What are the Gospels and how are they different from each other?

The four Gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — are the primary historical sources for the life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Together they give us a four-dimensional portrait of the most important person in history, each from a distinct angle.

They are not biographies in the modern sense. Ancient biography did not follow chronological sequence rigidly or aim for comprehensive coverage. The Gospels are selective, purposeful narratives — as John openly acknowledges: "Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." (John 20:30-31). Each Gospel writer selected, arranged, and emphasised material to serve a theological purpose, for a specific audience.

Matthew was written primarily for a Jewish audience familiar with the Old Testament. It opens with a genealogy tracing Jesus to Abraham and David, contains five major teaching blocks (echoing the five books of Moses), and uses the phrase "that it might be fulfilled" more than any other Gospel. Matthew's purpose: to show that Jesus is the Messiah the Old Testament promised.

Mark is the shortest, fastest-paced Gospel — probably the earliest written, likely based on Peter's preaching. It emphasises action: Jesus doing, healing, casting out, moving. The word "immediately" appears constantly. Mark's purpose: to present Jesus as the powerful Servant of the Lord.

Luke is the most literary and historically detailed. Luke was a physician and historian who interviewed eyewitnesses (Luke 1:1-4). His Gospel emphasises prayer, the Holy Spirit, the inclusion of outsiders — women, Samaritans, the poor — and the compassion of Jesus. Luke's purpose: to provide an orderly, reliable account for Theophilus and the Gentile world.

John is distinctive from the other three (the Synoptics) in structure, content, and emphasis. John contains the I Am sayings, the extended discourses, the Farewell Discourse (chapters 13-17), and the seven signs carefully selected to provoke faith. John's purpose: stated explicitly in 20:31 — to bring readers to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.