A QUICK LOOK AT THE GOSPELS
Matthew, Mark, Luke & John
By Lonny R. Bower, January 2009
Over the years many have asked me why four gospels, why four different stories why isn't there just one book? Well, there is actually a lot of thought out there on it, but the truth of the matter is that it is God's will that we have four gospels. If one would stop and think for a moment why wouldn't we have 13? Mark, it is believed was penned by John Mark (not one of the Apostles) and Luke was not even a Jew so the question could just as easily be asked why didn't the other nine (Judas being excluded) Disciples of Jesus write His story? 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all scripture is given by inspiration of God.... So then if God had given the others inspiration to write - we would have it. However, what we have is exactly what God wants us to have and when one begins to peel back the background behind the authors and their purpose for writing one ends up with a divinely inspired work that lacks nothing.
As you fall in love with the scriptures the four gospels will surely bolster your faith and provide insight into the life of Jesus - The King as presented by Matthew, The Servant as presented by Mark, The Son of man as presented by Luke, The Son of God as presented by John. Jesus is our King, He is our servant, He is our brother for he was fully man and He is our Savior (Messiah) - the Son of God!
Try reading the gospels straight through, then go back and study them one by one taking your time jotting down notes and insights as the Holy Spirit leads you into all truth. The text below is a brief introduction to each book and an outline by Warren W. Wiersbe that should be useful for your study (copyright info is at the bottom). As you begin to study the gospels, remember that you are receiving the word of God, and if God intended for there to be more surely we would have it.
1None of the four Gospels is a biography in the modern sense of the word. In fact, the Apostle John doubted that a complete biography of Jesus could ever be written (John 21:25). There are many details about the earthly life of Jesus that are not given in any of the Gospels. Each of the four Gospels has its own emphasis. Matthew’s book is called, "the Gospel of the King." It was written primarily for Jewish readers. Mark’s book, the Gospel of the Servant, was written to instruct Roman readers. Luke wrote mainly to the Greeks and presented Christ as the perfect "Son of man." John’s appeal is universal, and his message was, "This is the Son of God." No one Gospel is able to tell the whole story as God wants us to see it. But when we put these four Gospel accounts together, we have a composite picture of the person and work of our Lord.
1
THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEWTwenty or thirty years after Jesus had gone back to heaven, a Jewish disciple named Matthew was inspired by the Spirit of God to write a book. The finished product is what we know today as "The Gospel According to Matthew." Nowhere in the four Gospels do we find a single recorded word that Matthew spoke. Yet in his Gospel, he gives us the words and works of Jesus Christ, "the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1). Matthew did not write to tell us about himself.
1OUTLINE:
Key theme: The King and His kingdom
Key verses: Matthew 2:2; 4:17
I. THE REVELATION OF THE KING—chapters 1-10
A. His person—1-4
B. His principles—5-7
C. His power—8-10
(Note: The message during this period of His ministry was, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand" [3:2; 4:17; 10:7].)
II. THE REBELLION AGAINST THE KING—chapters 11–13
A. His messenger rejected—11:1-19
B. His works denied—11:20-30
C. His principles refused—12:1-21
D. His person attacked—12:22-50
E. Result: the "mysteries of the kingdom"—13
III. THE RETIREMENT OF THE KING—chapters 14-20
(The Lord seeks to leave the multitudes to be alone with His disciples.)
A. Before Peter’s confession—14:1-16:12
B. Peter’s confession—16:13-28
(First mention of the cross—16:21)
C. After Peter’s confession—17:1-20:34
(Second mention of the cross—17:22)
(Third mention of the cross—20:17-19)
IV. THE REJECTION OF THE KING—chapters 21-27
("The kingdom of God shall be taken from you," 21:43.)
A. His public presentation as King—21:1-16
B. His conflict with the rulers—21:17-23:39
C. His prophetic message—24-25
D. His suffering and death—26-27
V. THE RESURRECTION OF THE KING—chapter 28
2
THE GOSPEL OF MARKThe Gospel is neither a discussion nor a debate," said Dr. Paul S. Rees. "It is an announcement!"
