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Back to Brochure << Project Objectives Page 2 of 5 Primary Audiences >> The Story Great care has been given in the way that the story is presented. There is no confusion between the story recorded in the Holy Bible and the added information and comments. The assumptions of the Gospel writers and the relevance of the Biblical culture blend into the story. Every significant event is included - the story is complete in every way. Different authors under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit wrote each of the four Gospels - and each Gospel is directed to a different audience. The Gospels do not provide biographies about people, nor were attempts made to record all of the events in a well-defined chronology following a specific timetable. Matthew - one of the disciples - was also called Levi who was a tax collector for the Romans before he became a disciple. His gospel was addressed primarily to Jews. Mark - the son of Mary of Jerusalem - addressed his gospel to Romans and Gentile Christians. In addition to what Mark experienced, most scholars agree that Peter, one of the first disciples, provided the information contained in this gospel. Luke - a physician and a Gentile - wrote his gospel by collecting information from eyewitnesses. Luke is particularly careful with historical facts. This gospel was addressed to Theophilus - an unknown person - but was written for Gentiles. John - another disciple - wrote his gospel late in the first century. Many scholars believe that the letters of John and the Revelation (letter to seven churches) were written before the gospel was written. John sought to give an orderly account of the life of Christ and was addressing believers in Jesus Christ. Narration The purpose of a narration is to make something known as well as give an account of specific events. One type of narration is teaching for the purpose of revealing information as well as demonstrating a moral principal concerning behavior. Oration. This is a method of public speaking. The word for oration is also used in describing prayer. Analogy. This is a way of showing a relation or likeness between two or more things. There is usually a resemblance between the things that are demonstrated. Parable. This type of presentation places things beside one another for the purpose of comparison. Analogies are often used as part of a parable. The parable is a form of story that is used to emphasize something else. At the time of Jesus Christ, there were more than 5,000 parables in the Jewish culture. The gospels record 40 parables - and 30 of these parables are referred to in just one gospel. The gospel of John does not contain any parables. Allegory. This presentation speaks figuratively. The Lord referring to Himself as a shepherd and his followers as sheep is an allegory. An allegory is also described as a prolonged metaphor (see next section). While the gospel of John does not contain any parables, John does use allegories in the gospel. Metaphor. A metaphor uses a figure of speech in place of another where there is the semblance of likeness. The figure of speech is carried over or used in place of another figure of speech. For example, "he was as strong as a horse". Story. A story is a connected narration of past events. It can also be an account of some incident. In the modern sense, a story has some basic elements. A story usually has a beginning, a middle and an end. The basic story also includes what is called a plot - a central character - a goal or objective - some opposition or an adversary - a crisis - and finally a resolution. There are also turning points in stories. The gospels do not constitute a story in themselves - although there are story elements within the gospels. The gospels do have a beginning, middle and end. However, this is also unique in that approximately 5% can be attributed to the beginning, 15% attributed to the middle, and 80% attributed to the end. All the elements are there - ending with the resolution. The resolution for the religious leaders is the death of Jesus Christ. The resolution for believers is the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The Story of the Messiah is an integrated story with events drawn from all four Gospels. The most exhaustive list contains a total of 367 events. The events were categorized as to their source. The source identification made it possible to locate those events contained in just one gospel. The events that were in more than one gospel were also identified. The events were represented visually using a color-coded story board. Click to view an illustration of how the information was organized. Timetable. The events had to be organized around a timetable. It was important to locate Jesus in both in time and place to create a timetable. This was accomplished by creating a list and storyboard that depicted the movement of Jesus in the Holy Land. Click to view an illustration of the timetables. The events that are mentioned in just one gospel are color-coded. Events that are reported in more than one gospel are not color-coded. The gospel writers were not concerned with a timetable. There was a basic tendency to organize facts, moving forward and backward in time to select the facts and then record them with regard to a particular teaching or principle. Chronology. The events were organized in conjunction with the timetable. The gospel of Luke contains the most accurate historical data. Yet, it is almost impossible to locate the majority of events in Luke in either time or place. Luke places Jesus in Samaria toward the end of his gospel when Jesus was making the journey from Galilee to Jerusalem when He was crucified. By way of contrast, the gospel of John places Jesus in Jerusalem after the story of the wedding in Cana where Jesus met Nicodemus. John then describes Jesus traveling through Samaria on the journey from Jerusalem back to Galilee when He met the woman at the well. It was necessary to make choices. Click to view a partial chronology. Storyboard. The last step of the research effort was the creation of the Story of the Messiah using the storyboard. The use of the storyboard made it possible to create the transitions that were required to produce a story. The most complete list of events in the four gospels has a total of 367 events. This more comprehensive event list created more than one list of the same event, because it was difficult to combine with a similar event. For example, Luke's version of the Sermon on the Mount is difficult to compare with Matthew's version. Click to view an illustration of our storyboards. The Story of the Messiah includes 220 events. This story is complete in every way even though some events are excluded. For example, the parable of the five wise and five foolish virgins is not included. However, the principle of being ready for the return of Jesus Christ is strongly emphasized in other events and parables that are included. It is not practical to be rigid when it comes to people becoming believers. However, it is wise to recognize and understand the steps in the process. Click to view a diagram of the steps below. Preparation includes the activities that would happen in seeking to proclaim the message of the gospels. Proclamation is the actual sharing of the message. Evangelization is concerned with encouraging an individual to become a believer through faith in Jesus Christ. Every believer should have the opportunity to Worship God with other believers. A believer also accepts the calling and responsibility to become a faithful Disciple - a follower of Jesus Christ. Believers also have the responsibility to care for and Minister to other believers. The Lord Jesus Christ said "I am giving you a new commandment - that you should love each other. By this act, you will show others that you are my disciples - if you have love for each other." A believer also has the opportunity to share the gospel with others - that is our Mission. It is important that a believer live a life that is an example. This can be called the witness of life. When another person has seen this "witness of life", that person is more willing to receive the word - and to hear the proclamation of the gospel. The dialogue between the old man and the boy reveals the background information in a way that is engaging and also enhances the story. The story consists of 28 episodes (audio) or chapters (book). This difficulty is overcome by the treatment that was used in this story. The treatment was that of having an old man tell the story to an eleven-year old boy. The dialogue between the old man and the boy reveals the background information in a way that is engaging and also enhances the story. The story consists of 28 episodes (audio) or chapters (book). Audio Version. This version uses a variety of voices as part of the story. An original music score was created to enhance the story. Book Version. The printed version is illustrated with a wide variety of artwork. Each chapter of the book begins with a picture that relates to the story told in that chapter. This story provides an excellent perspective about the gospels. The background information that is contained in the Story of the Messiah makes it possible for the gospels to be understood by everyone. The availability of the material in both audio and book form presents an excellent occasion to learn to appreciate the person of Jesus Christ, and to learn to live life in a way that pleases God. Back to Brochure |
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