WHY FOUR GOSPELS?
Why Four Gospels?
Dr. J. Vernon McGee
"If the Holy Spirit had wanted
one Gospel, He would have given us
one Gospel. But He gave us four
in order that they might
meet the needs of mankind."
Why Four Gospels?
In the Fullness of Time
The question has been asked from the very beginning, "Why
four Gospels? Why not five? Why not three?" Well, the wag has
given an answer: "Three is not adequate, and five is superfluous,
so we have four." But there must be a better reason than that.
Some scholars have attempted to resolve the problem by making
a harmony of the Gospels. When I was in seminary, I studied the
harmony in both English and Greek. They attempt (and these are
sincere men) to come up with one account. It is amazing how outstanding
men will trim the corners in an attempt to reconcile any
disparity they think they've found in the Gospel records. Reading
many of these harmonies is like trying to fit a size 4 shoe on a lady
with a size 7 foot - it's just difficult to do! You've probably heard
the story about the lady who went into the shoe store. The clerk,
in a gracious way, asked, "What size do you wear?" She said, "Well,
I can get on a 4, but 5 is my size, and since 6 feels so good, I always
buy a size 7." Let me tell you, that's the way they harmonize
the Gospels. We do not need a harmony today. We need a disharmony.
There is a vast difference and wide divergence among the Gospel
records. Each was written for a particular purpose to meet the need
of a separate segment of the world population. We need to recognize
this and let the Gospels conform to this very natural pattern.
If the Holy Spirit had wanted one Gospel, He would have given
us one Gospel. But He gave us four in order that they might meet
the needs of mankind.
When Christ came, there were four major divisions in the human
family. These divisions were not strictly racial or national, although
they basically followed that pattern. Rather, they were cultural
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Dr. J. Vernon McGee
"If the Holy Spirit had wanted
one Gospel, He would have given us
one Gospel. But He gave us four
in order that they might
meet the needs of mankind."
Why Four Gospels?
In the Fullness of Time
The question has been asked from the very beginning, "Why
four Gospels? Why not five? Why not three?" Well, the wag has
given an answer: "Three is not adequate, and five is superfluous,
so we have four." But there must be a better reason than that.
Some scholars have attempted to resolve the problem by making
a harmony of the Gospels. When I was in seminary, I studied the
harmony in both English and Greek. They attempt (and these are
sincere men) to come up with one account. It is amazing how outstanding
men will trim the corners in an attempt to reconcile any
disparity they think they've found in the Gospel records. Reading
many of these harmonies is like trying to fit a size 4 shoe on a lady
with a size 7 foot - it's just difficult to do! You've probably heard
the story about the lady who went into the shoe store. The clerk,
in a gracious way, asked, "What size do you wear?" She said, "Well,
I can get on a 4, but 5 is my size, and since 6 feels so good, I always
buy a size 7." Let me tell you, that's the way they harmonize
the Gospels. We do not need a harmony today. We need a disharmony.
There is a vast difference and wide divergence among the Gospel
records. Each was written for a particular purpose to meet the need
of a separate segment of the world population. We need to recognize
this and let the Gospels conform to this very natural pattern.
If the Holy Spirit had wanted one Gospel, He would have given
us one Gospel. But He gave us four in order that they might meet
the needs of mankind.
When Christ came, there were four major divisions in the human
family. These divisions were not strictly racial or national, although
they basically followed that pattern. Rather, they were cultural
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