Harmony of the Gospels

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." ~Matthew 1:1

"The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. As it is written in Isaiah the prophet, “Behold, I send my messenger before your face who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness,  ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,  make his paths straight,’” ~Mark 1:1-3

"Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us." ~Luke 1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it." ~John 1:1-5

The first four books of the New Testament are The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, followers of Jesus Christ. These men were with Jesus during His life and ministry on earth, witnessed His death on the Cross, His resurrection from the tomb and His Ascension into Heaven. They were eyewitnesses to everything Jesus did, and while they wrote of the life of Christ, each one begins a little differently. 

Matthew is considered to be the most Jewish of the Gospels, giving Christ's genealogy as proof that He is the Messiah they had been waiting for. Mark begins his gospel by quoting the Old Testament, that points to John as the one crying in the wilderness. Luke, the doctor, sounding very scholarly, lays out his case for Christ. John, who is also a cousin of Jesus Christ, was also the one, while still in the womb, was filled with the Holy Spirit. John's Gospel is my favorite because he jumps right in and tells us Jesus is God, He is the Light of world, and in Him is life.  While the gospels differ, it is only because they are from four different points of view, but they are still in perfect harmony bringing the prophecies of the Old Testament to life in Christ. 

We refer to everything prior to what the disciples write as the Old Testament, but in those days, there was no old or new testament. In fact, there was the Torah, which consisted of the first five books of the Old Testament, and the prophets, which are quoted time after time throughout the New Testament. Everything about the Old Testament, from Genesis through Malachi points us to Jesus Christ as the Messiah, while the Gospels reiterate that message. 

"And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John bore witness about Him, and cried out, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because He was before me.’”) For from His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, He has made Him known (John 1:14-18)."

Read Luke 6-12; Weekend reading Luke 13-24

©2018 Marie McGaha