God inspired Matthew, Mark, Luke and John to record the earthly ministry of his Son, Christ

Jesus. Their records provide us with a fourfold strong foundation for our faith that Jesus was
indeed the promised Messiah.

It appears that each of these four writers composed his account of Jesus’ life as a man with
some definite purpose in mind as well as according to what most impressed him.

Matthew wrote primarily for the benefit of the Jews and showed that Jesus was indeed their
long-looked-for Messiah.

Mark wrote particularly for the benefit of the Romans and so pictured Jesus as the miracle-
working Son of God.

Luke aimed for a comprehensive, logically coherent and chronologically accurate record;

John, writing some forty years after the others, made it a point to make his account
supplemental, dealing primarily with matters they did not cover.

Most likely Mark wrote his account between the years A.D. 60 and 65, about twenty years
after Matthew wrote his but some thirty-five years before John wrote his account. The
overwhelming evidence points to his having written it in Rome.

Mark’s account of Jesus’ earthly ministry, much shorter than the other three, makes up
for its brevity by a fast-moving tempo. Briefly he touches on the ministry of John the Baptist,
Jesus’ baptism and temptation in the wilderness, and by the fourteenth Mark 1 verse 14 of
the first chapter he has the reader plunging into Jesus’ Galilean ministry, preaching the
good news of the Kingdom, calling his disciples and performing miracles. After causing the
high points of Jesus’ activity to pass in swift review he gives us the details of Jesus’ final
public ministry, his arrest, trial, execution, burial and resurrection.

Of all the accounts of Jesus’ life Mark’s is the most graphic, the most vivid as well as the
richest in interesting details. Clearly the one from whom Mark received his information was
not only an eyewitness but also a very close observer. Who was this one? According to
Papias, early second-century Christian, it was none other than the apostle Peter.

Peter’s being a man of action, intense, impulsive, would help explain why the account of
Jesus’ life that he influenced emphasizes the miracles and actions of Jesus rather than his
teachings. The main reason, however, for Mark’s employing the style he did undoubtedly
was his desire to appeal to the Romans.

The Christian disciple Mark had many privileges of service. While, like Peter, he manifested
weakness at one time, he recovered to become an effective and dependable servant of
Jehovah God and assistant to the apostles Paul and Peter. His record of Jesus’ ministry,
together with its special characteristics, gives added testimony to the fact that Jesus Christ
indeed lived and that he was none other than the Son of God.

It is my belief that Matthew, also known as Levi, a tax collector, then disciple of Jesus wrote
the Gospel of Matthew. Luke, who apparently was a doctor, and someone who talked to
many of the people who either were in the event, or witnesses thereto wrote the Gospel of
Luke. John was a disciple of Jesus, also known as John Mark. He wrote the Gospel of John,
as well as three epistles and the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Matthew was primarily writing to those of a Jewish background, and this, and his
background, influenced his style and content. Luke was writing primarily to people of Greek
background, and this influenced his style and content. John’s Gospel, written many years
after the others (in my view) wrote his with particular message in mind - which he sets forth
in the next to last chapter of his Gospel - (20:31) - “These are written, that you might believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through his
name.”

The word gospel means good news, and it is a term used to define the written accounts
of Jesus of Nazareth in the New Testament. The four widely known gospels are the
canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. However the term can also refer
to the apocryphal, non-canonical, the Jewish, and the Gnostic gospels. There are
several accounts of Jesus that are not recognized or accepted by Orthodox Christians;
however, the gospels pertaining to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are going to be my
primary focus.

Despite the Gospel of Matthew being the first book in the New Testament, the majority
view today is that Mark was actually the first gospel followed by Matthew and then Luke.
It is believed that Matthew and Luke borrowed passages from Mark's Gospel and one
other source lost to history. This view is known as the two-source hypothesis. The two-
source hypothesis came out around the 19th century.

