Why are there four Gospels, and which should you read first?

New readers of the Bible often ask a fair question: why does the New Testament start with four accounts of the same life? Wouldn’t one have been enough? Understanding why there are four, and what each one is like, makes it much easier to read them.

Four accounts, not four copies

The word “gospel” means “good news.” Matthew, Mark, Luke and John each tell the good news about Jesus, and they overlap in many places. They also differ in what they include, what they emphasize and how they tell it. The Gospels draw on eyewitness testimony and transmitted accounts, presenting complementary perspectives on Jesus. Luke explicitly describes consulting earlier accounts and eyewitness testimony (Luke 1:1-4).

Traditionally the Gospels are attributed to Matthew, a disciple and former tax collector, Mark, a companion of the apostle Peter, Luke, a physician and traveling companion of Paul, and John, a disciple of Jesus. Scholars discuss the details of who wrote them and when, and you do not need to settle those questions to read them well.

Christians receive Matthew, Mark, Luke and John as the four inspired, canonical Gospels, bearing witness to the same Lord. That is a conviction of Christian faith, and it is separate from the historical questions about authorship.

What each Gospel is like

• Matthew keeps pointing back to the Hebrew Scriptures, showing how Jesus fulfills what the prophets said. It includes the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5 to 7) and gathers Jesus’ teaching in large blocks.
• Mark is the shortest and moves fast. It uses words like “immediately” often and spends a lot of time on what Jesus did. If you want a quick overview, start here.
• Luke begins by describing his careful investigation and his purpose: “It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed” (Luke 1:3-4, KJV). It includes stories found nowhere else, such as the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son, and pays special attention to the poor and the overlooked.
• John reads differently from the other three. It has long conversations, personal encounters and the famous “I am” statements. It tells you its purpose near the end: “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name” (John 20:31, KJV).

Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the “synoptic” Gospels, from a Greek word meaning “seen together,” because they share so much material.

Why differences are not a problem

Readers sometimes worry when the Gospels tell the same event with different details. Different details do not automatically constitute contradictions. Many differences become clearer through context, literary purpose, and ancient writing conventions; some passages remain difficult and require careful study. When you notice a difference, it is worth reading both passages side by side and asking why each writer told it that way.

Which one should you read first?

There is no wrong answer, but here are three simple routes:

1. John first, if you want to meet Jesus in a personal, reflective way. It is a common starting place for new readers.
2. Mark first, if you want a short, fast overview. It has 16 chapters, so reading one a day takes 16 days.
3. Luke first, if you enjoy stories and want to see how Jesus treated people. Luke is also the first half of a two-part work, followed by the book of Acts.

Whichever you pick, read it slowly and a chapter at a time. Our Bible reader has a short summary for each chapter, a key verse and your reading streak, and the Bible stories page retells key scenes one at a time.