The Bible Book

C

hristians first used the

Greek word euangelion

(“gospel” or “good news”)

to refer to the message of salvation

from sin and judgment through

faith in Jesus Christ. By the middle

of the 2nd century CE, however,

it was also used to refer to the

four canonical books of the New

Testament written in the second

half of the 1st century CE. While

none of the four Gospels names its

author directly, two are traditionally

attributed to the Apostles Matthew

and John, and two are associated

with the Apostles Peter (Mark)

and Paul (Luke).

The central figure in the Gospels

is Jesus, an itinerant preacher

born in Bethlehem and raised in

Nazareth, a small town in Galilee.

His life and ministry are set against

the background of the Roman

occupation of Israel and prophecies

of a divinely anointed leader, a

Messiah. Although the details

of this expectation varied widely,

popular belief looked for a military-

political leader such as Moses

or David, who would liberate

Israel from Roman control and

reestablish the Davidic monarchy.

Jesus’s claim to be the Messiah

combined many of these ideas, but

rejected the establishment of an

earthly kingdom as His immediate

goal. Instead, it seems Jesus saw

sin and alienation from God as the

primary enemy to be defeated.

All four Gospels relate the

miracles that Jesus performed—

feeding the hungry, healing the

sick, casting out demons, calming

storms, and even raising the dead.

They also report His teaching,

public preaching, and His private

conversations with His disciples.

Through sermons and parables,

Jesus repeatedly called for His

followers to repent and submit

to the coming Kingdom of God.

Disputes between Jesus and

Jerusalem’s religious leaders

punctuate the Gospels. In private

and public settings, these leaders

show a growing concern over

His fellowship with “sinners”

(Jews who did not obey God’s

commandments) and His seeming

blasphemy by claiming a status

equal to God and the authority

to forgive sins. Jesus, in turn,

rebuked the religious leaders by

cleansing the Temple, warning

against their teaching and the

example they set, and declaring

God’s judgment on them. This

conflict, along with alarm at His

popularity, led the religious leaders

INTRODUCTION

LUKE

1:26 – 38

LUKE

2:1–7

MATTHEW

3:13 –17

MARK

1:16 –20

JOHN

11: 3 8 – 4 3

MATTHEW

2:1–12

MATTHEW

4 :1–11

MATTHEW

5:1–7:29

Jesus is born

in a stable in

Bethlehem.

Jesus is baptized

by John the

Baptist, beginning

His ministry.

Jesus calls the first

of His disciples to

follow Him and

teach with Him.

Jesus raises

Lazarus from

the dead.

The angel Gabriel

visits Mary and

tells her that her

child is the

Son of God.

The magi visit

the infant Jesus

with gifts of gold,

frankincense,

and myrrh.

Satan tempts Jesus

in the desert after

40 days of fasting.

Jesus delivers the

Sermon on the

Mount, and with

it, the Lord’s Prayer.

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to try Jesus for blasphemy, and

then pressure the Roman governor

Pilate to crucify Him.

The Gospels all indicate that

Jesus expected His betrayal and

crucifixion. This confused His

disciples, who could not grasp

how Jesus’s execution could be the

culmination of God’s plan for the

one they regarded as the Messiah.

The climax of the Gospels is

Jesus’s resurrection. Luke and

John report the incredulity of the

disciples, and how Jesus overcame

their doubts and prepared them

for their own mission to preach

the “good news” to all nations.

Similarities and differences

The first three Gospels—Matthew,

Mark, and Luke—are called the

Synoptic Gospels (literally, “looking

together”) because they relate

many of the same events in much

the same order, often using similar

or even identical language. Such

similarities have led many scholars

to the view that one Gospel, and

possibly other documents, was

the primary source for the others.

Debate about which Gospel was

written first, the exact nature of

their relationship to one another,

and related issues, are known as

the “Synoptic problem.”

Differences between the

Gospels have also been intensely

analyzed. Ancient scholars tended

to see these as harmonious rather

than contradictory, collectively

painting a richer picture of Jesus’s

life and teaching than any single

account. Some modern scholars see

the differences as conflicting and

evidence of myth-making. Others

see them as an attempt to address

different audiences or theological

themes present in Jesus’s life and

teaching. While Matthew stresses

Jesus’s fulfillment of Old Testament

prophecy, Mark depicts Him as

the “Suffering Servant.” Luke’s

account primarily appeals to

Gentile audiences, while John,

whose account is markedly different

from the Synoptic Gospels, often

elaborates on Christ’s divinity.

Scholars have also debated

the literary genre of the four books.

The traditional view of the Gospels

as biographies lost favor among

20th-century scholars, who pointed

out that as a genre, biographies

tend to explore the personality,

psychology, and forming influences

of their subject. In the Bible, these

aspects are secondary to the

depiction of Jesus as divine and

the espousal of His teachings. ■

THE GOSPELS

MATTHEW

14:22–33

LUKE

9:10 –17

LUKE

22:7–38

MARK

15:21– 47

MATTHEW

28:16–20

MATTHEW

17:1–13

MATTHEW

26:47–49

MARK

16:1–10

Jesus feeds a

crowd of 5,000

with five loaves of

bread and two fish.

Jesus gathers His

12 disciples

together for the

Last Supper.

Jesus is

crucified, dies

alongside two

criminals, and

is buried.

Jesus sends His

disciples to spread

the Christian

message to

all nations.

In the midst of a

great storm, Jesus

walks on water.

Peter, James, and

John witness the

transfiguration

of Jesus.

Judas betrays

Jesus with a kiss

in the Garden of

Gethsemane.

Jesus rises

from the dead

after three days.

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