Due to Matthew and Luke borrowing passages from Mark, these three gospels are
known as the Synoptic Gospels. Synoptic means having the same view, and if you read
Matthew, Mark, and Luke you will understand why they are considered the Synoptic
Gospels. John was the only author who actually knew Jesus and his gospel takes a
different view than the others. John's Gospel follows a very different timeline and does
not share much content with the other three in general. The Gospel of John uses
different verbiage and style of writing, and was actually rejected by the Orthodox
Christians for a long time. Today, it is widely accepted and is the favorite of most
conservative Christians.

Below you will find a comparison table that helps to better visualize the differences and
similarities between the four gospels.

The Gospels: A Quick Comparison

Mark Matthew Luke John

Author A second An A Gentile The "beloved disciple" the Apostle

generation unknown Christian, John
Christian, Jewish traditionally
possibly a Christian, Luke the
follower of traditionally physician and
Peter the Apostle Paul's traveling
Matthew companion

Date 65-70 CE 75-80 CE 80-85 CE 90-110 CE

Written

Who is Healer, Promised Merciful, Noble, Powerful divine--fully in

Jesus? Miracle Messiah of Compassionate, control of His destiny
Worker, Jewish Prayerful
Teacher, people, teacher with
Misunderstood greatest special concern
by those prophet, for women, the
closest to Him teacher of poor, and non-
the "new Jews (Gentiles)
law" calling
people to be
faithful of
the Old
Testament
covenant
with God

Author's A Gentile A Jewish Written to Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans

Communit Christian Christian "Theophilus"
y community in community
 Mark Matthew Luke John

Rome
undergoing
persecution

Historical The Romans Written Written when Jewish leaders banned Christians from
Context subdue armed after the persecution the synagogues
Jewish Romans of Jews and
rebellions. had Christians was
Christians destroyed intensifying
experiencing all of
persecution in Jerusalem
Rome

Author's Rome Most likely Possibly Rome Probably written in Ephesus

Location Antioch of or Caesarea
Syria

he table above is a great way to see the similarities between the three Synoptic Gospel
authors, as well as see how they differ from each other and the apostle John. Learning
about the authors and where they come from, will help us understand how and why they
wrote their accounts of what happened the way they did.

The Gospel of John

The Gospel of John was the only gospel written by a follower of Jesus. The other three
writers were followers of Jesus's apostles, and likely never met Jesus for themselves.
John's message was a personal account of his following closely with Jesus. Therefore,
John's message is for all ethnic groups and his whole purpose for writing is to bring
evidence to prove that Jesus is Christ and truly the Son of God.

Throughout John's work one will find that his focus is on emphasizing the divine status
of Jesus. This can be seen through Jesus's statements of "I am" that will be found
throughout. From the very first verse to the end of the book, John's message of divinity
is clear. In John 1:1 he lays the foundation for the entire gospel, and one will find that he
continues to show how Jesus is the word made flesh; " In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". In John 20:31 the message of his
entire book is laid out in black in white; "But these are written that you may believe that
Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his
name".
The Gospel of Matthew

Matthew was writing to and for the Jews and focuses his work around the idea that
Jesus is the King of the Jews; "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews?
We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him." (Matthew 2:2). There were
two main reasons Matthew wrote his book. The Gospel of Matthew was written as a
message of encouragement and strength for Jewish Christians. Despite Jesus being
killed by Jews, Matthew's first message is to strengthen Jewish Christian's faith in the
knowledge that Jesus was the Messiah. To prove that Jesus was the promised Messiah
of the Old Testament, Matthew quotes the Old Testament more than any other synoptic
writer.

The second reason he writes his book is to show that Jesus was truly the Messiah. He
illustrates this by starting out with Jesus's genealogy and by further quoting the Old
Testament. "A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of
Abraham:" (Matthew 1:1). This verse fulfills the prophecy from 2 Samuel 7:12-14 "When
your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to
succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is
the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his
kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he will be my son."

