How the Synoptics help explain John

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Lydia McGrew has identified a number of instances where a passage in John’s Gospel is illumination by some incidental detail in one or more of the Synoptic Gospels.

Here is her summary:

† Indicates a coincidence that uniquely confirms one or more of the Synoptic Gospels.

*Indicates a coincidence connected with a miracle.

L indicates a coincidence that shows Lukan independence from both Mark and Matthew and that supports Luke’s reliability in matters on which he is independent.…

“It is finished”

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A summary of chapter 35 of The Fountain of Life, by John Flavel.

“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished. And he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit.” John 19:30

It is finished. This was uttered as a triumphant shout when our Lord Jesus Christ saw the glorious issue of all his sufferings now at hand.

It is but one word in the original; but in that one word is contained the sum of all joy; the very spirit of all divine consolation.…

1 Thessalonians 2:14f – ‘The Jews, who killed Jesus’

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‘…the Jews, 2:15 who killed both the Lord Jesus and the prophets and persecuted us severely.’

Several years ago a fundamentalist church in the Denver metro area gained notoriety during Lent by quoting on their marquee a small fragment of the sentence that spans 1 Thessalonians 2:14-15: “the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus.”  It was a frightening throwback to the days of the Nazis who labeled all Jews as Christkillers.  Only after significant publicity called attention to it, did the church take it down.…

Romans 1:18, etc. – Wrath: personal or impersonal?

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Rom 1:18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness, 1:19 because what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.

In his commentary on Romans, C.H. Dodd famously contended that Paul speaks of ‘the wrath’ ‘in a curiously impersonal way’.  He writes:

‘Paul retains the concept of “the wrath of God” not to describe the attitude of God to man but to describe the inevitable process of cause and effect in a moral universe.’

…

The Trinity in action

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1 in Creation

God the Father spoke, Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light.”
God the Son was the Word spoken, John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word.”
God the Holy Spirit moved upon the face of the waters, Genesis 1:2; Job 26:12,13.

2 in the Incarnation

God the Father gave His only Son, John 3:16.
God the Son was born into the world, Luke 2:11.
God the Spirit came upon Mary to cause conception, Luke 1:35.…

The Lord’s Supper

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A summary of ch. 21 of John Flavel’s The Fountain of Life.

“The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: And when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do you, as oft as you drink [it], in remembrance of me.”…

George Whitefield and devotion to Christ

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These are notes of a talk I gave many years ago.

In the letter of Paul to the Philippians, chapter 5, and verse 17, we read the following: ‘Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note or those who live according to the pattern we gave you,’

Our task is to take note or a man who indeed lived according to the pattern given by the apostles; a man who could say with more honesty than most: ‘To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.’…

Joshua 10 – Joshua’s ‘long day’

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Joshua 10:13 The sun stood still and the moon stood motionless while the nation took vengeance on its enemies. The event is recorded in the Scroll of the Upright One. The sun stood motionless in the middle of the sky and did not set for about a full day.

Various interpretative options are available:-

1. Myth.  Some regard the entire account as an historicised myth or legend.  But this would be to undermine the credibility of the inspired author (NBC).…

Joshua 6 – the fall of Jericho

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The historical accuracy of account of the conquest of Jericho as recorded in Joshua 6 is doubted by most scholars today.

According to that account, the walls of Jericho suddenly collapsed, and the Israelites were able to enter the city unhindered.

Maura Sala roundly states:

‘No archaeological evidence corroborates the biblical account of what happened in Jericho.’

According to the present scholarly consensus, Jericho was not a walled city at that time (around 1400 BC, if a later date for the exodus is assumed).…

Jesus of judgement

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A bit of an ‘Aha!’ moment came while reading this interview (by Ian Paul) of Andy Angel, vicar of St Andrew’s, Burgess Hill in West Sussex and author of The Jesus You Really Didn’t Know.

Evidently, the thrust of the book is that Jesus, in his teaching as recorded in the Gospels, placed a lot more emphasis on judgement and obedience than many care to acknowledge.

IP: You talk about the prominence of judgement in the teaching of Jesus as an ‘elephant in the room’.…