Skip to content
  • Parents
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Help with...
    Resources
    Books
    Blogs
    Sharing Faith
    Navigating Life
    Other Blogs
    Training
    Upcoming Events
  • Kids' Leaders
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Resources for...
    Home
    School
    Church
    Our online training archive
    Blogs
    Keeping Going
    Navigating Ministry
    Other Blogs
    Training
    Upcoming Events
    Our Training Streams
  • Church Leaders
    Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
    Resources for...
    Home
    School
    Church
    Our online training archive
    What we're about
    Partner with us
    Blog
    Training
    Upcoming Events
  • |
  • Podcasts
  • Resources
  • Blog
Give
X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Blog

blog

The Bible’s greatest boy band?

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Sharing faith

John, Paul, George and Ringo. Their names belong together, and as an honorary Scouser – having lived off Penny Lane as a student and now living round the corner from Strawberry Fields – those 4 men made their mark on our city, our nation and our history as their combined talents made them global stars. The Fab 4 were all very different individuals (always the way with a boy band) but together made something spectacular happen.

Matthew, Mark, Luke and John – the gospel writers. Their names belong together, arguably the original Fab 4. Are they the ultimate global boy band? They’ve certainly made their mark on history – but are they really a group? Are we meant to hear them together – their different talents and personalities blended to make the same song? Is Mark’s simple melody only truly enjoyed with Matthew’s beat, Luke’s guitar and John’s fancy piano?

The Fab 4 gospel writers are often treated like a boy band. Very often, when you hear someone teach the feeding of the 5000 from Matthew’s gospel they add the bits he missed from John about the boy’s lunch box. When you hear someone tell the “whole story” of Jesus calming the storm – adding Matthew, Mark and Luke’s accounts together – they are treating them like a boy band. As if they are only complete as a group. We can think that all of them are needed to make the song decent – the nerdy one, (Matthew) the talented one, (Luke) the arty one (John) and the one that looks good on the album cover, (Mark).

No! The gospel writers are not a boy band. They are individual solo artists. They are rock stars in their own right. What they include and leave out of their gospels is deliberate for the story they are telling and their style. Some people call it the ‘Author’s Purpose’ writing tool; I prefer to think of it as ‘Which Solo artist am I working with?’ Only when we see the gospel writers as four distinct individuals, inspired by the Spirit, each with a particular goal in mind, will we see Jesus in 4D as we are meant to. We do need them all – but not mashed together. We need each solo act to tell his own unique story about the same Saviour.

So, let me introduce you to the stars …

Matthew – to me, he is the folk singer. A country music story-telling genius, with sandals and stonewash denim, he’s linking the stories of the past to today. There’s a nostalgia and a homesick note to his stories, as he mingles joy, pain, promises and parables with the beautiful beatitudes. He loves to sing of the promised King and his songs are picked up by others who hear and connect with his authenticity and take his songs with them so they are sung all around the world.

Mark – well, he’s the pop star. Slick and cool in shades with a quiff, his song has a catchy beat, easy to pick up, positive, fast paced and fun. He gives us the highlights of the action with ‘suddenly’ this and ‘immediately’ that and an ear worm chorus that sticks in your head – “good news” da da da, “good news”. Before you know it, you’re singing along with him and the tune is stuck in your head. He leaves you with a cliff hanger question – do you believe this good news?

Luke – he’s my favourite. I’d have his poster on my wall. To me he’s the singer song writer, the acoustic guitarist with the widest appeal, shirt and chinos, ready to fit in anywhere. Mums love him. Kids love him. Dads dance to him. Everyone has one of his tracks on their playlist. Luke’s well travelled, a Michael Palin type, and you can hear the influence of other cultures in his music. His songs take us on a journey and introduce us to real people we didn’t think Jesus would be interested in as he shows us the Saviour who came to seek and save the lost.

John – I’ve found him the hardest to get into. It’s like I didn’t love his album first time through, but I stuck with it and before long, I realised it’s an absolute work of genius. John is like the classical musician – all mad hair, crumpled clothes and deep emotion. It’s like he’s making the wonder of orchestral music accessible to the masses. He starts big, we’re blown away and worry we might be in over our heads. Then we spot some repeated little riffs and patterns that we recognize and can hum along to, and before we know it we’re there! We nod along to the music with a tear on our cheek, amazed at the beautiful story as the light of the world shines into our darkness, revealing the ‘I am’ who suffers, dies and rises again that we might believe and have life.

They really are a Fab 4. Remember as you read and as you teach the Gospels – these guys are worth getting to know, they are total global rock stars in their own right, each one with a distinct genius that needs appreciating. They really aren’t the Bible’s boy band.

Thank you to Mark Meynell, who helped me understand the gospels better in 2016 with his 4D Jesus teaching sessions at Word Alive. He used much more high-brow and intelligent examples – and may not appreciate the association – but he set me on the track to understanding the individual writers and teaching them more faithfully.

Amy Smith

share
  • view all blog posts

Share Faith in Kids

Recommendations
  • Resources
  • Books
  • Podcasts
Support Faith in Kids
  • Prayer
  • Vision sponsors
  • Fundraising event
  • Vacancies
Upcoming events
  • View upcoming events
About us
  • Who's who
  • Vision, mission & values
  • Annual reports
Contact us
  • Get in touch
  • Register for updates
Legal
  • Complaints Procedure
  • Privacy Policy
  • Safeguarding Policy
  • Cookies

All content © Faith in Kids 2025.

Faith in Kids is a registered charity (charity no 1176335).

DL Popup
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Read More
Cookie SettingsAccept All
Manage consent

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
PHPSESSIDsessionTo identify your unique session on the website
SESSsessionTo ensure that you are recognised when you move from page to page within the site and that any information you have entered is remembered.
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
CookieDurationDescription
__utmapermanentThis cookie keeps track of the number of times a visitor has been to the site pertaining to the cookie, when their first visit was, and when their last visit occurred. Google Analytics uses the information from this cookie to calculate things like Days and Visits to purchase.
__utmbsession__utmb is a Google Analytics cookie. It takes a timestamp of the exact moment in time when a visitor enters a site.
__utmc30 mins__utmc takes a timestamp of the exact moment in time when a visitor leaves a site.
__utmz6 monthsKeeps track of where the visitor came from, what search engine you used, what link you clicked on, what keyword you used, and where they were in the world when you accessed a website. This cookie is how Google Analytics knows to whom and to what source / medium / keyword to assign the credit for a Goal Conversion or an Ecommerce Transaction.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT
  • Context

  • Resource type

  • Topic

  • Bible Book

Parents
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Help with...
Resources
Books
Blogs
Sharing Faith
Navigating Life
Other Blogs
Training
Upcoming Events
Kids' Leaders
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Resources for...
Home
School
Church
Our online training archive
Blogs
Keeping Going
Navigating Ministry
Other Blogs
Training
Upcoming Events
Our Training Streams
Church Leaders
Find out how Faith in Kids can help…
Resources for...
Home
School
Church
Our online training archive
What we're about
Partner with us
Blog
Training
Upcoming Events
  • Podcasts
  • Resources
  • Upcoming Events
  • Blog
Give
X-twitter Facebook Instagram Youtube

Before downloading, please provide a few details

Your Role *
Mailing List

Submitting this form will set a browser cookie so we only have to ask you once.

Fields marked * are required.

Please enable JavaScript in your browser to complete this form.
Name *
Your Role *
Choose a password *
Mailing List
Loading