Note: Many of the main points in this message were developed from my reading and study of "Four Gospels, One Jesus - A Symbolic Reading" by Richard A Burridge.
Let’s suppose that for some reason someone wanted a biography of my life. So I went to four different people or groups and asked them each to write a biography – my mother, my wife, my kids and some people in this church. And let’s also suppose that all four authors had access to many of the same documents that recorded many of the details of my life – my birth certificate, newspaper clippings, things I have written, recordings of my sermons, etc.
Now we would expect that those four biographies, although there would be some overlap, to be quite different because each of the authors has a different perspective about my life. My mom knows me as a son, my wife knows me as a husband, my kids know me as a father, and the church knows me as a pastor. But even those perspectives are not mutually exclusive. For instance, my mom, my kids and the church also get to observe me as a husband, but they certainly don’t know me as a husband near as well as Mary.
And because of those four different perspectives, those four authors wouldn’t all choose to write about the same events in my life and even when they did all write about one event, their accounts would not be identical. But the advantage of having all four biographies is that by combining all of them, someone who doesn’t know me could get a much better idea of who I am as a person than if they read just one of them.
That is exactly the situation we find ourselves in when it comes to the life of Jesus. We have four different authors who have each written an account of the life of Jesus from his perspective. And when we combine those four accounts, we obviously have a much better picture of who Jesus is than if we just had one account.
This morning we’re going to embark on a journey to examine the life of Jesus. So today, we’re going to take some time to prepare for that journey. As always, our journey is not just about gathering information as we go along. It is for the purpose of allowing us to enter into the world of Jesus so that we learn more about who He is so that we can adjust our lives to live in a way that we become more and more like Him.
As we embark on this journey together, we cannot proceed in a strictly chronological manner, even if we wanted to. By now, after dealing with the Book of Revelation and the Old Testament prophets, we ought to be used to that. Not all of the four gospel writers recorded the events they cover in a strictly chronological order. And in spite of the efforts of many who have attempted to do so, it is just not possible to completely harmonize all the events recorded by these four authors chronologically.
So although we will proceed generally in the order many of these events occurred, we’ll take a more thematic approach to the life of Jesus. That will have the added benefit of allowing us to focus on certain aspects of His life in a way that will help us develop a life in which we become more like Him.
With that in mind, we’ll use the time that we have this morning to briefly overview how each of the gospel writers approached their accounts of the life of Jesus. In order to do that, you’re going to need to have your Bibles handy and you’re going to have to do some work this morning as we go through that process.
For some reasons that will become more apparent in a moment, we’ll start with Mark, so go ahead and turn to his gospel account.
Mark
There are two distinct literary aspects of Mark’s account that give us some insight into his emphasis. The first is quickly evident as we begin to read his gospel. Turn with me to chapter 1 of Mark and follow along as I read several verses from that chapter.
And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.
Mark 1:10 (ESV)
The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness.
Mark 1:12 (ESV)
And immediately they left their nets and followed him.
Mark 1:18 (ESV)
And immediately he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired servants and followed him.
Mark 1:20 (ESV)
And they went into Capernaum, and immediately on the Sabbath he entered the synagogue and was teaching.
Mark 1:21 (ESV)
And immediately there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit.
Mark 1:23 (ESV)
And immediately he left the synagogue and entered the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
Mark 1:29 (ESV)
Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told him about her.
Mark 1:30 (ESV)
And immediately the leprosy left him, and he was made clean.
Mark 1:42 (ESV)
What do all those verses have in common? [Wait for answer]. That’s right – it’s the word “immediately.”
• The word “immediately” occurs over 40 times in Mark
Even though Mark is the shortest of the four gospel accounts, that is as many times as it is used in the other three gospels combined.
The second literary technique that mark employs is not nearly as evident, but we can find it in two of the verses we’ve already looked at:
The Spirit immediately drove [literally “drives” – present tense] him out into the wilderness.
Mark 1:12 (ESV)
Now Simon's mother-in-law lay ill with a fever, and immediately they told [literally “tell” – present tense] him about her.
Mark 1:30 (ESV)
Although most of our English translations render the verbs in these verses in the past tense, they are in fact present tense verbs. Technically this is known as the “historic present”. It’s a technique that can be used to make a story suddenly alive, but Mark employs this method excessively.
• The “historic present” is used 151 times in Mark
• Together these serve to create a sense of urgency to Mark’s gospel.
More than any of the other gospel writers, Mark portrays the pace of Jesus’ ministry and the urgency of His task.
• Mark’s gospel is characterized by lots of narrative and very little teaching.
