Have you ever wondered why the Bible has four books which tell us about the life of Jesus here on earth? I have been asked this question a number of times in my ministry. And, it is usually followed up with a “Wouldn’t ONE have been enough?” 😊
Well, these questions are actually pretty great questions. And, the answers are even greater! Let’s consider FOUR Reasons for FOUR Gospels.
1. We have four Gospel accounts because God inspired four godly men to write four separate accounts of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry. Second Timothy 3:16 begins with “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” It really is that simple. God inspired the Apostle Matthew to write down what Matthew experienced and was reminded of by the Holy Spirit (ref. John 14:26). Likewise, God inspired the Apostle Peter to have his working companion, John Mark, to write down what he experienced and was reminded of by the Holy Spirit. God inspired Luke as he “set in order a narrative of those things” which he learned from those who were, from the beginning, “eyewitnesses and ministers of the word” (Luke 1:1-2); his primary source was most likely the Holy Spirit-inspired Apostle Paul. And, God inspired the Apostle, “Beloved John,” to write down what he experienced and was reminded of by the Holy Spirit. Again, on the most basic level, it really is that simple. And, really, how great is our God that He not only allows us to know, but that He wants us to know Him and has provided multiple ways to get to know Him!
2. We have four Gospel accounts because, according to ancient laws (including the Old Law of Moses), facts are established by two or more witnesses. In Deuteronomy 19:15, the Old Law said, “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses that matter shall be established.” Jesus Himself made this point in John 8:17 when He said, “It is also written in your Law that the testimony of two men is true.” So, by giving us FOUR witnesses, we have an over-abundance of witnesses and, therefore, we can know with absolute confidence that the things which are written in these four accounts are completely true. We don’t need to wonder if any of it is true or not because the truth of it all has already been established. What an awesome blessing this is from the Lord!
3. We have four Gospel accounts because each one was written for a different audience. This becomes obvious when you just read them separately. The Apostle Matthew wrote his account of Jesus for a Jewish audience. As such, Matthew focused his account more on Jesus’ connection to the Old Testament (see Matthew 1). John Mark wrote his Gospel account for a mainly (Roman) Gentile audience. Since it appears that many (Roman) Gentiles preferred “action-oriented content,” Mark focused on the works and the miracles of Jesus. Luke wrote his Gospel account for a more (Greek) Gentile audience. But, he wrote for those who preferred a more “Greek” (read: “orderly” or “scholarly”) approach to things. And, the Apostle John wrote his account for a “universal” audience, for anybody and for everybody. Now, probably because of the growing Gnostic threat at the time, John focused his account on the dual nature of Jesus, on His true identity, fully-Man and fully God. By having these four Gospel accounts, God ensured that everybody gets to hear the Gospel in a way that connects with them, that “speaks their language,” so to speak. What an awesomely wise and caring God He is!
4. We have four Gospel accounts because they give us a more complete picture of who Jesus is. Each of the Gospel writers gives us a different picture of Jesus. For example, Matthew does his best to depict Jesus as the long-sought-for Messiah, the King who would come and rule on David’s throne over God’s people (see 2 Samuel 7:12-16). And, from the first chapter, Matthew shows Jesus fulfilling Messianic prophecies from the Old Testament. Mark depicts Jesus as “the Suffering Servant” of which Isaiah prophesied (Isaiah 53; Mark 10:45) and as “the Son of God” (Mark 15:39) who showed His power and authority through His many miracles. Luke depicts Jesus as “the Son of Man,” focusing in on His humanity. And, John does his best to depict Jesus as “God Incarnate.” This is actually how his account begins (read John 1:1-18). Now, each account shows that Jesus is God, the Messiah, the King, the Lord, the Savior, is powerful, wise, compassionate, and so on. But, by having four different people bring out different things about Him, we get a more complete picture of Jesus. And, that is great for us! We can know Him better and not just see Him as a caricature, but as who He is: a real, multi-faceted, complicated-yet-knowable Person! And, through that, we can better understand, appreciate, worship, and imitate Him! How gracious is our God who gives us these depictions of Jesus so that we can better know and glorify Him!
So, in these four given reasons, we clearly see why we have four separate Gospel accounts of Jesus’ earthly life and ministry and why one would just not be enough.
With all of this in mind, may we look at these accounts with renewed eyes and grow in our knowledge and appreciation of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Man, the Savior of the world. May we use this growing knowledge and appreciation to better glorify Him in our lives by living according to His teachings found in these accounts. And, may those who have never been saved by Him believe and obey His Gospel message today! If you’d like help with any of this, then let us at the Northwest church of Christ know and we’ll do all we can.
–Curtis Carwile