One of the ways people like to use to discredit God’s Word is assumed ‘discrepancies’ within the four gospels of the New Testament - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Do you know who these four men are? Are they disciples; some of the ‘Twelve’? That’s the usual assumption. Four men, close to Jesus, who followed Him around during His ministry and then wrote about it. Right? Wrong. Only two of them were part of Jesus’ inner circle. Who they are, their association with Jesus and their audience all influenced what they wrote in their testimonies. Let’s get to know them better.
Matthew is also know as Levi. He was a Jew, but a despised one. He worked for the hated Roman government as a tax collector. This wasn’t a job he was forced into. People had to bid for the jobs, so he chose to be in this despised profession and in so doing, he betrayed his own people and they hated him for it. He sat in a booth on one of the roads into town collecting a toll from everyone who passed by. As part of his job, he had a certain amount to collect, but was given the freedom to collect whatever he wanted above and beyond that amount for himself, making him a very rich man. Jesus walked by his booth one day and called Matthew to follow Him (Matt 9:9). Matthew dropped everything and did just that. His life made a 180 degree turn and he repented. His testimony is written for his own people, the Jews, likely in their native tongue. Those of his own race would know what a change his life had taken. Being one of the ‘Twelve,’ he was an eyewitness to the accounts of Jesus’ life he writes about. His testimony shows the power of God on repentant sinners. Matthew focused on the fact that Jesus was the awaited Messiah and fulfilled Old Testament prophesies. His listing of the genealogy of Jesus was important to him in showing that Jesus was who He said He was.
Mark was not one of Jesus’ disciples. In fact, he likely wasn’t an eye witness to anything he wrote about in his gospel. History counts him as a traveling partner of Peter (1 Peter 5:13), Barnabas (Acts 12:12, 25; 13:5; 13:13; 15:36-41) and later Paul (Col 4:10; Philemon 24; 2 Tim 4:11), someone who could speak and write in other languages, translating for Peter during his sermons and writing them down. His account is likely dictated by Peter as to what Peter saw as he followed Jesus. He wrote his gospel for Romans who thrived on action, so he focused on Jesus’ actions and his role as a conqueror, as well as His seemingly counterintuitive role as a servant. He carefully explained Jewish practices and translated Jewish terms into Roman equivalents (Mark 2:18; 7:3,4; 12:18,42). He wrote his gospel for effect; short and to-the-point; sometimes writing events out of the order portrayed in other gospels. His account is considered the first written of the four, standing as an example to the other three.
Luke was also not one of the ‘Twelve,’ but a Gentile converted to Christianity. His book is considered to have been written more to converted Greeks, telling the historical account of Jesus’ life, but was appropriate for any Christians. He is believed to have been a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys (Col. 4:14; 2 Tim 4:11; Philemon 24). It is thought that he used some of Mark’s material to write his own book, but being more educated and possibly some kind of medical professional, corrected Mark’s Greek and focused on illnesses and healing. He also stresses Jesus’ relationships with people and the work of the Holy Spirit. Luke holds the distinction of paying close attention to the women in Jesus’ life and ministry. He is also considered the writer of the book of Acts.
John, of course, was one of Jesus’ closest friends. He is said to have been bold and ambitious, called a ‘Son of Thunder’ with his brother James. They fought over who would be able to sit next to Jesus in Heaven (Matt 20:20-8). He was the son of a fisherman, but is thought to have been well-versed in God’s Word and theological language. Contrary to his personality, his work is focused on love - God’s love for us and the love we should have for each other. His gospel shows how Jesus can renew the mind and make us new creations through his own personal testimony. He also stressed the diety of Jesus, beginning his account focused on the fact that Jesus is ‘the Word’ and has always existed. Unlike the other three gospels, which set us as observers of Christ’s life and so draws us to worship Him, John invites us to follow Him and believe.
Of course, there may be historical differences on who people believe Mark and Luke were and the language in which they were written, but it still stands that the four gospels were not just the same story written from different viewpoints, but had different purposes, audiences and personalities to consider. The perceived discrepancies are not discrepancies at all. They show a multi-dimensional Jesus and how differently He effects each person and how personal He is with each of us. Each of us has our own testimony of how Jesus has changed us and ministered to us. That doesn’t indicate someone untrustworthy, but someone who knows us intimately.
