Bible Study – Synoptic Gospels
The Synoptic Gospels is a term used for the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Synoptic Gospels often recount the same stories about Jesus Christ, though sometimes with different details and lengths, but mostly following the same sequence and to a large extent using the same words. The term synoptic is derived from a combination of the Greek words that indicate the contents of the first three Gospels can be viewed side-by-side, whether in a vertical parallel column synopsis, or a horizontal synoptic alignment.
All four of the Gospels including John are in harmony, however the first three are so similar that the reader will at once notice the large amount of subject matter which is common to all three. Brief as these three parallel Synoptic accounts of Christ’s life are, they run parallel to one another in no less than 330-370 verses or about one-third of their whole account of Christ’s life here on earth.
Amazingly, with the exception of a few incidents (68 verses), the whole of Mark is found in Matthew and in Luke.
In our course on the Synoptic Gospels we will do a lesson on all four Gospels to show their major themes and focus, then come back and focus on the major teachings of Jesus such as the “Sermon on the Mount”, His Parables, and His teaching on His second coming.
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