After he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.” vs. 22
John 2:19-22
As he concludes the story of how an angry Jesus cleansed the temple precincts by chasing off the merchants and the moneychangers, the gospel writer John gives some clues about how the gospels were written. First he reminds us that it was after the resurrection that the disciples remembered the things that Jesus had said. There were no people taking notes during Jesus’ sermons or conversations–no one had tape recorders and there were certainly no smart phones. All the things we know about Jesus’ words and actions come through the memories of his disciples. This doesn’t mean they can’t be trusted–this is how information was passed on in those days, and because memories were finely honed, the stories are likely quite accurate. After some years those accounts were written down to preserve their transmission to the next generation. When the gospels were finally written the writers made use of those written sources as they composed the editions we have in our bibles. That’s why we see differences in the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry, and what a blessing that is! It’s what we might expect from stories that have been remembered and passed down through different witnesses. The bible is a thorough human book in its origins and it’s for that reason that we can trust its words.
Thought for the Day: Why do we remember different things about the same event?
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