The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke are referred to as the synoptic Gospels because they include many of the same stories, often in a similar sequence and in similar or sometimes identical wording.
I find it useful to read them together to get a clearer picture of a teaching, a command or something Jesus did. As an example, today I read Matthew 10 about the sending out of the disciples. In Matthew it simply says what happened…
Matthew 10:1 NLT
[1] Jesus called his twelve disciples together and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness.
In Mark we see that he called them Apostles, He went up the mountain, He told them to preach and He gave them authority to caste out demons…
Mark 3:13-15 NLT
[13] Afterward Jesus went up on a mountain and called out the ones he wanted to go with him. And they came to him. [14] Then he appointed twelve of them and called them his apostles. They were to accompany him, and he would send them out to preach, [15] giving them authority to cast out demons.
In Luke we see that he emphasised Jesus going up the mountain to pray all night before choosing the Apostles…
Luke 6:12-13 NLT
[12] One day soon afterward Jesus went up on a mountain to pray, and he prayed to God all night. [13] At daybreak he called together all of his disciples and chose twelve of them to be apostles.
This is all the same story, but the different writers record a different perspective. Bible scholars tell us that Matthew was writing mainly for Jews, Mark for Romans and Luke for Greeks.
Each of these groups of people have a different focus or things they admire. Matthew wanted to show the Jews Jesus was the Messiah they were waiting for. Mark knew Romans were people of achievement so he included the things Jesus did. Luke knew the Greeks appreciated things like prayer so he included that.
For us today the synoptic gospels give us a clearer picture by including the same stories from a different perspective. The same thing happened each time, but having three examples from different writers helps us to understand it more clearly.
I find it interesting that in ancient times having two witnesses was sufficient to prove something was true. In the Bible, God chose to have three witnesses record many of the happenings.
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