The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John

The Four Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament know as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The term gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelion or “good news.” These four books are not just historical accounts, but announcement that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and the true king of the world. This “good news” was that Jesus brought the reign of God to the whole world, through his life, death and resurrection. By expertly weaving Old Testament prophetic fulfillment into the Gospels, the writers make the true claim of Christ’s identity and the final redemptive act of God. There are numerous shared themes within the four Gospels that are common no matter who the audience was the writer was addressing. The Gospels relate
how Jesus Christ fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies with the reference to those scriptures (prophecy) within the Gospels themselves. For example, the author of Matthew portrays Jesus’s healing ministry as a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy of the suffering servant. The Gospels also show that Jesus Christ was the incarnation of God on earth, one prime example was at the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. “And behold, a voice out of the heavens said, this is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased (Matthew 3:17).” Another prime theme which runs through the Gospels begins with John the Baptist and continues with Jesus and that was preaching the kingdom of God was at hand. John begins in Matthew 3:17 and Jesus continues that same sentiment in Matthew 6:10 where Jesus teaches the Lord’s Prayer. Throughout the Four Gospels, it’s easy to see the real condition of fallen man. Everywhere the Christ went, he encountered sins, misery, weakness, death, evil, demons and so much more. The Gospels also show the reader the sufficiency of Christ. No matter where he went, no matter what he encountered he always had a solution to the problems. Whether it was casting out demons, healing the sick, or the forgiving of sins, Jesus was the unique answer to all the problems. Even though each of the four Gospels have different purposes as they were written for specific audiences, they do have the same themes that run through each of them. These stories are:
- Near the beginning of the books, the deity of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:23; Mark 1:1; Luke 1:32-35 and John 1:1).
- John the Baptist’s teachings (Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:2-4; Luke 3:2-3 and John 1:6-7).
- The baptism of Jesus Christ (Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:29-34).
- Jesus’ miracles and teachings (Matthew 4–25; Mark 1–13; Luke 4–19:27 and John 2–17).
- The betrayal, trail and death of Jesus (Matthew 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 19:28–23:56 and John 18–19).
- Discovery of Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:1–15; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12 and John 20:1–10).
- Encouragement and commission for Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:9–20; Luke 24:13–53 and John 20:11–21:23).
With the same themes running through the Gospels, it can easily be seen that four different authors covered the same story from different perspectives. These compilations were written at different times, under different circumstances with different intentions, yet they all provide a written account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is believed that each of the four Gospels were written with different audiences in mind in order to convey the story of Jesus to those audiences whether Jew or
Gentile. The Gospel of Matthew was written by a Levite tax collector under the same name around 60 CE. The book of Matthew was written for a primarily Jewish audience. The Gospel points to the idea that Jesus Christ was the awaited Messiah, the promised King of the Jews and the Savior. “The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham (Matthew 1:1).” Matthew’s Gospel acknowledges more fulfilled prophecies pertaining to the Messiah than any of the other Gospels. The Gospel records the final redemptive sacrifice fulfilled in Christ sacrifice for the fulfillment of the law. It is believed the Gospel of Mark was written sometime between 50 CE and 60 CE focused on a Gentile audience. This written account is the shortest of the four Gospels and approximately one-third of the book covers the last week of Christ life prior to his death. Mark also paints Jesus as the suffering servant, a servant sent to serve only to be put to death. “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days’ rise again (Mark 8:31).” The Gospel tells the story of Jesus as a different type of Messiah that what the Jewish people had expected. The Jews had expected a Messiah who would come and save them from the influence of the Roman Empire, instead Jesus came riding a donkey an was crucified by the authorities of the time. The Gospel of Luke, was also written primarily to a Gentile audience sometime around 70 CE, addressed to “most excellent Theophilus (Luke 1: 3).” Luke, who was a physician undertook the process to investigate and collect the information from eyewitness and servants to provide an account of the life of Jesus Christ. It is unknown whether Luke was making a case for Christianity and that is was not a threat to the Gentile world, or if his writings were for other purposes. Luke’s Gospel paints a picture of Christ as being considerate to the Samaritans and the Gentiles, with his parables of the Good Samaritan and the Centurion. For the author, salvation appears with Jesus and he is the one who holds or performs that salvation. The story of Simeon a devoted man, who saw Jesus when he was presented that temple knew he had witnessed salvation. “Now Lord, you are releasing your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation (Luke 2:29-20).” Luke shows the Christ as the Son of God who provided a way for all of mankind to be a part of God’s family. The book of John is the most unique of the four Gospels, and not in considered one of the synoptic Gospels as the first three.
