Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart wrote, Almost all the difficulties one encounters in [reading and] interpreting the Gospels stem from two obvious facts: (1) Jesus himself did not write a gospel; they came from others, not him. (2) There are four gospels. Thus, the need of strategy for reading gospel parallels that takes into account the selection, arrangement, and adaptation of the narratives about Jesus and the teachings of Jesus in the composition of the gospels (How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth, 127-48). The proposed strategy seeks to address difficulties encountered in reading and interpreting parallel accounts in the gospels. READING THE GOSPELS HORIZONTALLY Because of the unique nature of the Gospels, the reader/interpreter must do two things read horizontally and vertically. To read horizontally means that when studying a passage in one gospel, it is helpful to examine parallels in other gospels. There are two basic reasons for reading horizontally. 1. Parallel accounts give an appreciation for the distinctives of one of the gospels at the canonical and interpretive levels. 2. Parallels highlight the different kinds of contexts in which similar or the same material lived in the early church. Therefore, the purpose of horizontal reading is not to harmonize, to fill in gaps in one account with details from the others. The purpose for reading horizontally is to determine the most obvious differences between the parallel accounts and their significance for understanding the historical context and literary features of the gospels. Comparing the Synoptic Accounts of the Temptation of Jesus gives us a good opportunity to see how each Gospel writer told the same story, but from a different perspective and for a different audience. RESOURCES: These passages for comparison are provided in a color-coded form in this assignment (below). You may also want to consult a Bible dictionary or commentary found at: https://www.studylight.org/. Respond to the following questions with examples.

1. What specific details appear on all three Gospels?

2. How is Marks version different from Matthew and Luke?

3. Although Marks account is brief, are there any details in Mark that are not found in Matthew and Luke?

4. Compare Matthew and Lukes accounts. a. What is the same and what is different in the order of events or structure of the two accounts?

b. Are there any details that are unique to Matthew or Luke? What are they?

c. Study the ending of Matthew and Lukes account. How are they different?

d. How do the differences you have noted above impact the message of each account?

5. How does reading the Temptation Narrative across all three Gospels give us a fuller picture of the account of Jesus Temptation? Give examples.