The Gospel of Mark

Mark focuses on the idea that Jesus was a servant. This can be seen by his lack of
genealogy of Jesus throughout his gospel. Mark's work is meant to encourage
Christians throughout Rome, despite being persecuted for their faith. He goes on to say
that persecution is the price that Christians must pay for following Jesus. In the book of
Mark, Jesus says exactly that "Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples
and said: 'If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life
for me and for the gospel will save it.'" (Mark 8:34-35).

The Gospel of Luke

Luke was known to be an accurate historian, and as a result he carefully researched

everything. Luke approaches his work by making Jesus the Son of Man. He shows how
Jesus was a real person and how he showed a genuine interest in people from all walks
of life. Luke spends ample time focusing on Jesus's birth and childhood dedicating the
first two chapters to this part of Jesus's life. He also focuses on the human traits Jesus
possessed.
Many of Luke's other versus portray a Jesus who was able to feel human emotions as
well as express other human traits. "Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the
Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the desert, where for forty days he was tempted by
the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry"
(Luke 4:1-2). Jesus is portrayed to have feelings such as pain and sorrow. "He withdrew
about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing,
take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven
appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more
earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground." (Luke 22:41-44).

Important Definitions
 Covenant: Agreement between God and His people
 Testament: Bears witness to
 Canonical: Official 27 books of the New Testament
 Non-Canonical: Books deemed unnecessary for the New Testament; separate
from the Apocrypha
 Apocrypha: Anonymous Jewish or Christian texts containing prophetic or
symbolic visions that did not make it into the Bible
 Theophilus: Lover of God

 Despite each gospel being written during different time periods and in completely
different historical situations and even locations, they have similar storylines and
ideas of Jesus's life. Jesus's character and history are portrayed differently in
these works, yet they do not contradict each other. The different accounts
compliment each other and provide a harmonious detailed description of Jesus's
life.
 Below is a map that shows where each of the gospels was most likely written.

Locations Where the Gospels Were Written

I) Basic Definitions and Biblical Overview

Disciple = "learner, pupil, student" (Gk. mathētēs, from the verb manthanein, "to
learn")

 Jesus is not the only "teacher" to have "disciples" in the New Testament;
o there are also "disciples of John [the Baptist]" (Mark 2:18; Matt 9:14; Luke 5:33;
7:18; John 1:35; 4:1) and "disciples of the Pharisees" (Mark 2:18; 6:29; Luke
5:33) and "disciples of Moses" (John 9:28).
 In the ancient world, students/disciples usually sought out a teacher (cf. Luke 9:57-
62);
o but Jesus usually reverses the dynamic, "calling" people to become his
disciples (Mark 1:16-20; 2:14-17; 3:13; etc.).
 Jesus did not establish a "school" in a particular location, but was an itinerant
(wandering) preacher/teacher;
o thus, his disciples literally had to "follow" him around (Mark 8:34; 10:21; Luke
9:57-62; John 1:43), including "many women" (Matt 27:55; cf. Mark 15:41; Luke
23:49).
 The word "disciples" is used 233 times in the Gospels for Jesus' followers, but
one should not assume that it refers only to "the twelve";
o the phrase "twelve disciples" occurs only three times (Matt 10:1; 11:1; 20:17),
and "disciples" often refers to this core group;
o but other people are also called "disciples" of Jesus (Matt 8:19-22; Luke 6:13,
17, 20; 19:37; John 4:1; 6:66; 8:31; 9:28; Acts 6:1-7; etc.).

