Matthew, John, and Peter were of the original twelve called by the Lord Jesus to serve with Him during His earthly ministry. All three were Jews, as were all the rest of the N.T. writers.
Matthew was probably the most educated as he was a tax collector. His Gospel was written to his fellow Jews, to present Jesus as the Messiah, the Son of God who came to bring the Kingdom of God to them. His gospel is of course Jewish flavored.
Mark was a Jew, a “SON” of Peter. He was greatly influenced by Peter and his conversion from Judaism to Christianity. He was also a nephew of Barnabas. No doubt the teaching of the twelve greatly influenced his becoming a believer and he desire to be a missionary with Barnabas and Paul. His Jewish background probably had a lot to do with his leaving Barnabas and Paul on the first missionary trip. But later we hear from Paul that Mark had come to be “profitable to me for the ministry”. Mark was a disciple of Paul’s and his Gospel, was written to present Jesus the Christ and His ministry to the Romans (Church).
Luke the Jewish Physician was no doubt drawn to the Apostles (and possible to the Lord Himself) because of the miraclous healings that were taken place. He gravitated to Paul and documented his missionary travels. His book, The Acts of the Apostles, is a transitional book from the Birth of the first (Jewish) Church to the true Church (which includes Jew and Gentile with no difference). He covers the ACTS of the twelve and then shifts to the ACTS of Paul and missions. If he were to write a book today, it would no doubt be entitled the ACTS of the CHURCH. His Gospel was written for the intellect, the Greeks, to present the birth, life, death, burial and resurrection of Christ. He presents the humanity of the Lord Jesus.
John the youngest of the twelve, his gospel is written to the world, to show Jesus as more than the Messiah, to show Jesus as GOD, in flesh, savior of the world. John also wrote the 3 epistles bearing his name, and he wrote these to the (Jewish) church. And the Doctrine contained is for the Church today. He also was used of God to author the REVELATION. I believe, to be a transitional book to be greatly used by the 144,000 during the GREAT TRIBULATION. And to give the Church a picture of the events to come.
Jude is a brother of James (Jude 1:1) and thus the younger half brother of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 13:55).
James not one of the twelve, but a pillar of the first church (Galatians 2:9) an Apostle, Elder according to (Acts 15:4,13) and most of all he is a younger half brother of the Lord Jesus according to (Matthew 13:55).
Peter is a very transitional person. A Jew with strong Jewish belief’s. After the birth of the church, God has to drag Peter into dealing with the Gentiles. His epistles are to the Jewish church, including the gentile members, and the words are flavored with old testament wording.
Paul, a Jew among Jews, uniquely called by God, an Apostle to go to the Gentiles to preach the Death, Burial and Resurrection of Christ.
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