On the Life of Jesus

Accounts of Jesus

In the bible, there as many different accounts on the life of Jesus Christ. Between Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, there are variations in the stories of His birth and childhood, the miracles He worked, His betrayal, the crucifixion, and the resurrection. Though no one truly knows the real story of the man called the “Son of God,” there are many similar stories to draw from about His life. The life of Jesus is discussed through the accounts of many of his followers, however, not all of them are similar and some even contradict other accounts.

There are a few differences between the accounts of the birth of Jesus in the beginning of the New Testament. In the book of Matthew, Jesus was born in Bethlehem during the time of King Herod. However, in the book of Luke, Jesus was born in Nazareth of Galilee while his parents, Mary and Joseph, were registering under the rule of Caesar Augustus. The book of Luke also mentions that an angel named Gabriel came to tell the Virgin Mary that she was going to give birth to the Son of God. Yet in the books of Mark and John, the birth of Jesus Christ is never mentioned. Perhaps the actual birth of Jesus was more important to some than others which is why His birth is only mentioned in two of the four books.

Jesus’ childhood was another aspect that only a few books in the bible mention. Only one book in the first four of the New Testament writes about Jesus� childhood. Luke is the only one that does, and he only mentions the episode concerning Jesus’ circumcision on the eighth day of living and being named Jesus. There is no other description of His childhood in Luke, and absolutely no mention of it whatsoever in Matthew, Mark, or John.

Nearly all of the Gospels in the New Testament have the same stories of the miracles Jesus worked during his lifetime. All four of these books mention Jesus healing lepers and sick people. Jesus is also said to have brought multiple dead men, woman, and children back from the dead. In one example, a young girl is brought back just by Jesus saying “Arise daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace” (Luke 9:48). There are also multiple citings of Jesus Christ restoring sight, voice, and hearing to blind, mute, and deaf citizens in each of the Gospels. He is also said to have driven evil spirits and demons from many people in each of these books. However, even though the four books mention the same miracles, others discuss miracles some of the Gospels don’t talk about. For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all discuss the healing of paralytics that Jesus did, but John does not. The books of Mark and Luke both discuss the miracle of Jesus calming a storm, and John and Mark both examine Jesus walking on water. One unique miracle that only the book of John mentions is when Jesus turned water into wine. No other book in the Gospel tells of this story. One of the most interesting miracles that Jesus performed is feeding thousands of people with a limited amount of fish and bread. Luke and John both mention five thousand being fed with five loaves and two fish, while Mark mentions four thousand being fed with seven loaves and “a few small fish.” Matthew is the only Gospel that mentions both of these incidents in the account of Jesus’ life. Though there are many variations on the miracles that Jesus Christ performed, there is no doubt that He was in fact a miracle worker.

“I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered” (Mark 14:27 b). That what happened after Jesus was betrayed. There are only slight variations to this story however. In the books of Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus predicts his betrayal and death twice while in the book of Luke, it is not predicted until the Last Supper. Matthew and Luke are the only Gospels that mention the betrayal of Jesus by Judas. In the other two Gospels, Judas is never mentioned. Also, the first three books of the New Testament mention how Peter betrayed Jesus of Nazareth and disowned him along with the Last Supper. John is the only Gospel that does not mention the Last Supper. Jesus is only arrested in Matthew, Mark, and John, but