RECONSTRUCTING Q

Matthew's Use of Mark

The following table shows which Markan pericopes Matthew expands and which ones he condenses. Passages that contain double tradition material are marked with an asterisk. The last two columns shows how many words Matthew took to write what Mark wrote and how many words Luke used to writing something Mark did not write. I have highlighted cells with at least 30 words not taken from Mark. Anything less than this seemed to just be expansions on Mark that did not make use of an extra source, except possibly in the case of the Last Supper, but even there it is not certain that Matthew is using another source (though as Dunn points out you would expect Matthew to have additional knowledge of traditions in key liturgical passages, such as the Lord's Prayer and the Lord's Supper).

PericopeReferencesWord CountsWords based on:
MarkMatthew DifferenceMarkOther
48Who Is the Greatest?Matthew 18:1-20||Mark 9:33-50||Luke 9:46-50307423*38%142281
65Apocalyptic DiscourseMatthew 24:1-51||Mark 13:1-37||Luke 21:5-36606824*36%563261
77Jesus Before PilateMatthew 27:1-26||Mark 15:1-15||Luke 23:1-25196398103%211187
3The Temptation of JesusMatthew 4:1-11||Mark 1:12-13||Luke 4:1-1330184*513%30154
31Jesus Sends the TwelveMatthew 10:1-14||Mark 6:6b-13||Luke 9:1-6106230*117%103127
57Jesus' AuthorityMatthew 21:23-32||Mark 11:27-33||Luke 20:1-812522278%116106
47Second Passion PredictionMatthew 17:22-23||Mark 9:30-32||Luke 9:43b-4547131179%30101
1John the Baptist Prepares the WayMatthew 3:1-12||Mark 1:1-8||Luke 3:1-20123236*92%14987
42Peter's ConfessionMatthew 16:13-20||Mark 8:27-30||Luke 9:18-2175157109%7780
18A Kingdom DividedMatthew 12:22-37||Mark 3:20-30||Luke 11:14-22126150*19%7179
34Walking on the WaterMatthew 14:22-33||Mark 6:45-5213918835%11672
56Cursing the Fig Tree and Clearing the TempleMatthew 21:12-22||Mark 11:12-26||Luke 19:45-48253215-15%14471
27Jesus Calms the StormMatthew 8:18-27||Mark 4:35-41||Luke 8:22-25118155*31%8570
49DivorceMatthew 19:1-12||Mark 10:1-1215321641%15363
40The Leaven of the Pharisees and HerodMatthew 15:39-16:12||Mark 8:10-21168194*15%13559
55Entry into JerusalemMatthew 21:1-11||Mark 11:1-11||Luke 19:28-441851903%13258
81Resurrection of JesusMatthew 28:1-10||Mark 16:1-8||Luke 24:1-1213617327%11657
73Jesus' ArrestMatthew 26:47-56||Mark 14:43-52||Luke 22:47-5314018935%13356
21The Purpose of ParablesMatthew 13:10-17||Mark 4:10-12||Luke 8:9-1052155*198%10253
36DefilementsMatthew 15:1-20||Mark 7:1-23361278*-23%22553
51The Rich Man Who Lacks One ThingMatthew 19:16-30||Mark 10:17-31||Luke 18:18-30281271*-4%22348
58Parable of the TenantsMatthew 21:33-46||Mark 12:1-12||Luke 20:9-1918223831%19345
63Warning against the ScribesMatthew 23:1-7||Mark 12:38-40||Luke 20:45-4744109*148%6544
14Lord of the SabbathMatthew 12:1-8||Mark 2:23-28||Luke 6:1-510813626%9244
37Syrophoenician WomanMatthew 15:21-28||Mark 7:24-301291398%9544
4Jesus Goes to GalileeMatthew 4:12-17||Mark 1:14-15||Luke 4:14-313581*131%3942
2Jesus' BaptismMatthew 3:13-17||Mark 1:9-11||Luke 3:21-225399*87%6237
46Demonized BoyMatthew 17:14-20||Mark 9:14-29||Luke 9:37-43a270133*-51%9835
45TransfigurationMatthew 17:1-13||Mark 9:2-13||Luke 9:28-3620923211%19834
61Greatest CommandmentMatthew 22:34-40||Mark 12:28-34||Luke 10:25-2815382-46%5032
66Chief Priests Plot Against JesusMatthew 26:1-5||Mark 14:1-2||Luke 22:1-23470106%4723
62David's Son or David's LordMatthew 22:41-46||Mark 12:35-37||Luke 20:41-44637824%5622
