Mark, Matthew, Luke and John

Christianity is based on the New Testament: Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

Many Christians believe the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke, John contain the actual words and deeds of Jesus. The comparison grid below compares the gospels of Mark, Matthew, Luke and John.

MARK | MATTHEW | LUKE | JOHN

Written 40-60 years after Jesus

Anonymous authors

Authors never met Jesus in their lifetime

Authors lived in countries different to Jesus

Authors wrote/spoke languages different to Jesus

Gospels circulated many years after Jesus' death

Council of Nicaea (325 AD), Emperor Constantine selects the four gospels to include in the Bible Canon

Emperor Constantine orders 100's of gospels, writings and text be destroyed

	Mark	Matthew	Luke	John
Date Written	40-65 AD Possibly the 1st gospel	37-68 AD	59-61 AD	80-98 AD The last gospel written about 60-years after Jesus
Synoptic Gospel 'Sharing a common view'				John is not a Synoptic gospel. It is very different to Mark, Matthew and Luke
	W Gospel_of_Mark Mark is a fast-paced gospel that portrays Jesus as the powerful, suffering servant of God. Mark shows that Jesus taught with authority, as affirmed by the miracles He performed.	W Gospel_of_Matthew Matthew presents Jesus as the promised Messiah, the King of the Jews. Matthew writes on the teachings of Jesus and explains the Kingdom of Heaven: the law, mission, mysteries, greatness and future	W Gospel_of_Luke Luke presents Jesus to the Gentiles as the savior of all mankind. Luke contains numerous references to the activity of the Holy Spirit. Women are given special attention in Luke.	W Gospel_of_John John is the gospel of belief, and was written to show the world that Jesus was Christ, the "Son of God" and he was sent by the Father to give eternal life to believers. John differs significantly from the synoptic gospels in theme, content, time duration, order of events and style. Only ca. 8% of John is parallel with the other gospels, and even then, no word-for-word parallelism occurs as is found among the synoptic gospels
Emphasis	Horrible suffering; tragic death	Authorities' plots and treachery	Jesus' innocence; forgiveness	Jesus' exaltation and glorification
Key Verse	For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. MARK 10:45	And set up over his head his accusation written, This is Jesus The King of the Jews MATTHEW 27:37	For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost LUKE 19:10	For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. JOHN 3:16
Gospel of Choice	Liberal Christians	Liberal Christians	Liberal Christians	Gnostic/Conservative Christians
Authorship Style
Writing Style	Storyteller	Teacher	Historian	Theologian
Preaching Style	A sage style; Brief one-liners; Parables; Kingdom of God	A sage style; Brief one-liners; Parables; Kingdom of God	A sage; Brief one-liners; Parables; Kingdom of God	A philosopher and mystic style; Essay format; Jesus himself. Kingdom of God is a background theme
Author - Actual	Unknown	Unknown	Unknown	2 or more unknown authors
Author - Assumed	Mark of Jerusalem; co-workers of Paul; bilingual (Aramaic & Greek) Christian of the 2nd generation	Matthew, tax collector and apostle; co-workers of Paul; multi-lingual (Aramaic & Greek) early Jewish Christian; trained "scribe"	Luke a Greek doctor; co-worker of Paul; physician and companion of Paul; Gentile Christian convert; well educated Greek "historian"	John, son of Zebedee; one of 12 apostles; the "beloved disciple" and his Jewish Christian followers
Author - Integrity	Mark travelled with his cousin Barnabus and with Paul. Peter and Paul favorably mentioned Mark. He was known as Mark (Latin) and John (Hebrew)	Matthew was a Jew, hired by Rome to collect taxes in Capernaum. He was also known as Levi. Jesus called him to be an apostle	Luke was an educated physician and an inspired historian. Luke is often considered to have the best literary writing style of all New Testament authors. His account was compiled from eyewitnesses to the ministry of Jesus	John’s purpose for writing this gospel: "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." (John 20:31) John's views were in direct opposition to the preceeding gospels and put John in conflict with the Early Christian community. Whilst the teachings of Jesus in the synoptics came primarily in the form of sermons and parables; John presented His teachings in the context of conversations Jesus had with others. John was rejected as heretical by many individuals and groups in the early Christian movement
Target Audience	Mark was probably written for Gentiles/Romans. Mark often explained Jewish words, customs, and places. He used Roman time rather than Hebrew time; and he translated some words into Latin.	Matthew was written for Jews who were familiar with Old Testament prophecy. He often mentions the Law of Moses and opens the gospel with a genealogy to prove Jesus was heir to King David. Matthew was written to convince Jews that Jesus was the promised Messiah.	Luke wrote the third gospel and the Book of Acts. Both were addressed to a man whose name meant "one who loves God" Jewish customs and places in Palestine are often explained in Luke.	John's gospel was directed towards the mass Gentile Christian audience. John's gospel has often been criticised, with questions surrounding the theology, historicity and its relationship with the synoptic Gospels. The criticism of John persuaded a large number of scholars that what we have in John is not a historical account of Jesus of Nazareth, but a 'theological portrait' reflecting the convictions held by Christians who lived many years after Jesus and in a very different environment.
