Differences between the Four Gospels in the New Testament

The word ‘gospel’ is a translation of the Greek word ‘euangelion’ which means good news. (Webster, 1991)[footnoteRef:1] There are four Gospel accounts in the New Testament: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The first three Gospels are sometimes called the ‘synoptic' (same view) Gospels. This is because they each cover teachings and miracles by Jesus that are also covered in other accounts. John, writing later, recounts Jesus' other words and miracles that have a particular spiritual meaning. [1: Webster’s College Dictionary by Noah Webster page 577]

All four Gospels present Jesus as both the Son of God and the Son of Man. They record His baptism, the feeding of the five thousand from five loaves and two fishes, Mary’s anointing of the Lord Jesus, His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, His betrayal, trial, crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection. However, each writer does so in a slightly different way, recording additional details or emphasizing one aspect more than the others.

Matthew begins his Gospel with a genealogy of Jesus that traces His existence back to Abraham. This direct line of heritage back to Abraham shows the fulfillment of God’s promise through Jesus. In Genesis 15:5, God promises Abraham descendants to be as numerous as the stars. (Rice, The King of the Jews, 1955) These descendants, who make up the people of Israel, were promised a child of God, fulfilled the promise. [footnoteRef:2] [2: The King of the Jews by John R. Rice page 22]

Matthew tells of the birth of Jesus to conclude the first chapter. Jesus surely is the Son of God because Mary conceived Him even though she had not been with a man. In Matthew 1:20, God spoke to Joseph in a dream through an angel telling him of His intentions for Jesus and His family.

To conclude the Gospel, Matthew records Jesus saying, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” Jesus gave them the confidence and ability to continue the work of God. They carried on His message of the greatness of God and also passed it on the next generation. [3: KJV Bible]

The Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the New Testament Gospels, but it contains many important and prominent themes. These themes include titles used for Jesus, Jesus' mighty actions, and the healing of the sick. The Gospel of Mark teaches about the person and acts of God as revealed in the words and works of His Son, Jesus Christ. His record draws powerful stories and narratives to portray the power and love that he believes Jesus brought to the people.

Through this, Mark produced a work that leaves the reader with examples of how the work and words of Jesus directly affected those who believed in His teachings. In the Gospel of Mark, the scene of the baptism unfolds as John the Baptist prepares the way. This is a very important scene because it displays John’s power by having him perform the baptisms, which would mean that he is in some way held in high respect with God. But at the same time, John is humbled and as God’s promised messenger, his mission is to “prepare ye the way for the Lord” (Mark 1:2-3). He does this by informing the people that one more powerful than himself is coming (Mark 1:7). (Ironside, 1948) This is a very vivid scene that is described in detail, from what John is eating and wearing, to specific dialogue. Because John is given great power, he fulfills his mission with dignity and respect, thus setting a strong example. [4: Expository Notes on the Gospel of Mark by H. A. Ironside page 18]

Throughout Jesus’ life, He has affected many people for the better. But each person sees Jesus in a different way and interprets His almighty powers differently. This is where all of these Gospels came from. Each one is unique and talks about Jesus from each authors point of view. For example, in the Gospel of Luke, there are many themes and ideas that are unique to the Gospel and would not find in the others like more about soul winning, the Holy Spirit, the focus on the compassion of Jesus, the poverty and the wealthy.

Luke’s Gospel is very different from the other Gospels because it really focuses on Jesus’ helping the poor and the outcasts. Luke focuses on poverty and wealth more than any other Gospel. A memorable passage such as the story of Lazarus and the rich man in Luke 16:19 is a very good example of this. (Rice, The Son of Man, 1971) More of the parables Luke writes in this Gospel includes the Good Samaritan, the Lost Coin, the Prodigal Son, the Unjust Steward, and the Great Supper. [5: The Son of Man by John R. Rice page 396]

The Gospel of John, the last of the four Gospels in the Bible, is different from the simple style of the synoptic Gospels. It has been written years before the other Gospels, thus has given more details about the life of Christ. It begins by telling the origin of Jesus’ birth, then goes on to prove that He is the Son of God because of the miracles He performs and finally describes Jesus’ death and resurrection.

Of course, the most prominent part of the Gospels are the miracles. A number of the miracles that are described in John are not mentioned at all in the other three Gospels. For example, the raising of Lazarus. (Rice, The Son of God, 1976)

In this miracle, Jesus goes to the tomb of one of His followers who died from sickness. Once He sees that Lazarus has been entombed in the cave, He commands “Lazarus, come forth' in John 11:43. This is one of the most famous miracles, but it only appears in one Gospel. Another example of a very well-known miracle that is only present in John is his ability to turn water into wine at the wedding in Cana. This is a story that tells how Jesus was able to take not only water but also inferior wine and turn them into quality wine. John makes use of miracles and uses examples from Jesus' ministry to demonstrate His power and divinity. He uses His power over nature to raise people from the dead, heal a blind man, and feed five thousand people with the physical amount of food for only a few.

In short, Matthew was one of the first twelve disciples of Jesus and therefore an eye-witness; he records more of Jesus' teaching concerning the coming of the Messiah than the other writes. Mark was Peter's close friend, who wrote down what Peter said about who Jesus was, what He did, where he went, and what happened; Mark's Gospel is, therefore, Peter's account and an eye-witness account, written down by Mark. Luke was a doctor and a co-worker with Paul. He decided to interview local eye-witnesses and people who had followed Jesus closely and collected all the interviews into a single account, recording details not mentioned elsewhere, for example regarding the birth of Jesus and Mary’s extended family. John brings out the spiritual significance as well as recording the practical of Jesus’ works and words. He lived to be older than any of the other writers. Veracity, doxology, and universality are the three reasons why there are multiple accounts of the Gospel.