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Bible Summary

MATTHEW انجيل متى ܡܬܝ ܐ

· The Ancestors and Birth of Jesus (1.1-2.23)

· The Message of John the Baptist (3.1-12)

· The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (3.13-4.11)

· Jesus in Galilee (4.12-18.35)

· Jesus Goes from Galilee to Jerusalem (19.1-20.34)

· Jesus' Last Week: His Trial and Death (21.1-27.66)

· Jesus Is Alive (28.1-20)

The Sermon on the Mount (5.1-7.28), the Lord's Prayer (6.9-13), and the Golden Rule (7.12: "Treat others as you want them to treat you") are all in this book. It is perhaps the best known and the most quoted of all the books that have ever been written about Jesus. That is one reason why Matthew was placed first among the four books about Jesus called Gospels.

One of the most important ideas found here is that God expects his people to obey him, and this is what is meant by the Greek word that appears in many translations as righteousness. It is used seven times by Matthew, but only once by Luke, and not at all by Mark. So it is an important clue to much of what Matthew wants his readers to understand about the teaching of Jesus.

Jesus first uses this word at his own baptism, when he tells John the Baptist, "We must do all that God wants us to do" (3.15). Then, during his Sermon on the Mount, he speaks five more times of what God's people must do to obey him (5.6,10,20; 6.1,33). And finally, he reminds the chief priests and leaders of the people, "John the Baptist showed you how to do right" (21.32).

Matthew wanted to provide for the people of his time a record of Jesus' message and ministry. It is clear that the Old Testament Scriptures were very important to these people. And Matthew never fails to show when these texts point to the coming of Jesus as the Messiah sent from God. Matthew wrote this book to make sure Christians knew that their faith in Jesus as the Messiah was well anchored in the Old Testament Scriptures, and to help them grow in faith.

Matthew ends his story with the words of Jesus to his followers, which tell what they are to do after he leaves them:

I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth! Go to the people of all nations and make them my disciples. Baptize them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teach them to do everything I have told you. I will be with you always, even until the end of the world. (28.18b-20).

MARK ܡܪܩܘܣ ܐ

· The Message of John the Baptist (1.1-8)

· The Baptism and Temptation of Jesus (1.9-13)

· Jesus in Galilee (1.14-9.50)

· Jesus Goes from Galilee to Jerusalem (10.1-52)

· Jesus' Last Week: His Trial and Death (11.1-15.47)

· Jesus Is Alive (16.1-8)

· Jesus Appears to His Followers (16.9-20)

This is the shortest of the four New Testament books that tell about the life and teachings of Jesus, but it is also the most action-packed. From the very beginning of his ministry, Jesus worked mighty wonders. After choosing four followers (1.16-20), he immediately performed many miracles of healing. Among those healed were a man with an evil spirit in him (1.21-28), Simon's mother-in-law (1.30,31), crowds of sick people (1.32-34), and a man with leprosy (1.40-45). Over and over Mark tells how Jesus healed people, but always in such a way as to show that he did these miracles by the power of God.

The religious leaders refused to accept Jesus. This led to conflicts (2.2-3.6) that finally made them start looking for a way to kill him (11.18). But the demons saw the power of Jesus, and they knew that he was the Son of God, although Jesus would not let them tell anyone.

This book is full of miracles that amazed the crowds and Jesus' followers. But, according to Mark, the most powerful miracle of Jesus is his suffering and death. The first person to understand this miracle was the Roman soldier who saw Jesus die on the cross and said, "This man really was the Son of God" (15.39).

This Gospel is widely thought to be the first one written. The many explanations of Aramaic words and Jewish customs in Mark suggest that Mark wrote to Gentile or non-Jewish Christians. He wants to tell about Jesus and to encourage readers to believe in the power of Jesus to rescue them from sickness, demons, and death. He also wants to remind them that the new life of faith is not an easy life, and that they must follow Jesus by serving others and being ready to suffer as he did.

The first followers of Jesus to discover the empty tomb were three women, and the angel told them:

Don't be alarmed! You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was nailed to a cross.

God has raised him to life, and he isn't here. (16.6)

Summary below is taken from the Contemporary English Version of the Holy Bible by the American Bible Society.

To Read the content of the book in the Bible in English click on the English Name, to read it in Aramaic click on the Aramaic Name, to read it in Arabic click the Arabic name.

ܡܕܪܫܬܐ ܕܚܕܒܫܒܐ ܕܣܘܪ̈ܝܝܐ ܬܪ̈ܝܨܝ ܫܘܒܚܐ ܒܐܡܪܝܟܐ ܘܟܢܕܐ

Syriac Orthodox Sunday School of North America