The Good News of the Messiah
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John each contain a slightly different take on the story of Jesus Christ. Together, they form a collection known as the Gospels. The familiar English word Gospel comes from the phrase “good spell” meaning “good news.” For Christians, the story of the birth, ministry and death of the Messiah is the best news humanity has ever received.
Uncover the Original Hebrew
The authors of the four Gospels – like Jesus himself – were pious Jews deeply familiar with the original Hebrew Bible. They would have referred to their biographies of Jesus using the Hebrew word בְּשׂוֹרָה besorah. Throughout the Bible, this is a very special term reserved for truly momentous good news, such as the birth of a child (Jer. 20:15) or the salvation of the Lord (Isa. 52:7). The besorah of the arrival of the Messiah certainly elicited great enthusiasm in the Land of Israel.
Get Beneath the Surface of the Bible
Surprisingly, the word besorah comes from an unexpected source: the root בשר BSR meaning “flesh” or “exterior.” The people of Israel conceived the bearing of good tidings as a kind of joyous uncovering. When you deliver good news to someone, you are wiping away the sadness on the surface and exposing happiness within. Enroll today in our live online Biblical Hebrew course to remove the confusion of translations and expose the true Hebrew essence beneath the surface!