An overview on the

The Four Gospels:

Matthew, Mark, Luke

and John
They are called Gospels an Old English word meaning Good News,
because they tell the Good News about Jesus Christ and the Kingdom
of God. Each Gospel is told from a different point of view.
(Youth Bible: Global Edition)

Book One: Matthew

This Gospel is one of the four Gospels which together make up about half of the New Testament. The
importance of doing what is right and obedience to God are important themes in this book. Some of

Jesus most quoted sayings come from His famous Sermon on the Mount, chapters 5 through 7 of
this Gospel.
This book starts with Jesus birth and ends with His death and resurrection.

Matthew emphasized the humanity of Jesus in his gospel. Written originally for Greek-speaking Jews,
Matthew is essentially the Jewish Gospel because it sets the story of Jesus the Messiah against its Old Testament
background. While the other Gospels speak about the kingdom of God, Matthew normally uses the expression the
kingdom of heaven. Matthew is writing for Jews and kingdom of heaven is a Jewish usage. Out of reverence for
the Divine Name, the Jews avoided wherever possible using the word God and substituted some other term.
In Matthew, we see Jesus as the messiah and as the promised king, fulfilling the Jewish scriptures. It presents
the teachings of Jesus that found their roots in the Talmud, thereby representing him as a tsadik, or holy man. To
further this idea, the first chapter of the gospel presents a genealogy of Jesus Christ as the son of David, and the son
of Abraham. He represents God with a human face, linking the Old and New Testamentsthe word becoming flesh.

The Angel: Symbol of St Matthew

St. Matthew is represented as a winged

man not angel because his gospel
stressed the human nature of Christ's
two-natures: divine & human (hence
the angels)

LAW

CHAPTER & VERSE

Faithfulness

Matthew 13: 1-9

True

Matthew 13, 18-23

not si

shoul
Love

Matthew 25:35

In e

fellows

will lov

th
Reward

Matthew 6:18

Why

that fad

act of m

Forgiveness

Matthew 5:24

Anger

built b

Bring

will be

Marriage

Matthew 19:6

No on

even th

never s

first,

Obedience

Matthew 7:26

A life li

built up

can co

Service

Matthew 21: 5

To do

thyse

latt

rememb

Book Two: Mark

Mark is the shortest Gospel and provides good overview of Jesus ministry. It is full of miracles that
amazed the crowds and Jesus followers. And according to him, the most powerful miracle of Jesus is
His suffering, death and resurrection.

Mark (John Mark was his full name) was an associate with Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles that followed Jesus
Christ throughout His public ministry on earth. Peter was the name given to Simon by Jesus Christ personally (Mark
3:16).
He was very close to Jesus and after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Peter was one of the
founders of the early Christian church. Although the book was written by Mark, the facts contained in it are thought
to be the accounts of Peter during his ministry with Jesus.
The consensus among scholars is that the book of Mark was written between 50 and 60 A.D. The author is
referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts, chapters 12 and 13, in Colossians 4:10,
and finally in 2 Timothy 4:11. The book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book
has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus
in this book are consistent with the other three gospels; Matthew, Luke and John.
It started on the preaching of John the Baptist and ended on Jesus resurrection: Jesus returning to heaven.
The Lion: Symbol of St Mark
The lion is symbolic of Saint Mark. The
Lion of St. Mark is a winged lion, the
emblem of the evangelist Mark,
especially that of bronze surmounting a
granite column in the Piazzetta at
Venice, and holding in its fore paws an
open book representing St. Mark's
Gospel.

LAW

CHAPTER &

PRINCIPLE

VERSE
Honesty

Mark 7: 5-13

Show-offs have no
place on heaven. Be
honest in your faith,
God sees it even

when you dont say

it
Giving

Mark 12: 41-44

Its in total giving,

we see the real
meaning of living

Sacrifice

Mark 10:17-27

Happiness is found
in real satisfaction,
and real satisfaction
needs sacrifice, for
when you learn to do
it, you realize you
need no more of
everything.

Trust

Mark 4: 35-41

If we trust in Him,
everything will
follow. He will
provide us strength
over the storm and
ultimately calm it, so
hold on and lean on
Him

Faith

Mark 11: 20-26

Real faith is never

ceasing for He too
knows no ending

Submission

Mark 2: 1-12

When God tells you

to do something,
step up to it and do
what He asks

Prayer

Mark 6: 30-46

Take time to pray

for there is a greater
value in taking time
each day to walk to

the quiet road with

Him

Book Three: Luke

Two things stand out in Lukes version of the Gospel-God cares deeply for the poor and marginalized,
and the Holy Spirit is Gods great gift to anyone who asks. Luke covers much of the same material as
Mark and Matthew but it also has stories called parables that can be found in no other Gospel, like
The Good Samaritan and the Lost Son.

