Reading the Gospels Together The Story of the Last Meal – Part 7 And so we have compared these two very different stories of the meal in Jerusalem as told by Mark, Matthew, and Luke on the one hand and by John on the other. We have also noticed that while there are vague similarities between the stories there are also powerful and irreconcilable differences – especially regarding the timeframe. Mark, Matthew and Luke all know that the meal is the Passover. John knows that it was not. Both cannot be correct historically. So what are we to make of this? From a historical point of view it is almost certain that Mark, Matthew and Luke are correct about the timeframe. The meal was the Passover. Otherwise how could Paul have known of the same words regarding the meal on the night in which Jesus was betrayed as the tradition handed on to him and passed on by him? So why might John have disregarded what was historically correct to tell a different story? Likely the answer is not so much to be found in this story but in John’s story of the crucifixion of Jesus. For John, Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world – the Passover lamb. So what better time to tell of his death than to have Jesus slaughtered along with the Passover lambs! But the slaughter of the Passover lambs happened at noon on the day prior to the evening of Passover. John could not tell of the death of Jesus in the way that he did if he told the story of the meal as a Passover meal. So it is likely that John sacrificed the historical accuracy of when this event really happened in order to tell his more powerful story of the death of Jesus as the Passover lamb. If our goal were to press for historical accuracy we would need to fault John for doing what he did. He was not a very accurate historian. But that was not John’s purpose anyway. His purpose is to bear witness to Jesus in such a way that we might come to faith in him. John was an evangelist – a gospel preacher! If we can make our way around this historical discrepancy we must note then we can begin to hear the power behind the stories of all four gospel writers. Mark, Matthew, and Luke are crucial to us because they carry the message of truth about the institution of Holy Communion. We can treasure the sacrament because Jesus really does stand behind its institution. Without Mark, Matthew, and Luke much would be lost. But much would be lost without John too. It is John who provides is the wonderful words of hope that God does not abandon us when Jesus must be absent from us because he has returned to the Father. It is John who gives us the words of the coming “advocate” who makes Jesus present to us. We can be thankful that John took so much space in his gospel to tell us of Jesus’ concern for us and of Jesus’ provision for us through the Holy Spirit. It is John who reminds us that Christians are to love one another and that love is at the foundation of our faith. And it is John who gives us the practice of foot washing – even if we cannot find a good way to continue it. Reading these gospels together does challenge our understanding and expand our vision. We can be thankful for the witness of all four gospel writers.