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