The Bible Book

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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