LITTLE FLOWER SCHOOL, INC.

Poblacion, Dumanjug, Cebu

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RELIGIOUS EDUCATION – EDUKASYON SA PAGPAPAKATAO

GRADE 8
STUDENT’S PRAYER
Lord Jesus, I thank you for the opportunity to study which others may not have. Help me to give my
best in whatever I do. Give me the grace to manage my time well, - to balance “study and play”. Help
me set aside distracting thoughts and to have focus especially during exams. Do not let me fall into
temptations of cheating and making “short cuts” in order to attain my goals. Instead, let me accept
the fact of life that nothing is worth comes easy. Let me value the knowledge and wisdom imparted to
us by our teachers and the Oblates of Notre Dame Sisters, and to appreciate their efforts and
concerns. Teach me to learn the lessons of life that I may not only live for myself but for others.
Amen. That which pleases God, I strive to do always.

MODULE ON: Synoptic Gospel

Doctrine : Understand the Synoptic Gospels and deepen their message

Moral : Appreciate the truth of Synoptic Gospels
Worship : Thank the Holy Spirit for guiding the authors of the Gospels.

TEACHER: RYAN C. TAMELIN ( 09970898306)

LESSON 1: SYNOPTIC GOSPPEL

I. My Story

DIFFERENT STORIES, ONE MESSAGE

Do you remember typhoon "Ondoy"? There was widespread flood all over the city and many people drowned.
The pictures on TV showed some people being swept away by rushing rivers and flooded creeks. Cars were
floating on the murky water and houses were deep in flood. People were carrying their things and crossing the
flooded streets. Some people even used the electrical cables as makeshift bridges to get across the streets.
There were many heroic stories about people who gave
their time, effort, material resources, and sometimes, their
very own lives, to save others during and after the calamity.
The government released footages of their rescue efforts.
Groups of concerned private citizens fed the wet and hungry
people in evacuation centers. Other people donated money,
food, and clothing. Every person who experienced or
witnessed the devastation of the typhoon and the flood has
a story to tell. The calamity has brought out the best and
the worst in people. One truth however remains, - 'Life goes
on.' One small boy was seen by reporters in front of a small, damaged house. He was placing his wet books
and notebooks under the sun to dry. When asked why he saved his books and not his toys or clothes, he
looked at the interviewer and replied: "Because, Sir, I want to continue going to school."

II. Activity
1. Recall your personal experience or the experience of a family member or friend when the typhoon hit
the Philippines and the flooding ensued. What did you feel? What thoughts passed through your mind?
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2. Why do you think some people chose to endanger themselves just to save other people?
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3. Why did the typhoon and flood bring out the best and the worst in people?
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4. What does “life goes on” mean for the young boy?
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5. In this time of pandemic. What did you feel? What thoughts passed through your mind?
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III. Linkage to the story
Perhaps the writer will create a story based on what he or she experienced and add suggestions on how
the government can improve its rescue efforts. Another possibility is that the writer will write the story based
on the experience of other people and talk about how 'perfect strangers' gave their gift of selves to save
others. Though there can be different points of view and intent, there will be one constant fact about the
stories: They are all about Typhoon Ondoy. Perhaps, when we look back at the stories about Typhoon Ondoy,
we shall put more attention to the triumphs of the human spirit instead of the calamity. We will be inspired by
how men and women, young and old, gave up a part of themselves to save others. There might be varied
ways of writing the stories about man's selflessness and events that led to people's safety. During the time of
need, somebody gave the gift of self and became another person's salvation. The gospels in the New
Testament also show us that somebody gave the gift of self so that we may be saved, not just from a calamity
but from the depravity of sin. The life and works of Jesus Christ is presented to us by the four evangelists:
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Their message throughout the gospels is clear: God the Father, in His great
love for man, sent His only Son to become man's salvation.

