Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 7)

Understanding the New Testament Gospel Differences (Part 7 --- The meaning of Christ's death was unknown)

We continue with the comparison of the gospel of God and the gospel of Christ by looking at key elements that distinguish them from each other. I recommend to start at the beginning of this comparison to gain the necessary context of this series of posts.

The meaning of Christ's death was unknown during the Gospels and early Acts

During Jesus early ministry, His followers did not know that the purpose of His first advent was to sacrifice Himself. According to their prophetic scriptures, Jews believed that when their Messiah would come, He would come as a King and a conqueror. 

Zacharias, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, prophesied about the Messiah, but the prophecy did not utter anything about Jesus death;

Luke 1:67 Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying: 68  "Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people, 69 and has  raised up a horn [strength, might, conquering] of salvation for us in the house of His servant David, 70 as He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began, 71  that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us, 72  to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant, 73 the oath which He swore to our father Abraham: 74 to grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies,  might serve Him without fear, 75 in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life..."

The Gospels indicate clearly that the Jews had no clue about the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection as we believe today. 

Luke 9:43-45 And they were all amazed at the mighty power of God. But while they wondered every one at all things which Jesus did, he said unto his disciples, 44 Let these sayings sink down into your ears: for the Son of man shall be delivered into the hands of men. 45 But they understood not this saying, and it was hid from them, that they perceived it not: and they feared to ask him of that saying.

Luke 18:31-34 Then He [Jesus] took the twelve aside and said to them, "Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about the Son of Man will be accomplished. 32 For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and mistreated and spit upon, 33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He will rise again." 34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were said.

When Jesus spoke of these things, Peter was adamant that Christ should not be killed and swore that this would not happen. Again, this proves that during the gospels, there was no insights into the purpose and meaning of Christ's death.

Matthew 16:21 From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. 22 Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee.

Even though Isaiah 53:5-10 provides a clear account of Jesus ordeal and death, there was a reason why these things were kept hidden, and that the Jews could not connect the dots and see that this was identifying Jesus. This was part of God's plan and Paul later writes that God's wisdom was on display in the way He controlled the exposure and meaning of this all important sacrifice,

1 Corinthians 2:6-8 Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.

We can clearly see that the Kingdom gospel did not focus on the death of Christ. As a matter of fact, even the Gospel of God, which revealed the meaning and importance of the resurrection of Christ, did not focus on His death. Even at this point in time, it was an embarrassing point. Peter, during his Pentecostal preaching in Acts 2 and 3, told the Jews that they killed their Messiah and its this grievous act that they needed to repent from,

Acts 2:36-38 Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made the same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord and Christ. 37 Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? 38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3:12-16 And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? 13 The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. 14 But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; 15 And killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. 16 And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong, whom ye see and know: yea, the faith which is by him hath given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all.

So, while the Kingdom gospel and the Gospel of God did not even hint on the value and purpose of Jesus death, our gospel today, the Gospel of Christ (or the Gospel of the Grace of God), utterly values the purpose and meaning of Christ's death. The death, burial and resurrection, is at the heart of our gospel today, and is this very information that, when we receive and believe it, saves us to the uttermost.

So then, what is the gospel for us today? 

The clearest definition of the gospel for our day is found in Paul's letter to the Corinthians. 

1 Corinthians 15:1 Now I make known to you, brethren, the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received, in which also you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 

(See also: Romans 4:25; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; Romans 14:9; 2 Corinthians 5:15; Ephesians 1:13)

In order to distinguish between the gospels, especially during the Acts transition period, it is useful to include this point, that Christ's death was unknown, to all the other points previously discussed in this series, to identify which gospel is being used, and to which audience the speaker (or writer) is addressing.

There are a few more point to deal with. I trust that the sum of all these points, when understood and evaluated, will help to provide understanding and context of the transitional message and provide clarity on the doctrine and the audience.