Why four Gospels?, part 3

Study:

Recall our previous findings:

Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of John
Genealogy
- beg. w. Abraham
- inc. Royal Line
Birth
- no mention of
   birth place!
No mention of
   shepherds!
Visited by wise men
   
(kings)
- called a king
- given royal gifts
Christ lives the life of a fugitive from a rival king in Egypt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NO Genealogy!
 
 
NO Birth!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Genealogy
- inc. first man
- avoids royal line
Birth
- born in a stable
 
Visited by common
   shepherds
No mention of
   wise men!

 
 
Christ lives the life of a common Jewish male        
- circumcised at 8 days
- dedicated as the firstborn
- experiences his first Passover at 12 yrs. old
NO Genealogy!
 
 
NO Birth!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lion
(king)
Bull calf
(servant/sacrifice)
Man
(man)
Eagle
(God)

Clearly, Matthew is the lion (or king) and Luke is the man. But what of Mark and John? How can we be sure that Mark is the bull and John is the Eagle?

Clearly, John is the Eagle as this Gospel is the one which most readily shows Jesus to be God. Note the following verses in the Gospel of John.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ... And the Word was made 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

"Jesus answered, ... Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by." John 8:54-59

So John is the eagle or God... but how can we be sure that Mark is the bull? Look at the following listings of miracles and parables for the three Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke.

According to... The Oxford cyclopedic concordance: containing new and selected helps to the study of the Bible, arranged in one alphabetical order, with illustrations and a new series of maps, London, New York, and Toronto: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1900, p. 191.

Table of Our Saviour's Miracles.
Parable
Mat.
Mark
Luke
1. Recorded in one Gospel only.
  1. Two blind men healed.
9:27
 
 
  2. A dumb demoniac healed.
9:32
 
 
  3. Stater in the mouth of the fish.
17:24
 
 
  4. The deaf and dumb man healed.
 
7:31
 
  5. A blind man healed.
 
8:22
 
  6. When Christ passed unseen through the multitude.
 
 
4:30
  7. Draught of fishes.
 
 
5:1
  8. Raising the widow's son.
 
 
7:11
  9. Healing the crooked woman.
 
 
13:11
10. Healing the man with the dropsy.
 
 
14:1
11. Healing the ten lepers.
 
 
17:11
12. Healing the ear of Malchus, servant of the high priest.
 
 
22:50
2. Recorded in two Gospels.
13. Demoniac in synagogue cured.
 
1:23
4:33
14. Healing centurion's servant (of palsy).
8:5
 
7:1
15. The blind and dumb demoniac.
12:22
 
11:14
16. Walking on the sea.
14:25
6:48
 
17. Healing the daughter of the Syrophenician.
15:21
7:24
 
18. Feeding the four thousand.
15:32
8:1
 
19. Cursing the fig tree.
21:18
11:12
 
3. Recorded in three Gospels.
20. Healing the leper.
8:2
1:40
5:12
21. Healing Peter's mother-in-law.
8:14
1:30
4:38
22. Stilling the storm.
8:26
4:37
8:22
23. The legion of devils entering swine.
8:28
5:1
8:27
24. Healing the man sick of the palsy.
9:2
2:3
5:18
25. Healing woman with issue of blood.
9:20
5:25
8:43
26. Raising of Jairus' daughter.
9:23
5:38
8:49
27. Healing the man with a withered hand.
12:10
3:1
6:6
28. Curing demoniac child.
17:14
9:17
9:38
29. Curing blind Bartimaeus (two blind men, Mat. 20.).
20:30
10:46
18:35
30. Feeding the five thousand.
14:19
6:3
9:12

According to... The Oxford cyclopedic concordance: containing new and selected helps to the study of the Bible, arranged in one alphabetical order, with illustrations and a new series of maps, London, New York, and Toronto: Humphrey Milford, Oxford University Press, 1900, pp. 218-219.

Table of Our Saviour's Parables.
Parable
Mat.
Mark
Luke
1. Recorded in one Gospel only.
  1. The tares.
13:24
 
 
  2. The hid treasure.
13:44
 
 
  3. The goodly pearl.
13:45
 
 
  4. The draw-net.
13:47
 
 
  5. The unmerciful servant.
18:23
 
 
  6. The labourers in the vineyard.
20:1
 
 
  7. The two sons.
21 :28
 
 
  8. The marriage of the king's son.
22:2
 
 
  9. The ten virgins.
25:1
 
 
10. The talents.
25 :14
 
 
11. The sheep and the goats.
25:31
 
 
12. The seed growing secretly.
 
4:26
 
13. The householder.
 
13:34
 
14. The two debtors.
 
 
7:41
15. The good Samaritan.
 
