Why four Gospels?

In the Old Testament there is only a single narrative of God’s interaction with the Jewish people. However, when we come to the New Testament we encounter four accounts of the life, ministry and teachings of Jesus. Why? Because the Holy Spirit inspired Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to describe specific facets of Jesus’ character and actions. Each Gospel has a purpose and a theme guiding its presentation of Jesus. The Gospels were also written to address the needs and concerns of various communities within the early church.

The Gospels contain accurate trustworthy accounts of the Life of Jesus. At the last supper Jesus promised to send the disciples the Holy Spirit. The Spirit would be with them and comfort them. In addition Jesus promised, “He (the Holy Spirit) will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you” (John 14:26). In addition, the disciples were eye witnesses to the events and they were diligent to accurately record their experiences (Luke 1:1-4).

While critics will point to supposed “contradictions between the accounts, a diligent reading of the accounts resolves what at first appear to be superficial difference. As we study through the Gospels in the coming weeks we will study them harmoniously. What this means is that we will follow the life, ministry and teachings in chronologic order. We will simultaneously look at accounts that in more than one Gospel – for example, the account of Jesus walking on the water occurs in Matthew, Mark and John. The harmonious approach allow the reader to more fully understand the events or teachings by studying the different details recorded and different language used by the authors.

Matthew describes Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. He write for a Jewish audience and focuses on what Jesus said. The Gospel ends with His resurrection – the accomplished work of the Messiah.

Mark describes Jesus as the humble servant. He wrote for a Roman audience and focused on what Jesus did. The Gospel ends with His ascension – the servant return to His home.

Luke describes Jesus as the perfect man — the “Son of man.” He wrote for a Greek audience and expressed Jesus humanity, focusing on what Jesus felt. The Gospel ends the promise of the Holy Spirit. The promise is fulfilled in the Book of Acts — Luke’s second book.

John describes Jesus as God incarnate – God who has come to earth in human form. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” John 10:30. John wrote for members of the early church and focused on who Jesus was – the only “begotten” Son of God. The Gospel ends with the promise of Jesus return. John will later describe this return in Revelation.

We will use, One Perfect Life: The Complete Story of the Lord Jesus which is a Harmony of the Gospels compiled by John MacArthur as our primary text. Join me on this journey to know our Savior more completely.