Apostle = "missionary, messenger, emissary" (Gk. apostolos, from the verb apo-
stellein, "to send out")

 Many people assume (falsely!) that the words "apostle" and "disciple" have the
same meaning in the New Testament.
o However, one first has to be trained as a "disciple" (learning from the
teacher), before one can be sent out as an "apostle" (representing the
teacher).
o Moreover, not all "disciples" (students) are necessarily sent out on a
particular preaching mission (thereby functioning as "apostles").
 The phrase "twelve apostles" occurs surprisingly rarely in the NT:
o From among his many "disciples," Jesus chooses "twelve, whom he also
named apostles" (only Mark 3:14 and Luke 6:13);
 but the exact expression "twelve apostles" occurs only twice in the
NT (Matt 10:2; Rev 21:14).
 o A few other passages refer to these men simply as "the Twelve" (see
below) without calling them "apostles";
 Matthew sometimes also refers to them as the "twelve
disciples" (Matt 10:1; 11:1; 20:17).
o In the NT Epistles, Peter identifies himself as "an apostle of Jesus
Christ" (1 Pet 1:1; cf. 2 Pet 1:1).
 the Letter of Jude once refers to "the apostles of our Lord Jesus
Christ" (v. 17), but without specifying who is meant.
 In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus chooses twelve men "to be with him, and to
be sent out to proclaim the message..." (Mark 3:14),
o but he does not actually send them out on a mission until later, after
he has taught them further (Mark 6:7-13).
 The Fourth Gospel never calls any of Jesus' followers "apostles," but
consistently refers to them only as "disciples";
o John does not contain a list of the twelve, nor even mention all their
names individually (see below for more details on John).
 Elsewhere in the NT, other people are also called "apostles," aside from the
twelve men familiar to us from the Synoptics:
o Matthias - selected to replace Judas Iscariot (Acts 1:15-26).
o Barnabas - a missionary "sent out" by the Jerusalem apostles (Acts 11:22,
30; 12:25), later by the Church of Antioch (Acts 13:1-15:39); Luke and Paul
explicitly call him an "apostle" (Acts 14:14; 1 Cor 9:1-6).
o Paul - often calls himself an "apostle" of Jesus, esp. in beginning his
letters (Rom 1:1; 1 Cor 1:1; 2 Cor 1:1; Gal 1:1; Eph 1:1; etc), or when stressing his
equal status with the other apostles (Rom 11:13; 1 Cor 9:1-5; 15:7-10; 2 Cor 12:12;
Gal 1:17-19).
o Apollos - never individually called an "apostle," but clearly included
when Paul refers to "us apostles" (1 Cor 4:9; cf. 1:12; 3:4—4:6).
o Silas & Timothy - again, not called "apostles" individually, but included
when Paul says, "we... as apostles of Christ" (1 Thess 2:7).
o Andronicus and Junia - a married couple (or brother & sister?),
"relatives" of Paul, who are "prominent among the apostles" (Rom 16:7).
o Mary Magdalene - sent by the risen Jesus to proclaim a message to the
disciples (John 20:17-18; although the Greek word apostolos is not used here, Pope John Paul
II repeated an ancient tradition in calling her "the apostle to the apostles") .
o Jesus! - referred to in the Letter to the Hebrews as "the apostle and high
priest of our confession, who was faithful to the one who appointed
him" (Heb 3:1b-2a).
o False apostles - warned against, but not identified more specifically (2 Cor
11:13; Rev 2:2).
Brothers and Sisters / Saints / Believers / Followers / Converts / Christians

 Click here for a glossary explaining these and other discipleship-related

terms.

II) Disciples of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels and the Book of Acts

