What Are the Gospels?

The Gospels are the first four books of the New Testament.

The word Gospel means good news. When coupled with Christianity it means the good news of Jesus and His resurrection.

These books tell us about Jesus’ birth, His life on earth, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension into Heaven. They show us some of the miracles He performed. They also share a lot of the wisdom and parables He gave us while here.

 

The books are:

Matthew – Matthew was a tax collector. This book was written somewhere between 75 and 90 A.D. It’s main purpose was to prove to the Jewish people that Jesus is the Messiah they were waiting for. It also helped them understand that the Old Testament law no longer applied because Jesus fulfilled it. It explains that because of this, Jesus’ teachings and way of doing things is how things should now be done. Lastly, Matthew explains how the kingdom of heaven is both present and future reality.

You can read about Jesus calling Matthew in Matthew 9:9. It is also mentioned in Mark 2:14 and Luke 5:27 – 28. In these passages the tax collector is called Levi, but many scholars believe these men named Levi and Matthew are the same person. Both were tax collectors. Both were sons of Alphaeus. The story of Jesus calling the tax collector is virtually identical in all three books. Some scholars think Levi was his Hebrew name and that Matthew was his Greek name. Others think Jesus began calling him Matthew when he called him to follow Him. Whichever the case, Levi and Matthew are very likely the same person.

 

Mark – Written by Mark, who was often called John Mark. This book was written around 65 A.D. Written for Gentiles, it’s main purpose was to encourage Christians who were suffering for their faith. Mark spends time explaining Jewish customs and laws so the Gentiles would better understand their Jewish brothers and sisters. He also sometimes uses Roman words instead of Jewish words.

Some scholars believe it was written to comfort and encourage the Christians being persecuted by Nero. When Rome burned in 64 A.D. Nero blamed the fire on Christians and used it as an opportunity to persecute and kill them. Mark explains that just as Jesus suffered for the Truth, we too, must suffer for our faith. Instead of giving up or turning away from Jesus, Mark encourages Christians to stand strong and to remember that whatever we may face, Jesus has already faced and overcome it.

Mark was not one of the twelve followers Jesus called. Instead, he was converted to Christianity by Peter. He was a cousin of Barnabas and later became a close friend of Paul.  Mark traveled with Paul and Barnabas. Mark is only specifically mentioned in 9 verses of the Bible.

Luke – Luke was a physician. This book was written some time between 58 and 90 A.D. He wrote to provide a historically accurate account of what happened and to assure people that Jesus was who He said He was. Luke helped explain the need for unified Christian beliefs and helped believers better understand what those beliefs should be. Luke also reminds us while it was because of man’s sin and hatred that Jesus went to the cross, it was ultimately because of God’s great love for all mankind, Jew and Gentile alike, that Jesus came to earth and gave His life for us.

Luke probably never met Jesus in person. Instead, he wrote his Gospel by interviewing people who knew Jesus first hand. He is only listed three times in the Bible. You can read them here – Colossians 4:14, Philemon 1:24, 2 Timothy 4:11.

While no one knows for sure, it is largely believed that Luke wrote the book of Acts.

 

John – John was a fisherman. This book was written between 85 and 100 A.D. John wrote the book to explore what it means to confess faith in Jesus. It was written at a time when the Jewish community was beginning to push away Jewish Christians and to exclude them from the synogogues, causing them to create their own, separate faith community. John helped those believers understand what that community should look like. Throughout the book he encourages us to be open with our faith rather than hiding it.

He also reminds us to be a true and faithful witness to the world by setting the example of love for others.

John personally knew Jesus and traveled with Him. He is mentioned in the New Testament 26 times. Six of these times is John mentioning himself. When he does, he uses the phrase, “the apostle whom Jesus loved,”. He uses this term because as a member of Jesus’ inner circle of three, they were very close friends.

John and his brother, James, were both called at the same time. They were the sons of Zebedee. Jesus gave them the name Boanerges, which means, “Sons of Thunder”. This was probably because they both had fiery tempers and were eager to fight to defend Jesus, even though their efforts and offers were sometimes misguided. You can read about Jesus calling John in Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 1:19-20.

It is believed John also wrote the books 1 John , 2 John , and 3 John.  Some scholars believe this is the same John that wrote the book of Revelation but there is enough difference in writing style, grammar, and other things for this to be unlikely.

 

The first three Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, are call Synoptic Gospels because they share the same overall timeline and cover many of the same events from a slightly different perspective. All three of these books focus on the many miracles Jesus performed.

The book of John stands alone because he has such a different approach to how he wrote about Jesus and His time on earth. His book is more focused on the fact Jesus was God in human-form while on earth. It also focuses on what Jesus coming to earth meant to mankind.

 

Each book differs slightly in the telling of certain events, not because they are false, but because they are told from different perspectives. Taken together and read with this in mind, it is easier to see and understand each event with greater depth.

 

Reading these books is an important part of our faith walk. They give us first hand knowledge and understanding of what Jesus was like on earth, what He did, what He went through while here, and what He said to the people to help them better understand His love and message of forgiveness.

I hope you will take some time and read them soon.

 

 

To read the book of Matthew, please go here – Matthew

To read the book of Mark, please go here – Mark

To read the book of Luke, please go here – Luke

To read the book of John, please go here – John

 

For a general explanation of the Bible, please visit my post, Overview of the Bible