WAYMAKER MINISTRIES

HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS, PART 2

ABOUT THE WRITERS, MATTHEW and MARK


MATTHEW


Matthew, formerly Levi son of Alpheus, was formerly a tax collector and one of the 12 apostles handpicked by Jesus. Matthew was therefore an “eye-witness” of the accounts he recorded. He records more of Jesus' teaching concerning God's heavenly kingdom than the other writers, for example the entire Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 10:1-4
1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.
2 Now the names of the twelve apostles are these; The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother;
3 Philip, and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus;
4 Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him.


Matthew wrote this Gospel to encourage more Jews to believe in Jesus as their Messiah, but was also written to the Gentiles as recorded in chapter 12.

Matthew 12:18-21
18 Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
19 He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.
20 A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
21 And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

Further in chapter 28 the disciples are charged and sent by Jesus to "make disciples" of all the nations.

Matthew's record of Jesus' final instruction to the church.

Matthew 28:16-20 American Standard Version
16 But the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had
appointed them.
17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go ye therefore, and "make disciples" of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit:
20 teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.


It is said that he probably wrote this account about eight years after the ascension of Jesus. After the ascension of Jesus, he was at Jerusalem, and received the Holy Ghost with the rest of the disciples on the day of Pentecost.

MARK

Mark, "Marcus", also called John Mark was a cousin of Barnabas, a disciple of Peter and a helpful co-worker of Paul. Mary, the mother of Mark, was an early believer and the disciples used to meet at her house. When Peter was delivered out of prison by an angel he came to the house of Mary, where many were gathered together praying. This shows Peter’s closeness to that family. Mark was Peter's son (a spiritual son), who likely wrote down what Peter said about who Jesus was, what He did, where He went and what happened. Mark's gospel is considered Peter's account, an eye-witness account, written down by Mark.

1 Peter 5:13
The church that is at Babylon, elected together with you, saluteth you; and so doth Marcus my son.

1 Peter 5:13 AMPLIFIED
She [your sister church here] in Babylon, [who is] elect (chosen) with [yourselves], sends you greetings, and [so does] my son (disciple) Mark.

He traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas.

Act 12:25
And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

In Paul's 2nd letter to Timothy he asked him to bring Mark back with him.

2 Timothy 4:11
Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

Mark's record of Jesus' final instruction to the church.

Mark 16:15-20
15 And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.
16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;
18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God.
20 And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen.


Until next time, KEEP THE FAITH !!!!!!!