 Simon (Peter) & Andrew; James & John = two pairs of brothers, fishermen
whom Jesus calls by the Sea of Galilee (Mark 1:16-20; Matt 4:18-22; cf. Luke 5:1-11).
o In Mark 1 and Matt 4, this story is the first time Jesus encounters these
four men, and they immediately drop everything to follow him.
o In Luke 5, the focus is on Simon Peter; James and John are mentioned
only briefly at the end (5:10), but Andrew is not named here (not until 6:14).
o In Luke, Jesus calls these men only after they had seen some of his
healings (4:38-39) and heard some of his teachings (5:1-3).
o All four are again together when Jesus heals Simon's mother-in-law: "he
entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John" (only Mark
1:29; the parallel texts only say that Jesus entered "Peter's house" [Matt 8:14-15] or "Simon's
house" [Luke 4:38-39], without mentioning the other three).
o The only other text that mentions these four disciples together is near the
beginning of Jesus' apocalyptic discourse (only Mark 13:3; but no disciples are
named in the parallel texts, Matt 24:3 or Luke 21:7).
 Peter, James & John = the three disciples closest to Jesus in the Synoptics,
whom Jesus sometimes takes apart from his other disciples:
o Jesus allows only them to enter with him into the house of Jairus (Mark
5:37; Luke 8:51; no disciples are named in the parallel story in Matt 9:23-25).
o Jesus takes only these three up the mountain of the transfiguration (Mark
9:2; Matt 17:1; Luke 9:28).
o Jesus takes them slightly apart from the other disciples after entering
Gethsemane ("Peter and James and John," Mark 14:33; "Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,"
Matt 26:37; no one named in Luke 22:40-41).
 Levi = a tax collector called by Jesus in Mark 2:13-17 and Luke 5:27-32.
o Given the similarity of the parallel accounts, this is possibly the same
person as the tax collector named "Matthew" in Matt 9:9-13.
 Mary Magdalene and other Women = although never directly called
"disciples," several women "follow" Jesus in Galilee and on his final journey to
Jerusalem:
o They learn from him, support his group, are present at his crucifixion
and burial, and witness the empty tomb (Mark 15:40-41, 47; 16:1-8; Matt 28:1-10;
Luke 8:1-3; 10:38-42)
o They are also among the early post-resurrection believers (Acts 1:14; 12:12-
15).
 Minor Characters = characters who "follow" Jesus and/or serve as important
models of "faith", even if they are not explicitly called "disciples"; the best
examples include:
o Jairus and the Hemorrhaging Woman (esp. Mark 5:22-43; par. Matt 9:18-26; Luke
8:40-56)
o Bartimaeus, a Blind Beggar (esp. Mark 10:48-52; par. Matt 20:29-34; Luke 18:35-43;
cf. Matt 9:27-31)
 The Twelve = the core group of disciples/apostles in the Synoptics,
whose names are listed in only four passages (Mark 3:16-19; Matt 10:2-4; Luke 6:14-16;
and Acts 1:13; but never in John). Note some curious details:
o some of the names differ in these lists (Thaddeus = Judas, son of James? Simon the
Cananaean = Simon the Zealot? and Matthew = Levi of Mk 2:14?);
o one can subdivide each list into three groups of four apostles, with Peter
always named first and Judas Iscariot always last;
o the order within the three subgroups also differs (Andrew 2nd or 4th? James
before or after John? Thomas 6th, 7th, or 8th? Who is 10th & 11th?).
o the change from Luke 6:14 to Acts 1:13 subtly reflects the increasing
prominence of John in the early church (often appearing with Peter), in
contrast to the decreasing roles of James (John's brother) and Andrew
(Peter's brother).

Matt 10:2-4 Mark 3:14-19 Luke 6:13-16 Acts 1:13

The names of the He When day came, he When they entered
twelve apostles are appointed twelve (whom called his disciples the city they went to
these: he also named apostles) to himself, the upper room
that they might be with and from them he where they were
him and he might send chose Twelve, staying,
them forth whom he also
to preach and to have named apostles:
authority to drive out
demons:
first, Simon called Peter, Simon, whom he Simon, whom he Peter
and his brother Andrew; named Peter; named Peter, and John
James, the son of James, son of Zebedee, and his and James
Zebedee, and John the brother of brother Andrew, and Andrew,
and his brother John; James, whom he named James,
Boanerges, John,
that is, sons of thunder;
Andrew,
Philip Philip, Philip, Philip
and Bartholomew, Bartholomew, Bartholomew, and Thomas,
Thomas Matthew, Matthew, Bartholomew
and Matthew the tax Thomas, Thomas, and Matthew,
 collector;
James, the son of James the son of James the son of James son of
Alphaeus, Alphaeus; Alphaeus, Alphaeus,
and Thaddeus; Thaddeus, Simon who was Simon the Zealot,
Simon the Cananaean, Simon the Cananaean, called a Zealot, and Judas son of
and Judas Iscariot who and Judas Iscariot who and Judas the son of James.
betrayed him. betrayed him. James,
and Judas Iscariot, [Later, to replace
who became a Judas the betrayer:
traitor. "the lot fell
upon Matthias, and
he was counted with
the eleven apostles"
- 1:26]

