Exploring the Gospels - An introduction to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

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Introduction
Matthew
Mark
Luke
John
Gospels at a Glance
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Gospels at a Glance
This chart shows some of the unique characteristics and key differences between the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Writing	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Audience	Jews	Romans	Greeks	Gentile Christians
Author	Tax collector and apostle. Also known as "Levi."	Missionary with Barnabus and Paul. Called a son by Peter.	Greek doctor who travelled with Paul. Wrote Acts as sequel.	Fisherman, apostle, and elder. Wrote 5 NT books. Died at an old age.
Date Written	37-68 A.D. Probably written after Mark.	40-65 A.D. Probably the 1st gospel written.	59-61 A.D. Probably written after Mark and Matthew. (Luke 1:1-3)	80-98 A.D. The last gospel written.

Content	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Depiction of Jesus	King of the Jews	Powerful Servant of God	Perfect Savior of Man	Son of God
Key Words	Kingdom, Fulfill	Immediately, Authority	Son of Man	Believe, Life, World, Father, Son
Key Verse	Matthew 27:37	Mark 10:45	Luke 19:10	John 3:16
Characteristics	Evidence to prove Jesus was the promised Messiah.	Fast paced and visual.	Careful and historical.	The gospel of belief.

Fast Facts	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Miracles	29	23	23	10
Parables	31	13	37	3
Sermons	10	5	13	8
Times the OT is Quoted	45	23	23	14
Notes	Handbook of teachings about the Kingdom.	All but 4 chapters present at least 1 miracle.	Has more parables than any other gospel.	Teachings are presented as conversations.

Size	Matthew	Mark	Luke	John
Chapters	28	16	24	21
Verses	1,071	678	1,151	879
Words	Over 23,000	Almost 15,000	Over 25,000	Over 18,000
Size Notes	3rd largest NT book	5th largest NT book	1st largest NT book. Acts is 2nd with over 24,000 words.	4th largest NT book.

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