There are many different reasons for people to study the Bible, and regardless of them, one needs to study the Gospels and analyze the similarities and differences between them. Doing that is necessary to better understand the meaning behind texts of Christian Scripture. With that being said, it may be helpful to try to determine how Luke may have edited Mark’s Gospel and why he would do so.
Mark’s Gospel
Before analyzing how and why Luke may have edited Mark’s Gospel, it is important to mention the distinctive features of each of them, starting with Mark’s. Mark’s Gospel is considered to be the earliest of the three synoptic gospels and probably was employed by Luke and Matthew as a source of information for their works (Muddiman and Barton 84). Mark focuses mainly on the themes of suffering and Jesus, who he considers to be the “Son of God” (qtd. in Muddiman and Barton 86). There is a notion that Mark aspired to describe Jesus in a certain way to change the readers’ views and strengthen their faith in challenging times (Muddiman and Barton 86). Examining the main ideas behind Mark’s Gospel is necessary to understand it further in detail.
Furthermore, one needs to examine a story in Mark 14:3-9 as it is one of the prominent points in Jesus’ life. In this passage, a woman pours an expensive oil under the resentment of those attending but is supported by Jesus (Muddiman and Barton 124). He considers this as an act of generosity by saying that his presence is more important than the needs of the poor because he soon will be gone (Muddiman and Barton 124). According to Muddiman and Barton, the woman in Mark 14:3-9 “anoints Jesus’ head,” eventually leading him to death, while the rest of his body would never be anointed after his passing (124). This story shows the event that directs Jesus’ death and is compared to a passage from Luke’s Gospel further in this paper.
Another way to examine Mark’s Gospel is to look at Mark 3:31-35. This passage is a part of a story about Jesus and his family (Muddiman and Barton 95). In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus calls those who are around him his family instead of meeting his own mother and brothers. According to Muddiman and Barton, Mark shows that Jesus is becoming more isolated because people continuously desert him the same as his family that failed to accept him (95). In this story, Jesus rejects his family and finds a new one among those who share his faith.
Luke’s Gospel
Next, one needs to look at the distinctive features of Luke’s Gospel. Luke’s Gospel resembles those of Mark and Matthew, having common episodes as well as common ideas with the other two (Muddiman and Barton 134). In this Gospel, Jesus is described to announce the arrival of God’s kingdom, and the presentation of the events emphasizes Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem (Muddiman and Barton 134-135). Luke tries to provide a better understanding of Jesus, but his narration is not historically objective (Muddiman and Barton 135). Although the three synoptic gospels have some parallels, there is a theory that Luke has used Mark’s Gospel as a primary source of his work (Muddiman and Barton 136). With that being said, there is a presumption that Luke may have edited Mark’s Gospel.
To compare Luke’s Gospel to Mark’s, Luke 7:36-50 can be used. This passage, as well as Mark 14:3-9, tells the story of Jesus’ anointing by a woman (Muddiman and Barton 154). However, Luke describes the anointing of his feet with ointment and presents the woman as a sinner, demonstrating affection (Muddiman and Barton 154). Nonetheless, Jesus says that God forgives her as he sees her love and acceptance (Muddiman and Barton 154). The stories in both gospels are different in detail and common in terms of a woman doing something during anointing that is considered wrong but then being supported by Jesus. If Luke did edit Mark’s Gospel, he might have changed the course of the events to show Jesus accepting and giving love rather than emphasizing his own importance above the poor people.
Another way to compare Luke’s Gospel to Mark’s is by looking at Luke 8:19-21. Similar to Mark 3:31-35, Jesus is told that his mother and brothers came to see him, but he does not greet them (Muddiman and Barton 155). Instead, he replies that his mother and brothers are everyone who “hear the word of God” (qtd. in Muddiman and Barton 155). Although the stories seem very similar, if Luke did edit Mark’s Gospel, he portrayed this episode as if Jesus was expanding his family to accept everyone rather than excluding his relatives.
The analysis of why Luke would have edited Mark’s Gospel shows that there can be different ways of understanding them. While there was not found strong evidence that Luke edited Mark’s Gospel rather than just using it as a source, there are similarities as well as differences between them. However, based on the examined sets of passages, Mark emphasizes Jesus’ significance over others, and Luke may have done some changes to focus on Jesus’ love and acceptance.
Work Cited
Muddiman, John, and John Barton, editors. The Gospels. Oxford University Press, 2010.