What Differentiates the four gospels?

When you read any of the four gospels, (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John) they present four views of Jesus Christ.

MATTHEW – WRITTEN TO THE JEWS

Matthew was a Levite, professional record keeper. He was legalist by nature. One of the ways you know this is

Matt 23:27
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulcher, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

This verse is only meaningful to a Jew.
Before Passover they would put whitewash on the sepulcher’s (monuments, tombs) so if a stranger is passing by they don’t accidentally defile themselves so they stay eligible for Passover.

Matthew shows Jesus Jewish genealogy from Abraham to Joseph. Shows Jesus (Legal Title). Matthew shows “Jesus as The Lion of the tribe of Judah — The Messiah.

Mark – Written to the Romans (Gentile Focus)

Mark shows Jesus as an obedient servant to Jehovah.

LUKE – WRITTEN MORE TO THE GREEKS THAN ROMANS (GENTILE FOCUS)

Luke’s perspective shows Jesus as the Son of Man. — Humanity

Jesus’ genealogy from Adam to Mary shows Jesus (Blood Title).

*Remember: God put a Blood curse through Jeconiah.

THE PROBLEM

God announced very early that His plan for redemption involved the Messiah being brought forth from the tribe of Judah, and specifically from the line of David. The succession of subsequent kings proved to be, with only a few exceptions, a dismal chain. As the succeeding kings of Judah went from bad to worse, we eventually encounter Jeconiah (also known as Jehoiachin), upon whom God pronounces a” blood curse” :“Thus saith the Lord, Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.” (Jeremiah 22:30)

This curse created a rather grim and perplexing paradox: the Messiah had to come from the royal line, yet now there was a”blood curse” on that very line of descent! (I always visualize a celebration in the councils of Satan on that day. But then I imagine God turning to His angels, saying,”Watch this one!”)

THE SOLUTION

The answer emerges in the differing genealogies of Jesus Christ recorded in the gospels. Matthew, as a Levi, focuses his gospel on the Messiahship of Jesus and presents Him as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Thus, Matthew traces the legal line from Abraham (as any Jew would) through David, then through Solomon (the. royal. line) to Joseph, the legal father of Jesus.

On the other hand, Luke, as a physician, focuses on the humanity of Jesus and presents Him as the Son of Man. Luke traces the blood line from Adam (the first Man) through to David– and his genealogy from Abraham through David is identical to Matthew’s. But then after David, Luke departs from the path taken by Matthew and traces the family tree through another son of David (the second surviving son of Bathsheba), Nathan, down through Heli, the father of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Zelophehad

One should also note the exception to the law which permitted inheritance through the daughter if no sons were available and she married within her tribe.

The daughters of Zelophehad had petitioned Moses for a special exception, which was granted when they entered the land under Joshua.

I believe it was C.I. Scofield who first noted that the claims of Christ rely upon this peculiar exception granted to the family of Zelo-phehad in the Torah. Heli, Mary’s father, apparently had no sons, and Mary married within the tribe of Judah. Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, of the house and lineage of David and carrying legal title to the line, but without the blood curse of Jeconiah. [I believe that every detail in the Torah — and the entire Bible — has a direct link to Jesus Christ. “The volume of the book is written of me.” (Psalm 40:7)

http://khouse.org/articles/1998/73

John – Written to Believers (Church Focus)

John’s perspective shows Jesus as God. — The end of the Gospel of John, show this.

Matthew – Written to the Jews (Abraham)

Mark – Written to the Romans (No Genealogy)

Luke – Written to the Romans (Adam)

John – Written to the Church (Believers)

The Focus of the Gospels

The details of the Gospel of John are usually not found in the other three Gospels.

Matthew – What Jesus said

Mark – What Jesus did

Luke – How Jesus felt

John – Who Jesus was

THE UNIQUENESS OF THE GOSPEL OF JOHN

The Gospel of John has some unique items. Usually everything Jesus did was in 2-3 Gospels

Almost everything occurred the evening of the Last Supper

In my father’s house there are many rooms – points to the Rapture of the church (2nd Coming)

Focus on being born-again – Nicademus in John 3

PARABLES – USED TO HIDE/NOT TEACH

From Matthew 13 on, Jesus only spoke in Parables. When asked why he said “So they will hear and not hear. So they will see and not see.” Only those that are illuminated by the Holy Spirit will understand.

Gospel of John assumes the reader is a believer.

Matthew – 16 Parables

Mark – 5 Parables

Luke – 20 Parables

John – Maybe 1 Parable

1st Miracle of each Gospel and the Focus

Matthew (Focus: Jews | Miracle: Cleansing of the Leper)

Cleansing a Leper to a Jew is significant because it’s a form of sin

Mark & Luke (Focus: Gentiles | Miracle: Expelling a demon)

John (Focus: Believers | Miracle: Water to wine).

Changing water to wine may not seem like as big a deal as giving the blind site or the lame to walk. This miracle shows Atonement (reparation for a wrong)

What do each Gospel end with?

Matthew – Resurrection: Jesus as the Messiah the lion of the tribe of Judah. The Resurrection fulfilled his mission

Mark – Ascension: Jesus as a servant

Luke – Promise of the Holy Spirit. – Leads into the Book of Acts.
Many will say Luke was a physician but he was also a lawyer but not in the usual sense.

The book of Luke and Acts are considered the Trial Documents in the defense of Paul before Caesar.

Financed by Theophilus Luke was sent to record and chronicle the facts by Roman law to precede Paul when he appeared before Caesar. His documents had to precede his arrival to Rome.

Luke also goes out of his way to point out the civil unrest was not precipitated by Paul but by the local Jewish establishment

John – Ends with the promise of the 2^nd Coming – Which is a natural bridge to the Book of Revelation

The Thrown of God — Ezekiel 1 & 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4

These are some examples of places in scripture where we have a view of the Thrown of God. Even though the language is different where we compare the visions

There’s a unique strange creature connected to the holiness of the thrown. (God refers to them as Beast/Living Creatures)

They always have 4 faces (Lion, Ox, Man, Eagle)

Matthew – Lion/King

– King of Kings, Genealogy of his kingly line

– Jesus is referred to the Lion of the tribe of Judah