Olketa Gospel​—History or Kastom Story?

Raonem world, story abaotem Jesus bilong Nazareth—wanfala young man wea changem history bilong olketa man—hem important part long living. Hem part long education bilong olketa pipol. Planti pipol ting long olketa Gospel olsem start bilong olketa tru toktok olsem, “letem Yes bilong iufala minim Yes, No, minim No.” (Matthew 5:37) Tru nao, olketa story insaed Gospel maet hem faondeson bilong olketa leson wea dadi and mami bilong iu lanem long iu, nomata tufala Christian or nomoa.

For planti million follower bilong Christ, olketa Gospel story abaotem wanfala man wea olketa willing for safa and dae for hem. Olketa Gospel givim tu faondeson and samting wea muvim man for no fraet, stand strong, garem faith, and hope. So waswe, iu agree hao man mas needim barava strongfala pruv for sei olketa story hia mek-ap story nomoa? From bigfala wei wea olketa Gospel affectim tingting and fasin bilong olketa man, waswe, bae iu no askem barava strongfala pruv from eniwan wea trae for mekem iu daotem wei wea olketa Gospel hem tru?

Mifala invaetem iu for tingting long samfala important kwestin abaotem olketa Gospel. Lukim wanem nao samfala pipol wea studyim olketa Gospel tingim abaotem olketa kwestin hia, nomata samfala no sei olketa Christian. Then iu savve disaed seleva.

OLKETA KWESTIN FOR TINGIM

◆ Waswe, olketa Gospel hem mek-ap story nomoa?

Robert Funk, man wea startim datfala Jesus Seminar hem sei olsem: “Matthew, Mark, Luke and John ‘story abaotem Messiah’ long wei wea mekem hem fitim Christian teaching wea kamap bihaen dae bilong Jesus.” Nomata olsem, taem olketa raetem Gospel, planti wea herem olketa toktok bilong Jesus, wea lukluk long samting wea hem duim, and lukim hem bihaen hem resurrect olketa laef yet. Pipol hia no sei olketa man wea raetem olketa Gospel talem laea toktok.

Tingim dae and resurrection bilong Christ. No olketa Gospel nomoa garem stretfala story abaotem dae and resurrection bilong Jesus bat first leta bilong Paul for olketa Christian long Corinth bifor storyim diswan tu. Hem raet olsem: “Mi givim long iufala, witim olketa firstfala samting, wanem mi kasem tu, hao Christ dae for olketa sin bilong iumi for fitim olketa Scripture; and olketa berem hem, yes, hem resurrect long mek-thri day for fitim olketa Scripture; and hem kam long Cephas, then long twelvfala. Bihaen long datwan hem kam long winim faev handred brata long wantaem, wea klosap evriwan long olketa stap distaem, bat samfala sleep finis long dae. Bihaen datwan hem kam long James, then long evri aposol; bat last samting hem kam long mi tu olsem wanfala wea born bifor hem redy.” (1 Corinthians 15:3-8) Olketa witness olsem keepim gud olketa tru samting wea happen long history long saed bilong laef bilong Jesus.

Olketa Christian Greek Scripture no garem olketa mek-ap story wea pipol wea againstim Bible distaem olketa tingim. Bat, diswan stap insaed long olketa raeting bilong mek-tu century C.E. So samfala story wea no stap insaed long Bible abaotem Christ kamap taem apostate fasin wea difren from trufala Christian wei hem kamap insaed olketa community wea go difren from kongregeson bilong olketa aposol.—Acts 20:28-30.

◆ Waswe, olketa Gospel hem kastom story?

Man for raet, C. S. Lewis faendem hard for ting long olketa Gospel olsem kastom story nomoa. Hem raet: “Olsem man wea studyim history bilong olketa raeting mi barava sure olketa Gospel hem no kastom story. Olketa no stael fitim kastom story. . . . Iumi no savve long planti samting abaotem laef bilong Jesus, and datwan hem difren tumas from fasin bilong pipol wea wakem kastom story.” Hem interesting tu for lukim samting wea man bilong history H. G. Wells wea hem no wanfala Christian hem talem: “Fofala [man wea raetem Gospel] talem sem story bilong wanfala barava man; olketa showimaot . . . samting wea barava happen.”

Tingim wanfala taem wea Jesus wea resurrect hem showim hemseleva long olketa disaepol bilong hem. Man wea savve tumas for talem kastom story bae mekem wei wea Jesus kam bak olsem wanfala bigfala samting, givim spesol toktok, or barava shaen fogud long lukluk bilong hem. Bat, olketa man wea raetem Gospel storyim hem standap front long olketa disaepol bilong hem nomoa. Then hem ask olsem: “Olketa youngfala pikinini, waswe, iufala no garem eni samting for kaikaim, hem tru?” (John 21:5) Savveman Gregg Easterbrook sei: “Olketa samting olsem nao showimaot diswan hem tru story, and no kastom story.”

