Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:1-4, John 1:1-9 (Prologue)

Rachel Workman: Reading for Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:1-4, John 1:1-9 (Prologue)

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David[a] and of Abraham:	1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God.[a] It began	1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples.[a] 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. I found it interesting that Luke states that many people have set out to write the events. Luke states that he carefully investigated everything from the beginning. I can imagine he did just that. How could you think about anything else but the things you witnessed Jesus do and say?	1 In the beginning the Word already existed.     The Word was with God,     and the Word was God. This is one of my all time favorite verses. Our God who loves us beyond our imagination became flesh for us. He did it for our salvation and so that we could have and know His word. Why would we not read it?  2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him,     and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,[a]     and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness,     and the darkness can never extinguish it. I don't have the words to say how much I love these verses. There is nothing I could possibly add to them. Just reading them gives me chills. Thank you Jesus for being the light in my darkness and for giving me life. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist,[c] 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John's writing here moves me more than the other gospels. It's pretty cool to see them side by side like this.

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John Burnett: If this was a horse race, John would be 10 lengths ahead.  I love how John immediately establishes Jesus Christ as God and with God and that all things were created through him.  This one verse shows that the entire Bible from start to finish is about Jesus and the reasons why we need him.  It establishes his eternality and his being the light of the world.  I know Matthew, Mark, and Luke catch up later but John 1:1-5 are some of my favorite verses in the Bible.

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Krista Cook:  By looking at the way these 4 writers begin their books, we can see that we will be reading 4 very different versions of the same story.  We must remember that all 4 men came from different walks of life and what they tell will be from their perspective - inspired by God, of course.  So thankful for the Gospels and the story they tell!  It is definitely good news!

  

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Mike Grimm:    Reading for Matthew 1:1, Mark 1:1, Luke 1:1-4, John 1:1-9 (Prologue)

Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
1 This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Jesus is the New Adam who inaugurates the new creation. The word “genealogy” is the same word in Greek for “genesis” which we find at the beginning of the Old Testament. In Jesus God is providing a new genesis; a new beginning Genesis 1:1; 2:4; 5:1 This is the book of the generations of Adam.	1 This is the Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God. It began The opening words are interesting as presenting a transition stage in the history of the word Gospel, between its earlier sense, as meaning generally the “good news” of the kingdom of God, and the later sense, as a book recording the main facts in our Lord’s life and work.	1 Many people have set out to write accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us. 2 They used the eyewitness reports circulating among us from the early disciples. 3 Having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you, most honorable Theophilus, 4 so you can be certain of the truth of everything you were taught. Luke was not an eyewitness to the events he records in his gospel, as he probably became a believer under the influence of the apostle Paul, likely in Antioch of Syria (Acts 13:1). On the other hand, he was a remarkably professional historian. He researched his material carefully (including personal interviews with principal players in the gospel accounts), and he did his work under the careful supervision of Paul.	1 In the beginning the Word already existed.     The Word was with God,     and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through him,     and nothing was created except through him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created,     and his life brought light to everyone. 5 The light shines in the darkness,     and the darkness can never extinguish it. 6 God sent a man, John the Baptist, 7 to tell about the light so that everyone might believe because of his testimony. 8 John himself was not the light; he was simply a witness to tell about the light. 9 The one who is the true light, who gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. John's opening echoes Genesis (Gen 1:1), but whereas Genesis refers to the God's activity at the beginning of creation, here we learn of a being who existed before creation took place. In the beginning the Word already was. So we actually start before the beginning, outside of time and space in eternity. If we want to understand who Jesus is, John says, we must begin with the relationship shared between the Father and the Son "before the world began" (Jn 17:5, 24). This relationship is the central revelation of this Gospel and the key to understanding all that Jesus says and does.