Although Jesus is portrayed as a teacher and is called “Teacher” and “Rabbi” by both His disciples and those who seek His help, there is very little actual teaching recorded in Mark’s gospel account.
• Mark’s gospel focuses more on conflict than any of the other gospels.
In Mark, we find Jesus in conflict with His own family. It is the only gospel account that records that His family thought He was mad. It also describes His conflicts with human and religious authorities and with Satan.
• “Pivot” passage:
27 And Jesus went on with his disciples to the villages of Caesarea Philippi. And on the way he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” 28 And they told him, “John the Baptist; and others say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.” 29 And he asked them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered him, “You are the Christ.” 30 And he strictly charged them to tell no one about him.
Mark 8:27-30 (ESV)
Up to this point, Jesus is portrayed as a powerful healer who is in conflict and misunderstood by others, even His own disciples. But from this point on, the veil is lifted and Mark records Jesus’ methodical, steady march toward the cross.
Matthew
It is apparent that Mark and Matthew had access to many of the same sources or perhaps that one of these two writers had access to the other’s account. Nearly 90% of Mark’s gospel is repeated in Matthew and that material comprises about half of Matthew’s gospel. And yet Matthew’s gospel has a completely different focus.
Let’s begin by looking at five verses that will allow us t make some observations about Matthew’s account. You can follow along in your Bible as I read them out loud.
And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at his teaching,
Matthew 7:28 (ESV)
When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities.
Matthew 11:1 (ESV)
And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
Matthew 13:53
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 19:1 (ESV)
Now when Jesus had finished these sayings, he went away from Galilee and entered the region of Judea beyond the Jordan.
Matthew 26:1 (ESV)
What do all five of these verses have in common? [Wait for answers]
That’s right – they all have to do with Jesus’ teaching. In fact, these five verses reveal that…
• Matthew’s gospel is arranged around five great blocks of teaching
These five blocks of teaching can be summarized as follows:
Chapters 5-7 Teaching for the present
Chapter 10 The church’s mission
Chapter 13 Parables of the kingdom
Chapter 18 The church’s life
Chapters 24-25 Teaching for the future
The five blocks of teaching are reminiscent of the first five books of the Old Testament which we know as the Pentateuch. This is no mere coincidence since Matthew portrays Jesus as “new Moses” who comes to deliver God’s people – this time not from physical slavery in Egypt but from spiritual bondage to sin.
The second major distinctive element in Matthew is that he has about 60 quotations or references to Old Testament Scriptures. Go ahead and turn to Matthew 1:22 where we find the first of those references:
All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet
Matthew 1:22 (ESV)
This is the first of ten occurrences where Matthew uses similar wording to portray Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures. So we see that…
• Matthew presents Jesus as the fulfillment of Old Testament Scriptures
Although Matthew is certainly the most “Jewish” of the gospels, that does not mean that it was necessarily written to persuade Jews to become Christ followers. After all, Matthew does not portray the Jewish religious leaders in a favorable light. It seems more likely that Matthew was writing primarily for his fellow Jewish Christ followers to encourage them in their faith as they faced increasing conflict and persecution within their synagogues.
Although Jesus refers to Himself as “Teacher” in Matthew, His disciples and those who seek His help never use that title the way they did in Mark. Let’s look at a couple of verses from Matthew chapter 8 to see how Jesus is addressed in Matthew’s gospel:
And behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, “Lord, if you will, you can make me clean.”
Matthew 8:2 (ESV)
“Lord, my servant is lying paralyzed at home, suffering terribly.”
Matthew 8:6 (ESV)
Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.”
Matthew 8:21 (ESV)
How do Jesus’ followers address Him in Matthew? [Wait for answer]. That’s right. They call Him “Lord”. From that we can see that…
• In Matthew, Jesus’ Messiahship is not secret
Jesus is revealed as divine king at His birth and again publicly at His baptism by the voice from heaven. So throughout Matthew’s gospel, He is consistently called “Lord” by His disciples and by those who are seeking Him.
Luke
About half of Mark’s gospel is included in Luke. And there are roughly another 200 verses from Matthew’s account that also make their way into Luke’s gospel in some form. So it seems that Matthew and Luke may have both had access to some additional source that was not available to Mark. But again, Luke’s gospel has a much different focus than either Mark or Matthew.
Let’s see if we can identify the distinctive characteristics of Luke’s account. We find that first distinctive in these verses:
And while they were there, the time came for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in swaddling cloths and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.
Luke 2:6, 7 (ESV)
And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom. And the favor of God was upon him.
