Even though Matthew 8:23-27 and Mark 4:36-41 describe the same event in the life of Christ, each does so in a slightly different manner from the other. The two writers place emphasis on specific words or ideas, which is unique to their own writing and does not reflect on the other. Yet, the two go together and show a dependency of thought that supports the notion that the two were not conceived independently of one another. The reasons that the texts appear similar and yet dissimilar at the same time are that 1) the audience of the two gospels were different; 2) the writing styles of the two differed; and 3) the context of the two gives each its own special significance that makes it unique. This paper will argue for dependence of one upon the other with respect to the gospels of Matthew and Mark and explain why they are different.Clearly the two gospels are telling the same story of Christ calming the storm. Yet each does so in a unique way. Part of the reason this is so is that the two writers had a different audience in mind when they composed their gospels. Matthew was writing for a Jewish audience while Mark was writing for a gentile audience. Matthew uses the name of Jesus in verse 23, whereas mark does not use the name at all. Matthew uses the name “Lord” when the disciples call out “Lord, save us!” whereas Mark has the disciples call out “Teacher,” and ask him in a less dramatic tone...
For the Gentiles, Mark saw that they used reason to approach the divine: they wanted logical steps towards God and thus Mark conveys this dramatic scene with more logic than drama. For the Jews, however, their entire history and culture is shaped by dramatic events and they undoubtedly had more of an appreciation for the dramatic, which is why Matthew provides this type of drama and connects it to the name of Jesus: he wants his Jewish audience to appreciate the dramatic way in which Christ was sent to save them. He does this by having Christ bring up the subject of faith: “Why are you fearful, you of little faith?” (Matthew 8:26). Mark, on the other hand, simply shows Christ addressing the sea to “be muzzled” (Mark 4:39), an indication to the Gentile reader of the power that Christ has over nature.
The styles of the two writers differ as well, which is partly reflective of the fact that the audiences are different and partly reflective of the writers themselves. The differences reveal that Matthew is more focused on revealing the mystery of the Person of Christ: he has the disciples wonder aloud, “What sort of person is this that even the winds and sea obey him?” (Matthew 8:27). Mark’s style has less flair and asks with a basic logic, “Who then is this that the wind and sea obey him?” (Mark 4:41). Matthew’s…
