Part 7: Gospels
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readers to come to believe in Jesus. They intended to convert us! So they carefully selected events, miracles, and teachings and then arranged them in such a way that we would be drawn to Jesus as Lord. You may read a biography of Thomas Jefferson or Nelson Mandela and be impressed or inspired by their courage or wisdom. But when you read a gospel, the author’s goal is to bring you to believe in Jesus, to put your faith in him.
Us Four and No More But why do we need four gospels? Couldn’t someone have written just one story and included everything? The four gospels give us four different perspectives on Jesus. If you and three friends were to visit the Carnegie Museum in Pittsburgh, you all would see the same exhibits. But if all of you were asked to write about the experience, you would write from different perspectives. One account might focus attention on the fabulous gem and mineral display, another on the art collection. Each account would be accurate, but each would have its own unique emphasis. The early Christians recognized that there was only one gospel story but that each gospel writer brought his own perspective to that story — and each had a particular audience in mind: • Matthew wrote his gospel to a Jewish audience. His goal was to present Jesus as the true King of Israel, the Redeemer God had promised to send.
THE SYNOPTIC GOSPELS • Mark was probably the first gospel written. Matthew and Luke were written next and John last. • The first three gospels are sometimes called “Synoptic Gospels.” The word synoptic means “to see in the same way.” Matthew, Mark, and Luke all incorporate similar features in their accounts of Jesus — parables, miracles, the same key events. John’s gospel has a very
different style. • Matthew and Luke borrow heavily from Mark’s gospel. Matthew includes almost the entire gospel of Mark but arranges some events differently. About 30 percent of Matthew’s gospel is found in no other gospel account. Luke has almost 50 percent original material, and 90 percent of John’s gospel is not recorded in Matthew, Mark, or Luke.