HARMONY OF THE GOSPELS
Introductory notes—A. Ralph
Johnson.
Our purpose, insofar as it is
possible, is to harmonize the various accounts of the four Gospels, using color
codes to indicate which words are common between the accounts.
Yellow = Matthew, Mark, Luke
agree
Green = Matthew and Mark agree
Blue = Mark and Luke agree
Grey = Luke and Matthew agree
Cyan = John and any other gospel
agrees
Some events are similar to
others, but contextual evidence indicates they are not identical. To show these similarities and yet
distinguish them, we have italicized the
comparisons and enclosed them in brackets { } to indicate they do not belong in
the same context.
PART I:
THE THIRTY YEARS OF PRIVATE LIFE
From the birth of Jesus until the Coming of John the
Baptist
§
1. PROLOGUE TO LUKE’S GOSPEL
Luke 1:1-41 Forasmuch as many have
taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which have been
fulfilled among us, 2 even as they delivered
them unto us, who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the
word, 3 it seemed good to me
also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to
write unto you in order, most excellent Theophilus; [cf. Acts 1:1] 4 that you might know the
certainty concerning the things wherein you was instructed. |
§
2. PREFACE TO JOHN’S GOSPEL
John 1:1-181 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was
with God, and the Word was God. [John 20:28; Acts 17:29; Col 2:9; Isa 9:6;
Mat 1:23; Rev 1:8, 17-18; 22:12; Heb 1:6-8; Philip 2:6] 2 The same was in the beginning with God. [John 17:5] 3 All things were made through him; and without him
was not anything made that has been made. [Col 1:16-17; Heb 1:2, 10; Isa
48:12-13, 16] 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of
men. [John 14:6; Col 3:4; 1John 1:1-2; 5:11] 5 And the light shines in the darkness; and the
darkness apprehended it not. [John 3:19-21] 6 There came a man, sent from God, whose name was
John. 7 The same came for witness, that he might bear
witness of the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but (came) that he might
bear witness of the light. 9 There was the true light, (even the light) which
lights every man, coming into the world. [John 8:12; 9:5] 10 He was in the world, and the world was made
through him, and the world knew him not. 11 He came unto his own, and they that were his own
received him not. 12 But as many as received him, to them gave he the
right to become children of God, (even) to them that believe on his name:
[1John 3:1-2, 10] 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. [1John 3:9; 4:7; 5:1, 4, 18] 14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us
(and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father),
full of grace and truth. 15 John bears witness of him, and cries, saying,
This was he of whom I said, He that comes after me is become before me: for
he was before me. [John 1:30] 16 For of his fullness we all received, and grace
for grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and
truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No man has seen God at any time; the only
begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has declared (him). |
§ 3. THE TWO GENEALOGIES IN MATTHEW AND LUKE
|
Matthew 1:1-17 (Cf. 1Chron. 1:34; 2:1-15; 3:1-19.) 1 The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son
of David, the son
of Abraham. 2 Abraham begat Isaac;
and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judah and his brethren; 3 and Judah begat Perez and Zerah of Tamar; and Perez begat Hezron; and Hezron begat Ram; 4 and Ram begat
Amminadab; and Amminadab begat Nahshon; and Nahshon begat Salmon; 5 and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; 6 and Jesse begat David the king. And David begat Solomon of her (that had been the wife) of Uriah; 7 and Solomon
begat Rehoboam; and Rehoboam
begat Abijah; and Abijah
begat Asa; 8 and Asa begat
Jehoshaphat; and Jehoshaphat
begat Joram; and Joram begat Uzziah; 9 and Uzziah
begat Jotham; and Jotham
begat Ahaz; and Ahaz
begat Hezekiah; 10 and Hezekiah
begat Manasseh; and Manasseh
begat Amon; and Amon
begat Josiah; 11 and Josiah
begat Jechoniah and his brethren, at the time of the carrying away to
Babylon. 12 And after the carrying away to Babylon, Jechoniah
begat Shealtiel; and Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel; 13 and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Abiud
begat Eliakim; and Eliakim
begat Azor; 14 and
Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc
begat Achim; and Achim
begat Eliud; 15
and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; 16 and Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. 17 So all
the generations from Abraham unto David are fourteen generations; and from David unto the carrying
away to Babylon fourteen generations; and from the carrying away to Babylon
unto the Christ fourteen generations. |
Luke 3:23-38.
