The Four Gospels are a focal part of the Bible for all Christians and one most of us spend a good deal of time in reading each year.  Although simply reading through the four accounts of the life of Jesus is certainly all we need to do to grasp their essential message, there are other ways we can occasionally approach these books for a fresh perspective and to help us see things we otherwise would have missed.

One of the best alternative ways of reading the Gospels is to use a “harmony” that arranges the material of the four books in such a way that we can read the different accounts of each event together.  The value of doing this has been understood for centuries. In fact, the earliest known harmony of the Gospels, the Diatessaron by the ancient Christian scholar Tatian, was compiled in the 2nd century – almost two thousand years ago! This work attempted to merge all four accounts of Christ’s life into one continuous story.  More refined variations of the Diatessaron using this or other techniques have continued to be made up to the present day, when we can now choose from among many print and online harmonies.

So what can we get out of using a harmony of the Gospels that we would not learn by simply reading through them separately?  Not only do we find all the information on a given event together in one place, but also a harmony makes it possible for us to see things that one Gospel account has that may not be mentioned in the others – unique details that may help us better understand the same story in the other Gospels. 

In addition to helping us to notice small but important details, harmonies also help us to get the larger overview – almost like merging photographs of a person taken from four different angles into one complete “three-dimensional” image. A harmony also often allows us to understand where stories which only appear in one of the Gospels fit into the overall flow of the others – to see them in their original setting.   Seeing what is unique in each Gospel helps us get a sense of what is important to each writer, what he is trying to focus on and what his particular message is.

For example, the birth of Jesus is described in two of the Gospels – Matthew and Luke.  The two accounts tell the same basic story, but when we put them side by side we find many details in Luke’s account that fill out Matthew’s story of the Nativity – such as the census that forced Mary and Joseph to go to Bethlehem and the story of the Annunciation to the shepherds.  Matthew, on the other hand, gives us details such as the story of the wise men, the flight into Egypt, and King Herod’s massacre of the children in his attempt to kill Jesus.  Both accounts tell us the essential story, but a harmony helps us to bring all the details together and in proper order. It also helps us to see that in many cases Luke focuses on the social background of the life of Jesus, while Matthew’s focus is more often on political aspects of the time that affected Jesus’ life.   While this is just a simple example, in cases where events are described in three or all four of the Gospels, a harmony can be even more useful in bringing all the facts together.  

Harmonies are usually of two types – “synthetic” or “parallel.”  Either they synthesize or merge the different accounts into one single story flow as Tatian’s original Diatessaron did, or (more commonly today) they use a format with the material from the Gospels placed side by side in parallel columns.  The parallel harmonies are often more useful because they help us to see what is not in a given Gospel as well as what is there so we get the clearest picture of what each author wanted to stress.

Making such a harmony is not simple, however. In the course of his ministry Jesus travelled around preaching in many of the cities and towns of ancient Galilee, Judea and their surrounding areas.  This makes it likely that he repeated the same messages at different times and in several places.  For example, both the Gospels of Matthew and Luke include Jesus’ instruction on how to pray – the Lord’s Prayer – but Matthew gives this as part of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6:9-13), while Luke sets the prayer at a separate time after Jesus had been praying and his disciples asked him how to pray (Luke 11:2-4). This means that in some cases it might seem that material in a harmony is not in the correct place or is being duplicated, but most modern harmonies are constructed with careful scholarship that takes this situation into account.

Today there are many harmonies that you can consult or read through in your regular Bible study.  Some just compare the three similar or “synoptic” Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – while others also include John’s Gospel, which is sometimes difficult to mesh with the others, but which often adds much additional material, of course.

For a single column harmony with all the Gospels merged into one story, you can try the one online at:   https://www.blueletterbible.org/study/harmony/index.cfm
For an online multiple-column parallel harmony, you can look at the one here:    http://biblehub.com/parallelgospels/
You can also download a parallel harmony based on the NET Bible here:
https://tacticalchristianity.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/Peyton_GospelHarmony.pdf

Whether you choose to purchase a printed harmony for use in your study of the Gospels or elect to use one of the available free online versions such as those mentioned here, using a harmony can give you a fresh and often fascinating view of the story these books tell.  Whether you are a new student of the Bible or have read it for many years, using a harmony can enrich your study in ways that deepen your understanding of the gospel story and give you a much better knowledge of the unique and special emphasis of each verbal portrait of Christ. 