Wei wea pipol sei olketa Gospel hem kastom story hem againstim wei bilong olketa rabbi for teach long taem wea olketa raetem olketa Gospel. Datfala wei hem for baeheartim samting—wei for rememberim samting taem man repeatim olowe. Diswan hem saportim stretfala wei for raetem olketa toktok and samting wea Jesus duim wea difren evribit from wanfala mek-ap story.

◆ Sapos olketa Gospel hem kastom story, waswe, olketa savve raetem kwiktaem bihaen Jesus dae?

Pruv wea stap showimaot olketa raetem olketa Gospel midolwan olketa year bilong 41 and 98 C.E. Jesus dae long year 33 C.E. Diswan minim pipol raetem olketa story abaotem laef bilong hem insaed short taem nomoa bihaen ministry bilong hem finis. Diswan hem wanfala wei for barava blokem reason for sei olketa Gospel hem kastom story nomoa. Taem mas go pas for mekem olketa kastom story kamap. Example nao story bilong Iliad and Odyssey wea man bilong Greece for raetem poetry, Homer, hem raetem. Samfala sei tufala kastom story hia kamap insaed long planti handred year. Waswe long olketa Gospel?

Insaed buk bilong hem Caesar and Christ, man wea raetem history Will Durant hem raet olsem: “Sapos samfala simpol man nomoa . . . mekem story abaotem wanfala man wea fasin bilong hem strong and naes, haefala mark long fasin and nambawan example for olketa brata for stap tugeta, then datwan hem bae spesol mirakol wea winim evri mirakol wea olketa raetem insaed long Gospel. Bihaen pipol kwestinim Bible for 200 year, olketa main story abaotem living, fasin, and teaching bilong Christ, stap klia nomoa, and kamap spesol part long history bilong Western world.”

◆ Waswe, olketa changem lelebet olketa Gospel bihaen for fitim need bilong firstfala Christian community?

Samfala sei saed bilong politik long community bilong olketa first Christian mekem olketa man wea raetem olketa Gospel for changem story bilong Jesus or addim samting long hem. Bat, wei for lukluk gud long olketa Gospel showaot no eni wei for changem samting hem happen. Sapos story bilong olketa Gospel hem change bikos long giaman wei bilong olketa first-century Christian, why nao toktok abaotem nogud samting bilong olketa Jew and Greek pipol stap yet insaed long hem?

Wanfala example hem stap long Matthew 6:5-7, wea Jesus hem sei: “Taem iufala prea, iufala mas no prea olsem olketa hypocrite; bikos olketa laek for standap insaed long olketa synagogue and long corner bilong olketa bigfala road taem olketa prea mekem olketa man lukim olketa. Tru nao mi talem iufala, Olketa kasem full reward bilong olketa.” Yes, hem tok againstim olketa bigman bilong Jew religion. Jesus sei moa: “Taem iufala prea, no talem sem samting evritaem, olsem pipol bilong olketa nation [olketa Gentile] duim, from olketa tingse olketa bae kasem ansa from olketa iusim staka toktok.” Taem olketa talem disfala toktok bilong Jesus, olketa wea raetem Gospel no trae for win for kasem olketa niu disaepol. Olketa talem nomoa toktok wea Jesus Christ barava talem.

Tingim tu story bilong olketa Gospel abaotem olketa woman wea visitim tomb bilong Jesus and lukim hem emti. (Mark 16:1-8) Gregg Easterbrook sei, “long living bilong Middle East bifor, olketa nating trustim witness wea kam from olketa woman: example, hem inaf for tufala man wea witness long kot for sei wanfala woman hem duim adultery, bat olketa no savve iusim eni woman for givim witness long kot for judgem wanfala man.” Tru nao, olketa disaepol bilong Jesus tu no bilivim olketa woman! (Luke 24:11) So hem hard tumas for olketa mek-ap long kaen story olsem.

Wei wea no eni parabol stap insaed olketa leta bilong Bible and insaed buk bilong Acts hem strongfala pruv wea showaot olketa first Christian no putim olketa parabol insaed olketa Gospel bat Jesus seleva nao talem. And tu, wei for markem olketa Gospel witim olketa leta bilong Bible showaot hao olketa no iusim eni kleva teknik for putim olketa toktok bilong Paul and olketa narawan wea raetem olketa Greek Scripture olsem toktok bilong Jesus. Sapos olketa first Christian duim kaen samting olsem, bae iumi faendem toktok from olketa leta insaed long olketa Gospel. From iumi no faendem diswan, iumi fit for barava sei olketa Gospel difren and tru evribit.

◆ Waswe long olketa samting insaed olketa Gospel wea luk olsem olketa no agree?

For longfala taem finis olketa man for tok againstim Bible sei olketa Gospel fulap witim toktok wea no agree. Man for raetem history, Durant, hem trae for lukluk long olketa Gospel and no teksaed—olsem document bilong history nomoa. Nomata hem sei luk olsem samfala toktok olketa no agree, hem talem: “Olketa toktok wea no agree hia hem barava [smol] samting nomoa, wea no important; bat long olketa main samting olketa gospel agree, and talem sem story abaotem Christ.”

