The Gospel is the Good News: how to hear it amidst the hustle and bustle?

The Gospel is a testimony of the incarnate God. Photo: UOJ

The narrative of Apostle Paul about the "otherworldliness" of the Gospel is hard to overlook. In the Epistle to the Galatians, he writes that the Gospel "is not of human origin" (Gal. 1:11).

If it is not human, then it is Divine, and if it is Divine, then it is Sacred.

We often hear that the Gospel is sacred and divinely inspired. But we can only feel these special properties of Scripture when we immerse ourselves in its reading, when we want to live it together with the witnesses of the Savior's coming into the world.

What is the "Good News"?

For the Gospel to become understandable and accessible to us, we should always remember its original meaning.

In literal translation from Greek, "Gospel" means "good (or glad) news".

From this, it follows that from time immemorial, people have been the recipients of the Gospel in one way or another.

The first good news was received by our forefathers Adam and Eve when, after the fall, they heard the testament from God. The Creator assured them that in the future, humanity would expect universal redemption through the seed of the Woman, which would destroy the original sin. Then the same Gospel was repeated by the prophets, preparing the Jewish people for the coming of the Messiah – the Redeemer.

This preparatory mission was completed by the archangel-messenger Gabriel, who first announced the imminent conception of the last prophet John the Forerunner, and then – the Nativity of Christ to His Most Pure Mother.

The Word of God – a "dart" for the soul

After Jesus began His preaching, the Gospel acquired the context familiar to us. It became a testimony about the incarnate God and at the same time – a testimony of the incarnate God.

The significance of the Gospel for Christians is exhaustively described by the Greek biblical scholar I. Karavidopoulos. He points out that "the Gospel means the saving message, the content of which is Christ, and the goal – the repentance of all people who accept this message and perceive a new life under the shadow of the Cross of Christ".

Christ's evangelism can be somewhat compared to a game of darts, where each dart is the Word of God, and the target is our soul.

The Lord throws His Word directly into the soul with equal force. But depending on how calm or stormy the weather is, the likelihood that the dart will hit the target increases or decreases.

If the soul is engulfed by the storm of worldly vanity, then the Word of God will miss the mark. It will in no way affect our feelings and thoughts. However, if there is a prayerful calm around the soul, then the dart of the Gospel will definitely the bull’s-eye. In this case, a person will accept the Gospel Word and will build their life according to the Gospel, which will inevitably lead them to a repentant disposition of the soul.

Why are there four Gospels, not one?

Someone might be confused when they open the text of the New Testament and see four different Gospels: of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And then the question arises: is it one good news or are they different?

The Gospel is always one, just as God is always one. But just as God is Triune in hypostases, so the Gospel is fourfold in its forms.

Therefore, all four narratives, although differing in character and literal content of the text, are amazingly united in describing the saving mission and redemptive feat of Jesus Christ. Each evangelist expresses a separate hypostasis of the Gospel – separate features of the Lord's preaching.

Matthew wrote the Gospel, expressing protest against the ostentatious "piety" of the Jews. Therefore, his proclamation abounds with Old Testament quotes and a purely Jewish approach to interpreting sacred texts.

Mark addressed his word to common people eager to know the Truth. Therefore, his Gospel features the simplicity of style, and Christ appears before readers as a caring Son of Man, who does not wish the death of a sinner, but that he "turn from his way and live" (Ezek. 33:11).

Apostle Luke tried to detail the Gospel story as much as possible, including the childhood years of the Savior's life. This unique description is absent in other evangelists.

And finally, John the Theologian revealed to us the "Gospel of Love", in which he showed the Lord Jesus as a loving and merciful Father.

The key to changing the world – in silence

When we carefully read the Gospel, we will understand how multifaceted and unique it is! There is nothing superfluous or accidental in it. Every word is endowed with a special meaning, which only a soul devoted to God can understand.

We go to elections, wishing to change political governance for the better. We are not afraid to offend another person even publicly, just to protect and defend our imaginary rightness. But the correct key to changing the world is only one.

If the Gospel becomes our bedside book, which we will constantly read and constantly strive to live by, then our soul will definitely transform and transform the entire surrounding world.

But, as the late Archpriest Dimitry Smirnov said, "to perceive the Gospel, silence and readiness to hear the answer are needed".

We will try to listen more often to the voice of our conscience, which also proclaims the Gospel to us, but already – purely personal, hidden from prying ears and leading us to salvation.

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