When you read the word “lamp” in the Scriptures, what comes to mind?  Usually we might think of the kind of ancient oil lamp mentioned by Jesus in his Parable of the Lamp placed on a stand to light a room (Matthew 5:15).  But the word “lamp” occurs frequently in the Bible (some 100 times), and the meaning of the word can be surprisingly varied. 

In cases where a literal lamp is involved, it is most frequently a small saucer or bowl-like holder for oil and a wick that is being discussed (Job 18:62, 2 Kings 4:10), though the large and elaborate seven-branched menorah lamp that illuminated the tabernacle and the temple (Exodus 25:31-37) is simply called a “lamp” in many instances. But we also find a number of figurative or symbolic uses of the word, especially in the Old Testament, as we see in the following scriptures:

Inner Illumination:  “The human spirit is the lamp of the Lord that sheds light on one’s inmost being” (Proverbs 20:27).

Instruction: “For this command is a lamp, this teaching is a light, and correction and instruction are the way to life” (Proverbs 6:23).

These two meanings are fairly obvious ones, but sometimes the connotation of “lamp” is not so obvious unless we look closely at the context in which it appears. For example:

Protection: “How I long for the … days when God watched over me, when his lamp shone on my head and by his light I walked through darkness!” (Job 29:2-3).

Life:  “The lamp of a wicked man is snuffed out; the flame of his fire stops burning” (Job 18:5).

Once we think about them, it is not difficult to see how “lamp” is being used in these examples, although the connection between the word and its intended meaning may sometimes be even more symbolic: 

Descendants:  “Nevertheless, for David’s sake the Lord his God gave him a lamp in Jerusalem by raising up a son to succeed him and by making Jerusalem strong” (1 Kings 15:4).

Hope:  “But Abishai son of Zeruiah came to David’s rescue; he struck the Philistine down and killed him. Then David’s men swore to him, saying, “Never again will you go out with us to battle, so that the lamp of Israel will not be extinguished” (2 Samuel 21:17).

Once we become aware of these different meanings of “lamp” in the Scriptures, we begin to see that the meaning of the word is often not what it first appears to be. Take for example a passage we find in 1 Samuel: “The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was” (1 Samuel 3:3). We might naturally presume that this verse is speaking of the menorah light in the tabernacle, but the Law of Moses made it clear that that lamp was never to be allowed to burn out and that it had to be kept burning all night  from twilight to the light of the following day (Exodus 27:21, Leviticus 24:3-4). So if this verse is not speaking of a literal lamp, what is the “lamp of God” to which it refers? 

When we look at the possible meanings given above, the answer is that “lamp” in 1 Samuel 3:3 most probably refers figuratively to Israel’s “hope” in God.  Similar expressions are used in 2 Samuel 21:17 (the lamp of Israel), 1 Kings 11:36 (the lamp of David), and 2 Kings 8: 19 (the lamp of David and his descendants). The meaning of “hope” is made even more likely when we look at the immediate context of 1 Samuel 3:3, which tells us:

“One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel” (1 Samuel 3:2-3).

In this case, “lamp” seems to refer to the fact that, despite Eli’s decline, hope was present regarding the boy Samuel whom God was about to call.   Similarly, when Samuel records the words of David: “You, Lord, are my lamp; the Lord turns my darkness into light” (2 Samuel 22:29), it is hope, not literal light, that is in mind.

These are small examples, but in many cases in the Old Testament we should pause to think a moment when we read the word “lamp.”  While context may make it clear that a literal lamp is involved, on the other hand, it may sometimes show that another, more symbolic, meaning is intended. 

​As Christians, we must listen to both the “word” of God – the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17), and the “Word” of God – Jesus Christ (John 1:1).  In fact, as Jesus himself showed, the one testifies to the other: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me” (John 5:39, emphasis added). But Jesus’ point in saying this was that we can be studying – even diligently – and still not hearing the One we should be hearing.   