Luke 2:40 (ESV)
And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”
Luke 7:13 (ESV)
Just from these three verses, we can see that…
• Luke focuses on the humanity of Jesus
And that focus on Jesus’ humanity leads us directly to the second distinctive feature of Luke. Let’s look at a few more verses that will help us identify that distinctive feature.
One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house and took his place at the table. And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment, and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment.
Luke 7:36-38 (ESV)
Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. And the twelve were with him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod's household manager, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their means.
Luke 8:1-3 (ESV)
He entered Jericho and was passing through. And there was a man named Zacchaeus. He was a chief tax collector and was rich. And he was seeking to see who Jesus was…
Luke 19:1-3 (ESV)
Jesus looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the offering box and he saw a poor widow put in two small copper coins. And he said, “Truly, I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them.
Luke 21:1-3 (ESV)
These passages and many others reveal that…
• Luke portrays Jesus as the bearer of burdens
Luke portrays Jesus as the bearer of burdens, especially for those who have no one to share their burdens with them. Among them are:
o Women. Luke includes many unique events that feature women and women are also featured regularly in Jesus’ parables in Luke. Widows are also featured frequently.
o The poor. In Luke, it is often the poor to whom Jesus preaches the gospel and it is the poor who are blessed.
o Sinners. Luke uses the term “sinners” more frequently than the other three gospels combined.
o Gentiles. Luke shows the fulfillment of Simeon’s prophecy that Jesus would be “a light for revelation to the Gentiles.” So Samaritans and other non-Jews are treated favorably throughout his account.
As a result, Luke, more than any of the other gospel writers, focuses on the universal availability of salvation.
Let’s look at on last distinctive of Luke’s gospel. His account is bookended with these two verses:
And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
Luke 1:10 (ESV)
And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple blessing God.
Luke 24:52, 53 (ESV)
• Luke focuses on prayer as the means to bear burdens
Luke’s gospel begins and ends with prayer and in between, we find Jesus praying. While the other gospels show Jesus praying, it is Luke who emphasizes prayer as a habit and its power. So we find the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray.
John
As most of you already know, the gospel of John bears little resemblance to the other three accounts. Thus, Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the “synoptic” gospels because of their similarities and overlapping material.
John clearly states the purpose of his gospel at the end of chapter 20:
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30, 31 (ESV)
John makes it clear right up front that he never intended his gospel to be a complete account of Jesus’ life. He included only those things that would help his readers know that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God so that they would therefore choose to believe in Him.
In that verse, we also get a good idea of the first distinctive characteristic of John’s gospel that we’ll look at this morning, but let’s look at a couple more passages that will confirm it.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:1 (ESV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 1:14 (ESV)
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord; I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who is coming into the world.”
John 11:25-27 (ESV)
What do you see in common in all these passages? [Wait for answer]. That’s right. We see that…
• John portrays Jesus as God
There is a sense in which the other three gospels take place in the horizontal dimensions of geography and history, particularly the history of Israel. But John focuses more on the vertical aspects of the entire cosmos – a word that he uses nearly 80 times, but which only appears a few times in the other gospels. In his account, Jesus is above and beyond the limitations of the horizontal because He is fully God.
Let’s look quickly at a few passages that will help us identify the second distinctive element of John’s gospel:
The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:5 (ESV)
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 5:24 (ESV)
You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.
John 8:44 (ESV)
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
John 15:19 (ESV)
These passages reveal that
• John’s gospel is characterized by stark contrasts
There is no gray area, only polar opposites like light and darkness, truth and falsehood, life and death, love and hate.
Since time is running short and it would take a lot of passages to demonstrate these last two distinctive features of John’s gospel, I’m just going to give them to you and encourage you to check them out on your own later.
• John’s account is structured around three Passovers
The first Passover takes place after Jesus turns water to wine at the wedding in Cana and the time periods between the three Passovers can be summarized as follows:
John 2:13-6:4 Year between the first and second Passover
John 6:4-11:55 Year between the second and third Passover
John 11:55- 20:1 Last week of Jesus life
• John’s account is structured around seven signs and seven “I am” sayings
As we’ve seen before, the number seven in the Bible indicates completeness. As we saw earlier, John clearly indicated that He did not record all the miracles, or signs, that Jesus performed. He only picked seven that would give a complete picture of who Jesus is – particularly His deity.
The same is true with the seven “I am” sayings of Jesus. Each of those also reveal the divine nature of Jesus.
We’ve really only scratched the surface this morning. Each of the four gospel accounts have many more unique characteristics that we could examine. But I think that the main 3 to 4 distinctive features of each gospel account that we’ve taken a quick look at this morning will be adequate to help us keep things in perspective as we embark on our journey.
