Why Four Gospels? - James B Rector - September 1974

James B Rector

JESUS CHRIST was God Incarnate - the perfect representation of His Father's character and love. So unique was His character and personality, and so profound the concepts in His teaching, that it was not left to just a single biographer to record His life. No one human being could fully comprehend and describe in words the totality of Christ's righteousness, wisdom and love. And so we have four God-inspired records of Christ's life - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Rather than give just a general narrative of His life, each writer emphasized different aspects of His life and teaching. The result is four different, and yet complementary, portraits of the complete, perfect man. Let's take a look at some of the facets of Christ and His message as revealed in each Gospel. Matthew - The King and His Kingdom. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham." So opens Matthew's account. Both Eusebius and Jerome state that Matthew was writing primarily to the Jewish people in Palestine. Thus he begins with Christ's legal genealogy through His stepfather Joseph (whereas Luke gives His actual human genealogy through His mother Mary). - Information Supplied By: Herbert W Armstrong Library