Author: From very early in the history of the Church, the fourth Gospel is attributed to John, "the beloved disciple" (13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7,20), who belonged to the "intimate circle" of Jesus' followers (see Matt. 17:1; Mark 13:3). According to several 2nd century Christian authors, John moved to Ephesis, probably during the 1st Jewish war in the years 66-70 A.D., where he continued his ministry. For example, Irenaus, bishop of Lyon in the 2nd half of the 2nd century, declared that "John, the disciple of the LORD, who also rested upon his breast, published a Gospel during his residence in Ephesus, in Asia" (Against heresies).
Some experts suggest that John 19:35 and 21:24 could indicate another author who very faithfully gathered the stories and testimonies of the apostle. However, the weight of evidence, external and internal, supports the thesis of John the apostle as the author of this Gospel.
Date: The same tradition that places John in Ephesis suggests that he wrote his Gospel at the end of the first century. In the absence of any substantial evidence to the contrary, most of the experts accept this belief.
Purpose: In an amplified sense, John wrote the Gospel to provide the Christians of the Asia province (now Asia Minor) with a complete knowledge of the life nd ministry of Jesus Christ. More specifically, he wrote to lead his readers to a solid faith, on the basis of the words and works of Jesus, and with the purpose that "they may have life in his name" (20:31).
John and the Synoptic Gospels: Although John probably knew the stories of the other three Gospels, he chose to follow a thematic order, instead of a chronological sequence of events. The Gospels called "Synoptics" must have used common oral and written sources. The general scheme is similar and several important incidents of Jesus' ministry appear in the four books. Some of the differences are: 1) In place of the familiar parables, John includes long discourses; 2) Instead of the many miracles and healings of the Synoptics, John uses seven carefully selected miracles, known as "signs"; 3) The ministry of Jesus is developed around three Passover feasts, instead of one, as occurs in the Synoptics; 4) The great "I am" of Jesus constitutes a particular aspect of the Johnine Gospel.
Content: John divides Jesus' ministry into two great sections: Chapters 2-12 offer a vision of his public ministry; while chapters 13-21 relate his private ministry with his disciples. In 1:1-18, called the "prologue", John is occupied with the theological implications of the first coming of Jesus. He shows the preexistent state of Jesus at Knowing GOD's side, his divinity and essence as well as his incarnation.
Literary Form: (HBH) The literary form of the Gospel of John is just that - a gospel. What is a gospel? The word itself comes from the Anglo-Saxon word "godspell", which literally means good news. In reference to the four Gospels in the New Testament, what we have is a narrative of the good news of Jesus Christ.
John made use of many features of Hebrew poetry, most notable parallelism. The Gospel of John does not contain parables, as do Matthew, Mark, and Luke, but rather brings forth the many allegories present in the teaching ministry of Jesus.
Purpose and Theology: (HBH) The theme of John's Gospel is that Knowing GOD had taken human form in the person of Jesus Christ. For this reason John's Gospel is often seen as the most evangelistic of the four Gospels. John's emphasis on the nature of Christ - as opposed to the more chronological, historical accounts of Jesus life in Matthew, Mark, and Luke as "Synoptic" Gospels. This means they put forth a similar view and emphasis, while the Gospel of John falls into a class all to itself.
Virtually every reader of the four Gospels finds the Gospel of John unique in its approach and treatment of the life of Jesus. For example, note the omissions from the Synoptic accounts of the life of Jesus: the genealogy of Jesus, His birth, His boyhood, His temptation, His transfiguration, His appointing of the disciples, His ascension and the Great Commission. Yet we find uniquely in John Christ called the Word, the Creator, the Lamb of Knowing GOD, and the great "I AM". The contrasts between John and the Synoptics have been framed in many different angles by a host of interpreters. Perhaps the most succinct statement of their distinctions is to say that the Synoptics present theology from a historical point of view, while John resent s history from a theological point of view.
