The Life and Teaching of Jesus Explained and Applied

Written in plain English this book builds on the evidence of the Four Gospels to create one harmonised account of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ –

• his Life – who he was, why he came and the qualities of his unique person
• his Teaching – understanding his sermons and miracles
• his Explanation – how to interpret parables and his life in the light of Old Testament prophecy
• his Application – our obligations and responsibilities as followers of Jesus

As we read of his life and teaching we gain insight into his very person. We become more conscious of his immense courage, his resilience, his humility, his compassion.

In the first three-quarters of the book the Gospel accounts are treated as one complete whole, a harmony, thus providing a chronological view of the Lord’s years of public ministry and of his whereabouts when he was teaching and healing. A harmony facilitates a better understanding of how the different accounts relate to each other. The combination builds up the context of the incidents and sayings and identifies the events that occurred before and afterwards which may have influenced the Lord in his words and actions: this may prove an invaluable aid to interpretation and application. Faithful Bible teachers always read the relevant accounts in all the Gospels when seeking to explain the Lord’s action and words in one Gospel.

The recording of events is interwoven with background detail and explanations supported by additional Scriptures. Application for Christians today is also drawn out.

The section ‘The Four Gospels Harmonised’ is followed by thirty pages of ‘Significant facts’ dealing with the identification of various Jewish groups and institutions mentioned in the Gospels. Maps indicating the Lord’s journeys and lists of miracles and parables are also included.

The final section is devoted to understanding the individual contribution of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to the historic record of the life and teaching of Jesus.