What Did Jesus Really Say--Does It Matter?

Did every "red-letter" word in your Bible truly came directly from Jesus? In this episode I delve into the origins of Jesus's teachings, exploring how his words were preserved through oral traditions and later written down. I offer perspective on the significance of the Gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke, and introduce the mysterious "Q Document"—a key source that helps us identify the most authentic sayings of Jesus.

Discover why understanding these historical layers can profoundly impact your faith and guide your life. Learn to use these earliest, most authentic red-letter words as a lens to interpret the entire Bible. Tune in to explore how these revolutionary teachings, though 2000 years old, can still lead you to an abundant life today!

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Transcript

I received a red-letter Bible when I was baptized at age nine. The words of Jesus were printed in red to highlight their importance. They filled page after page. The teachers at my Baptist Sunday School classes frequently referenced those words. They were worth memorizing and studying to gain the true meanings the phrases offered.

But did Jesus really say all the red-letter words? What if some of them were not directly from Jesus but added later?

I’m LP the host of TFJ, a network dedicated to your well-being. Millions of people across the planet place great importance on the teachings of Jesus as a foundation for living. I’m one of those. So, let’s explore whether those red-letter words are really what Jesus said. That can make a difference in how we live.

We can start with the historical fact that Jesus died around 30 AD. In his society, the teachings of Jewish rabbis were often preserved in oral traditions and discussed at length. Some disciples had the specific task of memorizing the words and repeating the central teachings in order to pass them on to others. Creating written records was of secondary importance. 

There is no doubt that the disciples who followed Jesus used this pattern. His charismatic personality, down-to-earth stories, and profound insight into spiritual truth imprinted his ideas on their minds. Within weeks of his death these followers began repeating what they had learned to thousands of people. The book of Acts says the believers, “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching.”[1] At some point in the following years—we don’t know when or by whom— the teachings were written on parchment to be more permanent.

This is where our exploration of the red-letter words gets interesting. 

The Gospel of Mark was written about 40 years after Jesus lived. It has many original, authentic sayings that came from Jesus. Matthew and Luke used Mark as one of the sources for their own Gospels. When the teachings of Jesus appear in all three Gospels, those are some of the red-letter words remembered from the ministry of Jesus.

But that was not the only source Matthew and Luke used.[2] Scholars believe there was another writing containing only the teachings and stories from Jesus. Scholars call this the Q Document. The Q Document is a distillation of about 4500 words shared verbatim by Matthew and Luke which do not appear in Mark. Matthew and Luke added to their Gospels nearly word-for-word the Q Document sayings of Jesus.[3] 

To conclude this brief history lesson of New Testament scholarship, the words of Jesus shared by Matthew and Luke can be considered the authentic red-letter words of Jesus. Matthew and Luke used Mark’s Gospel and the Q Document to give us the teachings and stories which are closest to what Jesus really said. 

What does this mean for those who follow Jesus?

We can receive these teachings as the central revelation Jesus gave to the world. These teachings are the essence of what the disciples learned about the revolutionary teachings of Jesus. They are what the early church held most important as the pattern for life and the truth about God. If we listen carefully to them, we will be as close as possible to the experience of hearing Jesus in person as he taught the people. How amazing is that?

Another valuable idea is to make these red-letter words the lens or filter to read all the other words of the Bible. The other materials of the New Testament are valuable reflections on the original message, but secondary. The Gospel of John, the letters of Paul, the book of Hebrews and Revelation were written decades later. They are like sermons preached today, which take a central teaching and apply it to the current situation. Some teachings don’t agree with what Jesus taught, while other passages are so connected to that ancient day that they don’t apply to us now. However, we can learn from them and add our own experience.

An example of what I mean is the familiar verse, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.”  The other Gospels do not record a statement like this from Jesus. This distillation of Jesus’ teachings emerged 60 years after Jesus lived, developed by a community of Christians to meet the challenges of the Greco-Roman philosophy in that day. They are important, of course. They also must be measured by the authentic teachings from the earliest record of Jesus’ words, which do not mention the concept of the “only Son” as a description of Jesus.

Here’s the bottom line: the words of Jesus form the essence of a revolutionary faith. They teach about an ever-present, all-loving, and continuously working God. Though 2000 years old, these red-letter words can guide anyone to an abundant life. 

I am grateful I received a red-letter Bible when I was nine years old. Many of those red-letter sayings were simple enough that my young mind could grasp them. I’m also grateful that I can apply adult understanding from 50 years of theological study to look more deeply into how the Bible can be interpreted. With this, I can concentrate on the central teachings of Jesus that are the measure of all other ideas. I’m still just beginning to learn all this means for life! I hope you will use them for your journey of faith.

[1] Acts 2:42
[2] John S. Kloppenborg, Q, the Earliest Gospel: An Introduction to the Original Stories and Sayings of Jesus. Westminster John Knox Press, 2008.
[3] We should note scholars have found no copy of Q by itself. The book of James has some direct connections to Q. Other writings from the second century used by church leaders present similar saying as the Q writing.