The Four Gospels

The Gospel of Matthew

Biographic Insights

• Levi was his original Hebrew name (Mark 2:1).
• His Christian name was Matthew (9:9).
• He was a publican by profession.

He collected taxes for Herod’s district in the Roman Empire. Orthodox Jews considered him to be a dishonest traitor. After his conversion, he hosted an evangelistic banquet for his unsaved companions (9:10-13, Mk 2:15-17, Lk 5:29-32).

Historical tradition indicates that he ultimately may have carried the gospel as far at Ethiopia.

Gospel Insights

• He wrote to a Jewish audience.
• He makes distinct references to money, mention more and rarer kinds of currency that the other gospel writers.
• He quotes frequently from the Old Testament, as many as 129 times, more than any other gospel. He uses the phrase “that it might be fulfilled nine times,” to demonstrate the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy.
• He uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” 32 times with reference to the kingdom of Christ. Other gospel writers use the phrase “kingdom of God.”

Since Matthew wrote primarily to the Jews, he would have guarded against provoking another political revolution. Using the phrase “kingdom of God” would have more easily encouraged such a response. This is a possible reason why he would have preferred the phrase “kingdom of heaven” instead.

Central Purpose: to demonstrate that Jesus Christ was indeed the Jewish Messiah prophesied throughout the Old Testament.

The Gospel of Mark

Biographic Insights

• He was the son of Mary (not the mother of Jesus) (Acts 12:12). Incidentally, his nickname was John, otherwise known as John Mark.
• Barnabas was his uncle (Col 4:10).
• His trade or profession is unknown, probably due to his young age.
• He became a ministry associate of Peter (1 Pet 5:13).
• He accompanied Paul and Barnabas to Antioch (12:25).
• He accompanied them on Paul’s first missionary journey, but left the team prematurely (Acts 13:13).
• He joined Barnabas later on a missions trip to the island of Cyprus (Acts 15:36)
• Paul eventually considered him to be a valuable partner in ministry (Col 4:10, 2 Tim 4:11).

Gospel Insights

He wrote to a Roman audience.

• He gives translations for Aramaic words (3:17, 5:41, 7:34, 15:22)
• He uses Latin terminology (4:21, 6:27, 42, 15:15-16, 39)

The key word is (transliterated) euthus. English translations of this word include immediately, straightway, and anon. This gospel is a book of action. It is the “front page”, “sports page” gospel. Mark emphasizes the activity of Christ. The key statement in this gospel is found in Mark 10:45.

Central Purpose: to portray Christ as a servant, the ultimate hero of mankind.

The Gospel of Luke

Biographic Insights

• The only known Gentile (see Acts 1:19) engaged by God to write scripture, unless Job was not a Hebrew.
• He provides more New Testament content than any other writer.
• The Gospel of Luke and the Book of Acts are sequels. As a two-volume set, they contribute more total content to the New Testament than all of Paul’s epistles combined.
• He was a medical doctor by profession (Col 4:14).
• He became a traveling companion of Paul the apostle. If you were Paul, you would be glad to have a physician join your mission team!

Gospel Insights

• He wrote to a Greek audience.
• He employs meticulous detail (see 3:1-2).
• He gives attention to women, with a total of 43 references. (Matthew and Mark combined equal only 49 references.)
• He places an emphasis on the ministry of the Holy Spirit (19 references) and the prayer life of Jesus Christ (seven exclusive references).

Central Purpose: to present Christ, the second Adam, as the perfect man.

The Gospel of John

Biographic Insights

• He was the son of Zebedee and Salome (Matt 4:21, Mk 16:1).
• He was the brother of James (the disciple) (Matt 4:21).
• He was a fisherman by trade (Matt 4:21).
• He knew the High Priest personally (18:15-16).

Gospel Insights

The first three gospels are commonly called the “synoptic” gospels. “Synoptic” means to “see together,” meaning that they share a large degree of material. Though each of these three gospels share a large degree of material, they arrange and present the material (including some unique material) differently in order to serve a different emphasis and purpose. These differences, though, do not cause any disagreement between them. That said, John’s gospel provides more than 90% new and unique material, which is why it is not considered a “synoptic” gospel.

• He wrote to an inclusive audience, the world. He also uses terms such as whosoever, etc.
• His gospel is not a synoptic gospel, since 90% of its content is unique.
• He placed a dominant emphasis on the Passion Week (John 12-20).
• The key statement in this gospel is found in John 20:31.

Central Purpose: to proclaim that Jesus Christ is God, the Savior of the world.

“And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” (John 21:25)