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Section	Text	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
68	Matthew 9:27-34	27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, "Have mercy on us, Son of David!" 28 When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, "Do you believe that I am able to do this?" "Yes, Lord," they replied. 29 Then he touched their eyes and said, "According to your faith will it be done to you"; 30 and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this." 31 But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region. 32 While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. 33 And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel." 34 But the Pharisees said, "It is by the prince of demons that he drives out demons."
Section	Text	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
69	Matthew 13:54-58 Mark 6:1-6a	54 Coming to his hometown,	6:1 Jesus left there and went to his hometown, accompanied by his disciples.
			2 When the Sabbath came,
		he began teaching the people in their synagogue, and they were amazed.	he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were amazed.
		"Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?" they asked.	"Where did this man get these things?" they asked. "What's this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles!
		55 "Isn't this the carpenter's son? Isn't his mother's name Mary, and aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? 56 Aren't all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" .	3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?"
		57 And they took offense at him.	And they took offense at him.
		But Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown and in his own house is a prophet without honor."	4 Jesus said to them, "Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor."
		58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith	5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them.
			6 (a) And he was amazed at their lack of faith.
Back to the Top		1) The only significant difference in the text betwen the two seems to be that Mark is more interested in the lack of faith of the people in the town, and in Jesus' response to them. Otherwise the texts are not verbatim, but as close as two authors could come without a plageristic overtone. 2) The text is obviously a fulfillment of the prophecy about the light being rejected by the Jews and taken to the Gentiles. There are several NT and OT references to this particular idea of regeneration of the bridge between peoples and the failure of the Israelites to receive that passage. 3) Though this may not be the beginning of the rejections Jesus will feel in the build up to the cross, it may be (outside the rejection of his family) the hardest to deal with. Jesus the carpenter who has always seemed to have an exceptional grasp of the scriptures finally does something with it and the towns folk turn on him. How hurtful would it be to have those that you've grown up with reject their only hope for life.
Section	Text	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
70a	Matthew 9:35-38 Mark 6:6b	35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues,	6(b)Then Jesus went around teaching from village to village.
		preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
		36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
		37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."
70b	Matthew 10:1-42 Mark 6:7-11 Luke9:1-5	10:1 He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.	7 Calling the Twelve to him, he sent them out two by two and gave them authority over evil spirits.	9:1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
		2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James son of Zebedee, and his brother John; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him.
		5 These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel.
		7 As you go, preach this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.		2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
		9 Do not take along any gold or silver or copper in your belts; 10 take no bag for the journey, or extra tunic, or sandals or a staff; for the worker is worth his keep.	8 These were his instructions: "Take nothing for the journey except a staff--no bread, no bag, no money in your belts. 9 Wear sandals but not an extra tunic.	3 He told them: "Take nothing for the journey--no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic.
		11 "Whatever town or village you enter, search for some worthy person there and stay at his house until you leave.	10 Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you leave that town.	4 Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town.
		12 As you enter the home, give it your greeting. 13 If the home is deserving, let your peace rest on it; if it is not, let your peace return to you.
		14 If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, shake the dust off your feet when you leave that home or town.	11 And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave, as a testimony against them."	5 If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them."
		15 I tell you the truth, it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town.
		16 I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.
		17 "Be on your guard against men; they will hand you over to the local councils and flog you in their synagogues. 18 On my account you will be brought before governors and kings as witnesses to them and to the Gentiles. 19 But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say, 20 for it will not be you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
		21 "Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death.
		22 All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
		23 When you are persecuted in one place, flee to another. I tell you the truth, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
		24 "A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for the student to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!
		26 "So do not be afraid of them. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. 27 What I tell you in the dark, speak in the daylight; what is whispered in your ear, proclaim from the roofs. 28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a penny ? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30 And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
		32 "Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. 33 But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven.
		34 "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. 35 For I have come to turn "'a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law-- 36 a man's enemies will be the members of his own household.' 37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
		38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. 39 Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
		40 "He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
		41 Anyone who receives a prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and anyone who receives a righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward.