The purpose of John's Gospel is not a question for speculation. It contains the most clearly stated purpose statement in all of Scripture: "That you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of Knowing GOD, and that by believing you may have life in his name" (20:31). The key word here is "believe", found in John close to one hundred times. This gives the Gospel two primary purposes. First, John's Gospel sought to confront individuals with the life and claims of Christ in order that they might surrender their lives to Christ's rule. Therefore the first purpose of John's Gospel is evangelistic. Second, it is possible to translate "may believe" in John's purpose statement as "may continue to believe", which would intimate the purpose of not only winning individuals to faith in Christ but also that of strengthening the family of faith that is already walking with Christ.
The central theological theme of John is the nature of Jesus Christ. This Gospel teaches us that the Word was Knowing GOD, and that Word became flesh (1:1,14). John's Gospel presents Jesus as Knowing GOD Himself in human form. This is perhaps presented most clearly in the seven "I am "statements found in chapters 6-15, which portray Christ as the "bread of life" (6:35,48), "the light of the world" (8:12; 9:5), "the door" (10:7,9), "the good shepherd" (10:11,14), "the resurrection, and the life" (11:25), "the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6), and "the true vine" (15:1-5). There are even moments in John's Gospel where Jesus equated Himself directly with the Old Testament name for Knowing GOD Himself, "I AM" (Yahweh), such as in 8:58. When one has seen Jesus, one has seen the Father (chapters 12; 14).
The ancient heresy of Docetism, however, is not to be found in this account of the life of Jesus. The Docetic view emphasized Christ's divinity to the exclusion of His humanity. John's Gospel balances the proclamation that Jesus was GOD in human form with the equal proclamation that Jesus was fully human (2:24; 4:6-7; 6:51; 11:35; 19:5,28,34-35). Other unique features in the Gospel of John in relation to the purpose of showing that Jesus was GOD in human form include the "seven witnesses" (John the Baptist, Nathanael, Peter, Martha, Thomas, John, and Christ Himself) who proclaim the divinity of Jesus and the "seven miracles" (turning water into wine, healing the nobleman's son, healing the man at Bethesda, feeding the five thousand, walking on the water, healing the blind man, and the raising of Lazarus), which demonstrate the unique person of Jesus Christ as the Son of GOD.
Many other theological themes present themselves in this Gospel, such as the clear choice to accept or reject Christ. This decision, placed before every individual, permeates the Gospel (1:11-13; 3:36; 5:24-29; 10:27-29). Sin is treated primarily as unbelief, the rejection of Christ, which leads to judgment and death (chap. 8). The Gospel of John contains more teaching about the Spirit than any other Gospel. The unity and witness of the church is also a theme that is given careful attention.
Theological Contribution: (IBD) John writes with a modest vocabulary, but his words are charged with symbolism. Terms like believe, love, truth, world, light and darkness, above and below, name, witness, sin, judgment, (eternal) life, glory, bread, water, and hour are the key words to this gospel. In John 3:16-21, a passage of less than 150 words in Greek, seven of these terms occur.
The world is where GOD reveals truth (8:32), light (8:12), and life (14:6) in His Son Jesus Christ. The world is also where persons must decide for or against the witness of Christ, and the decision is judgment (3:18). Sin is to misjudge Jesus - to fail to receive Him as the bread of life (6:35), or not to walk in Him as the light of the world (8:12). The Son has come from above to glorify the Father (17:1), and He does so in His "hour" (12:23; 13:1) - through His suffering on the cross.
In the synoptic gospels - Matthew, Mark, and Luke - Jesus utters short sayings. Longer discourses, such as the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), are either collections of sayings on various themes, or, like Matthew 13, mostly parables. John, on the other hand, records no parables and few of the brief sayings so common to the Synoptics. Rather, he expands upon an incident; for example, Nicodemus (chap. 3), the woman at the well (chap. 4), the man born blind (chap. 9), Lazarus (chap. 11), or footwashing (chap. 13). Or he takes up an image; for example, bread (chap. 6), water (chap. 7), light (chap. 8), or shepherd (chap. 10). John then uses these words as symbols to reveal a fuller revelation of Christ. These discourses are blended so completely with John's own style that frequently the reader cannot tell whether it is John or Jesus speaking (3:16).
