What the Heck is a Synoptic Gospel?

As this liturgical year comes to a close, we are really finishing up more than just one set of readings.  We are concluding Cycle C, and on Sunday, we will begin a new year, with Cycle A readings.  You probably know that the Catholic Church rotates through three different cycles or sets of readings:  Cycle A, which contains Sunday Gospels mostly from Matthew; Cycle B, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Mark; and Cycle C, with Sunday Gospels mostly from Luke.   We do read from the Gospel of John as well, typically during the Easter season.

You might have noticed that many of the Sunday Gospels during Ordinary Time sound familiar from year to year.  They don’t change that much from Matthew to Mark to Luke.  That is because Matthew, Mark, and Luke are the synoptic Gospels.

Huh?  You might ask, what the heck is a synoptic Gospel?  (Pardon the very typical Utah phrase.)  When I was younger, I used to think synoptic meant that these three Gospels presented a synopsis of Jesus’ life, and it was just a coincidence that they were so similar.  But, as I got older and my English-major-like tendencies kicked into high gear, I took a closer look at the word.

Synoptic comes from two roots:  syn meaning “same,” and optic meaning “view.”  So, a story that is synoptic presents the same view as another story.  They corroborate each other.  The synoptic Gospels present more than just a synopsis of Jesus’ life.  They present roughly the same story, with some differences here and there, owing to the fact that they were written at different times by different authors for differing audiences.  For instance, in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus’ famous Sermon on the Mount takes place on a the plain instead.

It is tempting to zone out when we hear a familiar Gospel passage, especially if we have heard it a dozen or more times.  But, when you do hear a Gospel reading from Matthew, Mark, or Luke that seems very familiar, challenge yourself to find the ways in which it differs from the other two synoptic Gospels.  If you’re really ambitious, go look up the other two in your Bible at home.  (Concordances, or similar passages, are usually cited in the notes.)  Note the differences.  Ask yourself why there are differences.  Does it take away from the main theme of the passage?  This can help you delve deeper into scripture, something which Catholics of the pre-Vatican II generation were often discouraged from doing.

Even if you don’t make it a habit to do this every Sunday, try to commit to doing it during an “extraordinary” season of the liturgical year, such as Advent, or Lent.  It could be a valuable way to prepare yourself for the seasons of Christmas and Easter.