Mark wasted no time giving that announcement, for it is found in the opening words of his book. Matthew, who wrote primarily for the Jews, opened his book with a genealogy. After all, he had to prove to his readers that Jesus Christ is indeed the rightful Heir to David’s throne. Since Luke focused mainly on the sympathetic ministry of the Son of man, he devoted the early chapters of his book to a record of the Saviour’s birth. Luke emphasized Christ’s humanity, for he knew that his Greek readers would identify with the perfect Babe who grew up to be the perfect Man.
John’s Gospel begins with a statement about eternity! Why? Because John wrote to prove to the whole world that Jesus Christ of Nazareth is the Son of God (John 20:31). The subject of John’s Gospel is the deity of Christ, but the object of his Gospel is to encourage his readers to believe on this Saviour and receive the gift of eternal life.
Where does Mark’s Gospel fit in? Mark wrote for the Romans, and his theme is Jesus Christ the Servant. If we had to pick a "key verse" in this Gospel, it would be Mark 10:45—"For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many."
The fact that Mark wrote with the Romans in mind helps us understand his style and approach. The emphasis in this Gospel is on activity. Mark describes Jesus as He busily moves from place to place and meets the physical and spiritual needs of all kinds of people. One of Mark’s favorite words is "straightway," meaning "immediately." He uses it forty-one times. Mark does not record many of our Lord’s sermons because his emphasis is on what Jesus did rather than what Jesus said. He reveals Jesus as God’s Servant, sent to minister to suffering people and to die for the sins of the world. Mark gives us no account of our Lord’s birth, nor does he record a genealogy, unnecessary in regard to a servant.
2OUTLINE:
Key theme: Jesus Christ the servant
Key verse: Mark 10:45
I. THE PRESENTATION OF THE SERVANT—1:1-13
II. THE SERVANT’S MINISTRY IN GALILEE—1:14-9:50
A. Period of popularity—1:14-6:29
B. Period of withdrawal—6:30-9:32
C. Period of completion—9:33-50
III. THE SERVANT’S JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM—chapter 10
IV. THE SERVANT’S MINISTRY IN JERUSALEM—chapters 11-16
A. Public teaching and controversy—11:1-12:44
B. Private teaching and ministry—13:1-14:31
C. Arrest, trial, and crucifixion—14:32-15:47
D. Resurrection and ascension—16
3
THE GOSPEL OF LUKEIf ever a man wrote a book filled with good news for everybody, Dr. Luke is that man. His key message is, "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He presents Jesus Christ as the compassionate Son of man, who came to live among sinners, love them, help them, and die for them.
In this Gospel you meet individuals as well as crowds, women and children as well as men, poor people as well as rich people, and sinners along with saints. It’s a book with a message for everybody, because Luke’s emphasis is on the universality of Jesus Christ and His salvation: "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10).
Dr. Luke is named only three times in the New Testament: in Colossians 4:14; 2 Timothy 4:11; and Philemon 24. He wrote Acts (compare Luke 1:1-4 with Acts 1:1) and traveled with Paul (note the "we" sections in Acts 16:10-17; 20:4-15; 21:1-18, and 27:1-28:16). He was probably a Gentile (compare Colossians 4:11 and 14) and was trained as a physician. No wonder he began his book with detailed accounts of the births of two important babies! No wonder he emphasized Christ’s sympathy for hurting people! He wrote with the mind of a careful historian and with the heart of a loving physician.
The Gospel of Luke was written for Theophilus ("lover of God"), probably a Roman official who had trusted Christ and now needed to be established in the faith. It’s also possible that Theophilus was a seeker after truth who was being taught the Christian message, because the word translated instructed in Luke 1:4 gives us our English word catechumen, "someone who is being taught the basics of Christianity."
The life and message of Christ were so important that many books had already been written about Him, but not everything in them could be trusted. Luke wrote his Gospel so that his readers might have an accurate and orderly narrative of the life, ministry, and message of Jesus Christ. Luke had carefully researched his material, interviewed eyewitnesses, and listened to those who had ministered the Word. Most important, he had the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The phrase from the very first (Gk. anothen) can be translated "from above," as it is in John 3:31 and 19:11. It speaks of the inspiration of the Spirit of God on the message that Luke wrote.