All 4 gospels focus on the story of Jesus

The Gospels are where we find all the famous Bible stories about Jesus. Because each
Gospel is about the same main character, they all share several elements.
For example, each of the four gospels follows this general progression:

1. A statement of Jesus’ divine status

(Mt 1:23; 3:13–17; Mk 1:1, 9–11; Lk 1:32–35; 3:21–22; Jn 1:1, 29–34)
2. Jesus’ miracles and teachings
(Mt 4–25; Mk 1–13; Lk 4–19:27; Jn 2–17)
3. Jesus’ betrayal, trial, and death
(Mt 26–27; Mk 14–15; Lk 19:28–23:56; Jn 18–19)
4. Jesus’ resurrection and encouragement to his followers
(Mt 28:1–15; Mk 16:1–8; Lk 24:1–12; Jn 20:1–10
Why do we need four gospels?
Many people (including myself!) have asked, “Do we really need four gospels in the
Bible? That seems redundant. Shouldn’t one do the trick?”
Maybe that would be the case if Jesus were a regular person who just did regular
things. But he isn’t, and he didn’t.
John says that the world itself couldn’t hold all the books that could be written about
Jesus’ ministry (Jn 21:25). He’s probably being hyperbolic, but if there’s that much to
say about Jesus, then we shouldn’t be surprised that we have multiple accounts of him
in our Bible. If the world couldn’t hold his whole story, then surely a 16-chapter
pamphlet like Mark couldn’t!
We have four gospels because during the early church period, four people found it
necessary to tell the story of Jesus from four different perspectives. Each gospel was
written for a different (original) group of people, by a different author, who was trying
to accomplish a different purpose.
Let’s take a closer look at each one:
The Gospel of Matthew

Traditionally penned by the apostle of

the same name, Matthew is the first gospel of the four. This gospel was written for
people familiar with the Old Testament, both the Law of Moses and the prophets.
Matthew makes more references to the Old Testament than any other gospel.
Matthew takes great care to show how Jesus fulfills the prophecies made about him
earlier in the Bible—especially focusing on Jesus’ role as the Messiah. (The promised
king descended from David.)
Today, Matthew is the perfect book to bridge the gap between the Old Testament
and the New. In the famous Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says, “Do not think that I
have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to
fulfill them” (Mt 5:17).
You can read an overview of Matthew here.

