How Should We Approach The Gospels?

I’m currently a student at Truett Seminary, and am taking a Scriptures class over the Gospels. That has prompted this question: When preaching and teaching from the Gospels, particularly the synoptics, how do we approach passages that have differing or additional material in the other accounts? Should we harmonize, preach/ teach each account, preach it purely expository, or something else?

Excerpt From The Answer

Always ask, “what am I trying to do to these good people?” In an outcome thinking, what do we want folks to know, do, believe as a result of studying any particular book? While there’s benefit in harmonizing and trying to integrate the accounts, this becomes a massive project. I would not have said it when I was younger, but now I believe “less is more” in that we tend to love study, details, even minutiae, and our temptation is that what excites us, what we spend hours chasing, will find willing ears to hear. This does not mean reduction or simplistic preaching. It means clarity and precision in what you’re teaching. 

Note takers are the best, but ask them sometime, do you go home and refer to your notes? How often? Tackling a gospel could take years. Teaching through Luke, perhaps 2 years. How you do that is critical for your people. Harmonizing may be best for Sunday School, small group curriculum… Knowing the purpose and intent of one gospel is important. You can also teach sections and if you want, harmonize. Parables, miracles, last week of Christ’s life, etc.

Links Mentioned

Dr. Morris Proctor on Matthew 26:36-46

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