The temple cleansing is described differently in the three gospels, Mathew, Mark, and Luke. The different event versions show how the three apostles perceived the incident. Despite Mark being considered the shorted gospel, his description of the event is longer than Mathew and Luke’s description. In addition, mark extensively elaborates on the activities undertaken during the event, unlike Mathew and Luke, who summarize the incidences. According to the gospel, the priests, scribes, and principal men are considered Jesus’ protests (Bible Gateway Plus, para 3). In the reports, the intentions of the protests are only described in the gospel of Luke, which states, “The chief priests and the scribes and the principal men of the people sought to destroy him” (Bible Gateway Plus para 3). The gospel also describes Jesus’ actions differently in all three reports.
Mathew’s account is short and without much detail as it focuses on the main event of entering the temple and driving out the traders and the scripture he quotes. Similarly, Luke’s report is also short and to the point. The main difference is that he adds the intentions of the scribes, chief priests, and the principal men to destroy him (Bible Gateway Plus para 3). Mark’s account is the longest as it utilizes a descriptive form of writing where he tries to capture more details on the actions undertaken during the event. Such a detailed description is evident in the statement, “And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons” (Bible Gateway Plus para 2). As a reporter and Luke as the only witness, I would tell the readers how the chief priests, scribes, and principal men plotted to destroy Jesus after he drove them out of the temple. Jesus quoted scriptures from the Old Testament on how the scripture forbade and prophesied people would be against the word of God to the extent of misusing the church (Bible Gateway Plus, para 4). The quote is relevant as it shows the fulfillment of a prophesied word.
Reference
Bible Gateway Plus. Deepen your knowledge of scripture with bible gateway plus (n.d.). Web.