In the Patreon Zoom Meeting on 11/30/2024, James Tabor pointed out numerous synoptic scriptures where Matthew’s rendition of Mark is summarized, expanded, or simplified when compared to Luke and Luke is often verbatim of Mark. That is, Luke uses Mark with minimal edits but Matthew rewrites his sources. Two examples are in the following two tables.
| Mark 1:9 | Matthew 3:13 | Luke 3:21 |
| In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” | Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14 John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16 And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” | 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” |
The Paralytic story is summarized and shortened in Matthew perhaps to get to the point. Whereas, Luke uses Mark.
| Mark 2:1-5 | Matthew 9:2 | Luke 5:17 |
| 1 When he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. 2 So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3 Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” | 1 And after getting into a boat he crossed the sea and came to his own town. 2 And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” | 17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven you.” |
Tabor said as Matthew edits his sources apparently to support his theology/message but Luke does not then Tabor considers the wording of the passages Luke and Matthew have in common but are not in Mark—the Q material—to likely be more authentically presented in Luke than in Matthew. Tabor said he believes Luke’s version of Q preserves authentic sayings of Jesus.
Tabor pointed out that Luke is emphatic whereas Matthew is not emphatic. Luke uses strong rhetoric but not Matthew. Could the emphatic style be like Jesus? Examples follow.
| Luke 14:26 | Matthew 10:37 |
| Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. | Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; |
The Lord’s Prayer. Note the command to “say” in Luke vs. Matthews “in this way”.
| Luke 11:2 | Matthew 6:5-15 |
| “When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone indebted to us. And do not bring us to the time of trial.” NRSV has three footnotes about alternate phrases that appear in other “ancient authorities”. | “Pray then in this way: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And do not bring us to the time of trial, but rescue us from the evil one. 14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. |
Mark reveals the Secret—the greatest commandment—but Matthew shortens it plus he leaves out the scribe getting a compliment from Jesus.
| Mark 12:28-34 | Matthew 22:34-40 |
| 28 One of the scribes came near and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the first of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; 30 you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 Then the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher; you have truly said that ‘he is one, and besides him there is no other’; 33 and ‘to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength,’ and ‘to love one’s neighbor as oneself,’—this is much more important than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 When Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that no one dared to ask him any question. | 34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” |
In the “would-be followers” parable Matthew omitted verses 61 and 62; i.e. two of the three excuses for not following immediately.
| Luke 9:57-62 | Matthew 8:19-22 |
| 57 As they were going along the road, someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” 58 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 59 To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 60 But Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” 61 Another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” 62 Jesus said to him, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” | 18 Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side. 19 A scribe then approached and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 20 And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” 21 Another of his disciples said to him, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” |
Note in the sayings about who to fear, Luke uses strong rhetoric whereas in Matthew it is toned down.
| Luke 12:4-5 | Matthew 10:26 |
| 4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that can do nothing more. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! | 26“ So have no fear of them; for nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered, and nothing secret that will not become known. 27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light; and what you hear whispered, proclaim from the housetops. 28 Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell. |
During this meeting, Tabor mentioned that Matthew had greatly reduced the story about John the Baptist likely to not include references to John the Baptist potentially baptizing Gentiles i.e. Roman Soldiers. More about that view is in a separate post on this site here.
Where Matthew did use Mark without editing – A contrasting example.
The parenthetical phrase “(let the reader understand)” appears in Matthew 24:15. This is the parallel passage to Mark 13:14, where Jesus is speaking about the “desolating sacrilege” or “abomination of desolation.”
Mark 13:14 – “But when you see the desolating sacrilege set up where it ought not to be (let the reader understand), then those in Judea must flee to the mountains; (NRSV)
Matthew 24:15 – “So when you see the desolating sacrilege standing in the holy place, as was spoken of by the prophet Daniel (let the reader understand)…” (NRSV)
This parenthetical comment appears in both Matthew and Mark at the same point in Jesus’ discourse about the end times, suggesting it was an important editorial note for readers to pay special attention to the reference to Daniel’s prophecy.
