Themes In The Three Synoptic Gospels

The most important theme found in the three synoptic gospels Matthew, Mark, and Luke is the divine necessity of Jesus; this theme can also be found in the non-canonical gospel of Judas. This theme is an important building block for Christianity. The divine necessity of Jesus is that he must be rejected by man and killed by man. There are many passages in the four gospels that show this theme. In the synoptics, the four most important are, the passion prediction scenes, the parable of the wicked tenants, Peter’s denial, and the women at the tomb. The first three show the rejection of Jesus, and the fourth shows how the rejection leads to the death of Jesus. In the non-canonical, rejection is shown when Judas betrays Jesus.
In the passion predictions, Jesus tells his disciples that the son of man …show more content…
First, Jesus tells Judas secrets of the kingdom and sets him apart from the others. For instance, He says, “Step away from the others and I shall tell you the mysteries of the kingdom...” (Judas Scene 1). Jesus is setting Judas apart from the others, he is worthy of knowing the mysteries. Next, Jesus calls him the “thirteenth spirit” (Judas scene 3). This can be interpreted as the thirteenth angel or thirteenth demon. However, Judas ends up betraying Jesus; if Judas is an angel than this betrayal is because Jesus must be betrayed by man and suffer for the purpose of carrying out His divine necessity.
Moreover, this is the most important theme found in the New Testament because it is a major theme for Christianity. Christianity is built on the idea of the messiah being rejected by man so that he can die for man’s sin. The theme of divine necessity is the paradox, suffering brings happiness. This is because if Jesus did not die for man’s sin than man would be condemned for eternity. Therefore, Jesus must suffer, He was the chosen