We continue our discussion of why there are four Gospels by looking at Luke and John this time. You may remember, they were written to different audiences. In case you missed the discussion of Matthew and Mark, you can read it here – Part 1.
Luke
The Gospel of Luke was written to the Greeks. They valued philosophy and knowledge and thought they could reach perfection. Dr. McGee of Thru the Bible said of them, “Even though the Greek culture, langue, and philosophy were the finest ever developed, they Greeks fell short of perfecting humanity.”1 So Luke gave all the details that an intellectual would need to see Jesus as the perfect Man who could save humanity. In his introduction, Luke discussed eyewitness, a perfect understanding, and an orderly account (Luke 1:1-4) so that “there are wide-reaching references to institutions, customs, geography, and history of that period than are found in any of the other gospels.”2 In fact, he recorded more miracles and parables than any of the other Gospels so
that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed (Luke 1:4)
If you consider yourself an intellectual, Luke will help you see that God became a Man to save us through the humanity of Jesus.
John
The Gospel of John was written to Believers who already had the historical accounts of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, and Luke to help them grow spiritually.3 So, John does not repeat all of the history. In fact, he opens his Gospel farther back in history than others, telling us that Jesus existed as God in the very beginning. (John 1:1) We learn that Jesus is the source of life and the only light for a lost humanity that is living in the spiritual darkness of unbelief. (John 1:4-5) He came to rescue us, so that
as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: (John 1:12)
John records Jesus’ teaching, especially, the upper room discourse in chapters 13-17 to take Believers into deep theology. He covered the Trinity, Jesus’ prayer for the disciples, loving God, keeping Jesus’ commands, and so much more to help Christians grow in faith. In fact, John records more after Jesus’ resurrection than all the other Gospels and gave this explanation as to why,
And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples [after His resurrection], which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)
If you want to really know Jesus and grow in faith the Gospel of John will help you.
Reflections
Are you a deep thinker or one who wants to better yourself? If so, join Luke as he shows you the perfect Man Jesus. Or maybe you’d like to know Jesus better and grow in faith? Then take time to study the deep truths from Jesus that John recorded for us.
After considering the audiences for the four Gospels, now you know why the accounts are different. But just in case you run into someone who likes to argue such things as, why do Matthew and Mark say one angel spoke to the women at Jesus’ tomb but Luke said there were two angels? Isn’t that a contradiction? No. Matthew and Mark did not say, “there was only one angel at the tomb.” Apparently, there was more than one angel as Luke states, but Matthew and Mark simply relate that one angel spoke. The point of the account was what the angel told the women. However, remember, Luke liked to add extra details for his audience who appreciated such things. We can be thankful for the one story of Jesus, told from different points of view to help people at various points of the spiritual spectrum.
Dr. McGee gave a good summary of why we have four Gospels to address the needs of four types of people in the world today. He said,
“There is still a crying out today from a world that needs a Deliverer. The religious man needs Christ and not religion. The man of power needs a Savior who has the power to save him. The thinking man needs One who can meet all his mental and spiritual needs. And certainly, the wretched man needs to know about a Savior who can not only save him but build him up so that he can live for God.”4
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