Q or Not Q

When we look at the gospels, we see that Mark was written first and Matthew and Luke used Mark as a source. However, there is also material common to Matthew and Luke that does not come from Mark, and so scholars usually suppose there was another now lost source “Q” that Matthew and Luke both used. A minority of scholars reject the Q hypothesis, like Goodacre and Carrier, and think instead Luke used Matthew as a source. This latter interpretation has difficulties. For example, Philosopher John Watson notes:

Matthew isn’t comfortable with the disciples being like “what a silly question” and so removes that part.

Luke also seems uncomfortable with the disciples asking jesus why he would ask who is touching him since he is being pressed by a crowd but he deals with this differently than matthew if luke is using matthew then why would he avoid matthew’s solution?

It is interpretive reasoning such as this that has led the majority of scholars to think Matthew and Luke used a now lost “Q” source, not that Luke used Matthew as a source.