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Hebrews 10:18-20
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The four Gospels are a revelation of the fullness of Jesus, who was veiled throughout the Old Covenant. From the beginning, Jesus, the Aleph-Tav, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, was hidden throughout scripture and unveiled for us in the person of Christ. Each Gospel reveals a unique aspect of His character hidden in plain sight for us to discover.
Below is an overview of the four Gospels.
Matthew
“Behold Your King.” Zechariah 9:9
Judah, the Father of Tamar’s son and his lineage was given a standard of a Lion. The standard of the Lion also represented the tribes of Issachar and Zebulon.
Matthew opens with the genealogy of Jesus. In his lineage, you will find four women from the Old Testament: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Bathsheba. It is also a royal lineage. As sovereign kings reign from their thrones and rule over lands, Jesus’ sovereign reign begins with Abraham, the one who was promised blessing, generations, and lands and whose lineage was traced to King David, the king whose throne would never end. Seated at the right hand of God, reigning from his heavenly throne, Jesus shares His authority with us to rule and reign with His power.
Below is a brief history of the four women mentioned in Matthew’s lineage.
Tamar was a woman who took matters into her own hands to bear a child. Because of her husband's wickedness, his name is not listed in the lineage of Christ because he died early and never fulfilled his purpose. Tamar, a Jew, bore the son of her husband’s Father. Despite the shady way in which she conceived, she was chosen by God to mother the bloodline of Christ.
Rahab was a Gentile and a prostitute who helped two Israelite men spy on her land. She betrayed her people but was given a place of honor among God’s people. Her story is one of salvation.
Ruth is a story of redemption. Coming from a Gentile land, Ruth tenaciously followed her mother-in-law back to the Jewish land of her birth. Then, finding themselves vulnerable and in need, Ruth stepped out courageously and trusted a man who would redeem their lives.
Bathsheba was a Jewish woman of great beauty who committed adultery with a king. The consequences led to much heartache and trouble, yet despite the sordid choices, she mothered a son who would one day give birth to The King of Kings. Through Solomon, her son, God promised his lineage would forever sit on the throne of David. Her story is one of royalty.
Matthew ends as it began, “I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” He is Immanuel, “God with us."
Mark
“Behold my Servant.” Isaiah 42:1
The standard of the Ox represented the tribes of Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin.
The gospel of Mark is one of a lowly Servant. There is no genealogy listed, as servants don’t have a pedigree.
The Gospel of Mark begins with Jesus performing miracles, casting out devils, healing the sick, getting baptized, and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom. Then, Jesus went about doing good and healing all who were sick and oppressed by the devil. Mark is a gospel of showing Jesus rather than telling of Jesus.
Mark ends with the disciple's work as He had worked; they were God’s children and Man’s servants.
Luke
“Behold the Man.” Zachariah 6:12
The standard of the Man represented the tribes of Rueben, Simeon, and Gad.
The Gospel of Luke is of the Son of Man.
Daniel Chapter Seven describes a dream in which terrifying creatures devoured and destroyed the earth. First, the creatures symbolized prideful, violent kings and their empires, then a final beast, worse than the others, came forth from the sea. The images represent how humanity, corrupted by sin, gave into the realm of the beast who first deceived them in the garden.
Before the fall, Man was given a purpose: to rule and reign over the earth as co-partners with God. God had given them dominion like Kings and Queens, but they abdicated their authority to the beast instead.
A promise was given that a man would come and defeat the great beast one day, and Man would again rule and reign over the earth. In Daniel’s dream, he sees God’s throne room. There, before the jury, a beast is condemned to destruction. However, Daniel also sees more than one throne, one of which is empty. The throne was reserved for a “Son of Man” who would defeat the beast.
Daniel’s dream then describes the image of a man riding on a cloud into the presence of God, then sitting down on that empty throne to rule the world. This is the name Jesus chose: Jesus is the Son of Man who defeated the great beast, Satan.
Luke opens with Zachariah, the priest who represents the Levitical priesthood of the law. Zachariah, whose tongue was silenced, could not bless the people; and so the law became silent as Jesus came to fulfill it and make it obsolete. Luke traces Jesus’ life from birth and follows his boyhood and ministry as a man.
The Gospel of Luke ends with Jesus our High Priest blessing the disciples under the Melchizedek priesthood.
John
“Behold your God.” Isaiah 40:9
The standard of the Eagle represented the tribes of Dan, Asher, and Naphtali.
The Gospel of John is Divine. Like an Eagle soaring high above the earth, looking down, John takes a kite-like view of Jesus from the lens of Heaven. John reveals Jesus’ divinity. The Gospel of John begins with Jesus being in the Father's loving presence; he came out of the Father’s heart to draw us into the Father’s bosom. The Gospel of John is the gospel of love. When you behold Jesus, you behold love. When you behold love, you become love. The Gospel of John also ends with an unnamed disciple leaning on the bosom of Jesus and identifying with being loved by God.
John was written that you might believe. “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
I pray that your hearts burn within you and that the eyes of your understanding will be open to seeing Him in an even greater way.
DAILY QUESTION
How did “Beholding Jesus” in the Gospels open up your eyes to discovering more than meets the eye for you?