The Diverse Gospel Authorship Develops Distinct Theological Themes

Kimberly I. Jones
Grand Canyon University: BIB 502
April 27, 2011

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The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John culminate into complex Christian

theology in the New Testament of the Bible. The nature of this complexity lies in the distinct

theological themes that very between the Gospels. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and

John are four separate accounts that reveal Jesus Christ through four different perspectives. It is

through the perspective of the authors and their varying attempts to reach their audience that the

theology of modern Christianity is formed.

The purposes of the Synoptic Gospels vary from authorship nested in Jewish tradition

trying to relate Jesus back to the Jews to attempts to edify the Christian gentiles. The Gospels

are significant theological framework because through their historical account of Christ they

emphasize concepts relating to Jesus’ fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and law, the

requirements of the Messiah, the relational dynamics of the trinity and salvation. Diverse

authorship formed the Gospel; this diversity resulted in the illumination of different concepts and

themes. The holistic acceptance of the varying emphasis on different theological themes and

concepts brings Christian theology into harmony among diverse believers that transcends culture,

language, affluence, and age. This theological harmony, derived out of unique differences offers

a universal appeal to 21st century evangelism.

The first Gospel, Mathew was written by a man of Jewish descent and through his Gospel

his perspective and motives are revealed. Mathew appears to be a Jewish man who has accepted

Jesus as his savior and is reaching out to an audience of primarily Jewish people. The purpose of

the book of Matthew was to show Jewish readers that Jesus was the Messiah that was promised

in the new covenant, in order to do this he showcased Old Testament prophecy, he used Old

Testament terminology, he discussed Mosaic Law and he used parallelism and allusion to nest

the story of Jesus into Old Testament history.

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The Gospel of Matthew showcased Old Testament prophecy through Chapter 1:22-

23”Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,

saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his

name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”(KJV, 2010, p.1324-1326)

The book of Matthew is concerned with the relationship between the church and Israel.

Matthew does not place an emphasis on following ritual commandments, but maintains

correlation between Israel and Jesus through Jewish parallelism. Like Moses, Jesus goes on the

mountain to talk about the law; he also preaches five sermons, resembling the Torah which is

composed of five books. “There are a lot of elements in this story that resemble Moses'

traditions, from the killing of the babies, in the birth narrative, to the Sermon on the Mount, to

even to the way that Jesus dies, just like some of the prophets died, as martyrs to their prophetic

calling. “ (Mellowes, 1998)

The parallelism and allusions of Matthew transcend literary style and indicate the center

of the matter, Matthew is a man of Israel and Jewish tradition who has placed his faith in the

Messiah and wants to present the story of Jesus to the Jews. In order to do this he must prove to

the Jewish people that Christ fulfills the prophecies and is the Messianic hope they have been

waiting for. The nature of Matthew creates a Christian theology grounded in Judaism. The

Christian commitment to Judaism not only ties Christianity to the creation of the world, but takes

a religion that has flourished in Western Society and returns it to the Middle East. The

relationship between Christianity and thr history of Judaism in the Middle East presents

opportunities of shared history and commonalities that can be cultivated and further developed

when sharing the Gospel with between Middle Eastern Society.

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The Gospel of Mark presents the story of Jesus to a drastically different audience than

Matthew. Where Matthew was reaching out to converted and unconverted Jews who understood

Judaism, Mark was not. Mark was speaking to Gentile Christians who were most likely unaware

of Jewish customs. Due to his Gentile audience he only quoted Old Testament law once because

his audience was not familiar with Jewish customs and laws. (KJV, 2010)

The Gospel of Mark is believed to be a disciple of Peter. This Gospel is also a more

dramatic narrative with a death centric focus. (White, 1998) The Gospel of Mark presents

powerful theological concepts demonstrating Jesus as the “son of God”,” the son of Man”,” the

Messiah, a model for suffering” and the Savior for all those who believe. (KJV, 2010) To

present these themes, Mark weaves together Jesus’ life and presents his miracles, but they are all

pointing to one event- his eventual suffering on the cross. The Gospel of Mark places strategic

importance on revealing the Messiah as someone who is more than a miracle worker and

“marked for death” in order to fulfill prophecy- he has to die. (Koester, 1998)

The Gospel of Luke is known for its comprehensive nature and style. Luke, a follower of

Paul, was known as physician because of his sophisticated writing and understanding of

Hellenistic culture. This book was intended to “strengthen the faith of believers” amidst an

antagonistic culture. (KJV, 2010)

The Gospel of Luke focuses on key theological points essential to Christian belief: the

