The Synoptic Problem: Part 3 Similarities and Differences of the Synoptic Gospels

            There are a great many similarities to be found in the Synoptic Gospels.  In fact, over 97% of Mark’s Gospel appears in Matthew with over 88% appearing in Luke’s Gospel.    The fact that so much of Mark’s Gospel is found in the work of Matthew and Luke has given rise to the belief in Markan priority rather than Matthew having been written first.  For now, a brief overview of each of the Synoptic Gospels is on order.

            There is early support suggesting that Matthew, the tax collector, originally wrote in Aramaic which provides important testimony to the priority of Matthew[1].  To say that the priority of Matthew is settled would certainly be incorrect.  Matthew likely had a Jewish audience in mind when writing his Gospel.  Some suppose his heavy use of Old Testament quotations was intended to teach Christians how to read their Bibles[2].  While this may or may not be true, Matthew’s appreciation of the links between the old covenants and new cannot be understated.  Matthew’s Gospel adopts a decidedly christological view of the Old Testament.

            It is believed that Mark was the interpreter for the Apostle Peter.  Mark’s gospel is action oriented shifting from one scene to the next rather quickly[3].  Mark focuses on Jesus’ passion, the cost of discipleship, and service.  Mark carefully balances his Christology and discipleship with suffering.  Mark also reminds Christians that their salvation depends on the death and resurrection of Christ and tying the Christian faith to the reality of the historical events[4]. 

            Luke’s Gospel is the longest single book of the New Testament[5].  As the author of his Gospel and Acts, Luke made the largest contribution to the New Testament.  Luke provides a lengthy presentation of Jesus’ birth and early life.  Luke’s Gospel is unique in that it shows Jesus’ interest in the outcasts of Jewish society including the Gentiles (2:32), moral outcasts (7:36-50), and the economically deprived (14:12-14).  Also noteworthy is Luke’s focus on the Holy Spirit.

The following table from Carson and Moo provides an excellent illustration of some of the similarities and differences in the Synoptic Gospels[6].

Order of Event in the Synoptics
(Note: Bold type indicates places where Matthew and Luke deviate from the order of events followed in Mark.  A dash indicates that the incident does not appear in the gospel.)
Pericope	Matthew	Mark	Luke
Jesus and Beelzebul	12:22-27	3:20-30	11:14-28
The Sign of Jonah	12:38-45	———	11:29-32
Jesus’ Mother and Brothers	12:46-50	3:31-35	8:19-21
Parable of the Sower	13:1-9	4:1-9	8:4-8
The Reason for Parables	13:10-17	4:10-12	8:9-10
Interpretation of the Parable of the Sower	13:18-23	4:13-20	8:11-15
Parable of the Weeds	13:24-30	——–	——–
A Lamp on a Stand	——–	4:21-25	8:16-18
Parable of the Seed Growing Secretly	——–	4:26-29	——–
Parable of the Mustard Seed	13:31-32	4:30-34	——–
Parable of the Yeast	13:33	——–	——–
Jesus’ Speaking in Parables	13:34-35	——–	——–
Interpretation of the Parable of the Weeds	13:36-43	——–	——–
Parable of the Hidden Treasure	13:44	——–	——–
Parable of the Pearl	13:45-46	——–	——–
Parable of the Net	13:47-50	——–	——–
The Householder	13:51-52	——–	——–
The Stilling of the Storm	8:18,23-27	4:35-41	8:22-25
Healing of the Gerasene Demoniac	8:28-34	5:1-20	8:26-39
Raising of Jairus’s Daughter/Healing of a Woman	9:18-26	5:21-43	8:40-56
Rejection at Nazareth	13:53-58	6:1-6a	4:16-30
Sending out the Twelve	10:1-15	6:6b-13	9:1-6
Beheading John the Baptist	14:1-12	6:14-29	[9:7-9]
Feeding of the Five Thousand	14:13-21	6:30-44	9:10-17
Walking on Water	14:22-36	6:45-56	——–

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