Here is what is said Matthew 27:38: Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. Mark 15:27 says the same thing: And with him they crucify two thieves; the one on his right hand, and the other on his left. So does Luke 23:32: And there were also two other, malefactors, led with him to be put to death. And John 19:18 says the same thing. So does John 19:18: Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
Just because you are misunderstanding this does not make them four. The word "other" simply means that Christ was not crucified by Himself. Christ was deemed to be a criminal, and two "other" actual criminals were crucified with Him.
I think you are missing the point of all this. It's all about the order of events. Watch your TIME WORDS.
What is the first word in Matt.27:38? It is the word "
THEN" which means that which comes next is following or coming AFTER what has just preceded. What precedes verse 38? Verse 37 which tells us what event took place BEFORE the thieves were brought out to Calvary. It says "And [..the guards..] set up over his head his accusation written, "This Is Jesus The King Of The Jews". And if you read the context, a whole lot of things happened before this while they were hanging on the crosses.
Now verse 38 is going to tell us what happened after all that. Verse 38 says, "
THEN were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left."
This contradicts Luke 23:33
if the Malefactors and the Thieves are the same individuals! Luke 23:33 says, "And
WHEN they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him [..Jesus..], and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left."
As for John 19:18, look it up in your Interlinear. The word [
one] is in brackets which means
it has no corresponding Greek word. It is how they informed us when a word has been added to the text by the translaters. If you read the verse without the word
one you will get a better idea of what this discussion is all about. You cannot tell the story more completely if you do not recognize the flow of the events in the story, in the timely manner that they are recorded.
These are not trick questions ... Honest!