		42 And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward."
Back to the Top		1) As usual, we have Matthew who is trying to provide every detail of the sermons of Jesus. It makes sense in light of someone trying to build a theology and convince a group that this is right by any standard. Mark and Luke on the other hand seem content to put this information forward as a an event that happened, but not to draw it out, more, they seem inclined to turn heavily to their own intrests later. 2) Jesus seems to be playing to Mosaic Law in this section. A testimony of two is required to make a statement or testamony valid in the Jewish community. This is set up most vividly if we condsider that Matthew may have been remembering the group by who went with whom. Then it seems he is reeling off pairs and sets up this Mosaic format for us. 3)This fits Matthew exceptionally well, as was recorded earlier, in that Jesus is preaching and providing words for a theology to follow. In regard to the other two gospels, it seems that since there is not a significant interaction with people outside of Jesus and there is no grace (?) shown it isn't of as much interest.
Section	Text	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
71	Matthew 14:1-12 Mark 6:14-29 Luke 3:19-20;9:7-9	14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus,	14 King Herod heard about this, for Jesus' name had become well known.	9:7 Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on.
		2 and he said to his attendants, "This is John the Baptist; he has risen from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him."	Some were saying, "John the Baptist has been raised from the dead, and that is why miraculous powers are at work in him."	And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead,
			15 Others said, "He is Elijah." And still others claimed, "He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago."	8 others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life.
			16 But when Herod heard this, he said, "John, the man I beheaded, has been raised from the dead!"	9 But Herod said, "I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about?"
			.	And he tried to see him. .
		3 Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife,	17 For Herod himself had given orders to have John arrested, and he had him bound and put in prison. He did this because of Herodias, his brother Philip's wife, whom he had married.	20 Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison
		4 for John had been saying to him: "It is not lawful for you to have her."	18 For John had been saying to Herod, "It is not lawful for you to have your brother's wife."	3:19 But when John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother's wife,
				and all the other evil things he had done,
			19 So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and wanted to kill him. But she was not able to,
		5 Herod wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet.	20 because Herod feared John and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.
			When Herod heard John, he was greatly puzzled ; yet he liked to listen to him.
		6 On Herod's birthday .	21 Finally the opportune time came. On his birthday
			Herod gave a banquet for his high officials and military commanders and the leading men of Galilee.
		the daughter of Herodias danced for them and pleased Herod so much	22 When the daughter of Herodias came in and danced, she pleased Herod and his dinner guests.
		7 that he promised with an oath to give her whatever she asked.	The king said to the girl, "Ask me for anything you want, and I'll give it to you." 23 And he promised her with an oath, "Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom."
		8 Prompted by her mother,	24 She went out and said to her mother, "What shall I ask for?" "The head of John the Baptist," she answered.
		she said, "Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist."	25 At once the girl hurried in to the king with the request: "I want you to give me right now the head of John the Baptist on a platter."
		9 The king was distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he ordered that her request be granted	26 The king was greatly distressed, but because of his oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her.
		10 and had John beheaded in the prison.	27 So he immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John's head. The man went, beheaded John in the prison,
		11 His head was brought in on a platter and given to the girl, who carried it to her mother.	28 and brought back his head on a platter. He presented it to the girl, and she gave it to her mother.
		12 John's disciples came and took his body and buried it.	29 On hearing of this, John's disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb
		Then they went and told Jesus
Back to the Top		1) The main emphasis seems to come surprisingly from Mark in this text. He makes plain the differences between the King of the Jews and Jesus' in this text. He seems to want to demonstrate how corrupt the Kingship had become. Matthew also seems to want to develop the theme that the human kingship was in significant dis repair. Luke on the other hand doesn't seem as concerned about the Jewish community, which makes sense in a Gospel to the Gentiles. 2)The text is supported by the writings of Josephus and the language that is used seems to indicate a strong tie to the apostolic theme. The apostles of Jesus' probably would have been deeply touched by the events that had gone on simply because many of them had been followers of John "back in the day." 3)The way these fit into their own gospels has for the most part been stated above in cantrasting them, but to restate them: Matthew, writing to a Jewish crowd is reminding them of the depravity in their own systems. Mark is writing a "humanistic" gospel and seems to display the characteristic differences between Herod and Jesus. While Luke, is noting that something occured in the Jewish community and pushes on.

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