Saint Luke lived in the First Century A.D. He was a physician, companion to Saint Paul (with whom he
traveled and preached the doctrine of the new faith) and Christian historian. His name is believed by some to be an
abbreviation of Lucanus. According to ecclesiastical tradition, Luke was the author of the Acts of the Apostles and
the Gospel According to Luke (sometimes referred to as the "Third Gospel"). Little is known of his birthplace, but it
is an accepted fact that he was not of Jewish heritage. It is thought that Luke may have been a native of Antioch in
Syria, but Greek in birth and education. Some authorities believe he may have been a Roman citizen.

He wrote his gospel around 60 A.D. and composed Acts approximately three years later. For his gospel
account, Luke garnered his information from eye-witnesses and documents. Since Luke is believed to have been with
Paul when the latter was imprisoned at Rome, it appears likely that he would have met the apostles and disciples, and
would have been aware of the gospels written by Mark and Matthew. It is widely held that one of the people Luke
interviewed...perhaps at greater length than any other witness...may have been Mary, the Mother of Jesus Christ.
He is referred to by Paul as the "Beloved Physician," has rightly been called the first Christian historian. He
was the only Gentile writer of the New Testament. He is the evangelist, poet, artist and cantor of the infancy of Jesus
Christ. It was Luke who chronicled the Christian rendition of Christmas, searching out and preserving a birth story
"too humble for prouder historians to touch." The Gospel of Luke has been described as the most beautiful book in
the world...the opening chapters credited with being the most magnificent of all. The first two chapters of Luke's
gospel relate the Christmas story. He is the only Evangelist to provide certain information about the conception,
infancy and childhood of Jesus. The events described in the Bible by Luke alone include the Annunciation (the
announcement by the Archangel Gabriel that Mary had been chosen as the mother of Christ). These words of Luke
are the basis for the "Hail Mary" and the Angelus (Latin for "angel"). Luke also chronicled the only Gospel account
of the Visitation, which contains what is considered to be one of the world's most beautiful prayers...the Magnificat.

Luke is also the only Evangelist to describe the presentation of the child Jesus in the Temple according to
Jewish custom. These five events described by Luke: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Nativity, the Presentation
and the Finding of Jesus in the Temple compose the Rosary. Of all four Evangelists, it is Luke who best reveals Jesus
as the man and constant friend to the poor and downtrodden, comforting even the despairing thief who was crucified
alongside him.
The Ox: Symbol of St Luke

The symbol for St. Luke is the ox (or

bull). This may account for his also
being patron of butchers. In art, Luke is
represented by a winged ox because he
begins his gospel (left sidebar) with an
account of the priest, Zachary,
(Zechariah), sacrificing in the temple.
The ox represents Christ's sacrifice.

LAW

CHAPTER &

PRINCIPLE

VERSE

Repentance

Luke 9: 57-62

Do not cling on old

sins and worldly
pleasures for if we
repent in Him and
change our old ways,

we will be safe until

the days are over
Salvation

Luke 1:26-35

We are the
Bethlehem in the
present time, we are
His entrance when
we open ourselves to
Him by Faith, He will
overshadow us

Enemies

Luke 6:27

Love your enemies,

do good to them and
pray that they will
turn to you for to
love a friend is
natural but to love
an enemy is divine

Worry

Luke 12:25

Worrying only adds

up wrinkle, it wont
change a thing.
Instead, cast it all to

Offering

Luke 9:23

Him
To offer yourself to
Him is denying
himself his selfish
ways and opening a
life that only follows
Him

Book Four: John

This Gospel stands apart from the other three Gospels. It opens with a Prologue in which Jesus is
described as the Word of Life.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning
with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that were made. In Him was life,
and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There
was a man sent from God, whose name was John. This man came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all

through him might believe. He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light. That was the true Light
which gives light to every man coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him,
and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received
Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of
blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14,
NKJV).
The remainder of the book is organized around seven signs (miracles) that point Jesus
as the Son of God.
This Gospel also produces a number of long conversations Jesus had with people in which He
revealed who He was and what God had sent Him to do. This book ended with declaration
that there are still many things that God had done that was not written in books.
The Eagle: Symbol of St John

The symbol of ST. JOHN is the eagle,

because from first to last his Gospel
soars on eagle's wings to the very
throne of heaven.

LAW

CHAPTER &

PRINCIPLE

VERSE
Confession

John 3:1-18

Confess your sin

and accept His
forgiveness, for
dying on the cross is
His way of Love

Discipleship

John 13:31-38

Love thy brothers

and He will know
who are His
disciples

Entering Heaven

John 14:1-6

Have faith, and that

will take you to the

place He prepared
for me and you
Truth

John 3:11

Speak of Him: the

whole truth and
nothing but the
truth