IV. DEEPEN ( We Believe)

In the Old Testament , God established successive covenants or solemn agreements with his people
Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David). In these covenants, God binds himself to protect and care for
his people, and the people in turn commit themselves to be faithful to God and live according to his thers and
commandments. Covenants were, as commonly practiced in those early times, often ratified by the blood of
sacrificial animals. When all these covenants failed, God made a final and definitive covenant by becoming
man in Jesus Christ, sealing this covenant with his own blood on the cross. Thus, humanity is forever bound to
God, not only as partners to a new covenant but as children of God in Jesus Christ
 a. The Promise Messiah
In various parts of the Old Testament, God promises the coming of a Messiah (meaning "anointed", from the
Hebrew Masiah, in Greek the word is "Christos”, in English "Christ") who would come and save the people of
Israel from their oppressors. One such prophecy is in the 2nd Book of Samuel, Ch. 7:12-15, where God
promised King David: “...I will raise up your heir after you...I will make his kingdom firm...] will make his royal
throne firm forever...I will be a father to him and he shall be a son to me." The Jews did not accept Jesus as
the promised Messiah, and to this day they are still waiting for the Messiah's coming. Jesus' followers believed
that he, Jesus of Nazareth, was the promised Christos prophesied in the Old Testament, and eventually they
were called "Christians” (Acts 11:26), followers of Jesus, the Christ. The New Testament is the story of Jesus,
his birth, early childhood, public ministry, suffering, death, resurrection from the dead, and ascension into
heaven. It also describes the Pentecost event, the spread of Jesus' teachings through the preaching of his
apostles, and the formation of the early Christian communities. The New Testament describes in various ways
this "Jesus event." Jesus was born around 3-5 BC and died around 30 AD. The books of the New Testament
were written between 50 AD to 95 AD. Between the time of his death and the first letter written by Paul
around 51 AD, the apostles and the followers of Jesus preached his message and formed communities.
Eventually, these communities began to write down these preaching and gather together the various stories
about Jesus, thus resulting in the 27 books that now form the New Testament. The lessons in this textbook
will cover a brief exposition of all 27 books. As we continue to study the New Testament, let us remember the
Church's exhortation that: "This sacred Synod earnestly and specifically urges all the Christian faithful to learn
by frequent reading of the divine Scriptures the excelling knowledge of Jesus Christ... For ignorance of the
Scriptures is ignorance of Christ..." (Dei Verbum 25) "God, the inspirer and author of both Testaments, wisely
arranged that the New Testament be hidden in the Old and the Old be made manifest in the New. For though
Christ established the new covenant in His blood, still the books of the Old Testament with all their parts,
caught up into the proclamation of the Gospel, acquire and show forth their full meaning in the New
Testament, and in turn shed light on it and explain it"(Dei Verbum 16). A closer and more prayerful study of
the New Testament will lead you to discover who Jesus is and learn why a life centered on Jesus will be a
fruitful and meaningful life. The New Testament consists of:

1. The four Gospels (attributed to the four evangelists, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) which present four
portraits of Jesus;

2. Acts of the Apostles which describes the spread of Christianity as Jesus' disciples moved out of Jerusalem to
proclaim the Good News to other places

3.Various epistles or letters of teaching and admonitions to Christian churches that had been established;

4. The book of Revelation which describes a new heaven and a new earth" that is to come.

b. The Gospels and their formation

Gospel is taken from Greek word "euangelion" ('eu', meaning 'good' and aggeliun, meaning message), which
in Latin combined to form the word evangelium, meaning "good tidings" or "good news". Words such as
evangelist and evangelize were later derived from it. The Romans at the time of Jesus used the word to refer
to the birth of an heir to their king whom they addressed as Caesar, or the accession to the throne of Caesar.
For the Christians at the time of Jesus, "good news" connotes the birth of a true King who will rule and reign
over God's Kingdom. It originally referred to something that was orally spoken, not written. Jesus himself did
not write down any of his teachings, nor did his apostles when they began preaching. Only towards the latter
half of the first century did the apostles and their disciples begin writing down these "oral traditions" about
Jesus. These "oral traditions" were gathered together into four streams of teachings about Jesus, later called
the four gospels. The four gospels were written between 65 AD and 95 AD. These oral traditions consisted of
different stories about Jesus as the apostles remembered them, his words, actions, miracles, parables, etc.
Jesus' resurrection and ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost gave the followers of Jesus a
much deeper understanding of his life, his mission, and person. This new understanding greatly influenced
how they preached and wrote the gospels. Followers of the apostles began collecting the stories, and compiled
them in writing. The “Gospels” that later emerged were attributed to the authorship of the four evangelist, but
the writers were different. The preaching of the apostles were compiled and arranged by their followers and
attributed to them as the author.
 c. SYNOPTIC GOSPEL
Synoptic means “in a glance" or "seen together". This term refers to the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and Luke.
If the three gospels are placed side by side, one can see at a glance they are similar in many respects. They
relate the same stories of Jesus' words and actions, although the arrangement is different, and certain stories
found in one are not recounted in the others. It is commonly believed that Mark's gospel was the first to be
written (around 64 AD) and was the basis of the gospels of Matthew (written after 70 AD), and Luke written
around 80 AD). These two evangelists also made use of a third source designated as the "Q" (from the
German 'Quelle' meaning source). Some materials found only in Matthew seem to
have come from another source which scholars call "M". John's gospel was written around
95 AD. The Synoptic Gospel are following…

 GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

The Gospel is believed to have been written after 70 AD in Antioch. At this time, the Jewish Christians
who continued to attend in the synagogues were no longer welcome and were being persecuted by
their Jewish neighbors. Based on a study of its contents, it was written by a Jewish Christian for an
audience that were also mostly Jews converted to Christianity and some non-lews as well. Jesus is
presented as the "Messiah" awaited by the Jews in Old Testament prophecies, as teacher (the new
Moses, Israel's law-giver), healer, and Lord. He is Emmanuel (meaning "God with us") who promised to
remain with us until the end of time. Matthew emphasized that in Jesus is
fulfilled the reign of the Kingdom of God. True discipleship and faith in Jesus
must be expressed in living a moral and ethical life.

