The Gospel Writers Of The New Testament – Do We Really Need 4 Of Them? Series

THE GOSPEL WRITERS OF THE NEW TESTAMENT – DO WE REALLY NEED 4 OF THEM?

What if we had simply 3 gospel writers, or just 2 of them, or only one gospel writer? What if Matthew was the only Gospel we had in the bible? Would that change our understanding of scripture? More importantly, would that change our appreciation of the Lord, His personality and Nature, and our knowledge?

I had an experience with someone whose thinking on a matter was influenced by one of the Gospels in isolation, and it was slanted because the synthesis of all the Gospels was not taken into account. It becomes a most interesting exercise to look carefully at the way the Gospels are written and the particular slant on the material presented by the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John.

All of us in our writing have a particular understanding and slant of the material we write. Just because what is written in the bible has been done so under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, that does not mean the biblical writers did not have their own personalities show through their writing. We see these marked differences in Paul and James and John, all with different styles.

The four Gospel writers saw certain things in the Lord Jesus Christ that caught their attention in a way that was different from another writer. These points come out in the scriptures. There is no contradiction as some try to affirm. There is no disharmony that the sceptics like to promote. The destructive critics use any false means to try to discredit the bible.

Just to illustrate that in a biblical way, Matthew said the inscription on the cross was “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” Mark wrote the inscription as, “THE KING OF THE JEWS,” and Luke recorded it as “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” The Apostle John recorded it as “JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” The cynics like to make much of this in their mockery. (I am using descriptions from the NASB).

The inscription on the cross was not contradictory in the Gospels but complementary. When put together the full inscription was “THIS IS JESUS THE NAZARENE THE KING OF THE JEWS.” (The AV uses “Jesus of Nazareth”). How many of you know the poem called “THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT” by John Godfrey Saxe?

The parable or fable of the blind men and an elephant is a story of a group of blind men who have never come across an elephant before, and who learn and imagine what the elephant is like by touching it. Each blind man feels a different part of the elephant's body, but only one part, such as the side, or the tusk. They then describe the elephant based on their limited experience and their descriptions of the elephant are different from each other. The story is from India, and has come through Hinduism and is found also in two other faith groups in India.

THE BLIND MEN AND THE ELEPHANT

It was six men of Indostan to learning much inclined,

Who went to see the Elephant (though all of them were blind).

That each by observation might satisfy his mind.

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The First approached the Elephant, and happening to fall

Against his broad and sturdy side, at once began to bawl:

"God bless me! But the Elephant is very like a WALL!"

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The Second, feeling of the tusk, cried: "Ho! - what have we here

So very round and smooth and sharp? To me 'tis mighty clear

This wonder of an Elephant is very like a SPEAR!"

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The Third approached the animal, and happening to take

The squirming trunk within his hands, thus boldly up and spake:

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant is very like a SNAKE!"

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The Fourth reached out his eager hand, and felt about the knee.

"What most this wondrous beast is like is mighty plain," quoth he;

"'Tis clear enough the Elephant is very like a TREE!"

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The Fifth, who chanced to touch the ear, said: "E'en the blindest man

Can tell what this resembles most; deny the fact who can,

This marvel of an Elephant is very like a FAN!"

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The Sixth no sooner had begun about the beast to grope,

Than, seizing on the swinging tail that fell within his scope,

"I see," quoth he, "the Elephant Is very like a ROPE!"

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And so these men of Indostan disputed loud and long,

Each in his own opinion exceeding stiff and strong,

Though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!

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Bible critics will strain their limited, logical thinking to do the devil’s work in attacking the scriptures but the unconverted man has no proper understanding of the scriptures, certainly no spiritual understanding. They argue what they know not, and are ignorant of their own ignorance.