When we relate the truth of an event, we shape it to our audience. If four people witness their MLB team winning a playoff game, they will shape their telling of the victory depending on who they are witnessing it to—such as a spouse, a child, a grandma, or a neighbor. The four will have common details that overlap, but may add in other details that are different from one another. For example, they all may describe how their team scored 4 runs in the third inning, but one may slow down and describe the timeout the coach called to speak with one of the hitters during that time; or one may zero in on the pitch count before a big hit.

The four Gospels of Jesus the Messiah are similar. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John relate the truth about Jesus’ life, death, and victorious resurrection and do so with varying audiences and purposes in mind. What are those differences? Mark L. Strauss details them with theological precision.¹

Mark - The Suffering Servant of God

Mark presents Jesus as the suffering servant of God in a fast-paced breaking news kind of way. Strauss states,

“Jesus appears as the mighty Messiah and Son of God, moving through the Galilean countryside, exercising authority over friend and foe alike. He calls disciples, heals the sick, casts out demons, and teaches with great authority. There is a sense of awe and mystery about him, and amazement from those he encounters. Mark’s lively story invites the reader to enter his narrative world and experience the coming of the Messiah, the arrival of God’s promised salvation.”²

Mark’s portrait of Jesus may be further detailed as follows: “Jesus the mighty Messiah and Son of God obediently suffers as the Servant of the Lord to pay the ransom price for sins, and as a model of suffering and sacrifice for his disciples to follow.”³

Key Verse: Mark 10:45
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Matthew - The Jewish Messiah

Matthw details Jesus as the long awaited and true Jewish Messiah. Strauss states, “[Matthew’s Gospel] is an extended defense, in narrative form, of the claim that a new sect within Judaism, know originally as ‘the Way’ and later as Christianity, in fact is authentic Judaism, the completion or fulfillment of God’s purposes for Israel and the world.…The authentic people of God…are defined no longer by ancestry or ethnic identity but by allegiance to Jesus the Messiah.”⁴

Matthew’s portrait of Jesus may be further detailed as follows: “Jesus the Jewish Messiah brings salvation history to its climax, saving his people from their sins.”⁵

Key Verse: Matthew 1:21
“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Luke - The Savior for All People

Luke presents Jesus’ saving work in a way which shows that “all people everywhere—whether Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female—now have access to God’ salvation. By fulfilling the promises made to Israel, Jesus the Messiah has become the Savior for all people everywhere.”⁶

Luke’s portrait of Jesus may be further detailed as follows: “God’s end-times salvation predicted by the prophets has arrived through the coming of Jesus the Messiah, the Savior of the world, and this salvation is now going forth to the whole world.”⁷

Key Verse: Luke 19:10
“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

John - The Son Who Reveals the Father

John centers on Jesus’ identity as the Son who spoke the words and did the works of the Father. He laid down His life to save the sheep that the Father gave Him.

John’s portrait of Jesus may be further detailed as follows:, “Jesus is the divine Son of God who reveals the Father, providing eternal life to all who believe in him.”⁸

Key Verse: John 3:16
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

Summary

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John together give us the divine revelation of Jesus Christ in the fullest way. Just like four who witness to a baseball victory gives a fuller picture of the game, so do these four inspired authors concerning Jesus’ life. Next time someone asks you, “What’s the difference between the four Gospels?” respond with highlighting what each author highlighted.

Additional Questions

Which Gospel should I start with or have someone else start with? You can’t go wrong with any Gospel. They are all true and inspired by God. You may, however, discern a more fitting option depending on where you or someone else is at.

Here are some potential groups that may benefit more specifically from certain Gospels.

• Mark:
  • People suffering for following Jesus. Mark highlights following Jesus in suffering.
• Matthew:
  • Jewish people. Matthew highlights how Jesus fulfills the promises made to Abraham and David.
• Luke:
  • Outcasts. Luke seems to highlight the lowly.
• John:
  • People struggling with Jesus’ divinity. John highlights the divine sonship of Jesus.
  • Jewish people. D. A. Carson argues for a specific Jewish audience in John. He believes that the Greek in John 20:31 is best understood, not as communicating that Jesus is the Messiah, but that the Messiah is Jesus.⁹