The New Testament of the Bible starts out with the four Gospel accounts, telling the life of Jesus. While they all have much in common, they are also unique, providing us with different perspectives on His life and ministry. Yet the question exists and arises from time to time, why there are four separate accounts; wouldn’t it make more sense to just have one story of Jesus’ life?
There are many different ways we can answer this question, but one of the most important is the importance that four different books, speaking of the life of Jesus, gives to His life. One of the ways we can interpret the importance of different topics and words in the Bible, is by how often they are mentioned. Having four separate Gospels that tell the story of Jesus’ life, makes it clear to those reading the Bible that His life is of upmost importance.
We can take this idea a step further, comparing the Gospels. There are some events which occur in only one of the Gospels, some in two, some in three and a few in all four. As we study the Bible, we can see that the events which show up more times are of greater importance. They may not seem that way to us, but God has decided that they are. Therefore, we should pay attention.
The four Gospels are different, even while all covering the same subject; the life of Jesus Christ. Their purpose was best described by Luke, at the beginning of his Gospel. This introduction was written to Theophilus, but can be said to be written to all of us:
Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, 2 just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, 3 it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, 4 that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed. – Luke 1:1-4
It is unsure exactly who this Theophilus was, although it seems clear that he was a high-ranking government official of some sort. While it might seem strange that Luke would write to such a person, we must remember that Luke was a doctor. As such, he was seen as being a scholar and man of learning. Such people have been held in high regard, throughout the Middle East, for centuries before and after the time of Christ. His account would have been accepted at face value by Theophilus for this, if no other reason.
Canon of the Gospels
The four Gospels that we have were written by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Of these four, Matthew and John were part of Jesus’ original disciples, who became the original apostles. Mark and Luke weren’t. Mark was Peter’s disciple and secretary, so we can take the Gospel of Mark to be Peter’s Gospel, as that’s where Mark got the information from. There’s even a possibility that Peter dictated some of it to Mark; but we just don’t know. Luke, the doctor, was a traveling companion of Paul, after he and Barnabas parted ways.
This makes Luke’s Gospel the only one which did not come directly from one of Jesus’ 12 disciples. However, more than 50 percent of Mark’s Gospel appears in Luke’s. As Luke’s Gospel was written after Mark’s, it’s quite possible that Luke or Paul used it as a reference.
The four authors of the Gospels we know aren’t the only ones who took it upon themselves to record the acts of Jesus’ life. There are a number of other gospels which were written, some of which still exist even unto today. Most of these are not widely known, for a variety of reasons, including some questions about the validity of various texts. Why is it that some of these remained hidden for centuries, yet have come to light in recent times? Why should we accept a “gospel” that is clearly gnostic in origin, considering that the Gnostics were a cult group that mixed Christianity with Greek mythology and other beliefs.
Our four Gospels came to us through church history, giving credibility to their origin. One of the reasons why there are four of them, is that they were written to different groups of people. Without the internet or even the printing press, it was difficult for literature to become widely spread. So, it is quite likely that a group of people who had access to one of the Gospels, might not even realize that the others existed.
- Matthew was written to the Jews
- Mark was written to the Romans
- Luke was written to the Greeks
- John was written to the Church
Looking at this, we can also see that these four different groups would need to be spoken to differently, bringing different aspects of Jesus’ ministry to light. The Romans and Greeks had their own religious beliefs, which were quite different from those of the Jews. The message of the Gospel therefore needed to be presented to them in a way that would be accepted and understood by them, without compromising the basic Gospel message.
As time went on, each of the Gospels we have today was accepted by a certain number of Christians, along with the other books we have included in our New Testament. Slowly, a “canon” of those books which were considered to be scripture developed. This was not, as some have said, created by a bunch of intellectual monks, based on some set of rules; but rather, came out of necessity. The Romans were killing believers off and on for the first 300 years, for the crime of having copies of Christian literature in their homes. Those books which survived as part of the canon, were those which believers considered to be worth dying for.
In actuality, there were four different “canons” of the New Testament, due to the church being spread over such a wide area, with little to no communications between the various churches. Things remained this way from about 170 AD, up until 325 AD.
In the year 325 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine, called the first Ecumenical Counsil in Nicaea. It is there that the canon of New Testament scriptures was formally adopted. But this formality merely affirmed the canon which had been most widely in use since 170 AD.
Many of those other gospels, along with other early church writings, can be found online. However, they are and should be considered to be extra-biblical writings and should not be taken with the same authority as scripture. Where they agree with canonized scripture, they provide support for the truth of the gospel message; but where they do not, they should be ignored.
Why are the Gospels Different?
