Gospel of John vs Synoptic Gospels

While the Gospel of John bears some similarities to the Synoptic Gospels, as Barrett (1974) points out, it also sets itself apart in several unique ways by focusing on the mystical nature of Christ and the importance of the Church. Even the Synoptic Gospels offer differing details of the life and teachings of Christ, and in many instances, John agrees or is more in line with Mark, while Mark differs from Matthew and Luke. Still, Barrett (1974) affirms that “John’s aim was not literal accuracy, and he therefore cannot be expected to show detailed respect for the wording of any source” (p. 228). John’s aim, rather, was to illustrate the divine nature of Christ in a way that showed how the Son of God was infinitely unique in the history of the world—and how that uniqueness was to stay with the world through the sacraments of the Church.

The gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are known as the Synoptic Gospels because they generally share the same synopsis of the life and teachings of Christ: they emphasize the same historical story, commonly in the same order of events, and they were all three composed in the Greek language—but so too was the Gospel of John (Brown, 1997). The Synoptic Gospels (and even John at times) cover the same stories, the same miracles; for instance: there are descriptions of John the Baptist and the Transfiguration, in which Christ’s divine nature is manifested (Mt 17:2; Lk 9:28-36; Mk 9-23); the calming of the storm (Mt 8:23-27; Lk 8:22-25; Mk 4:35-41); the expulsion of the money changers from the temple (Mt 21:12-17; Lk 19:45-48; Mk 11:15-19)—and all four Gospels describe the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000 (Mt 14:13-21; Lk 9:12-17; Mk 6:31-44; Jn 6:1-14). The Synoptic Gospels also focus on the childhood of Christ and even on His earthly lineage (being descended from the House of David). The Gospel of John, however, focuses on a different lineage—a spiritual lineage as it were: John describes how Christ was there in the Beginning: “In the Beginning was the Word (Jn 1:1). As John was the only apostle to be by Christ’s side at the crucifixion, it is understandable that John would have a more mystical sense of Christ, one that was rooted deeply in the spiritual love that Christ as God had and has for His people and His Church. The Synoptic Gospels do not avoid this mystical side of Christ, but it also is not their overall focus. For John it most certainly is—which is why his Gospel soars to such sublime heights, especially in the beginning.

The Synoptic Gospels also differ from John in terms of their respective audiences. Each was written for a unique readership, whereas the Gospel of John has a universal audience. Matthew’s intended readership was primarily the Jews (which is why he includes so many references to the Old Testament in his Gospel); Mark’s Gospel was oriented mainly toward the Roman Gentiles, emphasizing Christ as God above all else; and Luke wrote primarily for the Greek Gentiles, known for their love of beauty and philosophy—which is why Luke focuses so much on the truth of Christ (Frey, 1948; Powell, 2013).

What sets the Gospel of John apart is that it is constructed in a manner that is wholly unique: it begins with a macro-perspective of the creation of Time—the Universe—all things. At the center of the cosmos is the Logos—the Word. The Word is God—as John describes—and the Word is Christ. Thus, John connects Christ to Eternity and to Divinity at the very outset—thematically representing Christ as the spiritual thread that weaves through all of life, all that is good in the eyes of God. God is the Light and the Life, and Christ is this same God. John erects a spiritualized framework that elevates the reader to the level of God and lets the reader see the world from God’s perspective, in a sense. This desire to show all who God is relates to the “I AM” sayings found in John. The “I AM” sayings are unique to John’s Gospel and build on the thematic conception of God as Yahweh, “I AM Who AM.” Indeed, this expression “I AM” was very important to the Jews and was not even supposed to be uttered, because it was the sacred name of God given to Moses. When Christ self-identified as “I AM” to the Pharisees, they were outraged and considered Him a blasphemer—but in truth as John shows Christ was simply asserting His Divinity as the Logos. As Towns (2002) notes, Christ was distinguishing between Himself and the Pharisees, telling apart “His reality and genuineness from that which is false” (p. 150). Christ tells those around Him alternatively, “I am the true vine” (Jn 15:1) and offers numerous other ways to think about Who He Is: the Way, the Truth and the Life (Jn 14:6), the Bread of Life (Jn 6:35), the Light of the World (Jn 8:12), the Good Shepherd (Jn 10:11).

