The New Testament presents to us four books that detail the earthly life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ. Known as the "Gospels," these books tell us accounts of His earthly life, with some accounts from before He was born to His earthly virgin mother to the time He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven.
While the four Gospels give us a clear and whole picture as to who the Lord Jesus is, some of us might be wondering why some details aren't exactly the same between them.
All four Gospels agree that Christ Jesus was born of a virgin, made miracles, had disciples, died innocent on the cross, was buried, and rose on the third day. These major facts are largely similar among the four Gospels.
Some details, however, really aren't similar. Does this mean one Gospel is more accurate than the others? Or perhaps, one Gospel should be read more than the others due to accuracy?
Target audiences
Before we answer the question as to what's "more right" among the Gospels, we have to understand that the four Gospels were written by different people with various target audiences.
The book of Matthew, for example, was directed towards the Jewish converts to Christianity. Mark's Gospel, on the other hand, is fast-moving and is full of action, likely intended for younger believers.
Luke's and John's Gospels are also written to communicate God's liberating truth to various communities and cultures. They present a Saviour unlike any other -- God in the flesh, dying for our sakes and living again for our hope.
Because each Gospel was intended to communicate God's salvation to all men, and was written by different people, we can expect all of them to have slight differences in details.
Nevertheless, is one Gospel account "more right" than the others?
In a cinch, no.
Why is that?
The four Gospels were written by different writers for different audiences.
- Matthew wrote his account to tell Jewish converts about the Son of God and how the Law of Moses is fulfilled in Him.
- Mark wrote his account shows us that Jesus Christ didn't come to sit down and be served. The shortest of four Gospel accounts teach us that Christ can be fully understood and known only through His suffering, death, and eventual resurrection.
- Luke's Gospel is written to present to us a Saviour who is human just like us, and yet the only one who can save us. His Gospel account shows us that Christ came to save all of us by becoming like one of us: that by becoming man He could die, and by dying He could destroy the power of sin and death.
- John's account gives us a picture of Christ, perfectly embodying the Father's love and grace. John's account showed us that God loved us so much that He sent His one and only begotten Son to save us.
Final thoughts
Friends, all four Gospels, as all books of the Bible, are very important. Nothing is above another; all of them go together in painting a picture of who our God really is: a loving and kind Father, seen through a humble but highly exalted Saviour, who walked in the power of His Holy Spirit.
