Jesus came to fulfill the promises God made. He's the fulfillment of the grand story of the Old Testament. The message of Jesus was grounded in this story.
The New Testament was slowly put together after it became clear that Jesus was not returning soon. Took about 400 years to come together.
It is not perfect in every detail. A lot of archeological detective work has helped figure out what was in the original documents, but everything is not settled.
Mark is first Gospel and very straightforward story. Matthew, written for Jews, casts Jesus as the new Moses. Luke and Acts is the story of the Spirit. John sets out to show that Jesus is God. The Gospels are Scene One of the New Testament.
Jesus fulfills both God's part and humanity's part of the Covenant.
Scene Two is the rest of the New Testament - the story of the Church, the community of Christ, a community of the Spirit. There isn't an end to the story - the Story isn't over and YOU are in it.
The Spirit leads us into the promises of God. The Spirit leads the Body of Christ.
The equivalent of the widow and orphan today is the mentally ill homeless person.
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