Matthew and Mark
You have already learned many facts about the Gospels— their general characteristics, their geographical setting and historical background, and their wonderful theme, Jesus Christ. You have discovered that the four accounts are harmonious. But you have also found that each one is
unique, for you have seen that each writer recorded the story of Jesus in his own particular way.
Now we will turn our attention to the Gospel accounts themselves. First, we will examine the special relationship that exists among Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Then we will consider the Gospels of Matthew and Mark individually. We will notice the distinctive way each one presents Christ’s person and ministry.
For example, Matthew referred to Jesus as “Son of David” eight times. Mark used this title only twice. Matthew gave more emphasis to Jesus’ fulfillment of prophecy; Mark concentrated on His deeds. You will notice other differences. As you study, may the Lord help you see Jesus in a new way as your Messiah and help you follow His example as the willing, obedient servant of God.
Relationship of Matthew, Mark, And Luke
All of the Gospel accounts follow the same basic pattern in developing the story of Christ. However, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are much more like each other in the way they develop the story of Christ than any one of them is like John. They tell the story of Christ’s life in almost the same way, sometimes even using the same words. For this reason, they have been called the Synoptic Gospels (a Greek word meaning “see together”).
There are many other passages that show a similar degree of resemblance. Yet the Gospels are not simply copies of each other, for the following facts appear when their contents are carefully compared:
1. Matthew and Luke include almost all of the material found in Mark.
2. Matthew and Luke share 200 verses not found in Mark.
3. One-third of Matthew is unique to itself.
4. One-half of Luke is unique to itself.
Many explanations have been proposed to account for these facts. However, the following conclusions seem most acceptable.
1. From the very beginning, there was a body of factual material (called the kerygma) about the life of Christ. This material was the central message that was proclaimed by the apostles (see Acts 2:22–24 and 1 Corinthians 15:1–11).
2. The Gospel of Mark is the record of this basic material. It was written by a person who knew the apostles and was closely associated with the church from the beginning.
3. The Gospel of Matthew includes this basic material. To it, Matthew added the notes he took on Jesus’ teachings— which he arranged to suit his purpose—and other content.
4. The Gospel of Luke also includes the basic material. Luke added a considerable amount of other content that was the result of his own research. Some of this content consists of parables and miracles not recorded by either Matthew or Mark. It is possible that Luke got his information directly from people who had heard Jesus teach and had experienced His miracles.
It must also be remembered that the authors of the Gospel accounts were inspired by the Spirit of God. Their decisions regarding what to include and how to arrange it were made with His guidance. We can be confident that the records we have are the ones God intended us to have.
Matthew: Gospel Of The Messiah-King
The Gospel of Matthew is appropriately placed as the first book of the New Testament, for its content provides a fitting link between the Old Testament and the New. We will study its author, emphasis, outline, and special features.
Author
According to tradition, the Gospel of Matthew was written by Matthew the tax-collector, one of Jesus’ twelve disciples (Matthew 9:9–13, 10:3). Matthew probably wrote his Gospel sometime between AD 50 and AD 70.
Emphasis
Matthew emphasized Jesus’ identity and teaching. He referred to the Old Testament more than 60 times, pointing to Jesus as the royal son of David, the king of the Jews whose life fulfilled the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament. In this way, his Gospel forms the bridge between the content of the Old and New Testaments. In Matthew’s writings, Jesus is revealed not as just another prophet or teacher but as the very Son of God who will one day sit on His throne in heavenly glory and judge all nations (16:13–20; 25:31–32). This emphasis made the Gospel of Matthew useful for demonstrating to Jews that Jesus was their long-awaited Messiah, the one whose coming their own prophets had foretold. It also served to help Gentile converts understand the full meaning of Jesus’ ministry.
In addition to emphasizing Jesus’ identity as the Messiah, Matthew also drew attention to Jesus’ teachings. In fact, more than half of his Gospel is devoted to them. He included several long passages that record Jesus’ words on a number of important subjects. The Gospel concludes with Jesus’ commission to His followers, a charge in which Jesus himself stressed the importance of His teachings: “Go and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you” [italics ours] (Matthew 28:19–20).
Special Features
Besides the emphasis Matthew placed on the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy in Jesus’ life and teachings, there are some other special features found in his Gospel.
Emphasis on Kingship and Kingdom
Matthew is the Gospel of Jesus’ kingship and kingdom. At its very beginning, Jesus is identified as the royal son of David of the household of Judah (1:1, 3). The Wise Men who came looking for Jesus at His birth asked where the “king of the Jews” had been born (2:1–2). During His ministry, Jesus spoke many times about His kingdom (see 16:28, for example). Throughout the Gospel, there are 38 references to either the “kingdom of heaven” or the “kingdom of God.” A week before His crucifixion, Jesus entered Jerusalem as its king, fulfilling the prophecy given in Zechariah 9:9 (see Matthew 21:1–11).
Though the Jews refused to acknowledge Jesus’ kingship, others recognized it. The Canaanite woman who came to Christ on behalf of her suffering daughter called Him by His royal title, “Son of David” (15:22). Pilate had these words written and placed on the Cross where Jesus died: “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews” (27:37).
Attention Given to Gentiles
Matthew included content and facts that demonstrated his interest in the Gentiles. For example, he gave the names of two Gentile women in his record of Jesus’ ancestry (1:5—Rahab and Ruth). He told of the Wise Men who came from the east to worship Jesus (2:1–2). He reported Jesus’ words concerning the fact that the kingdom would be taken away from the Jews and given to a people who would produce its fruits (21:43). He closed his Gospel with the Great Commission, in which Jesus told His followers to “make disciples of all nations” [italics ours] (28:19).
Mention of the Church
Matthew is the only Gospel in which the word church appears. It is found there three times (once in 16:18 and twice in 18:17).
