THE FOUR GOSPELS
The Four Gospels give us four different portraits of Jesus.
While the first three Gospels in particular seem to tell the same story, when they are looked at more closely, the stories are told quite differently, especially in the details.
For centuries, the tendency has been to make the four stories into one story, to harmonise the Gospel story.
Look, for example, at the Stations of the Cross - try to discover to which Gospel each station refers.
You will find that several stations do not even correspond with the Gospel passion stories. These traditional stories are linked with the origins of the Stations as a following of the way of the cross around the streets of Jerusalem for pilgrims.
Still on the Passion: look at Mt 27,46; Mk 15,34; Lk 23,46; Jn 19,30
The four Gospels give us three different last words of Jesus on the cross. The traditional devotion to the Seven Last Words of Jesus just rounds all his sayings together.
The weakness of this approach is evident: how can we arrange those exclamations into a sensible order. Different people come up with different answers.
It seems better to say each Gospel has a different message.
Peter's Mother in Law
To take this further, let us look at the healing of Peter's Mother in Law - a short story I have used for many years as an example of how the evangelists can use the same story in different ways.
I have drawn up the incident in a table for easy comparison.
Make a list of how Mark and Matthew vary, Mark and Luke and Matthew and Luke.
What evidence can you see? (I've left a variety of clues!)
What conclusions can you draw?
When you are ready, have a look at my response
With this in mind, we are now able to see how the Gospels came to be