Each Gospel tells the story from a unique perspective. The evangelists were not journalists remember, their purpose in writing the Gospels is “…so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” Lk 1:4
Start off by asking of both accounts can be accurate but from two perspectives?
Remember Mark & Luke were not eye witnesses to Jesus as far as we know, but Matthew and John were. John’s Gospel is widely accepted as being the last written, after John had had time to reflect on what had taken place. His Gospel reveals the reality of Jesus as God more explicitly than the other accounts, it also contains fascinating eye-witness details, like the portico (Jn 10:23) which was destroyed in 75AD.
John tells us that Peter was called by Christ through the preaching of John the Baptist, who bore witness that Jesus was Christ, the Messiah (John 1:37). Matthew, on the other hand, tells us that Peter and his brother were fishing, that Christ was walking by the lake of Galilee, and that as He passed by He saw these men fishing, called them by name, and said, “Follow me” (Matthew 4:18-19). Now, the key to the whole may be found in the fact that there was yet a third call, and that afterwards Jesus called not Peter and Andrew alone, but the whole twelve of His disciples and set them apart to be Apostles (Matthew 10:1-2).
And so we gather from this last call that the other two might have been different and distinct from each other. Coming to look at the subject we find that the first call was the call at Peter’s conversion, which called him to be a disciple while still at his daily work as a fisherman. The second was the call of Peter, not to be a mere disciple, but to be an evangelist. And the third was the call of Peter, not to be an Evangelist or a common servant of the Master, but to be a leader, to take a yet higher grade, and to become one of the Twelve who should be associated with Christ as the founders of the new system of religion and witnesses of the life of Christ Himself.
I want you, then, just for a moment, to bear in mind the three calls:
The first is that which Christ gave to Peter when He called him out of darkness into marvelous light, blessing to him at first the testimony of John, and then by manifesting Himself to him.
The second is the call by which the servant, already converted, already willing, is bid to put himself into closer relationship with his Lord—to come out and be no longer a servant whose allegiance is true but not manifest—but to show that fealty by following his Master.
And the third call is that which the Savior gives only to a few whom He has picked out and chosen to do some special work—who shall have fellowship with Him more closely still.
With respect to Judas’ kiss, could it be that John didn’t feel the need to repeat this fact as it had already been repeated in one of the earlier texts? What theological import would it have for him?
Does this help?