So how do we most effectively listen to the Word and his word?  Read our new article on practical strategies for hearing the Word through Scripture here.

If someone were to ask you to summarize the apostle Paul’s teaching found in his letters in the New Testament, what would you say? 

​Chances are, like most of us who know and love Paul’s epistles, you would take a deep breath and launch into a somewhat complicated explanation of the nature of salvation, faith, law, grace, and a number of other core Christian doctrines.

But was Paul really just a “theologian’s theologian,” a “super-scholar” who concentrated on doctrine and the theory of Christianity above all else?  The answer, of course, is not at all. There are plenty of life experiences behind a great deal of what Paul tells us.  We only have to look, for example, at his first letter to the Corinthian church.  Paul has a great deal of practical guidance for Christians dealing with some of the problems and challenges of life.  But we can go further than that. There is actually a practical side to most of what Paul wrote – we just don’t always see it.  

When we look at Paul’s epistles closely, we find that he frequently divides his material so that the first half of his letter stresses theological issues and the second half of the letter stresses their practical application. We can see this quite clearly in Romans, Galatians, Ephesians and Colossians, but the principle applies to most of his epistles.   In Ephesians, for example, the doctrinal portion of the letter (chapters 1-3) is followed by an ethical or Christian living section (chapters 4-6), and the whole epistle is structured around this balance.

But that’s not all.  When we focus in on almost any section of the apostle’s writings, we find that he utilizes this balanced form of teaching continually.  We just have to learn to see the pattern.  In one half of his statements Paul often presents a theological fact, and in the other half we are given the application of that fact.  Usually, it is first the doctrine, then the practice.  In fact, at a technical level, Paul actually often balances two different forms of the same verb – first the “indicative” form stressing a fact, then the “imperative” form telling us what we must do about that fact.  But the overall pattern of fact plus application of the fact is very clear when we look for it.  Consider a few examples where the indicative factual statement is italicized and the imperative command is bolded:

“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13).

“Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).

Sometimes we have to continue reading for several verses to get to the practical application of a point, as in this example:

“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.  When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.  Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature… ” (Colossians 3:3-5).

And sometimes Paul reverses the order – placing the practical application before the doctrinal fact – but if we keep the pattern in mind, we will see the balance is still there:

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:32).

“Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose” (Philippians 2:12-13).

Whatever order he uses, once we see this pattern in Paul, every epistle becomes a clearly linked series of thoughts about what God has done and what we must do as a result.  But it is not just a way of teaching what we must do.  The “indicative-imperative dynamic,” as theologians call it, is just as much about helping us understand why we should do the things we need to do.

The balanced structure of teaching we see in these verses is certainly not something that was new to Paul – we find it occasionally in formally structured sections of instruction throughout the Bible. To take only two examples:

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me …” (Exodus 20:2-3).

“… Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy” (Matthew 6:9 HSB).
​
But Paul uses this structure more consistently than any other biblical writer.  If we look for it, we will find there is invariably a connection between what he tells us about what we should believe and the way we should live – between theology and morality, orthodoxy and orthopraxy, belief and practice, doctrine and living.

As we study his epistles, we should continually ask “What is the fact Paul is stating?” and “What is he saying we should do as a result of that fact?”  If we do this consistently, we will often see the point he is making far more clearly – and not miss the guidance he gives us.  Keeping this simple principle in mind can help us to navigate through Paul’s sometimes dense and even difficult writing (2 Peter 3:16) by better keeping up with his arguments and the significance of what he is telling us.

Paul wasn’t just about theology, and focusing on the practical side of his letters can often help us to better understand much of what he wrote. After all, it was Paul himself who said “Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice” (Philippians 4:9).

​If you have not already done so, consider checking out the selection of audio Bibles on the BibleGateway.com website.  Their audio versions of the Scriptures are free to listen to and can often be a helpful supplement to regular Bible reading for anyone, as well as an invaluable resource for the sight impaired.

