Chapter Five - Enter: Jesus

CHAPTER FIVE

Enter: Jesus

LET’S SET THE scene.

By the time Jesus shows up, the Hebrew Scriptures — at least most of them — are already in circulation. The Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms. They’re being taught in synagogues. Quoted in debates. Read aloud on the Sabbath.

And Jesus? He knows them inside and out.

But the New Testament?

That didn’t exist yet.
Because Jesus didn’t write anything down.

Before we talk about the Gospels, we’ve gotta split the lens for a second.

There’s Jesus the historical figure — a very real person, born in Roman-occupied Judea, who taught, healed, challenged power, and got executed on a cross.

And then there’s Jesus the Christ — the theological figure worshipped as the Son of God, the Messiah, the risen Lord.

The Gospels were written to tell both sides of that story.
Not as biographies. Not as journalism.
But as testimonies — shaped by belief, memory, and meaning.

So who wrote the Gospels?

Short answer?
Not the guys their names are attached to.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the traditional names, but those weren’t signatures. The texts themselves don’t say, “Hey, I’m Matthew and here’s my account.” Those titles were added later.

Most scholars think:

• Mark was probably the earliest, written around 70 CE
• Matthew and Luke came after, using Mark as a source
• John was the latest — more poetic, more cosmic, less synoptic

Each Gospel tells the story differently:

• Matthew leans Jewish, tying Jesus to prophecy.
• Mark is quick, sharp, and dramatic.
• Luke focuses on outsiders, healing, and the Holy Spirit.
• John is the deep-end — metaphors, theology, and “the Word became flesh.”

All of them were written decades after Jesus died — based on oral tradition, community memory, and the needs of their specific audience.

While the Gospels were being written, other documents were circulating too:

• Sayings of Jesus
• Collections of parables
• Early hymns
• Birth stories
• And passion narratives

Some of these got pulled into the four Gospels. Others got lost.
A few landed in books that didn’t make the final cut. (We’ll get to that.)

But here’s the key:
The story of Jesus wasn’t preserved by one person with a quill.
It was shaped by a community — spread across time and space — trying to remember what happened, what it meant, and why it changed everything.