Why does the Bible have four gospels?

"The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel." —Mark 1:15 (NLT)

The gospels are four books in the Bible that give an account of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. These books are right at the beginning of the New Testament and called Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

4 Different Perspectives

Each author had a different audience and emphasis in mind when they wrote their gospel. Each of them add their own unique perspective and details to the overall portrait of Jesus. Without these four gospels, we wouldn't have as full of a picture of Jesus.

Matthew shares Jesus' Fulfillment of Old Testament Prophecy

Matthew’s gospel focuses on Jesus' fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies about a coming Messiah or Savior. He lays out the genealogy of Jesus' ancestors in Matthew 1, tracing Christ's lineage all the way back to Abraham, and proving Jesus to be the "Son of David" (Matthew 21:9; Matthew 9:27) who was prophesied to be the one true king of Israel.

Mark shows Jesus as the Suffering Servant

Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10), as well as a friend of Peter, and a firsthand witness to Jesus' life. Mark's main audience was the Gentiles, shown by his lack of details that would be important to the Jews. Instead, Mark emphasized how Jesus was the "suffering servant" who came to serve, not be served, "and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Mark 10:45).

Luke reveals Jesus' Life as Reliable History

Luke’s gospel is attested to be historically true and reliable. Luke was a well-loved doctor (Colossians 4:14), a respected historian, and the only Gentile author in the New Testament. He made it his responsibility to accurately record what he learned from eyewitnesses to Jesus' life (Luke 1:1-4).

Luke addressed his gospel to Theophilus, also a Gentile, with the desire to present historically credible reasons for trusting in Jesus Christ. He presents Jesus as the "Son of Man" to place a spotlight on the fact that Jesus is 100% God and 100% man.

John affirms Jesus as the Son of God

John focuses on the deity of Jesus and the meaning of faith rather than on biographical or historical details. John's gospel opens with a description of Jesus before He was born into humanity (John 1:14) and documents moments where Jesus announces His Oneness with God (John 8:58; Exodus 3:13-14).

John's book captures the people's acknowledgement of Jesus as the divine Savior of the world (John 4:42; John 20:28) while simultaneously defending the fullness of Jesus' humanity. He writes with the purpose of showing that Jesus is God (John 1:1) and that, if we accept Him, we can have life in His Name (John 20:30-31).

Of course, we can't know everything about Jesus, but these four gospel accounts give us a very well-rounded view of who He really is.

A Cross Examination for Truth

"You must not convict anyone of a crime on the testimony of only one witness. The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses." —Deuteronomy 19:15 (NLT)

Even back in Old Testament times, there was an established law that two or three witnesses were required to verify the accuracy of an event or a statement. If we only had one gospel, it would not stand to the scrutiny of the many critics of the Christian faith.

The gospels provide four separate eyewitness accounts with different writing styles, different details, and different audiences to communicate about the singular life of Jesus. Having multiple accounts add credibility to the story of Jesus and His claims to be the Son of God.

Having multiple testimonies that differ in detail yet ultimately agree on the core question strengthens the credibility of the event. If the gospels all covered the exact same details, then the accounts would actually be considered less trustworthy and more suspicious. When eyewitness accounts have too much in common, it's like they collaborated to get their stories straight.

Instead, we have four accounts, from writers of different cultural and professional backgrounds, all verifying Jesus to be the prophesied Savior and the Son of God.

Puzzle Pieces to Be Found

In the different gospel accounts, we learn lots of little details about Jesus' life and ministry—all from different angles. Some passages may not explain every situation fully but then another gospel expands the story further. Let's take an example of an interaction between Jesus and His disciples next to the Sea of Galilee.

For example, in Matthew 14:15, the disciples were coming back and telling Jesus what He should do. Rather than listening to them, Jesus does what needs to be done. Later, He tells His disciples to go across to the other side of a lake while He sends the gathered crowd away (Matthew 14:22). But Matthew doesn’t tell us why all of this happened.

When we look at Mark 6:7-13, we learn that the disciples' egos had gotten a little inflated. They had just returned from casting out demons and healing people of different illnesses. That's why they were bossing around their own Rabbi (Matthew 14:15).

While the disciples were crossing over to the other side, a huge storm broke out, and they were terrified. Jesus met them out there, walking on the water, and when they called out to Him for help, He calmed the storm (Mark 6:48-50). Jesus had sent them across the sea to teach them two lessons: 1. They can do nothing in their own power, and 2. Nothing is impossible if they call on God's power and rely on Him in faith.

These teachings still ring true for us today. Within the gospel accounts, we can find many similar stories, and each of them carry so many jewels of wisdom to discover. Study the gospels to get the full picture of Jesus' life and ministry and what it means to trust in Him.

"Jesus told him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me." —John 14:6 (NLT)

ALSO SEE:

• What is the gospel?
• Who is Jesus?
• What does it mean that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life"?
• What is the Bible?
• Who wrote the Bible?
• Is the Bible a reliable record of the original manuscripts?
• What parts of the Bible apply to us today?
• Why should we read the Bible?
• Does the Old Testament predict the coming of Jesus?
• Is it wrong to question what the Bible says?
• Is the Bible relevant for today?