Four Gospels, Four Perspectives, One God
This fall I am on the home stretch of a goal to read through the Bible in one year. I wrapped up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer, which gave me a new perspective on persistence in patience, and am finally reading the good news in the fresh air of fall. Wrapping up the Old Testament during the dog days of summer and reading the good news in the freshness fall brings. It has been a joy to read of new life and new freedom in the new season.
Because I am reading the Bible chronologically, it’s the first time I have read the same stories of Jesus’ life and ministry told by four different writers in side-by-side comparison.
Each gospel presents Christ, and the life and freedom he brings, to a specific audience: Matthew announces Jesus as the promised Messiah, Mark proclaims the power of Christ in an action-packed account, Luke shares longer stories and parables, and John breaks the mold to create a piece of poetry on the nature of Jesus. Each author felt a responsibility to provide readers with another vantage point from which to ponder the impact and importance of God with us.
One of my favorite stories was the different retellings of Jesus feeding 5,000 people. Each of the gospel writers were touched by the miracle that displayed God’s love for his children and desire to care for them. While they shared many of the major details, each provided a bit of their own perspective. touched each of the men, but retold the story from a different perspective.
Matthew mentioned the compassion Jesus had on the crowd. He broke the bread, gave the food to the disciples, and the disciples distributed it to the crowds. There was plenty for all and there were even twelve baskets full left over. (Matthew 14:13-21)
Mark also mentioned the compassion Jesus had on the crowd, and added, “because they were like sheep without a shepherd.” He includes more logistical details to show the magnitude of the miracle: the disciples first offered to purchase two hundred denarii worth of bread, and the crowd sat in groups, by hundreds and fifties. (Mark 6:32-44)
Luke’s account is similar to Mark’s, though slightly more condensed, and shows the leadership of Jesus to direct the crowd to sit in groups (Luke 9:10-17).
John provides a new angle at the beginning of the story to show how the miracle grew the faith of the disciples. “Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a large crowd was coming toward him, Jesus said to Philip, ‘Where are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?’ He said this to test him, for he himself knew what he would do.” He concludes his story with the faith of the crowd, “When the people saw the sign that he had done, they said, “This is indeed the Prophet who is to come into the world!” (John 6:1-14)
I am so grateful this powerful story was told from multiple perspectives. Each gospel account provided different insights and emphasized different layers of meaning in each story. One gospel account is not more valuable than the other; if anything, each gospel’s value is enhanced when read in side-by-side comparison with another gospel.
The four gospels remind me of the value in many voices. Each of us should share our personal stories of experiencing the power of Jesus in our life with no hesitation or comparison, or worse; a sense of competition. Each story of how we have encountered Jesus and the freedom he brings, no matter now seemingly miraculous or simple, has the potential to enhance someone’s understanding of how the gospel is at work in everyday life. Each authentic account adds to the good news echoing around us, and is amplified by many voices.
Is there a story of Jesus’ compassion and provision in your life that you can share with others? How might you tell the story?
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Grace is a writer based in coastal Georgia. She invites readers to explore and wonder about the goodness of God and make their own faith discoveries. Her husband and cats cheer her on, swimming is her escape and cheese is her fuel.