The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, And John

The Four Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament know as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The term gospel comes from the Greek word euaggelion or “good news.” These four books are not just historical accounts, but announcement that Jesus Christ is the Messiah of Israel and the true king of the world. This “good news” was that Jesus brought the reign of God to the whole world, through his life, death and resurrection. By expertly weaving Old Testament prophetic fulfillment into the Gospels, the writers make the true claim of Christ’s identity and the final redemptive act of God. There are numerous shared themes within the four Gospels that are common no matter who the audience was the writer was addressing. The Gospels relate
- Jesus’ miracles and teachings (Matthew 4–25; Mark 1–13; Luke 4–19:27 and John 2–17).
- The betrayal, trail and death of Jesus (Matthew 26–27; Mark 14–15; Luke 19:28–23:56 and John 18–19).
- Discovery of Jesus’ resurrection (Matthew 28:1–15; Mark 16:1–8; Luke 24:1–12 and John 20:1–10).
- Encouragement and commission for Jesus’ disciples (Matthew 28:16–20; Mark 16:9–20; Luke 24:13–53 and John 20:11–21:23).
With the same themes running through the Gospels, it can easily be seen that four different authors covered the same story from different perspectives. These compilations were written at different times, under different circumstances with different intentions, yet they all provide a written account of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is believed that each of the four Gospels were written with different audiences in mind in order to convey the story of Jesus to those audiences whether Jew or
The book of John focuses less on the historical event and more on the spiritual themes. The book was written by the Apostle John, who had a first-hand accounting of the events which took place as he was one of the original twelve apostles of Christ. The book of John first and foremost establishes Jesus as the Jewish Messiah, and the one referenced in the Old Testament prophecies. “For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world (John 6:33).” John makes it a point as to what Jesus’s purpose was and the reason he was sent to earth. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God (John