These difference's in the FOUR GOSPELS

Matthew was written to the Jews. His purpose was to demonstrate who Jesus was; presenting overwhelming evidence that Jesus was Israel's long awaited Messiah: The Lion of Judah. The genealogy in Matthew begins with Abraham and runs through King David (Matt 1:1-17). The most frequently used phrase in Matthew's Gospel is "it was fulfilled."

Mark's gospel is actually Peter's account and was written to the Romans. His purpose was to portray Jesus as the obedient servant of God. Since no one cares about the heritage of a servant there is no genealogy in Mark. The most frequently used phrase in Mark's Gospel is "straight away" sometimes translated immediately, so Mark is called the snapshot gospel, giving us picture after picture of Jesus in action. The first miracle is the casting out of a demon, demonstrating that the God whom Jesus served was superior to all other gods, a matter of great importance in Rome's polytheistic society. Mark's gospel ends with the ascension, signifying that the servant's job was finished and He was returning home.

Luke's account portrays Jesus as the Son of Man, a title Jesus often used of Himself, and was written to the Greeks. It presents the human side of Jesus and emphasizes his teaching. Greeks were famous for their story telling form of oratory, so the most frequent phrase in Luke is "and it came to pass." Most movies of the life of Jesus rely primarily on Luke's gospel because of its flowing narrative form. Luke's genealogy traces Jesus all the way back to Adam, the first man (Luke 3:21-38). Since the Greeks, like the Romans, were a polytheistic society, Luke used the casting out of a demon as his first miracle, and ended his gospel with the promise of the Holy Spirit, uniting man with God.

John wrote to the church describing how Jesus felt about peoples' reaction to His ministry. His gospel is the most unique, based upon 7 miracles, 7 "I Am" statements and 7 discourses. John pays little attention to chronology, sometimes placing events out of order (like the Temple Cleansing in Chapter 2) for their effect in presenting Jesus as the Son of God. John's gospel covers only about 21 days out of the Lord's 3 ½ year ministry. 10 chapters are devoted to one week and 1/3 of all the verses in John describe one day. His genealogy begins before time and identifies Jesus as the Eternal One Who was with God and Who was God (John 1:1-2). The most frequently used phrase in John is "Verily, verily", or truly, truly. His first miracle was changing water into wine, an act of enormous symbolism by which He "revealed His Glory and His disciples put their faith in Him" (John 2:11). John's Gospel ends with the promise of the 2nd Coming.