Jesus' Status
Status	Servant of God	Promised King; King of the Jews	Son of Man; Perfect Savior of Man	Son of God; Equal to God
Title	Christ; Messiah;; Suffering Son of Man; Eschatological Judge	Son of David; Son of Abraham; King of the Jews; New Lawgiver; Great Teacher (like Moses); Emmanuel ("God with us")	Great Prophet (in word & deed); Lord (of Israel, and of all nations); Savior (of all, in particular the poor)	Eternal Logos; Divine Word made Flesh; Only Begotten Son; Sent from Father; Passover Lamb; "I Am" / "Equal to God"
Miracles by Jesus	Many "nature miracles," healings, and exorcisms	Many "nature miracles," healings, and exorcisms	Many "nature miracles," healings, and exorcisms	Few; all "nature miracles"
Poor & Needy	Yes, focus of his ministry	Yes, focus of his ministry	Yes, focus of his ministry	Rarely mentioned
Reference to himself	Rare	Rare	Rare	Focus of the gospel, including many "I AM" sayings
Exorcism	A ministry function	A ministry function	A ministry function	None performed
Jesus' Mission & Miracles
God became a human being	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 1:1-18
God's Son	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 5:16-30
Way to the Father	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 14:1-14
John the Baptist proclaims Jesus as Messiah	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 1:29-34
Turns water into wine	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 2:1-12
True Bread from Heaven	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 6:22-40
The Jews disagree that Jesus is from Heaven	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 6:41-59
Many disciples abandon Jesus	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 6:60-71
Jesus explains why he must die	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 12:20-36
Holy Spirit promised	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 14:15-31
Using his name in prayer	No mention	No mention	No mention	Yes JOHN 16:17-33
Jesus Baptism	Described	Described	Described	Not mentioned
Events in Jesus' Life
Ministry	1 year	1 year	1 year	3 years
Location of Ministry	Galilee	Galilee	Galilee	Judea, near Jerusalem
Involvement with Scribes (Jewish teachers)	26 references to scribes, who are puzzled and angered by Jesus' teachings	26 references to scribes, who are puzzled and angered by Jesus' teachings	26 references to scribes, who are puzzled and angered by Jesus' teachings	No references at all.
Aggravated assault in Temple courtyard	End of his ministry	End of his ministry	End of his ministry	Start of his ministry
Last Supper Date	Passover eve	Passover eve	Passover eve	Night before Passover eve
Last Supper	Communal meal	Communal meal	Communal meal	Foot washing
Who carried the cross?	Simon	Simon	Simon	Jesus
Christian Doctrine
Theology	Similar beliefs to 1st century liberal Judaism taught by Hillel	Similar beliefs to 1st century liberal Judaism taught by Hillel	Similar beliefs to 1st century liberal Judaism taught by Hillel	Different, independent beliefs in opposition to Judaism
Actions	Miracles; Overcoming evil powers; Arguing with religious authorities	Teaching his disciples; Decrying religious hypocrisy	Healing sick & impaired people; Forgiving sinners & debtors	Speaking God's words; Doing God's works; Revealing his intimate relationship with God
Discipleship	Persevere in faith despite suffering; Follow Jesus "on the way" to the cross; Be ready for his return	Be righteous; Forgive always; Live ethically; Fulfill God's commands; Do charitable deeds	Leave everything to follow Jesus; Share with poor; Accept everyone (outcasts, enemies)	See, believe, know; Remain in Jesus and God, despite hostility; Love one another; Be in unity; Serve humbly
Pneumatology Holy Ghost and other spiritual beings	Spirit descends at Jesus' Baptism; Conflict with unclean/demonic spirits	Mary with child from Holy Spirit; God's Spirit in Jesus' actions and speech	Holy Spirit active in infancy narrative; Jesus receives prophetic anointing	Holy Spirit as Spirit of Truth; Paraclete/Advocate/Comforter
Eschatological Final events: Death, Judgment, Heaven/Hell	Imminent and suddenly, but no one knows when; So "Keep awake!" MARK 13:1-37	False prophets will arise; Many will fall away; Gospel must be preached to all MATTHEW 24:10-14	After Jerusalem is destroyed and Gentiles' time is fulfilled; Not so soon; Pray LUKE 21:20-24	Realized eschatology; All who hear and believe have eternal life, are not judged JOHN 5:21-25
Bible Stats
Chapters	16	28	24	21
Verses	678	1071	1151	879
Words	15,000	23,000	25,000	18,000
Rank (New Testament, largest)	5th	3rd	1st (Acts is 2nd)	4th
Bible Content
Miracles	23	29	23	10
Parables	13	31	37	3
Sermons	5	10	13	8
Old Testament quoted	23	45	23	14

Did you know?
The British Pound Sterling is valued currency because King James of England used the country's wealth to print the King James Version Bible (KJV) to reach the masses around 1611 AD.
Christianity.com

CREDIT
http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_john.htm
http://catholic-resources.org/Bible/Four_Gospel_Chart.htm
http://so4j.com/harmony-of-the-gospels-of-jesus-in-the-bible

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