Top 50 Texts for the ‘360’ gospel of Jesus
Here are pieces of the jigsaw I have been describing as the quest for the gospel of Jesus in the Gospels. It is explored fully in the Grove booklet, The 360 Gospel of Jesus with the sub heading, 'Every Angle for Every Person'.
They are a list of the 50 things Jesus said to different people in the four Gospels about being a disciple and following him. It is a straight list, without context or biblical study, to provide us with a summary. The choice is mine, and based on the various things Jesus I believe Jesus is recorded as saying to the people who encountered him.
Readers will probably relate to some texts and not others. This will be both in terms of their own personal experience of coming to faith, and the texts which resonate most with their own faith sharing. An interesting exercise in this regard is to ask (eg conference delegates) to reflect on each and pick out the most 'resonant' to them. I produced a questionnaire for this exercise you can find here.
Some of these texts are similar, and some very different to each other. You may wish to discuss this, and other observations and implications from the long list. or ‘big picture’.
1. Repent and believe in the good news. (Mark 1:15) 2. Follow me. (Matthew 4: 19) 3. Blessed is the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5: 3) (or ‘you who are poor’ in Luke 6: 20) 4. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. (Matthew 5: 6) 5. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. (Matthew 5: 8) 6. Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called children of God. (Matthew 5:9) 7. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5: 10) 8. Beware of practicing piety before others in order to be seen by them ..your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (Matthew 6: 1 – 4) 9. Strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (Matthew 6: 33) 10. Do no judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven; give and it will be given to you. (Luke 6: 37, 38) 11. Ask and it will be given you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7: 7, 8 and Luke 11: 9,10) 12. Son, your sins are forgiven. (Mark 2: 5) 13. The one who endures to the end will be saved. (Matthew 10: 22 and Matthew 24:13) 14. If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. (Matthew 16:24b) 15. Come to me, all you that are weary and carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew 11: 28 – 30) 16. Love you enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High. (Luke 6:35) 17. Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matthew 18: 3, 4). 18. Whoever is not against us is for us. For truly I tell you, whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward. (Mark 9: 38) 19. No-one who puts their hand to the plough and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God. (Luke 9: 62) 20. ‘Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters’. Mt 12:30 21. Jesus is asked, ‘Lord will only a few be saved? He said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will try to enter and not be able’. (Luke 13: 23 – 24) 22. When you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous. (Luke 14: 13,14) 23. ‘Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No-one is good but God alone. You know the Commandments: You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honour your father and mother’. He said to him, ‘Teacher I have kept all these since my youth’. Jesus, looking at him , loved him and said, ‘You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’. (Mk 10:17 – 21) 24. ‘to sit at my right hand or at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father’ (Matthew 20: 23) 25. ‘For many are called but few are chosen’ (Matthew 22: 14) 26. ‘Teacher’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself’. And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live’. (Luke 10: 25 – 28) 27. Then he will say to those on his left hand, ‘You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?’ Then he will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me’. And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ (Matthew 25: 41 -- 46) 28. ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise’. (Luke 23: 42, 43) 29. ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them’. (Matthew 28: 20 and John 14: 23b) 30. I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the spirit. (John 3: 5) 31. Everyone who believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3: 15, 16 and 36 addition) 32. Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (John 4: 14) 33. Do not be amazed at this, for the time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice and come out – those who have done good will rise to live, and those who have done evil will rise to be condemned. (John 5: 28) 34. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life which the Son of Man will give you. (John 6: 27) 35. What must we do to do the work which God requires? ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent. (John 6: 29) 36. I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never go thirsty. (John 6: 35) 37. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him will have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. (Jn 6: 40) 38. No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. (John 6: 44) 39. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. (John 6: 54) 40. I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. (John 8:12) 41. I told you that you would die in your sins, if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins. (John 8: 24) 42. If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (John 8: 31, 32) 43. I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is s slave to sin. .. so if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8: 24, 36) 44. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. (John 10: 9) 45. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I will give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. (John 10: 27, 28) 46. I am the resurrection and the life, He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. (John 11: 25, 26) 47. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12: 25) 48. I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14: 6) 49. If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. (John 14: 23) 50. Now this is eternal life: they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. (John 17: 1 – 3)
The complete list above forms the ‘full picture’ of the ‘360 Gospel of Jesus’. The list is not final and is taken from an original list of 84 texts.
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