The Bible Gateway website currently offers a total of 28 translations of the Old Testament, New Testament, or the whole Bible in 13 languages. This means, of course, that there are multiple translations in some languages such as Chinese and Arabic, for both of which there are two audio versions available, and English, for which there are 14 audio versions.

If you want to try one of these audio Bible versions, it’s as simple as clicking on the red speaker icon next to the translation name whenever you pull up a scripture verse or chapter on BibleGateway.com. Alternately, you can click “Audio Bibles” in the drop down menu under the “Bible” tab at the top left hand side of any Bible Gateway page.
  
For non-English speakers, or those trying to learn the Scriptures in a second language, the range of non-English audio Bibles is not as extensive as the “printed” versions Bible Gateway has available, however, and there are some odd gaps. There is a Platdeutsch (Low German) version, but no Hochdeutsch (High German) version that perhaps more German speakers would utilize.  But Bible Gateway may well face licensing and availability issues with many audio foreign language versions, and the ones that are given are appreciated.

If you are using English, going to the Audio Bible page allows you to choose among the different versions available such as straight reading or dramatized versions.   It’s worth spending a few minutes to try the available versions to see which one works best for you. We particularly like the readings by Max McLean, but your auditory preferences/mileage may differ.

One thing is certain, even if you like to read the Bible on the printed page, listening to the words being read out can be extremely profitable.  After all, that’s how the biblical books were originally intended to be experienced – as the spoken word – but simply hearing the words rather than reading them can often help you “hear” things in the text that you had not noticed in reading.  Sometimes it’s a matter of the stress evident in the spoken word or the effect of getting the message in a different way, as though someone is speaking directly to us, but it can be profitable as well as relaxing to hear the Bible through speakers or headphones.

In addition to the audio Bibles they have available, Bible Gateway also offers several audio devotionals and the short audio resource “Sound Bites” from The Book – a one-minute radio program done in partnership with the Museum of the Bible that features unusual stories, news items and interesting facts about the Scriptures.

Bible Gateway offers a good number of resources to help you in your study of the Bible.  If you are a regular visitor to the TacticalChristianity.org and LivingWithFaith.org websites, you know that we have several articles pointing out the advantages of utilizing some of these aids (click on the Bible Study category on the right margin of this page to see those articles).  The BibleGateway audio Bible page is no exception.  If you haven’t used it yet, be sure to try it –  you may be surprised how often physically hearing the Bible can help us in our quest to spiritually hear it. 

A recent Christianity Today article by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra (posted 4/29/2016) discusses “The Most Searched and Shared Psalms.”   The article begins by talking about the widespread effect of the Psalms on people today – ranging from the rock band U2’s front man Bono to Eugene Peterson, author of Bible paraphrase The Message.

Zylstra’s article then quotes BibleGateway.com statistics showing that Psalms was the most popular book of the Bible last year, and that almost a quarter of the 100 most popular Bible verses searched for online in 2015 came from that book.  Additionally, about a quarter of Americans have a favorite scripture, and for a quarter of those people that favorite scripture came from the Psalms – far more than from any other book.  

Conversely, however, the article also highlighted another important recent finding on Psalms. Data compiled from social media show that the Book of Psalms also contains half of the least-popular Bible verses circulated on Twitter, with 13 of them receiving only a single tweet in 2015. Psalms that seem to speak of vengeance and violence are just not as popular.  

Psalms is the book of the Old Testament most quoted by Jesus, and it was one of the most important books in the Bible for the early Church.  It is enduringly important even today and has a tremendous ongoing impact on people in every walk of life.  Yet Psalms is a book which many people do not know well – or only know parts of it well.  We tend to know the comforting parts and often avoid, misunderstand, or miss the point of other parts.

If you would like to better know this important biblical book – including the “hard” parts – download our new, free e-book Spotlight on the Psalms.  By providing insights into all the major categories of psalms, this book shows how even difficult psalms, such as those apparently promoting violence, can be better understood, as well as shedding light on the better known and well-loved psalms.

Spotlight on the Psalms is available in three formats (including PDF which can be read on any computer) and if you have not already done so, you can download your free copy here.  You already know the importance of the psalms; why not get to know and understand them much better?