Gospel is universal and open to all, God has a concern for injustice and the social outcasts,

repentance and the ethical aspect of wealth. (KJV, 2010) Luke also fully evolves Jesus as a

perfectly divine human being, when he is on the cross he dies as a martyr should. Jesus does not

question his persecution instead “Jesus dies commending his spirit into the hands of the father, as

a pious martyr really should do in a suffering death.” (Koester, 1998)

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Luke’s writings differ from the other Gospels because they are self-conscious and

concerned with their representation as citizens. Throughout the Gospel of Luke, there is an

attempt to convey that the early Christians are not revolutionaries and can abide within the

current government-/political regime. (White, 1998) This attempt to neutralize controversy

between the early church and the Roman Empire has survived history and is apparent in modern

Christian politics. Although, the ultimate authority is always God, modern Christians try to

navigate the political systems in place to survive and evangelize. Only when the system in place

forces Christians to compromise their beliefs do they tend to grow unruly. Even in countries

where Christianity is banned, followers are not openly defiant, instead they follow the lead of

Jesus’ in Luke, give what they must to the government and then create covert secret networks

that advance the Gospel through close knit communities, discrete prayer and commitment to

faith.

The Gospel of John is distinct from the synoptic Gospels for multiple reasons, one of the

main reasons is it was written to unbelievers and believers who were struggling with Greek

philosophy that did not view Jesus as fully human but did recognize him as the Messiah. The

Gospel of John stresses that Jesus was the Messiah and the Son of God-both fully human and

fully divine. (KJV, 2010)

One of the most profound thematic differences is that Jesus doesn’t’ have the Passover

meal, but instead the last supper meal before Passover begins. Jesus actually goes to the cross on

the day that the lambs are slaughtered in preparation for Passover; through this incident John

illuminates one of the most important themes, that Jesus is the Lamb of God. (White, 1998)

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One the primary differences between the Gospel of John and the Synoptic Gospels is

organization, the Synoptic Gospels being with Jesus’ birth, but the Gospel of John begins with a

significant theological concept. John begins with the notion of Jesus being incarnate in the pre-

existing word that was with God during creation. (Moloney, 1998, p34)

John chapter one, verses one through eighteen details this mysterious relationship, verses

one through five provided a condensed summary “,In the beginning was the Word, and the Word

was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were

made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life; and the

life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it

not.” (KJV, 2010, p1485)

The language used in this scripture in the Greek language reveals that the “word” pre-

existed not for God but in relationship with God. The language also indicates that the word and

God are unique, but share an intimate relationship. (Moloney, 1998, p34-35) This scripture has

significantly impacted the theological development of the Holy Trinity.

The relationship between Jesus and God is established in the Gospel of John to illuminate

the most important theme-the concept of salvation. The Gospel of John shows salvation was

plotted from pre-existence into humanity through Jesus and this is the primary message of the

Gospel of John. The Gospel of John explains that it is not only by revelation, but that it is

through Jesus’ death and resurrection that humanity is released from the bondage of sin. (Carson,

1991, p96)

Understanding the various theological perspectives presented in the four Gospels enables

the disciple of Christ to reach people of diverse cultures and heritage with the Gospel in the 21st

century. Everything Jesus did radically altered the course of history, but it was the manner in

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which his spirituality and connection with eternity was captured that evolved Christian theology

into what it is today. From different perspectives, through different styles and with varying

emphases, the Gospels relate the salvation story to different people of various backgrounds

around the world.

The Gospels are uniquely derived from authors from different religious and cultural

backgrounds; this diversity rooted at the core of Gospel authorship allows missionaries to

evangelize from multiple perspectives in order to relate to people. Although, the Gospel has

unwavering truths that cannot be compromised the different styles of the Gospels do not change

the truth of Christ, but rather the mental process in which Christ is perceived. This allows the

mind to understand and find commonality with Christ as the Spirit intervenes and draws the soul

to God.

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References

Archaeological Study Bible. (2010) King James Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan

Carson, D. A. (1991). The Gospel According to John. Retrieved from

http://books.google.com/books?id=-

GMT4cHbjywC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

Koester, H. (1998, April). The Gospel of Luke. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/Luke.html

Koester, H. (1998, April). The Gospel of Mark. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/mark.html

Mellowes, M. (1998, April). The Gospel of Matthew. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/Matthew.html

Moloney, F. J. (1998). D. J. Harrington (Ed.), Sacra Pagina The Gospel of John. Retrieved from

http://books.google.com/books?

id=2xDRFYKldboC&printsec=frontcover&dq=gospel+of+john&hl=en&ei=pUm4TfDW

H4K-

tgeVoPneBA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CF0Q6AEwAQ#v=o

nepage&q&f=false

White, M. (1998, April). The Gospel of John. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/John.html

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White, M. (1998, April). The Gospel of Luke. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/Luke.html

White, M. (1998, April). The Gospel of Mark. Retrieved from Frontline website:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/story/mark.html