The Gospel of Mark

This is the shortest gospel. In fact, it’s possible that this gospel was written so that it
could be easily memorized and told aloud—written to “go viral,” if you will.
According to early church tradition, this gospel was written by John Mark, the same
guy who backed out of his missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas (Ac 15:37–39).
Mark purportedly aided the apostle Peter later in life, and this gospel is an arranged
collection of Peter’s memories of Jesus.
Mark was written for a wide audience. This gospel focuses on Jesus’ role as the
suffering servant and son of God. While the other gospels contain long discourses and
sermons of Jesus, Mark is all about action. This is where we see Jesus doing things,
and then doing more things. It’s very action-oriented (the word “immediately” shows
up frequently), and of the four gospels, Mark reads most like a story.
You can read an overview of Mark’s gospel here.
The Gospel of Luke
This is the longest of the four gospels—in fact, it’s the longest book of the New
Testament for that matter. Luke is the historical, journalistic Gospel: a thorough
account of the episodes in Jesus’ life arranged in chronological order. This gospel was
written to establish believers in the teachings of Jesus (Lk 1:1–4).
Church tradition recognizes the first-century physician Luke as the author and editor
of this book, which is how it gets its name. Luke may be one of the only non-Hebrew
authors of the Bible based on a few clues we pick up in the New Testament. This
gospel presents Jesus as the seeking savior of all nations (Lk 2:30–32). It was and
continues to be a rich story of Jesus’ life and ministry for both those who don’t know
much about Jesus and those who have a great deal of familiarity with the Old
Testament.
You can read an overview of Luke’s gospel here.
 The Gospel of John
John is the persuasive Gospel. It’s written to show the miracles of Jesus, so that those
who read his story will believe in him and have everlasting life (Jn 20:30–31).
John’s account of Jesus’ teachings and miracles emphasize the divine nature of Jesus
Christ. To John, Jesus is the cosmic Son of God, come to destroy the works of the
devil. The whole book is arranged to present Jesus this way.
That means the gospel of John has a very different feel from the other three. The way
the gospel starts is a good example. Mark begins with Jesus’ baptism. Luke begins
with the happenings surrounding Jesus’ birth. Matthew begins with Abraham, and
traces the generations down to Jesus. But John takes us all the way back to the very
first words of the Bible: “In the beginning” (Jn 1:1). John is telling the story of the
divine being who became flesh, dwelt among us, and died so that we might have
everlasting life.
You can read an overview of John’s gospel here.
The Gospel of Luke: Jesus in
detail
Luke is the story of Jesus Christ—exactly as it happened. It’s written by Luke, the
physician.
Luke is the third Gospel (an account of Jesus’ life and ministry) in the New
Testament. Luke tells Jesus’ story in extensive detail, more so than any other Gospel.
Luke records miracles, sermons, conversations, and personal feelings (Lk 2:19). The
writer is a thorough historian who researched everything (Lk 1:3). And Luke’s
attention to detail shows: not only is his the longest of the four gospels, but it’s also
the the longest book of the New Testament. That’s a lot of content!
The book of Luke shows us Jesus, who came to seek and save the lost (Lk 19:10). We
learn all about the God-man in whom we’ve placed our faith. We see how He lived,
how He died, and how He rose again.
Luke’s Gospel is written in ways that Jewish and non-Jewish people can understand
and appreciate. In Luke, Jesus is indeed the long-awaited Messiah; He is also the
savior of the nations (Lk 2:30–32). Whereas Matthew traces Jesus’ ancestry to
Abraham (Mt 1:1), Luke charts His lineage all the way back to Adam (Lk 3:38). This
isn’t surprising—after all, Luke spent a great deal of time with the apostle Paul, who
shared the good news with both Jewish and Gentile audiences.
Theme verse of Luke
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Lk 19:10)
Why Luke was written
Luke states his purpose right away: this book is meant to give believers an accurate,
chronological understanding of Jesus’ life, ministry, death, and resurrection. Luke
investigated the events of Jesus’ life by speaking with eyewitnesses (Lk 1:2), giving
Theophilus (and us) a thorough record of the things Jesus did and said.
Luke is written to a Christian with little education in the life of Christ, making this
book a terrific starting point for believers interested in studying His life today.
Quick outline of Luke and Acts
Luke and Acts should be considered as one two-volume work—with the Gospel being
the first installment.
 1. Jesus’ humble origins (Lk 1–3)
2. Jesus brings hope to the oppressed and challenges those in power (Lk 4–
9:17)
3. Jesus teaches how his kingdom is different than the world (Lk 9:18–19:27)
4. Jesus is killed, practicing what he preached (Lk 19:28–23:56)
5. Jesus rises from the dead, validating his claims (Lk 24)
More pages related to Luke
 John (next book of the Bible)
 Mark (previous)
 Acts (part two of Luke’s NT work)
 Guide to the four gospels
 Matthew