The Synopsis of Matthew, Mark, and Luke has been prepared by Jeffrey Glen Jackson in order to enable readers of the Gospels to understand the parallels and chronology of the Synoptic Gospels. The order of Mark is followed first, and Luke second. Passages are frequently duplicated to provide context.
“The visit of the shepherds was on the very day of Jesus’ birth. He was taken to the temple at 8 days old. By the time of the visit of the wise men, they are living in a house. This event seems to have happened close to 2 years after Jesus birth.” (Matthew 2:1–12) |
“Luke and Matthew agree on the basic facts of Jesus’ birth: the virgin birth to Mary (and Joseph) in Bethlehem and subsequent move to Nazareth. There is no sign of literary dependence between them (or on a common literary source). However, the degree the two accounts supplement each other is astounding.” (Luke 1:1–4) |
“Luke claimed to have carefully investigated everything for his gospel. I expect that he had one of the earliest copies of Mark’s gospels (Paul, Mark, and he were in frequent contact), and as he met witnesses, he would ask them about the events described and take note of various added details.” (Matthew 9:1–3) |
“While Matthew has drastically truncated these verses, Luke” (Matthew 12:9–10) |
“Luke’s additional details here may be derived from other passages, such as Mk 1:25–26||Lk 4:35 above.” (Luke 4:41) |