The Middle Years: A Critical and Exegetical Commentary (Life of Christ)

This is Part 2 of a 3-volume phrase by phrase commentary on the New Testament books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. This set traces the Life of Christ chronologically, harmonizing the Gospel accounts as the various recorded events in Christ's earthly ministry are studied.

The Middle Years covers the latter portion of Jesus' great Galilean Ministry, which had begun in AD 28 and eventually expanded into the Gentile regions of Tyre and Sidon and the Decapolis. The second year of this Galilean ministry strongly emphasized the training and preparation of His twelve apostles. Following the Feast of Tabernacles in October, AD 29, Jesus and His followers embarked on the Later Judean Ministry, ending at the Feast of Dedication in December, AD 29. In terms of Scripture passages, this volume includes:

• Matthew 8:18-34, 9:18-11:1, 12:22-13:53, 14:1-18:35
• Mark 3:20-9:50
• Luke 7:36-13:22
• John 6:1-10.39

Because the main currents of Jesus' ministry are clear, a chronological, harmonized arrangement of the Gospels sheds much light upon His life. For instance, the Feeding of the 5000 appears in each Gospel, but only by approaching the records chronologically do we see its relationship to John the Baptist's death or Jesus' walking on the Sea of Galilee. Further, harmonizing the records shows how the Sermon on the Bread of Life, recorded only by John, fits within this same time frame. Or consider Jesus' discussion with Peter on the payment of the annual temple tax. Recorded only by Matthew, this conversation's uniqueness causes us to ask why the Holy Spirit prompted Matthew to include it as part of his presentation of Jesus and His work.

This commentary is conservative evangelical Christian in its outlook, yet also examines other theological viewpoints. Because this commentary presumes the God-inspired nature of all Biblical writing, the author connects these Gospel accounts to other Scriptures, and frequently examines the original language in which the books were written. Four Special Studies address topics unique to The Middle Years, topics which necessarily impact our understanding of multiple chapters: (a) The Interpretation of Parables. (b) Is the Lord's Supper in View at John 6:53? (c) Luke's Travel Section - Luke 9:51-17:10. (d) The Integrity, Genuineness, & Authenticity of John 7:53-8:11. Also, a Table of Passages Covered is offered to help readers better visualize the flow of events in Christ's life and where those events are found in each Gospel.

This commentary continues the author's series on the New Testament. Written from the unique standpoint of the Restoration Movement, the author approaches Scripture with no special theological doctrine or dogma to defend and explicate, which offers an unhindered freedom to listen to what the Holy Spirit would tell us in the pages of sacred Scripture. By deliberately employing the time-honored grammatical-historical method of interpretation, the Word of God is allowed to impress upon our minds the intent the Divine Author had in mind.

The author was Professor Emeritus of the New Testament at Central Christian College of the Bible (Moberly, MO).