 
10:30
16. The importunate friend.
 
 
11:5
17. The rich fool.
 
 
12:16
18. Servants watching.
 
 
12:35
19. The wise steward.
 
 
12:42
20. The barren fig tree.
 
 
13:6
21. The great supper.
 
 
14:16
22. Tower; king going to war.
 
 
14:28
23. The piece of money.
 
 
15:8
24. The prodigal son.
 
 
15:11
25. The unjust steward.
 
 
16:1
26. The rich man and Lazarus.
 
 
16:19
27. Unprofitable servants.
 
 
17:7
28. The unjust judge.
 
 
18:2
29. The Pharisee and publican.
 
 
18:10
30. The pounds.
 
 
19:12
2. Recorded in two Gospels.
31. House on rock, and on the sand.
7:24
 
6:47
32. The leaven.
13:33
 
13:20
33. The lost sheep.
18:12
 
15:4
3. Recorded in three Gospels.
34. Candle under a bushel.
5:15
4:21
8:16
35. New cloth on old garment.
9:16
2:21
5:36
36. New wine in old bottles.
9:17
2:22
5:37
37. The sower.
13:3
4:3
8:5
38. The mustard-seed.
13:31
4:30
13:18
39. The wicked husbandmen.
21:33
12:1
20:9
40. The fig tree and all the trees.
24:32
13:28
21:29

If we compare the counts of parables to miracles for the three Synoptic Gospels, taking miracles to be a measure of action and parables to be a measure of intellect, then...

Intellect versus Works in the Synoptic Gospels.
 
Tot.
Mat.
Mark
Luke
Parables (The Oxford cyclopedic concordance, 1900)
40
21(53%)
9(23%)
27(68%)
Parables (Evans, The book of books, 1902)
40
21(53%)
8(20%)
26(65%)
Miracles (The Oxford cyclopedic concordance, 1900)
30
20(67%)
18(60%)
21(70%)
Miracles (Evans, The book of books, 1902)
30
20(67%)
18(60%)
21(70%)

Notice that while Matthew, Mark, and Luke have all roughly the same number of miracles, there is a huge discrepancy between Mark and Matthew and Luke in the number of parables. Mark has a similar number of works but less intellect in comparison to Matthew and Mark. This is further seen in the fact that both Matthew and Luke contain the "Sermon on the Mount" and "Eulogy for John Baptist" while Mark does not. Of the three Synoptic Gospels, Mark definitely appears to be the animal/calf of the three, having equal works but less intellect.

In summary:

Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of John
Genealogy
- beg. w. Abraham
- inc. Royal Line
Birth
- no mention of
   birth place!
No mention of
   shepherds!
Visited by wise men
   
(kings)
- called a king
- given royal gifts
Christ lives the life of a fugitive from a rival king in Egypt
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
NO Genealogy!
 
 
NO Birth!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Genealogy
- inc. first man
- avoids royal line
Birth
- born in a stable
 
Visited by common
   shepherds
No mention of
   wise men!

 
 
Christ lives the life of a common Jewish male        
- circumcised at 8 days
- dedicated as the firstborn
- experiences his first Passover at 12 yrs. old
NO Genealogy!
 
 
NO Birth!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
the Word (vs. 1:1)
the "I AM" (vs. 8:58)
20 miracles
21 parables
Sermon on the Mount
(ch. 5-7)
Eulogy for John
(vss. 11:7-19)
18 miracles
9/8 parables
NO Sermon the Mount
 
NO Eulogy for John
 
21 miracles
27/26 parables
Sermon on the Mount
(vss. 6:17-49)
Eulogy for John
(vss. 7:24-35)
 
 
 
 
 
 
Lion
(king)
Bull calf
(servant/sacrifice)
Man
(man)
Eagle
(God)

Notice now, that this assignment of the four creatures of Revelation 4 to the four Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, explains one of the main features of the Gospels, that of the three Synoptic Gospels. Each of the Synoptic Gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, is an earthbound creature while John is a heaven soaring creature.

Sky/Heaven:
(Gospel of John)
 
Eagle
(John)
(north; God)
Earth:
(Synoptic Gospels)
Calf
(Mark)
(west; sacri-fice/servant)
 
Lion
(Matthew)
(east; king)
 
 
Man
(Luke)
(south; man)

Lastly, as the Gospels are all about Jesus thus...

Gospel of Matthew
Gospel of Mark
Gospel of Luke
Gospel of John
...tell of the four-fold nature of Jesus Christ...
Lion
(king)
Bull calf
(servant/sacrifice)
Man
(man)
Eagle
(God)

To be continued...

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