Why do we have so much Bible? Who were these guys? Why did they write so much at a time when books were rare? As we start the second half of the Bible, we immediately have four accounts about the life of Jesus. Two were written by apostles1—Matthew and John—and two were by disciples2 —Mark and Luke. Matthew was called from being an accountant (Roman tax collector). Mark (John Mark) was the youngest follower, closest to the Apostle Peter although he served on part of Paul’s first missionary journey with his uncle Barnabas and then again later in Paul’s life. Luke was a physician and chronicled in detail the life of Jesus and the Acts of the Apostles; he also traveled with Paul at times and was the historian of the writers. John the Apostle was one of the two sons of Zebedee and the youngest of the apostles. He was one of the three closest to Jesus, used the euphemism ‘the one whom Jesus loved’ to identify himself in his gospel account and lived to write the three epistles of John and the Revelation of Jesus Christ.
Back to the ‘why—it was Luke that said it best:
This wasn’t a criticism of the other three writers but simply that he was chronicling for the purpose ‘that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught’. He was documenting the reports and confirming the accuracy of what was being attributed to Jesus as reliable teachings rather than hearsay or gossip. While he makes no reference to being an eyewitness himself, he did have contact with most of the apostles who were eyewitnesses.
Peter also noted the trustworthiness of what the apostles were attributing to Jesus:
Peter was in on almost everything recorded as he was part of the inner three who Jesus included in the most illustrative moments. John the Apostle went a little further in his first epistle to be even more inclusive as to the scope of his eyewitnessing:
That which came from his earliest time with Jesus, the full context of all that pertained to the ministry of Jesus, what was both seen and heard, ‘so that you too may have… fellowship with us in the Father and Son… that your joy may be complete.’ Not just stories but that which has the ability to change lives. Then, in the introduction to the final book of the Bible, John reiterates the purpose, that the Bible is all about Jesus, is given by God to His witnesses so that those who read may be changed by the account,
These accounts are not just history but are given that you may be certain of the truth by which your life may be changed by the Word of God.
And so we begin the second half of the Bible where the LORD is more fully revealed in God Incarnate, Jesus Christ.