The Four Gospels

Dr. of Christian Studies - The Four Gospels - final essay
By Rev George Parsons

The Four Gospels course has been a great delight to study.  At first, it throw me for a loop with the terminology used.  I have been so accustomed to the King James Version that the verbiage in “The Unvarnished Gospels” cause me to set it aside.  I thought that it was wrong.  I finally picked the book back up and, using the weekly discourses, I started seeing how the book was speaking in layman’s terms and a manner in which to communicate the gospels to everyone.

I am required to write a short paper of 300 or more words about one area of the four gospels that gave me the most comfort or the most trouble to receive credit for this course.  I hope and pray that the following will suffice:

As with most people/students, the Sermon on the Mount definitely touches my heart and soul.  Statements made by Jesus in this location formed a basis for Christianity.  You can feel the love in His words as you read them.  They make my heart soar.  But this is not the area I wish to write about. 

I am rather perplexed and disturbed with the Gospel of John.  This gospel was written approx. 85 AD.  This is 85 years after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ.  Eighty-five years of trying to remember the life of Jesus Christ.  Eighty-five years of trying to remember His ministry (some say it was on two years while others say three years).  Eighty-five years of “filling in the blanks” with John’s own words.  Eighty-five years of bias. 

Too many contradictions for what we learn about Jesus from the other gospels.

Examples:

Jesus is depicted as a weakling and coward, running away from the Jews in the temple instead of confronting the issues at hand.  (John 8:59)

John uses the word “signs” instead of miracles throughout his gospel.  In fact, 17 times it is used instead of stating that Jesus performed miracles, stated in the other gospels.

John glamorizes every “sign” or miracle that Jesus performs whereas in the other gospels, Jesus states that He does not want His presence known when He performs a miracle.  


I am not trying to dishonor John, because he was a disciple of Jesus, but I read overtones of John trying to “out-do” Peter.  John perceived the betrayal of Judas (John 13), John is the first to recognize Jesus in the boat while Peter jumps in the water (John 21), Peter asks Jesus “What would John do?” (John 21). 

I realize that John was preaching the teachings of Jesus in his own manner and this was how he related to anyone who would listen.  He made Jesus out to be “larger than life” or a superhero.   But yet, if Jesus was so much of a “superhero” in John’s gospel, why would Jesus run away from the Jews?  Why is there so much anger in this gospel and less love?  God is unconditional love, or at least I thought so.

As I said, I am not trying to judge John and his gospel because it does contain some profound scripture (“BELIEVE ME THAT I AM IN THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER IN ME: OR ELSE BELIEVE ME FOR THE VERY WORKS’ SAKE” John 14:11).  My concern is over the validity of John’s scripture.  As a Christian, I have to believe that what was written in the bible, specifically John’s gospel, are words straight from God.  The problem is that the majority of John’s gospel has the theme of story-telling.  Each time told the story gets more and more immense, the main characters becoming larger and larger until it becomes folklore.  John uses too much story-telling to tell his gospel, leaving out parts much needed for the story.  He leaves God out of much and instead relates that through Jesus things will happen.  Jesus's words not God’s Word.  Argument has it that Jesus and God are one in the same so the words spoken by Jesus are the same Words of God.  But, should you believe that Jesus was a prophet, then what John is saying is contradicting the other gospels in the bible.  Yes, John is not a synoptic gospel.  It is more literal and uses symbolism to get its point across.

The Gospel of Thomas should have been the gospel in the bible instead of John.  Most of the sayings written in the Gospel of Thomas, also appear in Matthew and Luke.  None appear in John.  Why is that?    

The gospel of Thomas cannot be entered into the bible so in order to study it more clearly one must go to other sources, like the internet, and research for answers. 

The fact that the Gospel of John is so different than the rest of the gospels is what causes it to remain controversial but is included in the bible.  As I stated in the beginning, I was taken back by the relaxed version of the gospels in “The Unvarnished Gospels”.  With the manner in which the Gospel of John is written, I am again taken back yet believe it is correct since I am a Christian.  With free will, I can at least question it.

I wholly recommend this course to any and all students who wish to try to understand the gospels.  It will definitely get your mind thinking as it did mine.

Thank you,

Rev. George Parsons

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