The word gospel may be familiar to those who call Christ their Savior. When you hear it, you might think of Christ’s coming, His life, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension. And while it is all those things, it’s also so much more. We never move past the gospel, and we never outgrow it. But let’s slow down for a moment—what does the word gospel actually mean?

The word gospel literally means “good news”—or, in more modern terms, a good announcement or proclamation. But what “good” is being announced? To answer, we have to understand that in a biblical sense, the gospel according to Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John is the long-awaited fulfillment of the entire Hebrew Scriptures. From Genesis to Malachi, God’s people were waiting for a Messiah who would bring God’s Kingdom to fully rescue, redeem, and restore. They longed for the greater prophet, the greater priest, and an everlasting king—the seed of the woman who would crush the serpent’s head.

The good proclamation is this: the seed has come, our great High Priest intercedes on our behalf, and our eternal King sits on the throne forever. The Savior is here, and His name is Jesus.

According to…

Each of the four Gospels is titled “The Gospel According to…” This is essential to understanding each account. While all four writers believe Jesus is the climax of the biblical narrative—the long-awaited Messiah—each one writes to a specific audience, with a specific purpose, to make specific claims about Jesus.

It’s important to recognize that the gospel accounts are both “news” and “biographies” of Jesus, but not in the modern sense of those categories. The Gospel authors are far more concerned with making claims about Jesus that challenge our thinking and behavior than with simply presenting a chronological retelling of events. They emphasize particular details and arrange their stories in ways that support the claim they are making about who Jesus is.

This does not make their stories inaccurate. The Gospels were written by God Himself— the Holy Spirit through the hands of men. We should keep in mind that the Bible is meditation literature, meaning it is intended to be pondered again and again. It uses patterns, echoes, and symbols to reveal deeper truths that weave all of Scripture into one unified story. The Gospels are no exception. Together, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s accounts display a beautiful portrait of Jesus.

Mark

The Gospel according to Mark was the earliest recorded and likely written to Roman Christians. Most scholars believe Mark wrote his Gospel based on the eyewitness accounts of Peter. Mark reveals Jesus as the unexpected Messiah—a suffering servant.

The opening verses get straight to the point:

“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as it is written in Isaiah the prophet, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way, the voice of one crying in the wilderness: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”’” (Mark 1:1-3)

This quote is actually a merging of Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 4:5–6. Mark uses the first and the last of the prophets to let us know what was foretold has come to be. Even more striking, the quote leads us to believe the Lord is the one coming (v. 3)—and Mark boldly declares that Jesus is Lord. 

Mark’s gospel moves quickly and vividly unraveling the “expected” Messiah to be the suffering servant, the crucified Christ.

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45)

Matthew

The Gospel according to Matthew is believed to be the next written and comes from a former tax collector turned disciple of Jesus. Matthew’s Gospel is rich with Old Testament quotations that would have been familiar to his Jewish audience. His writing claims Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah and heavily emphasizes His Jewish heritage.

Matthew opens his gospel with a genealogy. Structured in three sets of fourteen generations, the genealogy invites meditation: from Abraham to David, from David to the exile in Babylon, and from the exile to Jesus. The genealogy is a deliberate choice that links Jesus to Abraham and David, two Jewish greats. Even more striking is Matthew’s inclusion of Gentile women. This may seem a little out of the ordinary, but with some meditation, notice the connection to Abraham. God’s covenant promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 said that his family would be a blessing to the nations. These women embody that blessing as they are grafted into the lineage of the Messiah. Matthew’s gospel is full of these gems! When you read it, keep your cross-references handy—you’ll see how skillfully Matthew reveals Jesus as the fulfillment of God’s promises throughout the Old Testament.

Luke

Luke, a physician and companion of the Apostle Paul, wrote both the Gospel of Luke and the book of Acts. His Gospel begins uniquely with a personal address:

“To the most excellent Theophilus…” (Luke 1:3)

Though addressed to Theophilus, Luke writes with a broader Gentile Christian audience in mind. He wants his readers to see Jesus as the Savior for all people. He desires our deep assurance that God’s redemptive plan includes everyone by emphasizing Jesus’ interactions with Gentiles, women, the poor, the sick, and the marginalized.

Luke’s sequel, Acts of the Apostles, continues his claim—tracing how the gospel spreads from Jerusalem to Judea, to Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. You can’t read through Luke’s gospel, and Acts, and dismiss the fact that God desires to redeem you, wherever or whoever you may be. With rich details and unique stories, Luke masterfully weaves parallels, language, and images into his gospel that turn things upside down to show what God’s kingdom is like. For instance, in the first chapters of his account a priest is contrasted with a humble young girl. It’s the priest we’d expect to set the example, but it’s the young girl who finds favor, whose song is recorded in Scripture, and whose womb brings forth the Messiah. Story after story, Luke reveals Jesus’ deep desire to redeem and restore all that He encounters. 

John

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often called the Synoptic Gospels because of their shared content and structure. John’s Gospel, however, stands apart in both style and focus. Written by one of Jesus’ disciples—the same John who wrote 1, 2, and 3 John and Revelation—it centers on the truth that Jesus is God made flesh, offering eternal life to all who believe.

John states his purpose clearly near the end of his Gospel:

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31)

Though highly theological, John’s gospel is very palatable and makes more obvious connections to the Old Testament. It opens with the familiar words, “In the beginning”—immediately echoing Genesis 1. He continues:

“He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made” (John 1:2-3).

John structures his account around seven signs and seven “I Am” statements, to make his claim about Jesus’ identity:

• I am the Bread of Life
• I am the Light of the World
• I am the Door of the Sheep
• I am the Good Shepherd
• I am the Resurrection and the Life
• I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life
• I am the True Vine

Written for a universal audience, John’s Gospel is often the one recommended to new believers—its message clear, its hope eternal.

The Savior Revealed

The Gospels are not four competing versions of a story but four portraits of one Savior. Together, they invite us to see the fullness of Jesus—His divinity and humanity, His compassion and authority, His mission and His victory. Whether you read Matthew, Mark, Luke or John, it’s good news to all who hear it every time we behold it.