The Four Gospels---Four
Clear Windows into Christ’s life
The Gospel of Matthew
“The book doesn’t reveal its
author internally, but it was considered to be the work of Matthew [Matthew
Levi], the disciple of Jesus, from a very early date. Matthew as a tax collector would certainly
have had the ability to write such a book, and many have suggested that since
it contains more references to money than any of the other Gospels, a tax
collector would be a likely candidate. This book was obviously written by a Jew and was intended for a Jewish
readership. Tradition says it was
originally written in Hebrew and later translated into Greek. We don’t know when it was exactly written, but
it was clearly completed before A.D. 70, when the temple was destroyed. The purpose
of the Book of Matthew was to present Jesus Christ as Messiah and King. The book opens with the genealogy
demonstrating that Jesus had the right to reign on the throne of David through
the line of His adoptive father Joseph…Throughout Matthew’s Gospel the evidence
is presented to identify Jesus as the fulfillment of the messianic
prophecies. Numerous quotes are given
from the Old Testament to connect Jesus prophecy.” [Opening commentary on the Gospel of Matthew,
written by Pastor Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, in The Word For Today Bible (NKJV), sel.
portions p. 1223]
The Gospel of Mark
“The Gospel of Mark is thought by
many scholars to be the earliest of the Gospel accounts…It was written by John
Mark (his Jewish name was John and his Roman name was Mark). Mark was the nephew of Barnabas and was just
a boy when these events took place. He
went with Paul and his uncle Barnabas on Paul’s first missionary journey. Mark didn’t make it through the entire
missionary journey, but later he was of value to Paul, and had earned his
respect. It is generally accepted that
Mark’s account of the life of Jesus is really the recounting of Peter’s story
and that it was compiled from Peter’s sermons, his other writings, and from the
personal conversations Mark had with Peter…While the Book of Matthew depicts
Jesus as King, the Book of Mark presents Jesus as a servant. It tells the story of what Jesus did. It is a book of action, which is to be
expected since Peter was always a man of action. It is shorter than the other Gospels because
it tells the stories without transcribing the sermons of Jesus. Again, the book is more concerned with what
Jesus did than with what he said.” [Opening commentary on the Gospel of Mark, The Word For Today Bible (NKJV), sel. portions, p.1280]
The Gospel of Luke
“Luke was a physician who never
met Jesus, and was not an eye-witness of the events of the Gospel account. He was a dear friend of the apostle Paul and
probably traveled with him on his last two missionary journeys. Luke was writing as a historian who had
compiled the accounts of others in a carefully researched way. He addressed this book and its sequel, the
Book of Acts, to Theophilus, who was probably a Greek believer. Luke’s intent was to confirm to Theophilus
that the events he was recording were absolutely true…While Matthew presented
Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and King, and Mark painted the picture of Jesus as
a servant, Luke emphasized the humanity of Jesus, and presented Him as the
perfect Man. And who would be better
qualified to bear witness to the humanity of Jesus than a physician? Luke wrote in very a high form of Greek, with
a very sophisticated vocabulary. He used
numerous medical terms, as one might expect. The Greeks were obsessed with humanity, and the quest for perfect
humanity, and Luke wanted to show them Jesus, the Perfect Man.” [Opening commentary on the Gospel of Luke, The Word For Today Bible (NKJV), sel.
portions, p.1314] Also we find that
Luke recorded more of Jesus Christ’s encounters with the scribes, doctors of
the Law and Pharisees over their warped interpretation and enforcement of the
Sabbath Command, showing clearly Jesus’ intent was to restore Sabbath-keeping
to its original high intent, as created in Eden, as a redemptive blessing for
mankind, symbolizing and pointing to the future restoration of those Edenic
conditions in the world at his 2nd coming.
The Gospel of John
“The Gospel of John is quite
different than the other three Gospels which collectively are called “the
Synoptic Gospels.” John was written much
later than the other three Gospels, probably around A.D. 90. Because the other three Gospels were in wide
circulation by this time, John provides stories and teachings that fill in the
gaps left by the other accounts. The
book was no doubt written by John, the disciple of Jesus, as can be seen by the
last few verses of the book, and as is supported by early church history. John gives the purpose of the book in John
20:31, where he says, “these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the
Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” In other words, John wrote the Gospel so that
people could understand and believe who Jesus is---the Messiah and God in the
flesh---and that this awareness would lead to an abundant life…” Pastor Chuck goes on to show that John gave a
unique and different kind of genealogy of Jesus Christ. “But in John’s Gospel, the genealogy is found
in the first verse, as he says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word
was with God, and the Word was God.” Jesus was around before Adam, because He always existed, before time
began, as God. John’s Gospel gives
numerous evidences of the deity of Christ. You will see how many times Jesus described Himself in John beginning
with the words “I am.” That was the way
God introduced Himself to Moses in the Book of Exodus [3:13-15], and Jesus used
this self-description many times in this book…John also presents Jesus as a servant,
such as when He washed the feet of the disciples (John 13:1-17), and shows Him
to be human (“and the Word became flesh,” John 1:14). Thus the Gospel of John paints a complete
picture of who Jesus is, and so is a powerful source for bringing someone into
a relationship with Jesus. This is why I
usually recommend this book to a new Christian, or to someone who is wanting to
learn more about Jesus. It tells the
whole story, and was written for the purpose of giving life.” [Opening commentary on the Gospel of John,
written by Pastor Chuck Smith, Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa, in The Word For Today Bible (NKJV), sel.
portions pp. 1367-1368]
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buttons to go the expository Gospel account of your choice.
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