The word “gospel” means “good news”, thus the term “the gospels” speaks of the “good news” of the arrival of Jesus Christ. Each gospel contains a different biographical glimpse of the Son of God, with different angles here and there to give us a thorough picture of His life and death and resurrection. The fact that these 4 books contain differences should only lend to their authenticity, for who would believe them if they said the exact same thing, and why would we need 4 of them?
Each gospel has a purpose and a theme, and each one presents Jesus in a slightly different way. These 4 different looks comprise the 4 faces of Jesus, with each one corresponding to the “four beasts full of eyes” found in heaven in Revelation 4:6. There is also a corresponding color with each gospel, represented by the four colors of the tabernacle curtains, hanging on four pillars: linen (white), blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1). Jesus’ life gives substance to the shadow of the tabernacle.
Let’s look at each gospel and see some fascinating types of our Lord Jesus:
Matthew – Jesus is presented as King of the Jews, which is why His Sermon on the Mount appears only here, as it dealt with the very law that the Jews strived so hard to keep. A King needs a genealogy, thus one is included, showing us that Jesus belongs on the throne of Israel through the bloodline of king’s David and Solomon through His earthly father Joseph. He is here seen as the Lion with the color being purple, the color of royalty.
Mark – Jesus is the Ox, colored red just like the sacrificial red heifer of the Old Testament (Numbers 19), and as an ox, He is presented as Servant in Mark. A servant has no need of a genealogy so this gospel does not include one. Servants are also to be seen but not heard, which is why there is much activity by Jesus but not much commentary in this book. There are also very few things in Mark that do not appear in another gospel, for there is to be nothing extraordinary about a servant. This representation is obviously very special to the heart of the Savior as He is found still wearing a golden apron until this hour in heaven, ever the servant at heart (Revelation 1:13).
Luke – Jesus is the Son of Man, with that phrase appearing in this book more than any other. Luke deals more with the humanity of Jesus, thus the corresponding face of a Man in Revelation 4:7. The virgin birth is given in detail and a full genealogy is recorded, as any human would have done. This time the bloodline runs through his mother, showing us that he is royalty (a descendent of David) on both sides of the family. He is represented as the color blue in this book, as that is perfect divinity.
John – Jesus as God. From the very beginning, John is different, showing Jesus as being one with the Father. God has no genealogy so John does not give one and God is perfectly unique from man, thus every chapter of John contains something that is found in no other gospel. As God is above all that is on earth, the Eagle soars in the heavens with the color white representing God’s perfect purity.
These are four snap-shots of one life, each showing us another face of Jesus. He was the veil of the tabernacle, and His life is a perfect picture of that. The author of Hebrews said that we go through the veil to get to God, “that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Go through the gospels to see Jesus and you are “going through His flesh”. It is a wonderful journey no matter how many times you take it.
Each gospel has a purpose and a theme, and each one presents Jesus in a slightly different way. These 4 different looks comprise the 4 faces of Jesus, with each one corresponding to the “four beasts full of eyes” found in heaven in Revelation 4:6. There is also a corresponding color with each gospel, represented by the four colors of the tabernacle curtains, hanging on four pillars: linen (white), blue, purple and scarlet (Exodus 26:1). Jesus’ life gives substance to the shadow of the tabernacle.
Let’s look at each gospel and see some fascinating types of our Lord Jesus:
Matthew – Jesus is presented as King of the Jews, which is why His Sermon on the Mount appears only here, as it dealt with the very law that the Jews strived so hard to keep. A King needs a genealogy, thus one is included, showing us that Jesus belongs on the throne of Israel through the bloodline of king’s David and Solomon through His earthly father Joseph. He is here seen as the Lion with the color being purple, the color of royalty.
Mark – Jesus is the Ox, colored red just like the sacrificial red heifer of the Old Testament (Numbers 19), and as an ox, He is presented as Servant in Mark. A servant has no need of a genealogy so this gospel does not include one. Servants are also to be seen but not heard, which is why there is much activity by Jesus but not much commentary in this book. There are also very few things in Mark that do not appear in another gospel, for there is to be nothing extraordinary about a servant. This representation is obviously very special to the heart of the Savior as He is found still wearing a golden apron until this hour in heaven, ever the servant at heart (Revelation 1:13).
Luke – Jesus is the Son of Man, with that phrase appearing in this book more than any other. Luke deals more with the humanity of Jesus, thus the corresponding face of a Man in Revelation 4:7. The virgin birth is given in detail and a full genealogy is recorded, as any human would have done. This time the bloodline runs through his mother, showing us that he is royalty (a descendent of David) on both sides of the family. He is represented as the color blue in this book, as that is perfect divinity.
John – Jesus as God. From the very beginning, John is different, showing Jesus as being one with the Father. God has no genealogy so John does not give one and God is perfectly unique from man, thus every chapter of John contains something that is found in no other gospel. As God is above all that is on earth, the Eagle soars in the heavens with the color white representing God’s perfect purity.
These are four snap-shots of one life, each showing us another face of Jesus. He was the veil of the tabernacle, and His life is a perfect picture of that. The author of Hebrews said that we go through the veil to get to God, “that is to say, His flesh” (Hebrews 10:20). Go through the gospels to see Jesus and you are “going through His flesh”. It is a wonderful journey no matter how many times you take it.