 GOSPEL OF MARK

It is commonly agreed that the evangelist Mark is John Mark mentioned in the Book of Acts 12:12 in
whose house Christians gathered for prayer. He was the cousin of Barnabas, a companion of Peter,
and joined Paul in his missionary journeys. Mark's vivid portrayal of Jesus indicates that he heard these
stories directly from the apostle Peter. It is a principal source of the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
Mark's gospel is the shortest of the four gospels and the earliest to be written (between 65-70 AD) for
Gentile Christians in Rome who were at the time undergoing persecution from the Roman authorities.
The Emperor Nero put the blame on the Christians for the burning of Rome in 64 AD. Mark presents his
gospel by saying "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." Mark unveils the
mystery of Jesus as a "suffering Messiah", misunderstood by many, but whose identity as the "Son of
God slowly unfolds through his powerful deeds. Peter acclaimed him as the
"Messiah", and at his death on the cross, the centurion proclaimed him as
truly the Son of God. Mark sought to encourage his community to persevere
in the midst of persecution for they too, like Jesus, will be victorious in the
end.

 GOSPEL OF LUKE

Luke's Gospel (written between 80-90 AD) is often called the gospel of mercy and universal salvation.
He portrays Jesus as a compassionate Lord, merciful to the poor, sinners, the marginalized, and who
accords women equal dignity. Luke is a Gentile Christian, a Syrian from Antioch, who also wrote the
Acts of the Apostles, a continuation of the gospel. There is a mention of a "Luke, the beloved
physician" in Colossians 4:14. Luke wrote for Greek speaking converts to Christianity who had little
familiarity with Jewish language or culture. Luke's purpose was to assure them that they too, have
become recipients of the promise of salvation earlier given to the Jews who rejected Jesus. He states in
Chapter 1 that although he was not an eyewitness to what had transpired, he had "investigated
everything accurately anew...to write it down in orderly sequence...so you (referring to the addressee,
Theophilus) may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received." The role of the Holy Spirit is
emphasized in Luke and Acts, as well as detachment from material things and kindness to the poor.
 V. Things to remember
 Who is the final and definitive covenant of God?
God made a final and definitive covenant by becoming man in Jesus Christ, sealing this covenant with his
own blood on the cross.
 Who is the Messiah?
Jesus Christ is the Messiah.
 What does the New Testament consist of?
The New Testament consists of the Four Gospels, The Acts of the Apostles, The Apostolic Letters, and The
Book of Revelation.
 What does the term 'Gospel mean?
It means 'good tidings' or 'good news'.
 Who are the four evangelists?
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
 What does 'Synoptic Gospels' mean?
Synoptic means "in a glance" or "seen together". This term refers to the gospels of Mark, Matthew, and
Luke. If the three gospels are placed side by side, one can see at a glance they are similar in many respects.
 What does the Gospel of Matthew emphasize?
Matthew emphasized that in Jesus is fulfilled the reign of the Kingdom of God. True discipleship and faith in
Jesus must be expressed in living a moral and ethical life.
 What does the Gospel of Mark tell us about Jesus?

Mark unveils the mystery of Jesus as a "suffering Messiah", misunderstood by many, but whose identity as the
"Son of God" slowly unfolds through his powerful deeds. How does Luke portray Jesus? Luke portrays Jesus as
a compassionate Lord, merciful to the poor, sinners, the marginalized, and who accords women equal dignity.
 What does the Church tell us about the canonicity of the four gospels?
The Four Gospels are of apostolic origin. For what the Apostles preached in fulfillment of the commission by
Christ, afterwards they themselves and apostolic men, under the inspiration of the Divine Spirit, handed on
to us in writing

VI. EVALUATION : Match the description with the right word within the box.

Ako si
_____________________ nga ginikanan ni _________________nagapamatuod nga akong gihagit ug gi-
agni ang akong anak sa pagtuon ug pagtubag sa iyang module sa REED 8. Ako usab siyang gihatagan
ug tabang sa mga butang nga dili niya masabtan. Ako nagapirma sa ubos isip pagpamatuod sa akong
gibuhat.
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Ngalan ug Pirma sa Ginikanan / Petsa sa Pagpirma