Why does John present such a different picture of Jesus? John may reveal Jesus as He taught in private, while the other three gospels may recall His public method of address (Mark 4:34). This may be a partial answer. A fuller explanation may be that the other gospels retain the actual form of Jesus' teaching, while John uncovers the essence of Jesus as a person.
This does not imply that John disregards historical truth. At some points his gospel probably preserves the facts of Jesus' life more accurately than the other gospels do. For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke leave the impression that Jesus ministered mainly in Galilee, making only one Passover journey to Jerusalem. This leads one to assume that Jesus' ministry lasted less than one year. John, however, mentions at least three Passover journeys (2:13,23; 6:4; 12:1) and longer periods of ministry in Judea. The other three gospels do hint of previous visits by Jesus to Jerusalem (Matt. 23:37; Luke 13:34). A longer ministry, therefore, as presented by John, is probably closer to the events of Jesus' life.
Nevertheless, it is clear that John is guided more by theological than historical interests. The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke begin by showing Jesus' role as the fulfiller of the Old Testament promises of salvation. But John begins with the preexistence of Jesus: "In the beginning was the Word" (1:1). Jesus is divine ("the Word was GOD", 1:1), but He is also human "the Word became flesh", 1:14). Only as such is He the revealer of the Father.
In the first chapter, John introduces Jesus by seven key titles: Word, Lamb of GOD, Rabbi, Messiah, King of Israel, Son of GOD, and Son of Man. Only in John do we find the "I am" sayings: "I am the bread of life" (6:35), "I am the light of the world" (8:12), "before Abraham was, I AM" (8:58), "I am the door of the sheep" (10:7), "I am the good shepherd" (10:11), "I and My Father are one" (10:30), "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (14:6), and "I am the vine" (15:5). In each of these sayings the "I" is emphatic in Greek. It recalls the name of GOD, "I AM", in the Old Testament (Exod. 3:14).
In the Old Testament GOD's words were to be reverently received. So it is with Jesus. In John He begins His messages by saying, "Truly, truly I say to you". Just as in the Old testament GOD alone was to be worshiped, in John People are to believe in Jesus alone. Here John stresses his concept of "believing". The verb "to believe" is found nearly a hundred times in the gospel, though the noun "belief/faith" does not occur. For John, saving faith is a verb, carrying the sense of active trust in Jesus; it is not a static noun.
When one considers Jesus' moral teaching, another key word emerges. In John Jesus does not enter into questions of prayer, fasting, almsgiving, swearing, marriage, or wealth as he does in the other gospels. Rather, one's relationships to GOD, others, and the world are summed up in love. The love which GOD has for his beloved Son (3:35; 15:9) is passed on by the Beloved to "His own" (13:1). As recipients of GOD's love, Christians are to love GOD by loving one another (13:34). This love, which unites believers (17:1f.), is also a testimony to the world. The key verse of John expresses the basic theological truth of the gospel: "For GOD so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life" (3:16).
The Gospel of John expresses the uniqueness of the Son's relationship with the Father. The Son existed before the world with the Father; He was sent into the world by the Father; and He goes out of the world to the Father.
Special Considerations: (IBD) Our present Gospel of John contains a story that probably was not written by the original author. The account of the woman caught in adultery (7:53-8:11) differs markedly in style from the rest of John. It is not found in the earlier and better manuscripts of the book. It was probably added at a later date by an unknown author under GOD's inspiration to express an important truth about Jesus and His attitude toward sinful people.