(Cf. 1Chron. 1:1-4, 24-28; 2:1-15; 3:17; Ruth 4:18-22.) 23 And Jesus himself, when he began (to teach),
was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the
(son) of Heli, 24 the (son) of Matthat, the (son,) of Levi, the (son) of Melchi, the (son) of Jannai, the (son) of Joseph, 25 the (son) of Mattathias, the (son) of Amos, the (son) of Nahum, the (son) of Esli, the (son) of Naggai, 26 the (son) of Maath, the (son) of Mattathias, the (son) of Semein, the (son) of Josech, the (son) of Joda, 27 the (son) of Joanan, the (son) of Rhesa, the (son) of Zerubbabel, the (son) of Shealtiel, the (son) of Neri, 28 the (son) of Melchi, the (son) of Addi, the (son) of Costa, the (son) of
Elmadam, the (son) of Er, 29 the (son) of Jesus, the (son) of Eliezer, the (son) of Jorim, the (son) of Matthat, the (son) of Levi, 30 the (son) of Symeon, the (son) of Judas, the (son) of Joseph, the (son) of Jonam, the (son) of Eliakim, 31 the (son) of Melea, the (son) of Menna, the (son) of Mattatha, the (son) of Nathan, the (son) of David, 32 the (son) of Jesse, the (son) of Obed, the (son) of Boaz, the (son) of Salmon, the (son) of Nahshon, 33 the (son) of Amminadab, the (son) of Arni, the (son) of Hezron, the (son) of Perez, the (son) of Judah, 34 the (son) of Jacob, the (son) of Isaac, the (son) of Abraham, the (son) of Terah, the (son) of Nahor, 35 the (son) of Serug, the (son) of Reu, the (son) of Peleg, the (son) of Eber, the (son) of Shelah, 36 the (son) of Cainan, the (son) of Arphaxad, the (son) of Shem, the (son) of Noah, the (son) of Lamech, 37 the (son) of Methuselah, the (son) of Enoch, the (son) of Jared, the (son) of Mahalaleel, the (son) of Cainan, 38 the (son) of Enos, the (son) of Seth, the (son) of Adam, the (son) of God. |
Matthew compared with
Luke’s order Jesus
Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ. Jacob Matthan begat Jacob; 16 and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Eliud begat Eleazar; and Achim
begat Eliud; 15
and Sadoc
begat Achim; and Azor begat Sadoc; and Eliakim begat Azor; 14 and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Zerubbabel begat Abiud; and Shealtiel begat Zerubbabel; Jechoniah begat Shealtiel; and Josiah
begat Jechoniah and his brethren, at the time of the carrying away to
Babylon. 12 And after the carrying away to Babylon, Amon
begat Josiah; 11 and Manasseh begat Amon; and Hezekiah begat Manasseh; and Ahaz begat Hezekiah; 10 and Jotham
begat Ahaz; and Uzziah
begat Jotham; and Joram
begat Uzziah; 9 and Jehoshaphat
begat Joram; and Asa begat
Jehoshaphat; and Abijah
begat Asa; 8 and Rehoboam
begat Abijah; and Solomon
begat Rehoboam; and David begat Solomon Jesse begat David the king. Obed begat Jesse; 6 and Boaz begat Obed of Ruth; and Salmon begat Boaz of Rahab; Nahshon begat Salmon; 5 and Amminadab begat Nahshon; Ram begat Amminadab; and Hezron begat Ram; 4 and Perez begat Hezron; and Judah begat Perez and Zerah Jacob begat Judah Isaac begat Jacob; and 2 Abraham begat Isaac; and |
§ 4. BIRTH
OF JOHN THE BAPTIST PROMISED
|
Luke 1:5-25 5 There was in the days of Herod, king of Judea, a
certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of
the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking
in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was
barren, and they both were (now) well stricken in years. [cf. Abraham –Gen
16; Sampson –Judges 13; Samuel –1Sam 1] 8 Now it came to pass, while he executed the
priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 according to the custom of the priest's office,
his lot was to enter into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were
praying without at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord
standing on the right side of altar of incense. 12 And Zacharias was troubled when he saw (him), and
fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias:
because your supplication is heard, and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a
son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you shall have joy and gladness; and many
shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the
Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. [Num 6:2-4] 16 And many of the children of Israel shall be turn
unto the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before his face in the spirit and
power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the
disobedient (to walk) in the wisdom of the just; to make ready for the Lord a
people prepared (for him). [Mal 4:5-6] 18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall
I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am
Gabriel [Dan 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:26], that stand in the presence of God; and I
was sent to speak unto you, and to bring you these good tidings. 20 And behold, you shall be silent [cf. Ezek 3:26]
and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall come to pass,
because you believe not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their
season. 21 And the people were waiting for Zacharias, and
they marveled while he tarried in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto
them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: and he
continued making signs unto them, and remained dumb. 23 And it came to pass, when the days of his
ministration were fulfilled, he departed unto his house. 24 And after these days Elisabeth his wife
conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying, 25 Thus has the Lord done unto me in the days
wherein he looked upon (me), to take away my reproach among men. |
§ 5. THE ANNUNCIATION TO
MARY
|
Luke 1:26-38 26
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of
Galilee, named Nazareth, 27
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David;
and the virgin's name was Mary. 28
And he came in unto her, and said, Hail, you that are highly favored, the
Lord (is) with you. 29
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and cast in her mind what manner
of salutation this might be. 30
And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with
God. 31
And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall
call his name JESUS. 32
He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord
