Jesus

====Comparative structure and content====
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Matthew, Mark, and Luke are known as the [[Synoptic Gospels]], from the Greek σύν (''syn'' "together") and ὄψις (''opsis'' "view"),<ref name="Synoptic" /><ref name="Synoptic2" /><ref>{{OED|synoptic}}</ref> because they are similar in content, narrative arrangement, language and paragraph structure, and one can easily set them next to each other and synoptically compare what is in them.<ref name="Synoptic">{{cite book|title=New Testament Theology|first=Paul |last=Haffner|year=2008 |isbn= 978-88-902268-0-9 |page= 135|publisher=Gracewing }}</ref><ref name="Synoptic2">{{cite book|title=A Guide to the Gospels|first=W. Graham|last= Scroggie |year=1995 |isbn= 978-0-8254-9571-7 |page= 128 |publisher=[[Kregel Publications]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title=Synoptic Gospels {{!}} Definition & Facts|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Synoptic-Gospels|access-date=26 October 2020|website=Encyclopedia Britannica|language=en|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030013859/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Synoptic-Gospels|url-status=live}}</ref> Scholars generally agree that it is impossible to find any direct literary relationship between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John.<ref name="Moloney3">{{cite book|title=The Gospel of John|first1=Francis J.|last1=Moloney|first2=Daniel J.|last2=Harrington|year=1998|isbn=978-0-8146-5806-2|page=[https://archive.org/details/gospelofjohn0004molo/page/3 3]|publisher=Liturgical Press|url=https://archive.org/details/gospelofjohn0004molo/page/3}}</ref> While the flow of many events (e.g., Jesus' baptism, [[Transfiguration of Jesus|transfiguration]], crucifixion and interactions with his [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]]) are shared among the Synoptic Gospels, incidents such as the transfiguration and Jesus' exorcising demons{{sfn|Witherington|1997|p=113}} do not appear in John, which also differs on other matters, such as the [[Cleansing of the Temple]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Ladd|first=George E.|title=A Theology of the New Testament|year=1993|publisher=Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing|isbn=978-0-8028-0680-2|page=251|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC&pg=PA251|access-date=14 August 2015|archive-date=7 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907103156/https://books.google.com/books?id=eIdkM00EdlAC&pg=PA251|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Synoptics emphasize different aspects of Jesus. In Mark, Jesus is the [[Son of God (Christianity)|Son of God]] whose mighty works demonstrate the presence of [[God's Kingdom]].<ref name="May Metzger Mark" /> He is a tireless wonder worker, the servant of both God and man.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits">Thompson, Frank Charles. The Thompson Chain-Reference Bible. Kirk bride Bible Company & Zondervan Bible Publishers. 1983. pp. 1563–1564.</ref> This short gospel records few of Jesus' words or teachings.<ref name="May Metzger Mark" /> The Gospel of Matthew emphasizes that Jesus is the fulfilment of God's will as revealed in the Old Testament, and the Lord of the Church.<ref name="May Metzger Matthew">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "Matthew" pp. 1171–1212.</ref> He is the "[[Davidic line|Son of David]]", a "king", and the messiah.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" />{{sfn|McGrath|2006|pp=4–6}} Luke presents Jesus as the divine-human saviour who shows compassion to the needy.<ref name="May Metzger Luke">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "Luke" pp. 1240–1285.</ref> He is the friend of sinners and outcasts, come to seek and save the lost.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" /> This gospel includes well-known parables, such as the [[Parable of the Good Samaritan|Good Samaritan]] and the [[Parable of the Prodigal Son|Prodigal Son]].<ref name="May Metzger Luke" />

The [[John 1:1|prologue to the Gospel of John]] identifies Jesus as an incarnation of the divine Word ([[Logos (Christianity)|Logos]]).<ref name="MayMetzgerJohn">May, Herbert G. and Bruce M. Metzger. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha. 1977. "John" pp. 1286–1318.</ref> As the Word, Jesus was eternally present with God, active in all creation, and the source of humanity's moral and spiritual nature.<ref name="MayMetzgerJohn" /> Jesus is not only greater than any past human prophet but greater than any prophet could be. He not only speaks God's Word; he is God's Word.{{sfn|Harris|1985|pp=302–10}} In the Gospel of John, Jesus reveals his divine role publicly. Here he is the [[Bread of Life]], the [[Light of the World]], the [[True Vine]] and more.<ref name="ThompsonPortraits" />

In general, the authors of the New Testament showed little interest in an absolute [[chronology of Jesus]] or in synchronizing the episodes of his life with the secular history of the age.{{sfn|Rahner|2004|pp=730–31}} As stated in [[s:Bible (American Standard)/John#21:25|John 21:25]], the Gospels do not claim to provide an exhaustive list of the events in Jesus' life.<ref>{{cite book |last=O'Collins |first=Gerald |title=Christology: A Biblical, Historical, and Systematic Study of Jesus |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-19-955787-5 |location=Oxford, England |pages=1–3 |language=en-uk}}</ref> The accounts were primarily written as theological documents in the context of [[early Christianity]], with timelines as a secondary consideration.<ref name="Wiarda75">{{cite book|title=Interpreting Gospel Narratives: Scenes, People, and Theology|first=Timothy |last=Wiarda |year=2010 |isbn= 978-0-8054-4843-6 |pages= 75–78 |publisher= B&H Publishing Group}}</ref> In this respect, it is noteworthy that the Gospels devote about one third of their text to the last week of Jesus' life in [[Jerusalem]], referred to as [[Passion (Christianity)|the Passion]].<ref name="Turner613">{{cite book|title=Matthew|first=David L. |last=Turner|year= 2008| isbn= 978-0-8010-2684-3 |page= 613 |publisher= Baker Academic}}</ref> The Gospels do not provide enough details to satisfy the demands of modern historians regarding exact dates, but it is possible to draw from them a general picture of Jesus' life story.{{sfn|Sanders|1993|p=3}}{{sfn|Rahner|2004|pp=730–31}}<ref name="Wiarda75" />