Four Testimonies

I love to read a great story.
The thing about this story....... it's true.

It starts with a family
And it was written for me.

How do I know?
Every prophet that ever lived testified that it was so. That's their job actually.
The four gospels they call it. Otherwise known as the four testimonies. Written by four men who were there. They lived, breathed, witnessed, experienced some of the most miraculous events in human history which they then recorded for us.

Who were these men?

Devoted disciples of the Savior:
Matthew - a tax collector. A Jew. Writing to the Jews about the Jewish King. He calls to attention how the life of Christ fulfilled Old Testament prophecy and includes many important discourses of the Master, such as the Sermon on the Mount.

Mark- A boy in Christ's time. Thought to have been a companion and interpreter for Peter. He skips most of the lengthy discourses but records over half of all the New Testament miracles. A man who is all about the action for his Roman readers.

Luke- A man of compassion. A physician, a healer writing to the Greeks of the ancient world. He portrays a compassionate picture of the Savior for us with an emphasis on forgiveness and love, pointing out through parables unique to his gospel (such as the Prodigal Son) that the sinner can find rest and peace in Jesus. He shows how Christ's ministry was also open to those considered inferior to the Jews and gives important insights to the role women played during the ministry and life of Jesus. He alone tells of the visit of the angel to Zacharias and Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; he alone tells the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem and of the actual birth of Christ. It is interesting to note that his testimony both begins and ends....in the temple.

John- also known as the Beloved and the Revelator, he was eventually translated.
What does one do to earn titles such as these?!
His writings make up five books of the New Testament which are vastly different from the other accounts. He details much less of the places and events of Christ's ministry but brings things to a higher level by giving us a much more intimate portrait of the Master. He writes mostly to those who are already followers of Christ emphasizing Christ's relationship to the  Father, His association with the twelve, and so on. From his writings come a powerful witness of Jesus as the Son of God, of Jesus as the Messiah, of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, of Jesus as the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and of Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. It was this John to whom the Lord placed the care of his mother, Mary, in the last moments of his life.

Where do we begin?
It is about 400 years since the time where the Old Testament leaves off. The Israelites have been almost comically disobedient. (What will future generations say of ours?)
Due to strife and apostasy, most of the twelve tribes of Israel have been carried away captive into other countries and only a remnant of the House of Israel remains in the promised land of Canaan-primarily the tribe of Judah. They find themselves subject to one new power after another including the Babylonians, Syrians, and Greek rule under Alexander the Great, among others. At one point the practice of Judaism was completely proscribed. Possession or reading of the Torah was punishable by death; observance of the Sabbath and circumcision were forbidden; Jerusalem's walls were destroyed and thousands of her inhabitants slain, while other thousands were sold as slaves. The temple was plundered and converted into an Olympian shrine, with an image of Zeus placed upon the alter and a pig sacrificed in honor of the false god.
Under this oppression came the rise of the Maccabees, a Jewish leadership that successfully expelled the Syrians. As this leadership degenerated into political corruption, the Jews next found themselves  subject to the tyranny and ruthless rule of Roman leaders.One of the first of these was Herod the Great who preserved his leadership at the expense of many lives, including a wife and some of his own children. It was he who ordered the massacre of Jewish children in Bethlehem shortly after the birth of the Savior.
Following Herod's death, the dominion  was divided into three parts governed by three different rulers. Pontius Pilate,whom we read about during the trial of Jesus, and two of Herod's sons, Herod Phillip and Herod Antipas. Herod Antipas is also mentioned in the New Testament in connection with the trial of Jesus and prior to that was responsible for the imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist.
It is in these circumstances we find the Jews looking for a political Savior. It does much to explain their disappoinment and disbelief when all that appears is Jesus, the son of a lowly carpenter.

"We know him. How could he be the Messiah?"
"Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary...? And they were offended at him." (Mark 6:3) And yet the Jewish leadership still felt he was a big enough threat to their power to seek his death, unknowingly helping to fulfill the mission of the Savior's life.

It was out of this setting of corruption and greed that the hope of eternal life and salvation sprang forth for us all.

 

 

Family Home Evening Ideas:

 

Discuss what a testimony is. Look under 'testimony' in the topical guide of the scriptures. Or use the gospel art pictures that have the story printed on the back for littler kids. See how many different testimonies you find. Have family members take turns sharing testimony with the rest of the family.

 

Try this activity - give each family member a little bit of cornstarch in the palm of their hand. Have them dip the fingertips of the other hand in some water and then just moisten the cornstarch. (All the cornstarch must be moistened, but too much water and it won't work.) Using their fingertips, have them work the cornstarch into a ball. You will see that as soon as you quit touching it, it will go flat again. Compare this to how you must constantly work on your testimony to keep it solid. (You might want to do this over some napkins or old towels!)

 

Posted by Sister Montgomery