The apostles, in their recollections, which are called gospels, handed down to us what Jesus commanded them to do. – St. Justin, martyr 103-165 A.D.
I thought it might helpful to share some informational “nuggets” about the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Here is a choice serving of those nuggets served fresh for you on the go in our fast paced and busy world. Enjoy!
The common abbreviations for Matthew, Mark, Luke and John are as follows:
Matthew – Mt
Mark – Mk
Luke – Lk
John – Jn
Per my analysis, the number of chapters and scripture verses in each Gospel (New American translation) is listed below:
Matthew – 28 chapters, 1,068 verses
More miracles in Matthew than the other gospels
Mark – 16 chapters, 673 verses
By far the shortest Gospel of the four and possibly the oldest Gospel.
Luke – 24 chapters, 1,149 verses
The longest Gospel.Not as many chapters as Matthew but 81 verses longer.
John – 21 chapters, 878 verses
John’s Gospel contains the most dialogue of Jesus in conversations with people.
The Gospel of Matthew –
The Gospel of Matthew is the first book and Gospel of the New Testament
The author of the Gospel of Matthew is probably the apostle Matthew or a Jewish Christian.
Matthew’s Gospel most likely had its origins in the eastern Mediterranean (probably Antioch of Syria)
Matthew’s Gospel was most likely written for Palestinian Christians – A mixed community of Jewish and Gentile Christians in or near the Syrian city of Antioch.
Matthew’s Gospel was probably written during the middle of the first century.
The central message of Gospel of Matthew is about “the Kingdom.” The “kingdom” is the Kingdom of God. Think about the Lord’s Prayer: Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. That is most certainly “good news.” Jesus will return to earth one day in great glory (Mt 24:29-31).
The expression “the kingdom of heaven” occurs only in the gospel of Matthew. It means the effective rule of God over his people. In its fullness it includes not only human obedience to God’s word, but the triumph of God over physical evils, supremely over death. Source: USCCB
As mentioned above, Matthew’s Gospel contains more miracles of Jesus than the others (27 miracles total).
Matthew’s Gospel is runner-up to Luke’s Gospel in number of parables (16 parables in Matthew while Luke’s Gospel contains 19 parables).
The Gospel of Mark –
The Gospel of Mark is the second book and Gospel of the New Testament.
The author of the Gospel of Mark was most likely St. Mark (John Mark), a disciple of Simon Peter.
Although the book is anonymous, apart from the ancient heading “According to Mark” in manuscripts, it has traditionally been assigned to John Mark, in whose mother’s house (at Jerusalem) Christians assembled (Acts 12:12). Source: USCCB
The Gospel of Mark was written in Rome…at a time when Rome was an Imperial Rome that was very hostile to Christianity!
The Gospel of Mark was written for the benefit of Gentile believers living under the persecution of an Imperial Rome.
The Gospel of Mark was most likely written in the 60s AD (before 70 AD).
The Gospel of Mark is both vivid and dynamic in style, and it is focused on Jesus’ mighty works. The other important thing to know here about Mark’s Gospel is that it also focuses to demonstrate that Jesus is truly the Son of God.
There are only five (5) parables of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark. It’s a Gospel with Jesus in TCB mode (taking care of business)!
Although Matthew’s Gospel contains the most miracles (27), Mark’s Gospel contains 23 of of the 44 total miracles of Jesus in four Gospels. So you could say Mark’s Gospel is “pound for pound” the champ when it comes to Jesus performing miracles in Gospels and Jesus without question performs miracles,
The Gospel of Luke –
The Gospel of Luke is the third book and Gospel of the New Testament.
The author of Luke’s Gospel was St. Luke, a Gentile physician and companion of the Apostle Paul.
The location of where Luke’s Gospel was written is undetermined. St. Paul covered a lot ground on his missionary journeys during those days.
Luke’s Gospel was written for a non-Palestinian audience that was largely made up of Gentile Christians.
Luke’s Gospel was probably written during the 60s AD (before 70 AD)
The “message” of Luke’s Gospel is that it was written in such a way so as to serve as ancient biography of Jesus and provide a historical account of his life, passion, death and…resurrection! Jesus rose from the dead for both Jews and Gentiles.
The Gospel according to Luke is the first part of a two-volume work that continues the biblical history of God’s dealings with humanity found in the Old Testament, showing how God’s promises to Israel have been fulfilled in Jesus and how the salvation promised to Israel and accomplished by Jesus has been extended to the Gentiles. Source: USCCB
The Gospel of Luke checks in with 22 miracles of Jesus Christ, just one short of Mark’s Gospel (23).
Luke’s Gospel has many parables, 19, per Ignatius New Testament Study Bible, the most of any of the four Gospels. The word parable in Greek means “comparison.” A parable is a short story designed to teach a religious truth.
The Gospel of John –
The Gospel of John is the fourth book and Gospel of the New Testament. John’s Gospel is not a synoptic Gospel. Matthew, Mark and Luke a Synoptic Gospels which means they are similar to each other.
John’s Gospel drums to its own beat. John’s Gospel is what I like to call “the Love Book” of the four Gospels. The word “love” is mentioned 14 times in Matthew, 7 times in Mark, 14 times in Luke, and drum roll please….37 times in John’s Gospel! Wow!
The author of John’s Gospel is the Apostle John and possibly edited and completed by other disciples.
John’s Gospel was probably written near the end of the first century in the ancient Greek city Ephesus (Modern day Turkey) or in Syria.
The final editing of the gospel and arrangement in its present form probably dates from between A.D. 90 and 100. Traditionally, Ephesus has been favored as the place of composition, though many support a location in Syria, perhaps the city of Antioch, while some have suggested other places, including Alexandria. Source: USCCB.
The Gospel of John was originally written for Jews and Jewish Christians living throughout the Mediterranean world.
The “message” or central theme of John’s Gospel is one of Evangelization.
“that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name.” John 20:31
There are only 11 miracles in John’s Gospels, including four (4) healing miracles and zero parables! That’s right. There are no parables in John’s Gospel.
But what John’s Gospel lacks in Jesus’ miracles and parables it makes up for with an abundance of dialogue with Jesus (deity) in conversation with humanity (good, bad and ugly), and with Jesus in prayer to God the Father.
Also, John’s Gospel is the only Gospel that contains the I Am Sayings, e.g. “I am the bread of life,” I am the light of the world,” there are seven (7) of those total. Although there are no parables, there are four (4) metaphors or allegories in John’s Gospel: The Bridegroom and His Attendant 3:39, The Good Shepherd 10:11-16 The Thief and Sheepfold Door 10:1-5, The Vine and the Branches 15:1-8.
Nuggets of knowledge served fresh in a fast paced world for your own spiritual formation. And the bottom line of the Gospels is this: Jesus died for our sins, and he rose from the dead on the third day in accordance with the scriptures.
And it was all done out of love for us sinners (Jn 3:16).
Jesus Christ is LORD!! Jesus loves you! Follow Him +