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| Genealogy of Jesus, Gospel of Matthew from the Lindisfarne Gospels Folio 27r PublicDomain |
Long ago and far away, as I was discerning
a call to ministry, one of my candidate's committee interviewers asked me to
identify my favourite Gospel. Being articulate and confident as ever, I
responded with something like: "My... um... wait... sorry... what?" (Clearly, not my finest moment!)
It's a question that has stayed with me
(obviously); it's a question I regularly return to in my own reflections.
I've had many answers over the years:
Matthew for the Old Testament fulfillment; Mark for its emphasis on service and
justice, Luke for the attention to the humanity through suffering and healing,
John for its mysticism and "I AM" statements.
It could be just part of my personality
type, but I'm not sure I have any one 'favourite' - that seems to suggest that
one is more important than others. It's not that I'm easily swayed, but at
different times in my life and ministry, different aspects of the different Gospels have
spoken to me.
Something I read a few years back helped me
to better appreciate this. There is only one Gospel: The Gospel of Jesus the
Christ. We just happen to have 4 canonical "According To"s to choose
from.[1]
So how the stories are shared, the order,
the length, the details, &c. all makes an impact, on the teller and on the
reader. The emphasis differed based on the intended audience and the writer, to
convey a certain aspect that would have the most significance.
These are all the Good News of God in
Christ, proclaimed by word and example for thousands of years (so far!),
written and compiled in a way that will touch the hearts of God's people and
invite them into God's mission for the world.
So which author is my favourite? It depends
on the day; but which Gospel is my favourite? The Gospel of Christ - may it
continue to speak clearly to us all.
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