Another method in studying the Gospels is to look not only for areas of agreement between all the authors or sources but to notice divergence and exclusion because this could be an important key to discover subtle, but significant clues to underlying religious, psychological, social, political, or cultural differences which may have existed during that time period among the many groups with whom Jesus and His disciples came into contact with; or with those who were taught by Jesus' followers or their immediate successors in subsequent later generations.
Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit at a synagogue in Capernaum on the Sabbath.
NOT IN MATTHEW; Mark 1: 21-28; Luke 4: 31-37
Jesus heals a man with a withered hand at a synagogue on the Sabbath.
NOT IN MATTHEW; Mark 3: 1-6; Luke 6: 6-11
Jesus heals two demon-possessed men in the country of Gadarenes.
Matthew 8: 28-34; Mark 5: 1-20 [“one man”]; NOT IN LUKE
Jesus walks on the Sea of Galilee [after feeding the five thousand].
Matthew 14: 2-33 [coming down from the mountain]; Mark 6: 45-52 [coming from the plain]; NOT IN LUKE
Many people touch Jesus’ garment and are healed in the land of Gennesaret.
Matthew 14: 34-36; Mark 6: 53-56; NOT IN LUKE
Jesus heals the demon-possessed daughter of a Greek Syro-phoenician woman in the region of Tyre.
Matthew 15: 21-28; Mark 7: 24-30; NOT IN LUKE
Jesus heals a deaf mute while departing Tyre & Sidon, going through “Decapolis” to the Sea of Galilee.
NOT IN MATTHEW; Mark 7: 31-37; NOT IN LUKE
Jesus raises the son of the widow in Nain after healing the Centurion’s servant in Capernaum.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 7: 11-17
Jesus feeds the four thousand.
Matthew 15: 32-39 [departs to “Magadan”]; Mark 8: 1-10 [departs to “Dalmanutha”]; NOT IN LUKE
John tells Jesus about someone casting out a demon who was not one of their number and they tried to prevent him.
NOT IN MATTHEW; Mark 9: 38-41; Luke 9: 49-50
A Samaritan village rejects Jesus because He had His sight set towards Jerusalem.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 9: 51-56
Jesus sends out the ‘Seventy.’ [from “Samaria”??]
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 9: 51-52, 56b-57; 10: 1
Mary and Martha from a certain village [“Bethany”] worship and serve Jesus.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 10: 38-42
Jesus teaches the Lord’s [‘Model’] Prayer as part of the Sermon on the Mountain in the area around the Sea of Galilee.
Matthew 6: 9-13; NOT IN MARK; Luke 11: 1-4
Jesus heals a mute, demon-possessed man in Capernaum.
Matthew 9: 32-34; 12: 22-24; NOT IN MARK; Luke 11: 14-15
Jesus was told about those Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices while He was at one of the synagogues in Galilee.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 13: 1-5
Jesus heals a woman with a spirit of infirmity.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 13: 10-17
Jesus heals a man with dropsy.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 14: 1-6
Jesus heals ten lepers but only one of them [a ‘Samaritan’] came back to thank Him.
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 17: 11-19
Jesus curses a fig tree.
Matthew 21: 18-22 [in ‘Bethany’]; Mark 11: 12-14, 20-24 [leaving from ‘Bethany’];
NOT IN LUKE
Jesus on trial before Herod [Cp. Luke 3: 1a; ‘Tetarch’??]
NOT IN MATTHEW; NOT IN MARK; Luke 23: 6-12
COMMENTARY: Of these 21 incidents in this study, MATTHEW excludes 13 (61.9%), MARK does not include 11 of them (52.4%), and LUKE leaves out only 7 (33.3%). MATTHEW and MARK omit the same 9 events, and since MARK only had a total of 11 in the first place, that's a whopping 81.8%.
Robert Randle
776 Commerce St. #B-11
Tacoma, WA 98402
June 3, 2009
pbks@hotmail.com