Thus, John uses Christ’s own allegorical conceptions of His Divine Self to communicate the Man as Logos as God. This connects to John’s overall framework for the Gospel, which is established in what serves as the Gospel’s cosmic prologue, wherein Christ is described as the Logos, the Lamb of God, and the Son of God. This prologue is then followed by an examination of the many signs that Christ gives to prove His Divinity—from the miracles (such as the wedding feast at Cana, wherein the sacrament of matrimony is situated) to the raising of Lazarus from the dead.

John’s Gospel also tells the story of the conversion of Nicodemus, who was a Pharisee and one of the Sanhedrin, who comes to Christ during the night to discuss in more detail the meaning of Christ’s teachings (Jn 3:1-21). John devotes much time to telling Nicodemus, showing how he urged the Jews to be fair and allow Christ to present his case (Jn 7:50). John even shows how Nicodemus is there to help in burial of Christ (Jn 19:39-42), which signifies his conversion. John’s relation of the story of Nicodemus helps to confirm the nature of Christ as the One, True God—the Savior promised to the Jews and foretold in the Old Testament.

But aside from Christ’s Divinity, John also emphasizes the Church and the need for the Church to be united to Christ. He relates how Christ sayd, “As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remain on the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me, and I in him, he bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:4-5). Christ gives His followers a severe admonition on top of this assertion to stay in union with Him: “If anyone does not abide in me, he shall be cast outside as the branch and wither; and they shall gather them up and cast them into the fire, and they shall burn” (Jn 15:6). It is upon this admonition that the law of the Church is established, meaning that there can be no salvation outside the Church, which Christ forms with His followers. What is it that holds this Church and Its members together? The answer is clear, as John shows: it is the Love of Christ that flows through them and unites them and keeps them as One. This is what truly sets John’s Gospel apart from the others: it is positioned squarely in this spiritual, mystical Love of God: “If you abide in me, and if my words abide in you, ask whatever you will and it shall be done to you. In this my Father glorified, that you may bear very much fruit, and become my disciples. As the Father has loved me, I also have loved you. Abide in my love” (Jn 15:7-9). Yet John also shows that this Love is not without form; it is not sentimental or emotional. On the contrary, this Love is itself rooted in the Laws given by God to man, as Christ goes on to say: “If you keep my commandments you will abide in my love, as I also have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love” (Jn 15:10). There are conditions, in other words: one must obey the Father, as Christ obeys Him; one must keep the commandments in order to be united to Christ in His Love. But to keep his readers from feeling like this might be a hard sentiment to accept, John returns to the theme of Love, which burns brightly throughout the Gospel, just as it did in John’s own life (for surely it was this Love that enabled him to be present with Christ at His death on the cross): “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:11-12). And again John focuses on what this Love is all about—what it means—how it is shown: “Greater love than this no one has, that one lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends if you do the things I command you” (John 15:13-14).

This Love is the basis of friendship and friendship itself is built on adherence to the law, to the Word, to the Logos. It is a Love that takes all things into consideration—the pain of loved ones, compassion, sin, sorrow, repentance. Whereas, the Synoptic Gospels set out to establish the historical Christ for Jews and Gentiles alike, the Gospel of John sets out to establish the Loving Nature of Christ—Christ as the Loving Spirit that is infused throughout the World, that was there at the beginning of all Time, of all Creation. John bridges the gap between God and Man in a way that personalizes Christ for the reader and makes the reader feel closer and more intimate with God than any of the other Gospel writers are able to do. John, miraculously in this sense, not only reveals Christ’s Divinity but also simultaneously His great Humanity—especially when he depicts Christ saying, “No longer do I call you servants, because the servant does not know what his master does. But I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15). This friendship, John shows, is to extend throughout Time—into the future—through the Church: “You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and have appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain…These things I command you, that you may love one another” (John 15:16-17). Thus, John connects the Logos to the Son of Man to the here and now of the Church with one sweeping vision of Christ that sets his Gospel apart from the others.