The Gospels: Who’s on the Witness Stand

Newsletter article for November 2025

Introduction

You can trust your Bibles. The Bible, of course, is the Word of God. Yet, we’re called by God “always to be ready to make a reasonable defense to everyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you.” (1 Peter 3:15)

When we do this, we can’t simply say we trust that the Bible is the Word of God because the Bible tells me so. The Bible does say so, but that’s called circular reasoning, which is not the best reasonable defense. Nevertheless, the Gospels are the primary testimony to the life, preaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is reasonable to hold that what they record is trustworthy, but is it reasonable to believe they’re written by those to whom they’re ascribed?

It is tradition that the Four Gospels are written by the men whose names they bear: the Apostle Matthew, John Mark (an associate of Peter and Paul), Luke the physician (an associate of Paul), and the Apostle John. (This is a tradition we Lutherans accept.)

It is true that early theologians attributed the books to these authors. Papias (c. 60–130), a student of John, was one such Bishop. Moreover, very early on the four Gospels with Acts were seen as a unit. The manuscripts also almost always bore the names we have today.

But is it reasonable to hold this position, or are we left with blind faith in tradition? In the shadow of Reformation, not a very Lutheran position to have! Let’s take up each Gospel and see how it’s not so unreasonable to hold that the traditional Gospel writers really did write their Gospels.

Matthew

The Gospels tell us that Matthew (also known as Levi) was a tax collector. (Mt 9) This makes Matthew a traitor to the Romans in the eyes of his compatriots. (No wonder tax collectors and sinners hung out together.) What a man to call as an Apostle!

This reality would hint at a few more facts about Matthew. Matthew was most likely educated, eminently qualified to write a Gospel himself. He also was acquainted with debt and repayment. That paired with the likelihood of hanging out with sinners, highlights the fact that forgiveness figures prominently in the teachings of Christ in Matthew (Mt 5, 6, 7, 9, 18).

Finally, he would’ve been an expert in money. It is this, combined with all the rest, that gets us to keep holding to Matthew as Matthew’s author. Of all the Gospels, Matthew’s uses the most variety of words when it comes to money: denarius (Mt 18:28); talent (Mt 18:24); didrachma and stater (Mt 17:27); quadrans (Mt 5:26); assarion (mt 10:29); gold, silver, and copper (Mt 10:9); and finally, 30 pieces of silver (Mt 26).

Mark

Mark was an associate of both Peter (1 Pet 5:13) as well as Paul (Acts 12; 2 Tim 4:11). Tradition says that he was the clerk for Peter. It is also argued that Mark was the “young ruler” who questioned Jesus (Mk 10) but also fled the garden of Gethsemane after he tried to follow Christ after being He was arrested (Mk 14).

Now, what about his authorship, or that Mark is Peter’s Gospel? It seems Peter needed a clerk. Paul’s Silvanus was Peter’s clerk for his first letter. (1 Pet 5:12) When it comes to Mark’s Gospel, Peter is the first apostle mentioned in that Gospel. This differs from the other Synoptic (same viewpoint) Gospels: Matthew 4, Luke 4. He’s also the last one mentioned by name in Mark 16.

Finally, Mark’s Gospel includes a detail in the raising of Jairus’ daughter that only Peter would know. Besides her parents, Jesus only allowed Peter, James, and John to enter with Him. Matthew (9:25) simply tells us that Christ raised her. Luke (8:54) quotes Jesus’ words, “Little girl, arise.” But Mark (5:41) alone, serving as Peter’s clerk, includes much more: “[He] said to her, ‘Talitha, cumi,’ which is translated, ‘Little girl, I say to you, arise.’”

Luke

We know the least about Luke. He is called by Paul “the beloved physician.” (Col 4:14) He was a close associate of Paul (Acts 16, Acts 20–21, Acts 27–28; 2 Tim 4:11; Philemon 24). He is traditionally ascribed as the author both of the Gospel and Acts.

There is evidence of both things we know about Luke in the Gospel of Luke. First, that he was a close associate of Paul. Luke’s Gospel covers the topic of justification the most, a major preaching point of Paul (cf. Eph 2). Luke includes the Good Samaritan Parable, which Christ preached to shame a self-justifying lawyer (Lk 10), and also the Parable of the unjustified Pharisee and justified tax collector. (Lk 18) Second, Luke was a physician, and thus the Gospel contains the most healing miracles!

John

Finally, we come to John’s Gospel. John consistently describes himself as the “disciple whom Jesus loved.” (Jn 13:23) The closeness of their relationship is evidenced by using Christ’s proper name “Jesus” more than the others. John is the longest lived apostle, dying as an old man. (Rev 1:9) His well-crafted, catechetical and sacramental Gospel bespeaks a man who spent a lifetime considering the preaching of our Lord. Moreover, He would’ve then been younger than his fellow apostles, which could explain his ability to follow Christ without notice during His trial and execution, or maybe the brashness of youth!

Due to this sole following, John’s Gospel alone reports the autobiographical eyewitness testimony of Christ’s crucifixion and death. He includes, of course, the piercing of Christ’s side, but there’s another detail worth considering. We know that Christ was crucified with a criminal on His right and left (Mt 27, Mk 15, Lk 23), but John’s Gospel includes the details from a first-person perspective.

Many translations have John 19:18 say something akin to “They crucified Him with two others, one on each side, with Jesus in the middle.” Most literally it is “They crucified Him, and with Him another two—there and there—and Jesus between.”

Conclusion

So, there you have it. We Lutherans accept the tradition that the authors of the Gospels are who they say that they are. It’s not just blind tradition, however, for there are good reasons from the Gospel texts themselves that indicate the reasonableness of this claim.

Former Tax Collector Matthew used the most money terms. Mark, writing for Peter, includes something only Peter heard. Luke, the physician, includes the most healings. John, the longest lived, though youngest at the cross, confesses what He saw and heard.

We aren’t irrational and unreasonable. We hold to history. There’s never an answer to every question we may have about the authors. And there are many who argue over the evidence about who wrote each Gospel, but there is enough to say that what they record is beyond reasonable doubt. But more on that next month! What John says is true of all four Gospels: “These things are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name.” (Jn 20)