The Synoptic Gospels

Matthew(Synoptic Gospel) :

Message: 

• Jesus is Israel's long- Awaited Messiah-King 

Key Features: 

• Strong Jewish Orientation 

• Emphasis on Christ’s Fulfillment of the OT

• Topically Arranged around Five Speeches/Sermons 

• The Great Commission 

Key Verses: 

• “This is the genealogy of Jesus, the Messiah the Son of David, the Son of Abraham” (1:1)

• “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (5:17)

• “Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God’” (16:16) 

Mark (Synoptic Gospel) :

Message: 

• Jesus, the Son of God, became a servant and a ransom for sin. 

Key features: 

• No birth narrative 

• Quick moving narrative

• The messianic secret 

• ‘Markan Sandwiches’ 

• False Ending 

Key Verses:

• “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1)

• “For even 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)

Luke (Synoptic Gospel) :

Messages:

• Jesus is the Savior of all people, especially the marginalized 

Key Features: 

• Emphasis on Outsiders, the Poor, Sinners, Samaritans, Gentiles, and Women 

• Emphasis on Jesus’s Present Reign Following His Ascension 

Key verses: 

• “With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus” (1:3)

• “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (19:10)

Gospel 

John (Not Synoptic Gospel) 

Message: 

• Jesus is the World made flesh to reveal the Father and provide eternal life to all who believe. 

Key Features: 

• Emphasis on Jesus’s Divinity (e.g., The “I AM” Statements) 

• Centrality of Belief/Eternal Life 

• Spiritual Dual Sim 

• Irony & Symbolism 

• The Promised Holy Spirit 

Key Verses: 

• “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (1:14)

• “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (3:16)