3OUTLINE:
Key theme: Our Lord’s journeys as the Son of man
Key verse: Luke 19:10
I. JOURNEY FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH—1:5-4:13
A. Birth announcements—1:5-56
B. The babies are born—1:57-2:20
C. Jesus’ childhood and youth—2:21-52
D. Jesus’ baptism and temptation—3:1-4:13
II. THE JOURNEY THROUGHOUT GALILEE—4:14-9:17
III. THE JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM—9:18-13:35
4
THE GOSPEL OF JOHNBut will God indeed dwell on the earth?" asked Solomon as he dedicated the temple (1 Kings 8:27). A good question, indeed! God’s glory had dwelt in the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34), and in the temple (1 Kings 8:10-11); but that glory had departed from disobedient Israel (Ezek. 9:3; 10:4, 18; 11:22-23).
Then a marvelous thing happened: the glory of God came to His people again, in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. The writers of the four Gospels have given us "snapshots" of our Lord’s life on earth, for no complete biography could ever be written (John 21:25). Matthew wrote with his fellow Jews in mind and emphasized that Jesus of Nazareth had fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies. Mark wrote for the busy Romans. Whereas Matthew emphasized the King, Mark presented the Servant, ministering to needy people. Luke wrote his Gospel for the Greeks and introduced them to the sympathetic Son of man.
But it was given to John, the beloved disciple, to write a book for both Jews and Gentiles, presenting Jesus as the Son of God. We know that John had Gentiles in mind as well as Jews, because he often "interpreted" Jewish words or customs for his readers (John 1:38, 41-42; 5:2; 9:7; 19:13, 17; 20:16). His emphasis to the Jews was that Jesus not only fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies, but He also fulfilled the types. Jesus is the Lamb of God (John 1:29) and the Ladder from heaven to earth (John 1:51; and see Gen. 28). He is the New Temple (John 2:19-21), and He gives a new birth (John 3:4ff). He is the serpent lifted up (John 3:14) and the Bread of God that came down from heaven (John 6:35ff).
Whereas the first three Gospels major on describing events in the life of Christ, John emphasized the meaning of these events. For example, all four Gospels record the feeding of the 5,000 but only John records Jesus’ sermon on "The Bread of Life" which followed that miracle when He interpreted it for the people. But there is one major theme that runs throughout John’s Gospel: Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and if you commit yourself to Him, He will give you eternal life (John 20:31). In chapter 1 alone, John records seven names and titles of Jesus that identify Him as eternal God.
4OUTLINE:
Key theme: Jesus is the Christ; believe and live!
Key verse: John 20:31
I. OPPORTUNITY—1:15-6:71
He presents Himself to:
A. His disciples—1:19-2:12
B. The Jews—2:13-3:36
C. The Samaritans—4:1-54
D. The Jewish leaders—5:1-47
E. The multitudes—6:1-71
II. OPPOSITION—chapters 7-12
There is conflict with the Jewish leaders over:
A. Moses—7:1-8:11
B. Abraham—8:12-59
C. Who Messiah is—9:1-10:42
D. His miraculous power—11:1-12:36
E. They would not believe on Him—12:37-50
If you do not know Jesus and are unaware of your need for His salvation and Lordship, send me an email I would like to introduce you to the final answer.
John 14:6 (NKJV)
Copyright Info:
1. BE LOYAL—MATTHEW By Warren W. Wiersbe - © 1989 by SP Productions, Inc.
2. BE DILIGENT—MARK By Warren W. Wiersbe - © 1989 by SP Productions, Inc.
3. BE COMPASSIONATE—LUKE 1-13 By Warren W. Wiersbe - © 1989 by SP Productions, Inc.
4. BE ALIVE—JOHN 1-12 By Warren W. Wiersbe - © 1989 by SP Productions, Inc.