Do the Synoptic Gospels emphasize Jesus' humanity or His deity?
The Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—predominantly emphasize Christ's humanity. Matthew depicts Him as King, Mark as Servant, and Luke as the Son of Man. Although He is the Messiah and Son of God, those three Gospels place His human role in force.
Les explains that the first three Gospels are normally called the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew was written first and depicts Christ as the King, Mark depicts Him as the Servant, and Luke depicts Him as the Son of Man. Even though those roles are played out by the Messiah, the Son of God, Les says it is predominantly His humanity that is in force in those three Gospels. By contrast, John is set apart from the three, and there the focus is Christ as God. Les illustrates this by noting that in the Synoptic Gospels the language is correct when it says He prays to the Father, but in John's Gospel, even contrary to the King James, translators used “He prayed to the Father,” which is not the Greek. As God, He did not have to pray to God; He simply spoke to Him.