We find both similarities and differences in the four Gospel accounts. From the start, the differences can be attributed to there being four different authors, each writing from their own, unique perspective. Even when talking about the same event, they would each have slightly different memories of it, especially Joh, who didn’t start writing his Gospel until almost 60 years after the events took place.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness – 2 Timothy 3:16
While there are differences, we must remember that all four authors were inspired by the Holy Spirit. There’s a huge difference between “inspiration” and “dictation.” The Holy Spirit didn’t dictate to the four authors of the Gospels what they should write, word for word. Rather, He reminded them of what Jesus said and did, and then motivated them to write it down. They would have written down what they remembered; in the way they remembered it.
This can lead to different descriptions of the same events. While the basic facts may remain the same, the details might differ. That doesn’t change the veracity or accuracy of what was written. It merely shows us that the apostles remembered the events of Jesus’ life slightly differently.
We must also take into account that some things may have happened more than once. The twin parables of the “Talents” and “Minas” are an ideal example of this. Both tell essentially the same story, with some differences. But who’s to say that both authors are writing about the same telling of that parable? One could be recounting one time that Jesus told it, while the other could be remembering another time. In such a case, it is quite possible that Jesus told the story slightly differently the two times, but with the same basic message.
The Synoptic Gospels
Three of the Gospels, those of Matthe, Mark and Luke, tell roughly the same story about the life of Jesus, even though they don’t tell all of the same events, in all of the same ways. We can accept them all as being true, with the differences chalked up to the different authors and their viewpoints. Remember, two of those authors weren’t part of Jesus’ inner circle during the time He walked here on earth.
The three Synoptic gospels paint a rather complete picture of Jesus’ ministry, supporting each other by the retelling of many of the same events. While there is much in common, the three also act to fill in blanks in the other gospels’ telling of Jesus’ story. The genealogy of Jesus, for example, is told in Matthew, chapter 1 and Luke, chapter 3. The two accountings are different, because one shows his lineage through Joseph and the other through Mary. Hence, we have a complete family tree when we put the two together.
It is not surprising that none of the Gospels show the entire life of Jesus, as there is much more to tell than can be put into a scroll. If we were to try and timeline the events of the Gospels, with the intent of trying to fill the three-and-a-half years of Jesus’ ministry, we would find many gaps in time. As John said, at the closing of his Gospel:
And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. – John 21:25
Perhaps this explains why there are other gospels which are not included in the Canon of Scripture. Those other authors were attempting to capture parts of Jesus’ life and ministry, which were not included in the Gospels included in our Bible. But because those books were “lost” and then later “found,” we cannot be sure of their authenticity. Many of these are referred to as “the lost gospels.”
John’s Gospel – the “Different” One
John’s Gospel is considerably different from those written by Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While the other three authors concentrate on the events of Jesus’ life, showing his healings, miracles and parables; John focuses on the theology that Jesus teaches. It is less about His acts, and more about His teachings.
John wrote his Gospel roughly 30 years after the other three were written, giving him much more time to reflect on what Jesus had said and done. Whereas the other three Gospels were written roughly 20 to 30 years after Jesus’ crucifixion, Johns was written a half century after His death. The passage of time, as well as John’s advancing age, would account for his different perspective. Younger men are interested in deeds, while older men might concentrate on philosophy.
This does not mean that John’s Gospel doesn’t agree with the others. We find enough events in John’s Gospel, that are also shown in the other Gospels, to establish them as being complementary, while showing how they align with each other, timewise. This is especially true of the passion week. At the same time, there are plenty of unique teachings and events in John’s Gospel that augment the teachings found in the Synoptic Gospels.
Getting the Most from the Gospels
Obviously, an understanding of the Gospels is essential to an understanding of Christianity and of our relationship with Jesus. Therefore, studying them is an essential part of our personal Bible study. It is not enough to read just one, as each contains unique information. Rather, we should study them all, learning how they fit together, while comparing the stories that are found in more than one gospel. The better we see how the various Gospels fit together, the better we will understand the life and ministry of Jesus.
It can be helpful to use a “Harmony of the Gospels” in your studies. This is a timeline of Jesus’ life, showing the events recorded in the four Gospels and how they fit together. From it, you can quickly find which events are recorded in more than one of the Gospels, as well as fitting the various teachings mentioned in John’s Gospel into the framework of the Synoptic Gospels.
Studying the multiple accountings of the same events can provide you with a much fuller and clearer picture of those events, as each author adds their individual take on the event. One may record certain details, while leaving others out. But when we add the accounts written in the other Gospels, we get the full picture.
Each word of the Bible is important, even those that might seem repetitive. While the reason for them may not be immediately obvious, as we continue to study, the curtain of our understanding is pulled back, allowing us to gain fuller knowledge. With that, comes greater wisdom too.