(Home) John's Relation to the Synoptic Gospels
by Lane Rogers
I His relation to the Synoptic Gospels
A. Common incidents to all three
1. Baptism of John
2. Feeding of the Five thousand
3. Triumphant entry
4. Last Supper
5. Resurrection
B. In common with Matthew and Mark (Luke not involved)
1. Walking on the sea
2. Anointing at Bethany
C. Some differences
1. John's emphasis on Christ's ministry in Jerusalem. But see Matthew 23:37; Lk. 10: 38ff; John 11:18.
2. Long discourses in John
3. John is a selective work: "Many other....but these are not written."
D. John Omits:
1. Virgin birth
2. Jesus' baptism
3. The transfiguration
4. The Lord's Supper
5. His agony in Gethsemane
6. Jesus' temptation
7. Parables
E. Unique to John:
1. Calling of Philip, Andrew, and Nathanael
2. Talk with Nicodemus
3. Marriage at Cana
4. Healing at Pool of Bethesda
5. Healing of man born blind
6. Woman of Samaria
7. Raising of Lazarus
8. Washing disciples' feet
9. Long discourses
II. The Gospel of John and the First Epistle of John
Common authorship of the gospel of John and the Epistle. Compare the following.
|
1 John 1:1 "From the beginning |
The Gospel of John 1:1 |
|
" 1:1 "the logos" |
" 1:1:-2 |
|
" 1:2 "testify" |
" 1:34, 19:35 |
|
" 1:4 "joy complete" |
" 16:24, 17:13 |
|
" 1:6 "walk in darkness" |
"8:12; 12:35 |
|
" 1:6 "put truth into practice" |
" 3:21 |
|
" 1:8 "truth not in us" |
" 8:44 |
|
" 1:10 "his word has no place" |
"5:38, 15:7 |
|
" 2:4 "do what He commands" |
"14:15, 21 |
|
" 2:5 "obey His word" |
"8:51-55 |
|
" 2:8 "new command" |
"13:34 |
|
" 2:11 "walks in darkness" |
"12:35 |
|
" 2:15 "love not the world" |
"17:15 |
|
" 2:21 "know the truth" |
" 18:37 |
|
" 2:24 "remain in the Son" |
" 6: 56, 15:4, 5 |
|
"3:1 "children of God" |
"1:12 |
|
" 3:5 "take away sins" |
"1:29 |
|
" 3:8 "sinned from the beginning |
" 8:54 |
|
" 3:16 "laid down His life |
" 10:11-18 |
|
"3:14 "passed from death" |
" 5:24 |
|
"3:19 "belonged to the truth" |
" 18:37 |
|
" 4: 6 "Spirit of truth" |
" 14:17, 16:13 |
|
" 4:12 "not seen God" |
" 1:18 |
|
" 4:14 "Savior of the world" |
"4:42 |
|
" 5:4 "overcome the world" |
"16:33 |
|
" 5:6 "water and blood" |
"19:34, 35 |
|
" 5:11 "life in the Son" |
"1:4 |
|
" 5:12 "has life" |
"3:15, 20:31 |
|
"5:12 "not have life" |
" 3:36 |
|
"5:20 "know Him" |
"17:3 |
III. Points and Peculiarities of John's Gospel
A. Has an announced purpose - 20: 30, 31, Cf. Luke 1:1-4. Signs, figures and discourses used to attain that purpose.
B. Omits the birth of John, the birth of Jesus, genealogy, youth, baptism, temptation, transfiguration, and ascension.
C. Only gospel reporting early Judean ministry.
D. John more definite in indicating exact time and place. By listing 4 Passovers (2:13; 5:1(?), 6:4; 13:1; 18:28) we know that the ministry of Jesus lasted more than 3 years.
E. There are no parables in John. Paroimia (10:6) is a proverb or allegory.
F. Eight miracles in John (excluding Jesus' resurrection); all but two (feeding of 5,000 and walking on the sea) are peculiar to John.
G. John concentrates on Judea. Except for chapter 1; 2:1-11; 4:43-54; chapter 6; 10: 40-42, chapter 21, everything happens in Judea (and Samaria, 4: 1-42). John emphasized Jerusalem not Galilee, because it was there that the Messiah must be accepted or rejected.
H. John has at the utmost an account of but 20 days of the Lord's ministry. Chapters 13-19 (237 verses out of 879 or nearly one-third of the gospel) cover but one day in the life of Christ.
I. Characteristic words
1. "Believe" and its cognates about 100 times. "Belief" and "faith" not at all?
2. God as Father, 122 times
3. "Glory" and its cognates 33 times.
4. "Love" and its cognates 57 times.
5. "Verily, verily "most assurdly" (Thayer) 25 times
J. Gospel of John is written in Koine Greek of the time, but thought, tone, and sometimes forms of expression are Aramaic.
K. John uses Roman time rather than Hebrew time. (see Tasker, Westcot, Hendriksen). Midnight to noon, noon to midnight rather than Jewish custom of 6 to 6. Hence:
"tenth hour"__10:a.m. (1:39)
"sixth hour" __6: p.m. (4:6)
"seventh hour"__ 7 p.m. (4:52)
"sixth hour" ___6: a.m. (19:14)
Some translations make John 19:14 contradict Mark 15:25.
1. N.E.B. "nine o:clock in the morning___about noon
2. Phillips "about nine o:clock in the morning" "now getting on toward midday."