The book of John focuses less on the historical event and more on the spiritual themes. The book was written by the Apostle John, who had a first-hand accounting of the events which took place as he was one of the original twelve apostles of Christ. The book of John first and foremost establishes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and the one referenced in the Old Testament prophecies. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world (John 6:33).” John makes it a point as to what Jesus’s purpose was and the reason he was sent to earth. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John
3:16-18).” A great deal of the Gospel accounts overlap and contain similar information that the first three Gospels are known as the synoptic Gospels. The three synoptic Gospels convey the story of Jesus in very similar ways, including the order of materials, the sayings and even using some of the same wording in parallel. The Gospel of John is not considered one of the synoptic gospels, but it too tells the story of Jesus Christ. The issues concerning the similarities and differences within the Gospel accounts are a very complex issue. There are so many theories on how to reconcile the similarities of the four accounts to include the idea of a second undiscovered document which the Gospels were based off known as “Q.” Another theory relates that maybe they are closely related due to shared traditions or since they are so closely related with so many parallels it cannot be a coincidence and they were written for each other or another common source. The similarities may be due to the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the fact that the events written were told by or written by those who were actual witnesses to the accounts. “This is the disciple who is testifying to these things, and wrote these things, and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things which Jesus did, which if they were written in detail, I suppose that even the world itself would not contain the books that would be written (John 21:24-25)”. As with similarities the Gospels also have many differences that some may appear as a problem and hard for some to reconcile. Each of the writers were addressing different audiences, and in some areas they may have paraphrased text, omitted text or changed the context in order to get the point for the audience they were addressing. The writers may have also included different details and accounts, since witnesses who see the same incident tend to see different details from their perspective. Differences within the Gospel accounts are imbedded in purpose, perspective and focus. If the Gospel accounts completely sync’d with each other it would have been a “red flag” and something would have been amiss. Reconciling the similarities and difference amongst the four Gospel may not actually be the kind of problem it has been made into. “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth (John 17:17). The Gospels are just as relevant in today’s modern world as they two thousand years ago when they were written. The Gospels tell the story of God’s last redemptive act for mankind that came in the form of his Son, Jesus Christ. “Do not let your heart be troubled: believe in God, believe also in Me (John 14:1).” The offer of salvation was not made for just chosen people, but for all mankind, with only one way to that offer. “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me (John 14:6).” The Gospels are different accounts of a single compelling story that meets the spiritual needs of people today. Another little known fact is that many of the historical facts have been proven. The New Testament has the strongest manuscript evidence of any document in ancient literature and it has more bibliographic support than any other historical document of its time. The Gospel accounts and the Bible as a whole provide essential information for mankind on how one can personally know God and obtain a relationship with him. God sent his one and only son Jesus Christ, who died on a cross and was resurrected three days later. God’s final act of redeeming his creation (which started at the creation of the world) is the offer of salvation through Jesus Christ. The Gospels address the universal needs of all people; know God, experience forgiveness and live the life God wants mankind to live. There are many challenges to the Gospels today, which make understanding how the Gospels can be meaningful in today’s world. The Gospels were written two-thousand years ago, and many things have changed. The modern world, and the age of enlightenment has put a strain on scripture and belief in God. Whether it is atheism, or those that distort the view of atonement or religious pluralism which distort the Christian religion the Gospels are the “good news” for all ages. In the Gospel of John, the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman is told in chapter four. As Jesus sat next to a well and revealed who he was to a Samaritan woman, he told her: “Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water (John 4:10).” It is mankind’s duty to “seek the living water,” that even though times change, God’s word does not.