Introduction to the Book

Let’s begin at the end - the very last verse of the Gospels: 

But there are also many other things which Jesus did, which, if they were written in detail, I expect that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written.  John 21:25

So many lives were touched and transformed simply by a glimpse of His piercing eyes or a healing touch from His gentle hand. What, then, was the impact of His casting out demons, preaching to the multitudes, rebuking the Pharisees, or even raising the dead? And what was the ripple effect that continued from there to the publishing of the four Gospels? The answer is far too many incredible stories to be contained between the covers of one book. So, in God’s infinite wisdom, only what we need for this earthly journey has been recorded. There will be more than enough time in heaven to hear the rest and fall more and more in love with the God who loved the world so much that he gave His Son to become a man and to die an excruciating death on a cross to set the captives of sin free. The words from the familiar hymn The Love of God express it well:

Could we with ink the ocean fill,
 And were the skies of parchment made;
Were every stalk on earth a quill,
 And every man a scribe by trade;
To write the love of God above
 Would drain the ocean dry;
Nor could the scroll contain the whole,
 Though stretched from sky to sky.

 Think of the sermon on the mount. Do you imagine Jesus addressing the multitudes assembled on a mountainside…or do you picture it as it actually happened: a curious crowd edging in on an extraordinary discipleship lesson meant specifically for his chosen few?

If you have wrestled with questions like: why are there so many Marys? Which one poured out the perfume on Jesus’ feet, or did that happen more than once? Why does Luke say there were two blind men healed when Mark speaks only of one? Are there conflicting stories that make you wonder if the Bible is unreliable? If you’ve gotten stuck and frustrated bouncing back and forth between the four accounts of Jesus’ ministry, trying to sort it all out, this version of the Gospels is for you! 

 After reading several versions of the Bible cover to cover almost every year since 1976, including many different chronological versions, I grew dissatisfied with every single one of the latter, especially when it came to the gospels, so I set out to arrange my own, to clarify the sequence of events in my own mind and, as a pastor and teacher, be able to help others understand. My mission was not just to organize the events of Jesus’ life in sequential order but to highlight exactly who His audience was, where the events took place, and the specific route He traveled. My curiosity about those locations and contexts has been piqued and informed by several tours of Israel guided by Biblical and historical experts.

Tackling this project was rather like putting together a 50,000-piece jigsaw puzzle, tedious and time-consuming but also extremely enjoyable and gratifying! I’m delighted and humbled to present a timeline that I think you will find most accurate and insightful.

I have not tampered with the Holy Scriptures in any way except to reorganize the verses in chronological order so that the story flows more naturally. I did this by breaking down chapters, paragraphs, and verses so they can be read side by side.

The eyewitness accounts of the two disciples, John and Matthew, will be the most detailed.  It is believed that Mark is recording Peter’s viewpoint but some of his own as well. Then there was Luke, who, having spoken with countless eyewitnesses, compiled testimony of Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. 

In this ordering of the gospel narrative, we can view each of the gospel writers' perspectives more fully as we grasp the timing, location, audience, and context of the events.

To clarify the chronological order of events, I drew on the Jewish lunar calendar, including its religious holidays, the Roman calendar, and the astronomical record. I then highlighted in yellow the hints of order, given in such words and phrases as the next day, 8 days later, immediately, that evening, and even the word then. After the “then,” it may be the event or teaching immediately followed by the previous one. But it was also possible that other events or teachings of the other gospels might have transpired in between.

Since the gospel of Mark was the most chronological and Luke a close second, their context was analyzed with this understanding.  The location of events also gave clues on what came next, especially when they were traveling. The culmination of this work is an imperfect but strikingly precise chain of events.

The audience - the person(s) who were specifically being addressed - in each segment is highlighted in pink. The spectators -those who are witnessing the event or message - are highlighted in blue.

The location where that section took place is in green. I've also included maps to help readers visualize the path and locations of the Gospel accounts.

In these pages, I've also highlighted several OT prophecies that He fulfilled, as they greatly enhance the significance of each incident in which they are quoted. 

These highlighted words will help the reader better interpret the gospel story in the context of who, what, when, and, in some cases, why.

 May you be Blessed!

Ordering the gospels this way has greatly illuminated my understanding of many of the stories. One such example is Jesus washing the disciples’ feet, a familiar event given that foot washing was a common ritual before dining with guests.  The Sequential Gospels reveal a more startling truth. It was not before, but during dinner, that Jesus told them that He would be betrayed, He would die, and Peter would deny Him three times. Instead of responding to the gravity of these revelations, they began arguing over which of them was the greatest! And it was at this moment Jesus quietly got up from the table, removed His robe, and began washing their feet! The shame and embarrassment must have been palpable! And this order of events certainly lends greater significance to the desperate protest of Peter: “You will never ever wash my feet!” 

My hope is that the reader will be moved and transformed by The Sequential Gospels and that you will enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed reorganizing it. 

COMING SOON!

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