God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: [Isa 9:6] 33
and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there
shall be no end. [Isa 9:7] 34
And Mary said unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35
And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon
you, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow you: wherefore also the
holy thing which is begotten shall be called the Son of God. 36
And behold, Elisabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son in her old
age; and this is the sixth month with her that was called barren. 37
For no word from God shall be void of power. 38
And Mary said, Behold, the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to
your word. And the angel departed from her. |
§ 6. THE
ANNUNCIATION TO JOSEPH
|
Matthew 1:18-25 18
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found with child of
the Holy Spirit. 19
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man, and not willing to make her a
public example, was minded to put her away privately. 20
But when he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared
unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, you son of David, fear not to take unto
you Mary your wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21
And she shall bring forth a son; and you shall call his name JESUS; for it is
he that shall save his people from their sins. 22
Now all this is come to pass, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
the Lord through the prophet, saying, 23
Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, And they
shall call his name Immanuel; which is, being interpreted, God with us. [Isa
7:14] 24
And Joseph arose from his sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded
him, and took unto him his wife; 25
and knew her not till she had brought forth a son: and he called his name
JESUS. [Mat 13:55-56; 12:46; Gal 1:19; Psalms 69:8] |
§ 7. MARY’S
VISIT TO ELIZABETH
|
Luke 1:39-45 39
And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country with haste, into
a city of Judah; 40
and entered into the house of Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. 41
And it came to pass, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe
leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; 42
and she lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed (art) you
among women, and blessed (is) the fruit of your womb. [Luke 11:27-28; Mat
12:47-50] 43
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?
[cf. Matt 12:48-50] 44
For behold, when the voice of your salutation came into mine ears, the babe
leaped in my womb for joy. 45
And blessed (is) she that believed; for there shall be a fulfillment of the
things which have been spoken to her from the Lord. |
|
MARY’S MAGNIFICAT (Luke 1:46-56) 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he has looked upon the low estate of his
handmaid: For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
[Luke 11:27-28; Mat 12:47-50] 49 For he that is mighty has done to me great
things; And holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations
On them that fear him. 51 He has showed strength with his arm; He has
scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. 52 He has put down princes from (their) thrones, And
has exalted them of low degree. 53 The hungry he has filled with good things; And
the rich he has sent empty away. 54 He has given help to Israel his servant, That he
might remember mercy 55 (As he spoke unto our fathers) Toward Abraham and
his seed for ever. [Gal 3:16] 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and
returned unto her house. |
§ 8. BIRTH OF JOHN THE BAPTIST
|
Luke 1:57-80 57 Now Elisabeth's time was fulfilled that she
should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her kinsfolk heard that the
Lord had magnified his mercy towards her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And it came to pass on the eighth day, that they
came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after
the name of the father. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he
shall be called John. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of your
kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, what he would
have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote,
saying, His name is John. And they marveled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his
tongue (loosed), and he spoke, blessing God.
65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them:
and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of
Judea. 66 And all that heard them laid them up in their
heart, saying, What then shall this child be? For the hand of the Lord was
with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy
Spirit, and prophesied, saying, 68 Blessed (be) the Lord, the God of Israel; For he
has visited and wrought redemption for his people, 69 And has raised up a horn of salvation for us In
the house of his servant David [Ps
132:17; Jer 23:5] 70 (As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets
that have been from of old), [Ezek 37:24-25; Isa 9:6-7] 71 Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of
all that hate us; 72 To show mercy towards, our fathers, And to
remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he spoke unto Abraham our father,
[Gen 22:16-18; 26:4] 74 To grant unto us that we being delivered out of
the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, 75 In holiness and righteousness before him all our
days. 76 Yea and you, child, shall be called the prophet
of the Most High: For you shall go before the face of the Lord to make ready
his ways; [Isa 40:3-5] 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In
the remission of their sins, [Lk 3:3] 78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby
the dayspring from on high shall visit us, 79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the
shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit,
and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel. |
§ 9. THE BIRTH
OF JESUS
|
{Matthew
1:18-25 18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When his mother Mary had been |