GOD’S WISDOM IN GIVING US FOUR GOSPELS

Almost everyone knows that the Bible contains four versions of the gospel story – Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Not so well known are the subtle differences between them and the way this four-fold witness demonstrates the amazing wisdom of God.

Anyone who has ever done a Bible School course will know that Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the synoptic gospels, meaning that they look at the story of Jesus in the same way, with large amounts of detail in common. But closer inspection reveals that they do, in fact, look at things differently.

Matthew seems to write with a Jewish readership in mind. He picks up on a lot of instances where Jesus fulfilled Old Testament Scriptures. Mark is more of an action gospel, seemingly suited for a Roman audience. Luke, who was Greek and addressed his gospel to a Greek man called Theophilus, brings out more of the human side of the story, including more about Jesus’ interactions with various women.

All three, therefore, proclaim the message of the Gospel in ways that different types of people can relate to. As I said, this points to the amazing wisdom of God.

The Gospel of John, perhaps surprisingly, is written to help Christians believe (John 20:31). Putting it another way, to give believers a strong foundation for believing.

I find it fascinating that, after two thousand years, all the little differences between the four gospels have survived. It must have been tempting to “correct” the apparent contradictions. Details about where He said this or that, the order in which things happened, the exact way events transpired on Resurrection Morning. The fact that we can still explore these challenging little differences proves the honesty of the gospel records and the reverence with which they have been handled through the centuries.

There is a principle in Scripture that everything is established by two or three witnesses (Deuteronomy 19:15, Matthew 18:16). The fact that we have four gospels (the first one plus three corroborating witnesses) shows that our Heavenly Father wants us to know that the witness is true.

Scholars who dissect and compare the gospels, only to deny the authenticity of various passages, fail to see the big picture. The evidence for authenticity lies in the fact that four different gospels bear witness to each other and to the ultimate truth of the message of our salvation.