Mathew, Mark, and Luke are regarded as the Synoptic Gospels because they have more or less similar stories in a uniform sequence. However, John contains information that significantly contrasts the rest of the three books. However, the Gospel of John has significant similarities with those according to Mathew, Mark, and Luke. All provide the story of Jesus through the lenses of a narration. The Gospel of John, together with the synoptic Gospels explains the major categories that define the life of Jesus including his birth, ministry, death, and resurrection from the tomb. A fundamental similarity between the Gospels is that they try to forge a relationship between Jesus and John the Baptist (Elwell, & Yarbrough, 2013). Also, they highlight the lengthy public ministry that Jesus had and also, provide in-depth coverage of the events leading up to his death. Some of the major miracles and events are recorded in the four Gospels including the feeding of the 5,000, walking on water, and the Passion Week amongst others.
Despite the similarities, the four Gospels have several differences. First, Mathew was documented by one of the 12 disciples. It primarily targeted the Jewish audience. As such, it has many quotations from the Old Testament than any of the three Gospels. Jesus is regarded as the anointed one who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies. Mark was on the other handwritten by a disciple of Peter. It is also shorter compared to the rest of the Gospels. The book uses the word "immediately" on numerous occasions with the emphasis being on the transition of Jesus' actions (Green, Brown, &Perrin, 2013). Mark, unlike other authors, paints Jesus as a suffering servant. The Gospel according to Luke emphasizes on the role of the Holy Spirit and how women impacted the life of Jesus. His audience was primarily that of the Greeks, who were also referred to as the Gentiles. John is the last Gospel that mainly focuses on Jesus as the son of God. Because John was written much later, it skips a large chunk of the early life of Jesus.
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References
Elwell, W. A., & Yarbrough, R. W. (2013). Encountering the New Testament (Encountering Biblical Studies): A Historical and Theological Survey . Baker Books.
Green, J. B., Brown, J. K., & Perrin, N. (Eds.). (2013). Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels . InterVarsity Press.
