Dragons in Genesis

Not only does Luke’s author borrow material from prior gospels, modifying the stories to craft his own narrative, he also creates new scenes and parables out of whole cloth. Perhaps none are more famous than the character of Lazarus, the follower of Jesus who becomes a symbol of the resurrection of the faithful… but Luke’s Lazarus is far different than one might remember. Unlike the later retelling in the gospel of John, Luke’s Lazarus is never resurrected. He dies, and he stays dead.

As Luke borrowed details from both Mark and Matthew and made his own changes and additions, things begant to get a bit confusing. Jesus reacts to statements which haven't been made and multiple parables which have nothing at all to do with one another come crashing together like stampeding swine cahrging toward the Sea of Galilee. Worse yet, he can't keep his theology straight as Jesus tells his followers that a specific sin invites terrible wrath, and then immediately copies a line that states that exact sin will be forgiven.

Throughout the bible we encounter the imagery of the lofty being brought low while the lowly are elevated. While this is typical of the promise of a reversal of fate, it does sometimes appear in a more literal sense, such as when Luke copies Matthew’s famous Sermon on the Mount but changes the location to a lowly plain. But this isn’t the only change that Luke will make to Matthew’s story. His genealogy, nativity, quotes, and overall theology will all be modified to bring Jesus back to a more gentile-friendly state.

Concluding Matthew’s gospel brings us more modifications on the gospel of Mark, the influence of the Book of Daniel and his time in the lion’s den on the story of the crucifixion and resurrection, as well as a curious detail that demonstrates that the other criminal, Barabbas, was not a figure from history, but a symbol from scripture.

As Matthew’s author copied and expanded Mark’s gospel, he adapted Jesus for an audience that held the Hebrew Bible in higher regard. Thus the messiah became more loyal to Jewish law, more reverent to temple requirements, and more like Moses than originally described.