Select Page

I’m doing a chronological, side-by-side reading through my Bible this year, so I’ve been able to read the Gospels telling the same parts of Jesus’s life in different ways. I’ve found the perspectives interesting and sometimes funny. While some people think that the differences in the Gospels are contradictory, they’re really just different points of view told years later, so it makes sense that there would be a few differences that don’t really change the veracity of what happened. They’re just different details from different perspectives.

For example, when Jesus heals Peter’s mother-in-law (Matthew 8:14-15; Mark 1:30-31; Luke 4:38-39), I can definitely tell which Gospel was written by a physician. Matthew and Mark just say Peter’s mother-in-law was sick with a fever, and Luke uses words that convey more severity about the fever.

For another example, when Jesus walks on the water after the feeding of the 5,000 (Matthew 14:22-33; Mark 6:45-52; John 6:16-21), Matthew tells about how Peter went out on the water with Jesus before Jesus came into the boat, Mark relates more about the terror the disciples felt and gives the idea that Jesus was going to be a little cheeky and walk right by the boat, and John’s version highlights how happy the disciples were to have Jesus get into the boat.

There are more fun and interesting differences, but I’ll let you read those yourself.