Introduction: Four Major Gospel
Religion: Christianity- Introduction to Gospel (Good News) Series
Four Major Gospel– Matthew – Mark – Luke – John
Each Gospel was written with a different purpose, and the four gave an accurate account of Jesus Christ according to what they gathered from their respective sources. These four gospels were written about Jesus’ teachings of God’s good news to His people. It could be from one person or group of individuals that these writers pieced together all the information they received to fit the narrative to be presented according to their intended audiences. This idea was either from the stories’ source or the writers themselves, which is necessary to convey the message.
The Gospels are made available to us to learn the foundation of our chosen religion—Christianity, and the four portrayals of Jesus in four different characters that may help the audience to grasp the message faster. However, the ideas did not work well for others that showed Jesus’ identity as more than one. This then supported Paul’s statement of more than one Jesus; “For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, …” 2 Corinthians 11:4. Since people have different talents and spiritual gifts, God does not treat everyone the same. Instead, His Spirit dwells in humans who acknowledge his existence and work according to their needs.
We must understand what the writers were trying to accomplish to make their version more acceptable to the audience. We have to consider that these writers did their work at different times, and most likely, they did not know each other, had different sources, and could also be in different places. When a story moves from one mouth to another, the story changes; either they add or subtract the truth of the story, and sometimes, it is more of gossip or hearsay that leads to a disconnect to the truthfulness of the event. None of these writers were apostles of Jesus Christ except for John, who was also under scrutiny or discussion by the New Testament scholars of modern times.
Each writer wanted to reach believers with the good news (Gospel) about Jesus, His birth, death, resurrection, and ministry, which impressed many hearers and later made them committed followers. The Gospel writers aimed for a specific audience, and each writer was selective of the events they knew would lead to a greater harvest. The Gospels are neither the life story of Christ, from the short story of his youth to founding his ministry, nor the misadventure events in His life, which includes the rejection by his hometown, apostle, and his own family.
Each gospel writer looked at the character of Jesus from different angles. Each author presented Jesus with a different personality. In Matthew, Jesus is the king; in Mark, He is the servant; in Luke, He is the perfect man; in John, He is God. Matthew’s Gospel was written to the Jewish people of his time, to be contrasted with Mark’s Gospel, written to the people in Rome; Luke was written to Theophilus, an influential person, and John was written to Gentile Christians with his unique purpose (John 20:31).
Though most believers defend the Bible’s infallibility, there are contradictions in the Gospels. Two heads are better than one, and it doesn’t always work; these four individuals possess their agenda to carry on, which often relates to issues regarding faith and the personal preferences of the believers. When faith collides with personal priorities, it can sometimes become problematic. You may find that the help within the Gospel may help solve the conflict of interest.
The Gospels are not intended to be a history or biography of the life of Jesus Christ and not even his heroic deeds that ended on the cross. Yet, today’s preachers refer to the gospels as the story of Jesus Christ, which is like a stand-alone story of Christ from his birth to his death, thus developing a group of Jesus Christ’s only believers. This preaching practice merely removes the real purpose of God’s redemptive work in Jesus Christ.
The good news is the message of God that is manifested in the life, ministry, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ. Gospel is not Jesus but the message. Each author is selective in how they portray Jesus, which leads to the question of who Jesus is. The Gospel is the whole scripture; no one shall add or remove anything. When we focus on the message, the Holy Spirit will guide us, and we will never be wrong. Gospel means good news. It proves God’s love for His creations and the plan to restore humanity’s broken relationship with Himself.
Four gospel describes Jesus: Mathew- Jesus is a king, Mark- Jesus is a servant, Luke- Jesus is a man and John- Jesus is God. We’ve laid out a deeply thoughtful and layered analysis of the New Testament Gospels, hitting on some of the exact structural, geographical, and theological paradoxes that have kept scholars and believers talking for centuries. Let’s break down our points—from the eyewitness credentials of the authors to the geographical mystery of the Sermons, right down to the massive linguistic difference between “LORD,” “Lord,” “God,” and “god.”
1. Authorship and the “Matthias Proof”
Your point from Acts 1:21-22 nails the early church’s standard. To replace Judas, the candidate had to be an eyewitness “from John’s baptism to the ascension.” That criteria helps us sort the Gospel writers:
| Gospel | Eyewitness Status | Source of Material | Theological Lens + Audience |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew | Traditionally one of the Twelve | Direct witness | King — Written to Jews, proving Jesus fulfills OT prophecy |
| John | Traditionally one of the Twelve | Direct witness | Divine Creator — For the broader world, showing Jesus as the Word made flesh |
| Mark | Not an eyewitness | Peter’s testimony, per early church tradition | Servant — Fast-paced action for Romans |
| Luke | Not an eyewitness | Investigative compilation, per Luke 1:1-4 | Perfect Man — Orderly account for Greeks/Gentiles |
Key takeaway: Eyewitness or not, each author shaped his account to spotlight a distinct facet of Jesus for a specific audience. Proximity varied, but the purpose was unified.
2. Mountain vs. Plain: The Geography Settlement
Matthew says “mountain” (to oros). Luke says “level place” (topou pedinou). Not a contradiction. Galilean topography solves it.
How it harmonizes:
- The Ascent: Jesus goes up into the hills to pray and choose the Twelve.
- The Gathering: He comes down to a broad, flat plateau on the hillside. This is Luke’s “level place.” It’s elevated, but flat enough for crowds from Judea, Jerusalem, Tyre, and Sidon to stand.
- The Preaching: From that shelf, Jesus delivers the core of the sermon: Beatitudes, upside-down Kingdom ethics, love for enemies.
- The Settlement: Both accounts end identically: the parable of two builders. Hear + do = house on rock. Hear only = house on sand.
- The Departure: Immediately after, both Matthew and Luke record Jesus entering Capernaum. Same location, same timeline.
So Matthew names the broader landform. Luke names the specific preaching spot within it. Both true.
3. LORD, Lord, God, god: The Linguistic Shift
“Holy but never Divine” is exactly the tension the early church held. How can Jesus affirm the Shema — “The Lord our God, the Lord is one” — while John calls Jesus God?
It hinges on ancient title hierarchy:
| English | Hebrew | Greek NT | Scope of Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| LORD | YHWH | Kyrios as substitute | The personal, covenant name of Israel’s one Creator |
| Lord/lord | Adonai/Adon | Kyrios | Master, ruler. Used for God, kings, husbands, slave owners |
| God | Elohim | Theos | The Supreme Being, source of all |
| god | elohim | theos | Spiritual being, judge, idol. Psalm 82:6 uses it of human authorities |
Paul’s radical move in 1 Corinthians 8:6:
“There is but one God, the Father… and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ.”
He doesn’t create a two-tier deity. He takes the Shema itself and redraws it. He maps Elohim/God to the Father, and YHWH/LORD to Jesus.
The settlement:
Humans can be “holy” and reflect God’s character. We can be called “gods” in the Psalm 82 sense of delegated authority. But we’re creatures. The NT claim is the opposite direction: Jesus isn’t a man who became a lowercase “god.” He is the uppercase God who became a lowercase “man,” stepping into creation.
God is all in all.
