One of my favorite approaches for studying the life of Jesus Christ is to examine the four accounts of an event in the life of the Savior and look for both the similarities and differences in them. By carefully studying these details, interesting spiritual nuggets emerge. I have been surprised to see that something that I thought was a core feature of a story is actually only in one gospel account. Other times, I have learned that the two gospel accounts differ in the details of how something occurred in ways I had never noticed.
The fact that there are differences in the accounts shouldn’t surprise us. Given that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John were all written decades after the resurrection, it would be surprising if they were identical. After all, if you ask your grandparents about how they first met, you’ll likely get different (and sometimes contradictory) details in their responses, right?
One of my favorite events to study in this way is Christ’s baptism. Rather than sharing the interesting insights I’ve found, I’d like you to give it a shot and tell me what you learn. This is a great activity to do as an individual or a family (even children 8+ can participate). In this PDF File you’ll find a side-by-side account of Christ’s baptism in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. To shake things up a bit, I’ve used the NRSV instead of the KJV (several General Authorities have used alternate bible translations in General Conference so don’t be alarmed).
As you read these accounts, look for phrases that are identical or even similar in all four accounts. Then look for things that are different between accounts. How do these differences create new understanding or questions for you? Finally, what do you find that is only in one of the four gospels? How do these unique details enhance our understanding of the Savior’s baptism?
Please include your insights and/or questions in the comments below. I’d love to learn from what you find!
Download a Synopsis of Christ’s baptism.
To download a synopsis of other events, see my synopsis page.
