The first two books of the New Testament are Matthew and Mark. Since the authors did not sign their work, we can only guess who they are. These two Gospels while different both tell the story of Jesus Christ in different ways because their intended audiences were and continue to be different.
When these Gospels were written it was not important for a writer to lay claim to his work. Because of this neither of these books can be attributed to a particular person. The only information that we have about either writer we get from the clues they left us in the Gospels. By studying these two Gospels we can see that both writers were knowledgeable of the Scriptures of Israel. Because “it [Matthew] focuses largely around an interpretation of the meaning of the Torah,” (Grand Canyon University [GCU], 2005, p. 1) we can be relatively sure that this book was written by a Jewish writer for a Jewish audience. Mark’s audience was most likely Gentile. Many of the differences that we find in these two books are due to their distinct audiences.
Matthew is the first book of the New Testament, however Mark was most likely written first. Matthew was originally placed first as it was thought to be the first Gospel to be written. This later changed as more research was done. It has since been concluded that “more than 95 percent of the Second Gospel appears also in Matthew or Luke of both.” (Achtemeier, Green, & Thompson, 2001, p. 69) Because of this it is believed the writer of Matthew used Mark as a reference. Regardless of which was written first, “Introducing the New Testament” calls Matthew an “effective bridge within the Christian canon of Scripture – from the OT to the NT.” (Achtemeier et al., p. 89) It is believed that Matthew was written by either the disciple Matthew or more likely a scribe. Mark on the other hand is believed to have been written by either Peter’s interpreter Mark or John Mark.
Matthew was written as a biography that included “a focus on Jesus’ public life,” with “an overall interpretive aim indicating the cause-and-effect relations among the events that make up the narrative, and a presentation of Jesus and his behavior as exemplary for the Gospel’s audience.” (Achtemeier et al., 2001, pgs. 92-93) While Matthew looks more at the “cause-and-effect relations,” Mark is considered the most historical of the narratives of Jesus’ ministry.” (Achtemeier et al., p. 123)
Matthew uses Jesus’ life and teachings to appeal to the Jews. His use of the genealogy of Jesus is almost like saying that “we could not have the New Testament if it were not for the Old Testament and that Jesus would not be Jesus if it were not for the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Cannon, 1982, p. 1) Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:17 that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfill it. Through His teaching he not only provided the earthly view of the law but took it another step into the spiritual implications. It was through Jesus’ teaching that the Old Testament Scriptures were brought to life for the people to better understand. Matthew makes the point that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophesies.
Mark uses the events of Jesus’ life to lead us up to his death and resurrection. Mark’s Christian audience would not have been familiar with Jewish traditions so the writer takes the time to explain them, something the writer of Matthew did not have to do. “Some of the most ancient authorities bring the book [Mark] to a close at the end of verse 8 [chapter 16].” (Oxford University Press, Inc., 1977, p. 1239) This ends Mark immediately after Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome have gone to Jesus’ tomb, found it empty, and been told to tell the disciples that Jesus has gone ahead to Galilee where they will again see him. This abrupt ending “provides a powerful way to end this Gospel – or, rather, to leave this story open-ended in a provocative way.” (Achtemeier et al., 2001, p. 142) Verses 9 through 20 were likely added later to give this Gospel closure.
Matthew and Mark show that Jesus is the Messiah that was prophesied in the Old Testament, that He was the Son of God who came as a man to live a sinless life who paid for our sins by dying on the cross. While Matthew begins with the birth and childhood of Jesus, Mark catches up with the baptism of Jesus (Matthew 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11). Matthew’s (4:1-11) account of Jesus’ temptation is more detailed than Mark’s (1:13). Both Gospels tell their audience about the calling of the disciples (Matthew 4:18-22 and Mark 1:16-20). Even though their audiences were different both Gospels tell the story of the disciples picking grain to eat on the Sabbath and the resulting questioning that Jesus receives from the Pharisees (Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28). In both of these books Jesus heals a leper, cures a paralytic, and heals a man’s hand on the Sabbath as well as many of the miracles. In addition to having the power to heal Jesus also had the power over nature. Jesus calms a stormy sea (Matthew 8:23-27, Mark 4:36-41) showing His command over nature. Jesus taught using parables including new wine in old wineskins (Matthew 9:17, Mark 2:22), the mustard seed (Matthew 12:31-32, Mark 4:30-32), and the fig tree (Matthew 24:32-44, Mark 13:28-32).
Just as the writers of Matthew and Mark had intended audiences so do I. For personal study I find that one book cannot stand without the other. Because of this I will use a comparison chart of the Gospels to get the most of my study time. If I am teaching those who do not know who Jesus is or only have a cursory knowledge of Him I start them with Matthew. I find Mark the better starting point when working with people who know who Jesus is, but are just beginning to study the Scriptures.
References
Achtemeier, P. J., Green, J. B., & Thompson, M. M. (2001). Introducing the New Testament: Its Literature and Theology. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Oxford University Press, Inc. (1977). The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press, Inc..
