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Be Historically Accurate
How to Write a Gospel
Inheritance Class of Grace Bible Church
Dr. Gene Pond
Summer 2010

Our Study So Far:

A gospel is a unique literary form that relates the life of Jesus
on earth, climaxing with His death and resurrection.

Each gospel has a unique purpose for its theological history,

that reveals Jesus while building and equipping disciples.

What did God say at Jesus’ baptism?

This is Thou art Thou art
my beloved Son, my beloved Son, my beloved Son,
in whom in thee in thee
I am well pleased. I am well pleased. I am well pleased.
Matt 3:17 Mark 1:11 Luke 3:22

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In what language did God speak?

Hebrew? Aramaic? Greek?

He revealed His speech to peoples’ minds

so that everyone heard Him in their own language?

Who related God’s words to each author?

Matthew Mark Luke

From John From Peter From Paul

the Baptist
From John the Baptist or he read Mark?
or he was there?

What We Believe
(1) The Holy Scriptures.
We believe the Holy
Scriptures to be the
verbally inspired Word of
God, authoritative,
inerrant, infallible and
God breathed
(2 Tim. 3:16,17; 2 Pet.
1:20,21; Matt. 5:18).

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A Definition
Inspiration
•  God superintended
human authors so that,
using their own
individual personalities,
they composed and
recorded without error
God’s revelation to man
in the words of the
original autographs.
—Ryrie

And straightway the Spirit driveth him forth into the wilderness.
And he was in the wilderness forty days tempted of Satan;
and he was with the wild beasts. Mark 1:12-13

The order of the temptations

Stones Stones
to bread to bread

Jump from Kingdoms

temple of the world

Kingdoms Jump from

of the world temple

Matt 4:1-11 Luke 4:1-13

It’s “live”
The understood nature
and detail of history in the
ancient Near East,
transmitted orally, does
not require dictation.

The text is what is inspired.

The text records the

summarized teaching of
Jesus, rooted in history,
without recording the
exact words of Jesus or
other speakers.

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Order! Come to Order!

Event Matthew Mark Luke
Leper cleansing 8:1-4 1:40-45 5:12-16
Centurion 8:5-13 7:1-10
Peter’s mother-in-law 8:14-15 1:29-31 4:38-39
Sick healed 8:16-17 1:32-34 4:40-41
Following Jesus 8:18-22 9:57-62
Stilling the storm 8:23-27 4:35-41 8:22-25
Gadarene demoniac 8:24-34 5:1-20 8:26-39
Sometimes the gospel writers will reorder the sequence
of events. They may discuss issues on the basis of
special consideration rather than sequence.

Mark 2:1-12 Matt 9:1-8 Luke 5:17-26

The Healing of the Paralytic

He had to be dropped
down Mark; Luke

Jesus saw “their” faith

Mark; Matt; Luke

Scribes: He blasphemes
Mark; Matt; Luke

“Who can forgive sins but

God alone?” Mark; Luke

Which is easier: to say or to

do? Mark; Matt; Luke

Matt 8:5-13 Luke 7:1-10

The healing of the centurion’s son

Matthew: The discussion is
between Jesus and the
centurion directly.

Luke: the centurion never

speaks directly to Jesus, for the
soldier reveals his humility by
insisting that Jesus need not
come under his roof to facilitate
a healing.

Luke wants to show how Jews

and Gentiles can respect one
another.

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How Many Rooster Crowings?

Mark 14: Matt 26: Luke 22:

54, 66-72 58, 69-75 54-62
Denial 1 Denial 1 Denial 1
Denial 2 Denial 2 Denial 2
Crowing
Denial 3 Denial 3 Denial 3
Crowing Crowing Crowing
Remorse Remorse Remorse

The inerrant gospel history

  The gospel writers knew how to summarize

and to do so with accuracy,
retaining the “gist” of the teaching.

  We have the exact voice of Jesus,

if not His exact words.

  Their summaries are trustworthy—supported by the

character of the writers and the nature of their
theological convictions, as well as the presence of
opponents and eyewitnesses who could have
challenged a fabricated report.

Your assignment is
Read each gospel’s introduction of Jesus

Matt 1–4; Mark 1; Luke 1–4; John 1

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