Expert: Paul Walker - 8/18/2004

Question
I am a Christian, and I am interested in ways in which the portraits of Christ in the four gospels are said to be represented in the Old Testament.

  For example in Ezekiel chapter 1, a vision of God's throne is described. The throne is accompanied by cherubim with four faces: the face of a lion, the face of an ox, the face of an eagle and the face of a man.

  The lion is said to represent majesty, pointing to Matthew's gospel where the focus is on Jesus the Messiah King. Oxen served in hard agricultural work, pointing to Mark's gospel where 'Jesus the Servant' is a major theme. The man's face indicates humanity, pointing to Luke's gospel where this aspect of Christ is emphasised. The eagle is said to represent deity, with an example given from Isaiah, pointing to John's gospel where Jesus is God.

  Do you think that this interpretation is correct? For example - is it really the case that Luke emphasises 'Jesus the Man' more than the other gospels, and Mark, 'Jesus the Servant'? What verses can be used to show this? Different commentaries seem to say different things.

Do you know any other "fourfold motifs" like this one?

Thankyou very much indeed for your time.

Answer
Joe,

Yes I agree with the interpretation of the four motifs of Ezekiel chapter 1. I think it is a very good comparison. You might try reading http://www.ccel.org/p/pink/gospels/gospels.htm by Pink who is referencing A. Jukes whose work can be found on the internet. Although, I do not agree with everything these men taught, I do agree with this.

The four Gospels do present the Lord from four vantage points. Christ is also represented throughout the Old Testament. It would be too long to go into here. I am revamping my website and adding a form for discussing things like this for those who desire to earnestly study. It will be a week or two more but if you keep an eye on it I would be happy to have you join our Fellowship In Christ Jesus.

Hope this helps somewhat.

Paul Walker
www.aficj.org