People who spoke in this way either did not read the Gospel at all, or read it superficially, thoughtlessly; otherwise they would not repeat these hackneyed phrases. True, a thoughtful, conscious reading of the Gospels in the form in which they were written by the Holy Evangelists requires a lot of time and some preparation from the reader of our time, and this is explained by the fact that:

1) none of them contains a complete exposition of the teaching of Jesus Christ, which in all its greatness is revealed only when one Gospel is supplemented by another;

2) the sequence of events in the earthly life of Jesus Christ, especially the time of His preaching and miracles, can also be deduced only from the totality of all four Gospels, and

3) The Gospels, written more than eighteen centuries ago, cite such geographical, historical and everyday features that at present for many readers become understandable only with proper explanations.

Therefore, very many of those who wish to consciously read the Gospel cannot do without interpretations of passages that are incomprehensible to them; but people who are not idle, who are really burdened with worldly affairs, are especially in need of such help, and this help must be given to them: after all, it is they, who are toiling and burdened, who are called to Himself by Christ.

Many commentaries on the Gospels have been written, in antiquity and in recent times, for example: by St. John Chrysostom, Blessed Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, Michael, Bishop of Kursk, etc.; but their works are either interlinear interpretations of each Gospel separately, or discourses on the same Gospels, and therefore, despite their outstanding merits, do not give the reader either the fullness of the teaching of Jesus Christ, or the sequence in the narration of events.

We also have systematic expositions and interpretations of the life and teaching of Jesus Christ, but in them the life and teaching of Christ are conveyed in the words of the authors of these works, and not in the words of the Evangelists.