Christ Revealed: The Gospel presents Jesus as the only-begotten Son of GOD who is made flesh. For John, Jesus' humanity implies essentially a double mission: 1) As the "Lamb of GOD" (1:29), He procured the redemption of mankind; 2) Through his life and ministry He revealed the Father. Christ constantly pointed out, beyond himself, the Father who had sent him and whom He sought to glorify. In fact, the miracles that Jesus accomplished, and that John characterized as "signs", offer testimony of the divine mission of the Son of GOD. While the Son glorified the Father in his ministry and Passion, the Father also glorified the Son. But, as John shows it, the glorification of the Son is produced with the crucifixion (12:32,33), not only with the exaltation after the resurrection. By believing that Jesus is the Christ, the readers of the Gospel of John become participants of the life that Jesus made arise from death (20:31).
The Holy Spirit in Action: An important characteristic of John is the designation of the Holy Spirit as "Comforter", or he who offers help (14:16); literally, "one who is called to the side of another to help him". He is "the other Comforter", that is, one of the same category as Jesus, through whom Jesus' ministry is extended to the end of time. It would be a grave error, however, to understand the purpose of the Spirit only in terms of the needs of someone in tribulation. On the contrary, John demonstrates that the role of the Spirit embraces all facets of life. In relation to the world belonging to Christ, he works as the agent who convinces people of sin, righteousness and the judgment (16:8-11). The experience of being "born of the Spirit" is descriptive of the "new birth" (3:6). Since GOD is in essence Spirit, those who worship Him must do so spiritually, that is, as led and motivated by the Holy Spirit (4:24). Even more, in anticipation of Pentecost, the Spirit is the one who enables one for a ministry with authority (20:21-23).
The Holy Spirit also fulfills a clear function in relation with Christ. While the Father sent the Spirit in the name of Christ, the Spirit never calls attention to himself, nor speaks with his own authority. Instead, His mission is to glorify Jesus and bring Christ's teachings to the disciples (16:14).
John reveals that the function of the Holy Spirit is to continue the work of Jesus, to guide believers to the comprehension of the significance, implications and imperatives of the Gospel, and put them in positions to achieve "greater works" than those realized by Jesus (14:12). Believers in Christ should see him as their contemporary, not merely as a figure of the distant past.
Personal Application: In order to achieve his purposes, as is told in 20:20,31, John confronts his readers with the claim that Jesus demands a personal response. A positive response of faith in "Jesus...the Christ, the Son of GOD" results in "life in His name". John remembers Jesus' affirmation that He came "that they may have life, and so they may have it in abundance" (10:10), and explains that life isn't an independent quality, unconnected with GOD or Christ. The knowledge of "the only true GOD, and Jesus Christ" (17:3), that implies companionship and mutual intellectual identification, is also the key to the sense of eternal life.
Event or Point of Comparison
In Synoptic Gospels?
In Gospel of John?
Scripture Reference
Wedding at Cana
No
Yes
John 2:1-11
Encounter with Nicodemus
No
Yes
John 3:1-14
Encounter with Woman at the Well
No
Yes
John 4:1-45
Washing of the Disciples' Feet
No
Yes
John 13:1-17
Last Supper
Yes
Yes
Luke 22:7-23
John 13:21-30
Jesus' Final Priestly Prayer
No
Yes
John 17:1-26
Extensive Prologue to the Gospel
No
Yes
John 1:1-18
Concluding Epilogue to the Gospel
No
Yes
John 21:1-25
Birth Narratives
Yes
No
Luke 2:1-20
Jesus' Use of Parables
Yes
No
Matt. 13:1-52
Casting Out Demons
Yes
No
Mark 1:21-28
Jesus With Tax Collectors
Yes
No
Luke 6:27-32
Jesus Heals Lepers
Yes
No
Luke 17:11-17
Jesus With Children
Yes
No
Mark 10:13-16
Sermon on the Mount
Yes
No
Matt. 5:1-7:27
Discourses on the End Times
Yes
No
Matt. 24:1-51
Emphasis on Miracles
Yes
No
Matt. 8:1-9:8
Emphasis on Interpretation of Miracles/Signs
No
Yes
John 5:1-47
Jesus' Teaching on Hell
Yes
No
Matt. 23:1-39
Temptations of Jesus
Yes
No
Matt. 4:1-11
"I AM" Sayings
No
Yes
John 14:6 
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