The first three books of the New Testament, including Mathew, Mark, and Luke, narrate the life and death of Jesus Christ in an almost similar manner that their synopsis can be compared. Due to this close resemblance in the narration of Jesus Christ’s history, there are commonly referred to as Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic Gospels are essential in the New Testament study because they narrate Jesus’ history in the third person narrative, thus forming the foundation for the other books to be built on (Dinkler, 2017). The other books in the New Testament do not account for the life history of Jesus Christ. They primarily focus on the actions of the apostles. The Synoptic Gospels record how these apostles were chosen and their various backgrounds, and their connection with Jesus; therefore, understanding the Synoptic Gospel is one of the first steps toward understanding the ministry of the apostles.
Synoptic Gospels are significant to Christians today because they record the testimony of Jesus Christ and the message of truth that he taught throughout his ministry. This, therefore, lays the foundation that Christians are encouraged to live accordingly. Jesus experienced a mixed form of treatment from people. Some accepted him and followed him, while some rejected and rebuked him because he did not meet their expectations of the prophesied Messiah. Therefore, it is meant to serve as an encouragement and a source of inspiration for Christians today who experience rejection and other challenges that accrue from practicing Christianity.
Synoptic Gospels’ main message revolved around the ministry of Jesus Christ, whose central focus was to attract people to the kingdom of God. Throughout his ministry, as recorded in these books, Jesus preached about shunning evil and embracing the spirit of holiness, which was vital in entering the kingdom of God. He emphasized the importance of investing in good deeds that would be rewarded in heaven rather than focusing on the world’s material things but losing God’s kingdom (Weinandy, 2018). This message is vital to Christians today because it reminds them of the kind of life they should embrace. The life of Christ serves as a point of reference for Christians to help them deal with the various challenges and temptations that they are faced with daily.
References
Dinkler, M. B. (2017). A New Formalist approach to narrative Christology: Returning to the structure of the Synoptic Gospels. HTS Theological Studies, 73(1), 1-11.
Weinandy, T. (2018). Jesus becoming Jesus: A theological interpretation of the Synoptic Gospels. CUA Press.