The Four Gospels

The word Gospel refers to documents, letters, and books that primarily recount the life and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the Christian tradition, it generally refers to the content of the New Testament. More specifically, it refers to the four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

When Jesus came to earth, He not only accomplished the work of redemption on the cross but also revealed God the Father to humanity through His own life. The Holy Spirit inspired people to write these four Gospels, allowing us to understand who God is, what He has done, and His will from four different perspectives. The Gospels have the same basic viewpoint but each has a different focus.

1、The Gospel of Matthew reveals Jesus as the King of the Jews, highlighting the authority of the King of the heavenly kingdom. The original readers were Jewish Christians, so Matthew introduces Jesus with a “genealogy” of the King of the heavenly kingdom, starting from Abraham and David.

2、The Gospel of Mark reveals Jesus as the Son of Man, highlighting the power of the Son of God in service. The original readers were Gentile Christians. The content is largely based on Mark’s notes from Peter’s itinerant preaching, focusing on Peter’s personal experiences with Jesus.

3、The Gospel of Luke reveals Jesus as the Savior of all humanity, highlighting the love of the human Savior. The original readers were Gentile Christians and those exploring the faith. Luke, therefore, “carefully investigated everything from the beginning” and traces Jesus’ genealogy back to Adam, the ancestor of all humanity. Luke also conducted more research based on the Gospel of Mark, particularly from Jesus’ mother, Mary, adding more details about Jesus’ birth and childhood.

4、The Gospel of John reveals Jesus as the Son of God, highlighting that Jesus is God. The original readers were Christians who were being influenced by heretical teachings, especially Gnosticism. John’s purpose was to refute these false beliefs, particularly the challenges to Jesus’ divinity. Therefore, the apostle John establishes Jesus’ divinity from the very “beginning.”

The Gospel of Matthew shares about 45% of its content with Mark and about 65% with Luke. For this reason, these three Gospels are called the Synoptic Gospels, meaning they can be read side-by-side. These three Gospels share a similar viewpoint, while the Gospel of John stands alone. The Gospel of John was written two to three decades after the Synoptic Gospels, which were already in wide circulation. John therefore assumed his readers had already read at least one of the Synoptic Gospels and did not feel the need to explain certain details, such as who Jesus’ mother was.

Edited and compiled based on the Chinese Union Version of the Bible and a comprehensive biblical interpretation.