Differences in the Gospels

John

Jesus as the True Revelation of God; in this book Jesus is the one who makes God known; reveals God to humanity so that people might know God and be liberated and transformed by that revelation

Mark

Jesus is presented as a preacher of the Gospel

John

Jesus talks mostly about himself, rather than "the good news of the kingdom of God"

Luke

gives more positive attention to Jesus' earthly family and softens negative comments about Israel's religious leaders

Mark

has a special knack for storytelling

Mark

has a young man in the garden of Gethsemane with Jesus; possibly the author

Mark

has an abrupt ending

John

has more to say about love than the other three Gospels combined

John

most likely produced in a community founded by one of Jesus' original disciples and written, preserved, and edited by leaders who had close ties with the apostolic tradition

Mark

offers the most human portrait of Jesus

Matthew

often called "the teacher's Gospel" because it focuses so heavily on the teaching ministry of Jesus and emphasizes so strongly the need for Christian leaders to understand the word and to teach it to others

John

portrays Jesus as delivering long, philosophical discourses, instead of short, pithy sayings

Matthew

portrays the disciples of Jesus as fallible followers who are destined to become apostles of the church

John

portrays the world as a hostile environment that hates Jesus and his followers

John

presents Jesus' ministry as extending over a three year period and concentrates around Jerusalem

John

presents salvation as abundant life; employs a rich and varied vocabulary for the phenomenon of salvation

Mark

probably the first gospel written; around the year 70

John

purpose of the book: "these (things) are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name"

John

refers to Jesus' death as the hour in which he is glorified

Luke

retains much less from Mark's Gospel

Luke

shows special concern for outcasts, for victims of oppression, and for others who appear to be at a disadvantage in society

John

90 percent of the material is without parallel in any of the other three Gospels; unique in both the material it includes and the stories it leaves out

Matthew

exhibits a pronounced hostility toward the religious leaders of Israel

Matthew

emphasis on the abiding presence of God; that God has come to dwell with God's people and that mere human beings can now experience the transforming reality of God's presence in their lives

Mark

emphasis on the centrality of the cross; greater percentage of the book on Jesus' passion narrative; whole story slows down when Peter confesses Jesus as Messiah

Luke

emphasis on worship and prayer

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus as Christ; the promised son of David

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus as new Israel

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus as new Moses

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus as the light of the nations; parallel to Isaiah 60

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus fulfills OT law

Matthew

emphasis on Jesus is Son of God; indicating the Messiah;

Matthew

emphasis on Kingdom of God/Heaven

Matthew

emphasis on discipleship (group of followers that would perpetuate Jesus' mission); including instructions for how God wants people to live

Luke

emphasis on food

Luke

emphasis on salvation as a reality to be experienced here and now

Luke

employs many different titles for Jesus and uses images for understanding Jesus drawn from both Jewish and Greco-Roman worlds

Mark

a relentlessly negative portrayal of Jesus' disciples; emphasizes how easy it is to fail as a disciple of Jesus

Mark

a theme is the "messianic secret"; secretive and mysterious view of Jesus; Jesus tells people not to tell others after he heals them, etc

Luke

about one-half of the Gospel is unique material, found nowhere else

Luke

author also wrote the book of Acts; well-educated writer who exhibits the richest vocabulary of any author in the Bible

Matthew

book in which it is possible to know the scriptures in a superficial sense without truly understanding them

Matthew

book that displays special concern for helping followers of Jesus to address questions of moral behavior; presents Jesus as passing the authority to make judgments on to his followers

Matthew

emphasis on Gentiles coming into God's blessing

John

known for its abundant use of symbolism and literary motif of misunderstanding

Luke

makes editorial changes to perhaps appeal to a broader, more culturally diverse audience

Mark

summary: begins with Jesus' baptism; Jesus appoints disciples; Jesus teaches in hometown and surrounding villages; when Peter confesses that Jesus is the Messiah the narrative enters a new phase; then Jesus enters Jerusalem; ends with the passion narrative

Luke

summary: begins with a dedication to Theophilus; the birth and childhood of Jesus, interspersed with hymns; notes that Jesus had women followers; devotes a long section of his Gospel to the journey of Jesus and his disciples to Jerusalem; entering Jerusalem; ends with the passion narrative

John

summary: begins with poetic prologue, continues with stories engaging the question of Jesus' identity; next is centered around Jewish festivals; then events leading up to Jesus' death; finally the passion and resurrection

Matthew

summary: stories that help identify who Jesus is, then tells the story of Jesus' ministry to Israel, ends with the journey to Jerusalem and subsequent passion and resurrection

Mark

tells the story of Jesus with a sense of urgency; uses the word "immediately" quite frequently

John

the Gospel that emphasizes the role of the Holy Spirit, referred to as the "Paraclete" (often translated as "Advocate," "Counselor," "Comforter," or "Helper")

Mark

the author has a close connection to Peter

Matthew

the best guess of authorship and date is that this book was written by an unknown Jewish Christian in Antioch or some similar Roman city some time after the destruction of the Jerusalem temple

Luke

the book that portrays Jesus dying as a noble martyr, a victim of injustice, who will overcome death in a way that promises an end to oppression

Matthew

the book that portrays Jesus dying as the Messiah of Israel, fulfilling prophecies that indicated that he would be the one to save his people from their sin

John

the book that portrays Jesus dying triumphantly, as one who is glorified and exalted in an ultimate expression of God's love

Mark

the book that tells the story where Jesus gives his life as a ransom for many, demonstrating the sacrificial way of self-denial that is to mark all of his followers

Matthew

the book whose author is very interested in keeping track of things; concerned with order and structure; attentive to detail

Matthew

the book with the only two instances in the New Testament where Jesus talks about "the church"

Luke

the first two chapters function as a prologue or overture that contain a more OT style writing including poetry and hymns in the narrative to seem masterful and impressive

John

the language used to describe the Christian life is intensely relational: emphasizes that being a Christian means loving and abiding in Christ

John

the only Gospel to identify Jesus as God

Luke

the only Gospel with a sequel

Mark

the shortest of the four gospels

Mark

written in a style of Greek that is colloquial and unrefined