portray Jesus, as a teacher. He teaches multitudes on the right ways outlined by his father, God. The gospels portray Jesus' dedication to his work of preaching. They show how Jesus had multitudes of followers as early as at birth. According to Matthew, he was visited by Magi, whereas according to Luke he was visited by shepherds. After the baptism and temptation, Jesus started preaching, and his popularity is seen to grow very fast. People as far as Nazareth are said to have heard about him and were eager to see and hear from him. This is clear from (Luke 4:23) as people express their urge to explore the power and preaching of Jesus.

The two gospels give a similar narration of the birthplace of Jesus. They both say that Jesus' place of birth was Bethlehem as in Matt 2:1 and Luke 2:4-7. According to Saint Matthew, the Messiah was born in a house somewhere in Bethlehem before moving to Egypt for safety. According to Saint Luke, both Mary and Joseph, the later foster father were from in Nazareth. They had both traveled to Bethlehem as the census was taking place at that time. While they are there for the exercise, Jesus is born in a manger

The two narratives invite their audience to follow the teachings of Jesus. According to Luke, Mary is s the real model of discipleship. This is because she listens to the word of the creator and practices. According to Matthew, Joseph is someone who interprets Torah.

Both accounts outlined in Matthew and Luke expresses the post-resurrection faith in Christ as the Son of God. This conviction was transmitted by attributing his possession of the inventive power of the Holy Spirit, albeit in different means. According to Luke, an angel tells Mary "the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you" (Lk 1, 35). In Matthew, Joseph learns in a dream that "it is a through the Holy Spirit that this child was conceived "(Matthew 1:20). Both narratives emphasize that the coming of the Messiah is in continuity and is final fulfillment of Israel's agreement with the Creator. They repeatedly resort to the scriptures of Israel to affirm this.

The two gospels proclaim that the birth of the baby is significant for all humanity. The Matthean magicians and perhaps their genealogy transmit it, while Luke's recurrent references to Jesus as a bearer of peace have global ramifications. Both narratives link the importance of the baby with his eventual death. Matthew constructs clear parallels between the episode of the magicians and Jesus. For the Christian faith, such insights of the writers of the inspired Gospels are of the utmost importance in reading their words