| Gospel | Matthew | Mark | Luke | John |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Face | Lion | Bull | Man | Eagle |
| The nativity | Joseph and the kingly details | none | Mary and the ordinary details | Jesus’ heavenly origin |
| Key word | righteousness | immediately | give | eternal life |
| Jesus’ miracles show | his authority over evil and nature | his unobtrusive service | his compassion and sympathy | God’s glory |
| Special insights | the kingdom of heaven, leadership, authority, judgement, the church | servanthood, gestures, suffering, submission, secrecy | joy, meals, prayer, money, women | love, light, truth and glory, unity, belief, signs and claims, new birth |
| Jesus’ parables illustrate | the kingdom | service | ordinary life | none |
| Jesus is | powerful king | suffering servant | perfect human being | holy Son of God |
| The passion emphasis | the power of his death | the price of his service | his perfect martyrdom | his peaceful divine majesty |
| The ending | authority and obedience | service and rejection | praise and joy | love and belief |
| The gospel structures | seven acts of the kingdom | three journeys | a human mixture | sacred feasts |
March 11, 2011
The Four Faces of God – The Gospels
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That’s a great chart – but how do you justify the assignment of the faces? Is there a source for this beyond Ezekiel/Revelation?
Thanks!
Comment by Ed Tornberg — March 15, 2011 @ 5:19 am
Kiaora Ed!
Long time, no hear. Great to hear from you. How’re Rene and the kids? Fiona asks if Rene has a FaceBook page yet?
That chart I lifted directly from a book “The Four Faces of God” by Timmothy Pain & John Burgon Bickersteth (posthumously). They claim that the four faces used to be a common understanding in the early church, of which we have only recently lost sight. The councils which determined the 66 books of the Bible would have been well aware of the four faces, when they prayerfully considered and kept the four gospels.
Personally, while I wouldn’t build a new church on it (get it? Four Square Gospel Fellowship) it makes sense to me.
Blessings.
Comment by JamesHip — March 15, 2011 @ 9:05 am