33Feeding of the 5,000Matthew 14:13-21||Mark 6:30-44||Luke 9:10-17237157-34%13621
26Summary of Jesus' Speaking in ParablesMatthew 13:34-35||Mark 4:33-34253436%1519
72GethsemaneMatthew 26:36-46||Mark 14:32-42||Luke 22:40-461811958%18213
38Deaf and Mute ManMatthew 15:29-31||Mark 7:31-3711563-45%5112
12Call of LeviMatthew 9:9-13||Mark 2:13-17||Luke 5:27-3210993-15%8310
29Jairus' Daughter and the Hemorrhaging WomanMatthew 9:18-26||Mark 5:21-43||Luke 8:40-56373138-63%12810
60Marriage at the ResurrectionMatthew 22:23-33||Mark 12:18-27||Luke 20:27-38171163-5%1549
43First Passion PredictionMatthew 16:21-23||Mark 8:31-33||Luke 9:2269724%648
54Blind BartimaeusMatthew 20:29-34||Mark 10:46-52||Luke 18:35-4312379-36%718
78The Soldiers Mock JesusMatthew 27:27-31||Mark 15:16-20698422%786
69Preparations for the Last SupperMatthew 26:17-19||Mark 14:12-16||Luke 22:7-139961-38%565
59Rendering to CaesarMatthew 22:15-22||Mark 12:13-17||Luke 20:20-261061158%1114
79Crucifixion of JesusMatthew 27:32-54||Mark 15:21-39||Luke 23:26-4825932827%3280
68Judas Agrees to Betray JesusMatthew 26:14-16||Mark 14:10-11||Luke 22:3-6303517%350
70Last SupperMatthew 26:20-30||Mark 14:17-26||Luke 22:14-2316018113%1810
71Jesus Predicts Peter's DenialMatthew 26:31-35||Mark 14:27-31||Luke 22:31-34798710%870
5Jesus Calls His First DisciplesMatthew 4:18-22||Mark 1:16-20||Luke 5:1-1182899%890
19Jesus' Mother and BrothersMatthew 12:46-50||Mark 3:31-35||Luke 8:19-2185906%900
15Healing on the SabbathMatthew 12:9-14||Mark 3:1-6||Luke 6:6-119590-5%900
74Peter Follows at a DistanceMatthew 26:57-58||Mark 14:53-54||Luke 22:54-554339-9%390
76Peter's DenialMatthew 26:69-75||Mark 14:66-72||Luke 22:56-62128116-9%1160
53Request of James and JohnMatthew 20:20-28||Mark 10:35-45||Luke 22:24-27190168-12%1680
75Jesus Before the SanhedrinMatthew 26:59-68||Mark 14:55-65||Luke 22:63-71179157-12%1570
22Parable of the Sower ExplainedMatthew 13:18-23||Mark 4:13-20||Luke 8:11-15145128-12%1280
25Parable of the Mustard SeedMatthew 13:31-33||Mark 4:30-32||Luke 13:18-205750*-12%500
39Feeding of the 4,000Matthew 15:32-38||Mark 8:1-9131115-12%1150
67Anointing at BethanyMatthew 26:6-13||Mark 14:3-9124109-12%1090
20Parable of the SowerMatthew 13:1-9||Mark 4:1-9||Luke 8:4-8151131-13%1310
44On DiscipleshipMatthew 16:24-28||Mark 8:34-9:1||Luke 9:23-27132114-14%1140
13FastingMatthew 9:14-17||Mark 2:18-22||Luke 5:33-39129105-19%1050
80Burial of JesusMatthew 27:55-61||Mark 15:40-47||Luke 23:49-56144114-21%1140
17Jesus Appoints the TwelveMatthew 10:1-4||Mark 3:13-19||Luke 6:12-169474-21%740
8Healings at CapernaumMatthew 8:16-17||Mark 1:32-34||Luke 4:40-414636-22%360
30Jesus in His HometownMatthew 13:54-58||Mark 6:1-6a12596-23%960
52Third Passion PredictionMatthew 20:17-19||Mark 10:32-34||Luke 18:31-347353-27%530
50Little ChildrenMatthew 19:13-15||Mark 10:13-16||Luke 18:15-176445-30%450
7Jesus and Simon's Mother-in-LawMatthew 8:14-15||Mark 1:29-31||Luke 4:38-394430-32%300
11Jesus Heals a ParalyticMatthew 9:1-8||Mark 2:1-12||Luke 5:17-26196126-36%1260
35Many HealingsMatthew 14:34-36||Mark 6:53-567244-39%440
32John the Baptist BeheadedMatthew 14:1-12||Mark 6:14-29||Luke 9:7-9302172-43%1720
10Jesus Heals a LeperMatthew 8:2-4||Mark 1:40-45||Luke 5:12-169952-47%520
28Gerasene DemoniacMatthew 8:28-34||Mark 5:1-20||Luke 8:26-39325135-58%1350
16Crowds Follow JesusMatthew 12:15-21||Mark 3:7-12||Luke 6:17-1910323-78%230

NOTE: I have highlighted 30 of the 75 passages as likely including material from another source.