Is there harmony in the Gospels? What is the harmony of the Gospels?

TL;DR:

The Gospels each tell the story of Jesus from a unique perspective, yet together they form a harmonious, unified account of His life, ministry, death, and resurrection. These differences do not undermine their truth but rather offer different perspectives and a more comprehensive look at Jesus’ life and purpose.

what does the bible say?

The harmony of the Gospels is man’s efforts to take both the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—-as well as the book of John and put them all together into one unified story. This has proved a challenge, since each Gospel writer has a unique perspective, style, and audience in mind. Matthew was a former tax collector who left everything to become a follower of Jesus. His writing emphasized Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Messiah and was mainly directed at a Jewish audience. Mark provided a fast-paced narrative of Christ's ministry, fitting of a man who traditionally served alongside the apostle Peter and wrote down the account of His teachings. Luke used a wide variety of sources as a scholar-doctor who sought to offer a chronological account for Gentile readers. The book of John is particularly unique because of its focus on Jesus’ divine nature as the Son of God. It includes detailed accounts of Jesus’ life, especially His final week. As a close follower of Jesus, John includes much unique material that would have only been known to those most intimately acquainted with Christ.

from the old testament

The Gospels do not exist in the Old Testament.

from the new testament

The Four Gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—each emphasize particular aspects of Christ's life while providing several of the same events and teachings more than once. For example, all four gospels have the following in common, among other passages:
Miracle of the loaves and fishes (Matthew 14:13-21, Mark 6:30-44, Luke 9:10-17, John 6:1-14)
Jesus’ baptism (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, John 1:29-34)
Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection (Matthew 27-28, Mark 15-16, Luke 23-24, John 19-20)
Yet scholars note that each emphasizes different elements: Matthew seems aimed at a Jewish audience while Luke’s account seems focused on more of a Gentile audience. Mark is known for his brevity. John emphasizes Jesus’ divinity.
The Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke—especially share many passages, since each offers a synopsis of Christ's life. John, in contrast, was traditionally written after the other three Gospels and emphasizes Jesus as the Son of God, offering a more detailed look at the end of Christ's life, especially the final week.

implications for today

The harmony of the Gospels refers to a unified story of the four New Testament Gospel accounts. Each Gospel includes both unique material found only in its particular Gospel and content similar to that found in other Gospels. Many have attempted to categorize these accounts into a single story. These efforts to organize the four Gospels into one single, unified narrative are called the harmony of the Gospels.

The earliest known effort to produce a harmony of the Gospels was by the early church historian Eusebius. Since then, many others have sought to produce their own harmony of the Gospel accounts. Some, however, have attempted to highlight the differences or inconsistencies found between the Gospel accounts. For example, some argue that the differing accounts of the resurrection appearances of Christ somehow "prove" they did not take place. However, the Gospel writers did not meet together in advance in any attempt to match their stories together. Each writer emphasized different elements; however, the accounts can be compared to provide a fuller picture of the events that took place. In some cases, the teachings of Jesus repeated in more than one Gospel may also be due to Jesus Himself teaching the same material in more than one setting with some variation. Such differences are not inconsistencies, but rather provide a fuller picture of what took place during the life of Jesus.

understand

Many of the events in Jesus’ life and some of his miracles are included in all four gospels.
The Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke--relate many of the same events, but with their own unique style and emphasis.
Skeptics’ accusations of inconsistencies have been misproven; in fact, the unique elements of the Gospels show that no collusion took place among the disciples.

reflect

Which is your favorite Gospel account and why?
How is your spiritual life strengthened by understanding the harmony of the Gospels?
By contrast, how have the differences among the gospels built your confidence in the authenticity of each account?

engage

What do skeptics most often point to as “contradictions” among the Gospel accounts, and how can believers best address those?
How can awareness of each Gospel writer’s style and focus enhance a study of the Gospels?
How might evangelism be impacted by pointing to the harmony of the Gospels?