Planti taem hem isi for faendaot abaotem olketa toktok insaed Gospel wea luk olsem olketa no agree. Wanfala example: Matthew 8:5 sei “wanfala army officer kam long [Jesus], and barava askem hem” for healim wanfala wakman bilong hem. Long Luke 7:3, iumi readim hao datfala officer “sendem go olketa older man bilong olketa Jew long [Jesus] for askem hem for kam and mekem [datfala] slave bilong hem kamap gud moa.” Datfala officer sendem olketa older man hia olsem olketa wea stand for hem. Matthew sei datfala army officer seleva askem Jesus bikos datfala man askem diswan thru long olketa older man hia, wea tok for hem. Diswan hem wanfala example nomoa wea showaot man savve faendaot abaotem olketa toktok wea luk olsem no agree.

Waswe long tingting bilong olketa wea againstim Bible wea sei olketa Gospel no fitim mark bilong trufala history? Durant go ahed for sei: “From olketa wea againstim Bible ting strong tumas long olketa samting wea olketa tingse hem no stret, olketa putim hae mark tumas for testim sapos Niu Testament hem tru, wea sapos olketa putim olketa sem test long olketa raeting abaotem olketa important man long history bifor—e.g., Hammurabi, David, Socrates—olketa bae kamap kastom story nomoa. Nomata olketa aposol garem strongfala idea and tingting bilong olketa seleva finis, olketa raetem planti samting wea pipol for raetem mek-ap story bae haedem—wei wea olketa aposol laekem hae position insaed Kingdom, wei wea olketa ranawe taem pipol arrestim Jesus, wei wea Peter denyim Jesus . . . No eniwan wea readim olketa story hia savve daotem hao datfala man hem barava stap.”

◆ Waswe, Christian Wei distaem hem stand for Jesus bilong olketa Gospel?

Disfala Jesus Seminar sei research bilong hem long olketa Gospel hem “no followim rul bilong olketa church council.” Bat man for raetem history, Wells, luksavve olketa teaching bilong Jesus insaed long olketa Gospel hem difren tumas from olketa teaching bilong Christendom. Hem raet olsem: “No eni samting pruvim olketa aposol bilong Jesus herem samting abaotem Trinity—especially no from Jesus. . . . And tu [Jesus] nating talem eni toktok abaotem wei for worshipim mami bilong hem Mary, wea kamap olsem Isis, Queen bilong heven. Hem nating followim worship and teaching wea olketa Christian followim distaem.” So, man no savve judgem olketa Gospel long faondeson bilong olketa teaching bilong Christendom.

WANEM NAO TINGTING BILONG IU?

Bihaen iu lukluk long olketa point antap, wanem nao tingting bilong iu? Waswe, trufala pruv stap wea showaot olketa Gospel kastom story nomoa? Planti pipol ting olketa kwestin and daot wea kwestinim sapos olketa Gospel hem tru or nomoa hem no garem paoa and hard for man bilivim. For garem tingting bilong iuseleva, iu mas no disaedem olketa samting firstaem bifor iu readim olketa Gospel. (Acts 17:11) Taem iu tingim wei for semsem, honest, and stret wei wea olketa Gospel storyim fasin bilong Jesus, iu bae luksavve olketa story hia hem no kastom story.a

Sapos iu lukluk gud long Bible and followim kaonsel bilong hem, iu bae lukim hao hem savve changem laef bilong iu for kamap moabeta. (John 6:68) Diswan barava olsem tu for olketa toktok bilong Jesus wea stap insaed olketa Gospel. And samting moa, iu savve lane abaotem nambawan future wea stap for olketa man wea obey.—John 3:16; 17:3, 17.

[Footnote]

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Pruv Bilong Trufala Report

TU-THRI year go finis wanfala man from Australia for raetem story and wea tok againstim Bible bifor, hem sei olsem: “For firstaem long laef bilong mi, mi duim waka wea wanfala reporter shud duim: checkim tru story. . . . And mi seke fogud, bikos samting wea mi readim [insaed olketa Gospel] hem no kastom story. Hem wanfala report. Hem story bilong olketa spesol samting wea man barava lukim and herem from samwan wea barava lukim . . . Wei for givim report hem garem wanfala stael, and datfala stael hem insaed long olketa Gospel.”

Olsem tu, E. M. Blaiklock, professor bilong history long Auckland University, hem sei: “Mi sei mi man for raetem history. Wei wea mi studyim history hem long wei for lukim olketa samting wea tru. And mi laek talem iu, olketa pruv abaotem laef, dae, and resurrection bilong Christ hem barava tru winim planti samting bilong history bifor.”

[Map/​Piksa long page 8, 9]

PHOENICIA

GALILEE

Jordan River

JUDEA

[Piksa]

“Pruv abaotem laef, dae, hem barava tru winim planti and resurrection bilong Christ samting bilong history bifor.”​—PROFESSOR E. M. BLAIKLOCK

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Olketa map bihaen: Based on a map copyrighted by Pictorial Archive (Near Eastern History) Est. and Survey of Israel.