The Gospel - Loose Ends

The old testament end with a longing - waiting for a return of a great king.

The new testament starts to tie up those loose ends.

Humanity ➰

Humanity's failure means the world can never be what it's supposed to be

Abraham's Promise ➰

God's promise of blessing of all of humanity through Israel seems to have come to a stop. Someone needs to meet the needs of the world

Israel ➰

Israel was supposed to live distinctively as a nation, drawing people in to God. Yet they are now just like everyone else.

David's Promised King ➰

There was supposed to be a messianic king from David'ine who would rule the world.

The hope of the exiles ➰

While Israel returned from exile, they are still a shadow of their pre-exile glory. The presence of God has not come to the temple, or the people in a distinct way.

Jesus binds all these together ?

The gospel (Good News) tell how all these loose ends are tied up by Jesus' coming. It is split into 4 accounts of the same gospel.

The Gospel

Childhood/Origins

A discovery of who Jesus is. The events that lead to His public appearances and why He was so special.

This sets up where Jesus is in the history of Israel, and how He will affect it.

Jesus' baptism at the start of His ministry is a prime example of this. Here God clearly declared that Jesus was His son. Israel is often known as the Son of God, and David especially. So Jesus being declared on high as the Son of God should already begin to grab the loose ends and shake them - He is coming! He is here!

The tempting in the wilderness also shows that Jesus really is the Son of God and follows only His will.

Galilee

Jesus' ministry started in Galilee - an unusual place. This was a sort of backwater region close to the borders of Israel. A lot of Jews and Gentiles were mixed in here. And how does He start? With a message of freedom and a world put right. Jesus is reorienting the life of Israe around himself. He is removed up here from Jerusalem, the temple. They are no longer a way to God. It is through Christ alone.

It is at this point that Jesus called His disciples. He selected 12 - a new Israel built up from unlikely characters. You would not always choose these kind of people, yet God's new people are the kind you wouldn't imagine. God's kingdom is extended to all people.

The road to Jerusalem

Here there is a turning point. Peter finally realises the threads are being tied - that Jesus is the promised King. But He is not the one they expect. Jesus must make clear His purpose: to suffer and die and rise again. His restoration is not through power and revolution, but through love - self-sacrifice.

After this, Jesus began His journey to Jerusalem. It is a wandering journey - much like the journey of Israel back in the Exodus. Yet, tensions are rising. Jesus comes into conflict with the Jewish teachers and the heat builds up.

1 Week in Jerusalem

Jesus' final week as He arrived in Jerusalem is focussed on heavily in the gospel. This is an important time.

Jesus' arrival is very important. He had planned this out to perfection as He arrived like David, as a Messiah. Again, tensions rise and Jesus is under attack constantly by the teachers.

Obviously, this reached it's fulfillment with the cross. The final thread was tied, and humanities exile from God was complete.

Passover night was a deliberate choice for the beginning of this. It represented the exodus - a great freedom that would restore us from exile.

As Jesus breathed His final breath, there is a pause. Is this the end?

We come then to the third day. He has risen! This is a great surprise - Jesus was victorious out of what had seemed to be the greatest failure. The final knot was pulled tight. The disciples finally realised what Jesus had been doing, and that they were witnesses of what had happened; so that the gospel could be told. God's absence was over, not just for Israel but for the entire world as was promised to Israel. His Messiah had come, won the great victory and would allow for us to experience the presence of God in our lives.