Other Unique Aspects
Matthew contains nine incidents, ten parables, and three miracles not found in the other Gospels. These include Joseph’s vision (1:20–24), the healing of the dumb demoniac (9:32–33), and the parables of the weeds (13:24–30, 36–43) and the talents (25:14–30).
Content
The content of Matthew is built around a double outline. One of these has to do with the events in Jesus’ life, the other with His teachings. In both cases, Matthew has repeated certain phrases to mark the divisions.
Events and Teachings
As you discovered in Lesson 2, the events in Jesus’ life can be divided into four basic periods. In Matthew’s Gospel, however, the more fundamental two-fold division is marked: 1) the period of Jesus’ public acceptance and popularity (4:17– 16:20) and 2) the period of His decline in favor and public rejection (16:21–27:66). Each of these divisions is introduced by the words, “From that time on Jesus began to. . . .” This division reveals that after a certain time in His ministry, Jesus gave more attention and training to His disciples.
The teachings included in the Gospel of Matthew are grouped by topics into five main sections. Each of these is concluded by a phrase such as “When Jesus had finished saying these things. . . .”
In addition to these five sections of teaching, there are two others: the preaching of John (3:1–12) and the Great Commission (28:18–20).
Mark: Gospel of the Servant of God
The Gospel of Mark emphasizes Jesus’ dynamic, active ministry. Guided by the Holy Spirit, Mark showed how Christ fulfilled His mission as the obedient, diligent servant of God. In considering the Gospel account he wrote, we will examine his identity as its author. We will also study its content, emphasis, and special features.
Author
There is general agreement among students of the New Testament that the author of the Gospel of Mark was John Mark, the young man who went with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 13:13). Mark was a cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4:10) and a close associate of the apostle Peter. (See 1 Peter 5:13, in which Peter referred to Mark as his “son”—a term of affection.) In fact, it is quite likely that Mark’s Gospel represents the eyewitness report of Peter, with whose preaching and life Mark was well acquainted. Mark himself may also have been present at some of the occasions he described.
Emphasis
Mark’s account of Jesus Christ emphasized His life of active service as the Son of God (1:1). As such, it would have great appeal to the Roman mind with its interest in the practical side of life. In contrast to Matthew and Luke, for example, Mark gave no record of Christ’s genealogy. This is in keeping with Mark’s focus on Jesus’ life of service, for the family history of a servant is not important. Mark’s emphasis is indicated in other ways as well. The Gospel of Luke is almost twice as long as the Gospel of Mark, yet Luke recorded 20 miracles while Mark included 18 in little over half the space. Though Mark recounted many of Jesus’ teachings, he often simply referred to the fact that Jesus taught (see 2:13; 6:2, 6, 34; and 12:35).
Mark also emphasized that Christ carried out His mission with zeal and purpose. Time after time, He was surrounded by large crowds, to whose needs He ministered (3:7–12, 20–21; 4:1–2; 5:21–34; 6:30–44, 53–56; 8:1–13). The Greek word euthus—translated by expressions such as “immediately,” “straightway,” and “at once”—appears 42 times in Mark (this word appears only 7 times in Matthew and once in Luke). This expression is used 14 times of Jesus’ own actions and indicates the promptness and willingness with which He served. Mark’s use of it several times in his account also demonstrated the fact that Christ was hastening towards the goal of His life of service. He told His disciples that “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45).
Special Features
Though the Gospel of Mark is the shortest of the four Gospels, it contains several features that give it a distinctive character.
Fresh, Lively Style
Mark often described past events as if they were actually happening at the time he was writing about them. To do this, he used a verb form in Greek called the “historic present.” This form could be represented in English by a present form such as I see, you walk, he speaks. However, to most English readers, this would sound unusual and awkward. For this reason, the Greek historic present is usually represented in most English translations by the simple past (I saw, you walked, he spoke).
Notice the two verbs we have italicized that appear in Mark 4:38 as it is translated in the New American Standard Bible: “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’” If we were to use a form closer to the one Mark actually used, the verse would read like this: “Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they awaken Him and say to Him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’” The verse that has the present form makes the story more vivid. This verb form is like the Greek historic present, which Mark used more than 150 times.
Other features of Mark’s style also add to the realism and drama of his account. He used many phrases that give descriptive, vivid details.
Details of Interest to Romans
Certain special features about the Gospel of Mark indicate that it was probably circulated first in Rome. According to Mark 15:21, for example, the man who carried Jesus’ cross was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus (none of the other Gospel accounts name Simon’s sons). Rufus was mentioned by the apostle Paul in his letter to the members of the church in Rome (Romans 16:13). In addition to this reference, there are other places where Mark used a Latin term (Latin was spoken by many Romans) to explain a Greek word (see 15:16, for example, where “Praetorium” is used to explain “palace”). These details show that Mark was especially suited to Roman audiences.
Importance of “The Gospel”
Mark began his account by calling it “the beginning of the gospel about Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1). According to Mark, the message Christ preached was the Gospel (1:14–15). It is so important and valuable a message that it is worthy of a person’s giving his or her life for it (8:35; 10:29). It is a message that must be proclaimed to the whole world (13:10; 14:9).
Content
In writing his account of the life of Christ, Mark chose to let the facts and the record of events speak for themselves. He described a series of episodes, giving a vivid picture of Jesus and of the progress of His ministry. Though his account is brief, it has all the important elements. As we have already pointed out, it includes many details that show that it is the testimony of an eyewitness.
The Gospel of Mark shows how Jesus was the obedient, faithful, and willing servant of God. Because of this, God also honored Him with unspeakable glory (Philippians 2:9–11). If you and I remain faithful and obedient in our service for God, we will also receive honor (John 12:26).