The New Testament begins with four accounts of the gospel (gospel meaning “good news”) of Jesus Christ: The Gospel According to Matthew, the Gospel According to Mark, the Gospel According to Luke, and the Gospel According to John. But if the Bible is the Word of God, essentially written by God, why do we have four gospels instead of just one? Although all four gospels tell of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, there are differences between them. Does that mean they contradict? Which account is the “right” one?
All 66 books of the Bible are inspired by God, but each book also had a human author whose life experiences, culture, and language all made it into their writing. The four gospels are no different. Each was written by a human author, with God’s help, for different audiences and purposes. The fact that we have four gospels instead of just one is actually to our benefit, testifying to the truth of what happened. Hearing multiple perspectives on the same series of events makes it more likely that we’ll get the whole picture, the complete story. Each author expands on and adds to the accounts of the others, makes the story accessible to different people groups, and fulfills a distinct purpose as only they could. To understand why they are different, we need to examine who wrote each gospel account, who they wrote it for, and what they were trying to accomplish.
Meet Matthew
Also called Levi, Matthew was a Jewish tax collector for Rome who became one of Jesus’ twelve original disciples. Evidence from the text indicates Matthew primarily had a Jewish audience in mind for his writing. He references the Scriptures (our Old Testament) that they would have been familiar with, and his content and linguistic choices make sense for a Jewish audience. The Gospel of Matthew starts with a genealogy leading back through Jesus’ lineage to Abraham, situating Jesus specifically within the history of Israel, showing that He fulfils the prophecies of the Messiah as a “Son of David.” It was likely written a couple of decades after Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension into heaven, after Matthew had had time to process his experiences and plan how to share why he left everything at his tax booth one day and followed a travelling rabbi. His gospel offers a first-hand account from one of those in Christ’s inner circle, full of references and proof that the Jews could indeed trust Him as the promised Messiah.
Meet Mark
The second account was written by a man named John Mark, or just Mark. He was likely young at the time of Jesus death and resurrection, but his family consisted of some early believers and Acts 12:12 notes that many believers later gathered in his mother’s house to pray for Peter’s deliverance from prison (it worked, by the way). So, Mark had a front-row seat for the start of the early Christian church. He would have been one of the first who grew up, at least partially, in this new world. Mark also travelled with Paul and Barnabas, whose missionary journeys helped spread the word of the gospel (Acts 12:25).
Unlike Matthew’s book, Mark’s account was written to Gentiles (non-Jews). Therefore, he explains Jewish customs so that non-Jewish readers understand what’s happening (for example, in Mark 7:3-4). He also gets into the action more quickly, leaving out some things that Matthew included. Mark doesn’t start with a genealogy or the birth of Christ, but jumps right in to His appearance on the world scene with a quick introduction to John the Baptist and then Jesus’ Baptism and calling of the first disciples. Scholars say this was written likely between AD 50 and 70, so Mark likely wrote down what he had learned from the original disciples, including Peter, as he saw their lives threatened by Rome. Many Christians were martyred during this time early in church history, and Mark both gave hope to those who were currently suffering hardship by giving them the “good news” of the Christ, the Son of God, who also willingly suffered horribly for the sake of both Jews and Gentiles, and preserved a record of what happened for future generations of Christians who would not be able to hear it from the original eyewitnesses.
Meet Luke
Luke was the only gospel author who was a Gentile. He was also a physician and a friend of Paul (Colossians 4:14). Luke additionally authored Acts, which gives the account of the early church after Jesus’ ascension. Some elements are unique to Luke’s account, such as the parable of the prodigal son (15:11-32). Setting forth to produce an “orderly account” (1:3), Luke provides the most information of all the gospel authors, especially considering the addition of Acts. We would not have nearly as much information about either Jesus’ ministry or the early church without his efforts.
As a Gentile, Luke most likely wrote to other Gentiles who were believers so that, in his words, readers may “know the certainty of the things you have been taught” (1:4). His account also includes a genealogy in chapter 3, but instead of tracing Jesus’ ancestors back to Abraham to emphasize His place in Jewish history, Luke traces his lineage starting from Joseph who, “it was thought” (3:22), was his father, all the way back to Adam, the first man, ending with “the son of God” (3:38). Rather than emphasize Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise to Israel, as Matthew had done, Luke presents Jesus as having come for everyone. His human roots go back to the first man, the ancestor of all people, Jews and Gentiles alike. More importantly, He is the Son of God come into the world to save us all.
Wait…what’s John up to?
Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they roughly follow the same outline and are focused on the chronological key events in Jesus’ life and ministry. John, however, looks different from the moment you open to the first page. Instead of starting with the beginning of Jesus’ life or ministry, he starts with the beginning of the universe: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (1:1). Throughout the book, he approaches the telling of events differently. Some pieces that are found in the three other gospels aren’t found here, and some pieces are unique to John. He may have written his account later than the others, and so may work under the assumption that many already know the basic facts of what happened. Instead of telling the same events again, he offers his unique insight as someone who was close to Jesus and realized that he was friends with the Son of God, God Himself.
The son of Zebedee and brother of James, John was one of Jesus’ twelve disciples, like Matthew. He refers to himself in his writing not by name, but as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” He is also the author of the three letters (1st, 2nd, 3rd John) and Revelation, the New Testament book of prophecy.
The Gospel of John, from the beginning, emphasizes Jesus’ identity as God—as one and the same with the divine Being who created the universe. John wants to showcase who that God is—His character shown in the fully human person of Jesus of Nazareth, “that you may believe” and “have life in His name” (20:30).
The four gospel accounts are different, but these differences should not be taken as contradictions. They represent unique perspectives on the same thing based on the author’s purpose and audience. Each one emphasizes different details and events that were important for the distinct story they were telling. That each one of these people took the extensive time to record what they knew about Jesus Christ is a testament to the truth and importance of the good news. And each one is inspired by God and preserved for us so we know what His Son is like.
Some questions to ask as you read and compare the gospel accounts:
- What’s unique about this account?
- What’s the reason for the differences between this account and the other gospels? How do those differences help the author accomplish his purpose to reach his specific audience?
- What unique narrations of events, pieces of information, descriptions, or explanations would we miss if we didn’t have this gospel?
—————————————————