The One Colossal Difference Between John and the Synoptic Gospels That No One's Talking About

John versus Matthew, Mark, Luke—the three synoptic gospels. What's the big difference? I think it all boils down to one huge reason that no one's talking about. Stay tuned, and I've got the answer for you.

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My Journey Through the Gospels

Over the past 13 years, I've read the Bible 58 times, going on 59. Not because there's anything special about me, but because I just see a deep need to read the Bible. When I first started 13 years ago, I started in Matthew. I didn't start in Genesis—actually, I think a lot of people start in Genesis.

I started in Matthew and then I went through the entire New Testament. In fact, I read the New Testament several times over and over. I started picking up on this: there was a big difference between John and Matthew, Mark, and Luke. But it didn't really resonate or cling to me until I started studying John more and more and more.

Over the past few years, I have studied and taught on John multiple times, and this book is just absolutely incredibly amazing. So if you want a resource on how to study the Gospel of John, go ahead and look in the description. I'll leave a link to that video.

The Similarities First

Before we get to the one colossal difference that no one's talking about, let me just first talk about the similarities between Matthew, Mark, and Luke (the synoptic gospels) and the Gospel of John.

They all share the same basic story. You can examine that there are some differences, but there are a lot of similarities. John's basic story is really the same as Matthew, Mark, and Luke. You've got:

• Jesus the Messiah coming in the form of flesh

• John the Baptizer announcing the arrival of the Messiah

• The teaching of Christ

• Miracles (or signs in John)

• Run-ins and conflicts with the religious leaders

• The unlawful arrest and trial of Jesus between the Jews and the Romans leading to his crucifixion

• Culminating in his resurrection

It's all there, and there are many overlapping events. Let me just list them for you right here:

• The rebuilding of the temple in three days (John 2:19 and Mark 14:58)

• The prophet without honor (John 4:44 and Mark 6:4)

• "Receiving me and you receive the one who sent me" (John 13:20 and Matthew 10:40)

• The predictions of betrayal (John 13:21-30, 38 and Matthew 14:18-22, 27-31)

The Distinct Differences

There are, however, some distinct differences. In the synoptic gospels you have Matthew and Luke, which begin with the genealogy of the human Jesus. Jesus is both God and man, and they begin with the genealogy of man, which is so necessary.

I want you to hear me right now: It's not that John is better than Matthew, Mark, Luke. They're all completely necessary, and that's why they're in the scriptures. But there are differences—not in the overarching story, not in the message, not in what is taught, but in the way it's communicated.

So Matthew and Luke begin with the genealogy of man, but guess what? John begins with the genealogy of God.

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God, and then all things were created through him or by him, and there was nothing that was made that was not made by him."

Jesus is God.

Throughout the Gospel of John there are seven signs, seven miracles, and also seven (which I actually include an eighth) "I am" statements, which is a clear reference back to Exodus 3:14 when God reveals to Moses that he is who he's always been—the I AM.

John was writing to a predominantly Jewish audience (scholars agree upon that now), and it's also evidenced in these "I am" statements that would not have made sense to any other audience but a Jewish audience. In addition to that, the miracles themselves were recorded in a way that was meant to prove something to the audience.

The One Thing No One's Talking About

And this is the one thing. This is the one thing that no one's talking about, which is the one major difference between John and the synoptic gospels. And guess what? It's found at the end of John.

I have a whole video explaining why John wrote his gospel, and that's where the key to unlock all of this lies—the difference lies in the purpose for which John wrote his gospel. So I'm not gonna go into depth here because you can find that video at the end of this post or in the description below.

But it is so important that we understand this because Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote with different intentions than John wrote, and John was very clear about the threefold purpose of his writing. And again, no one's talking about this and why this is such a difference between his gospel and the other three.

But here it is in John 20:30-31:

"Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book, but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name."

John's Threefold Purpose

Everything that was written, the signs that were recorded—they were recorded so that the audience, John's audience, would believe that:

1. Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ—the liberating savior king, the long expected one that was promised in Genesis 3:15, to Abraham in Genesis 12:3, to David and to Solomon, and was announced by Zechariah and John the Baptizer.

2. Jesus is the Son of God—these miracles that John recorded were very specific. If you notice when you're studying, the miracles coincide with the "I am" statements, all declarations that Jesus is God. I am the bread of life. I am the good shepherd. I am he.

3. That by believing we would have life in his name—it's only in him that we can have life.

Why This Matters Today

The Gospel of John is so pivotal to our context in America today because the deity of Christ has been attacked on so many different levels. It has historically been attacked, but in America, there needs to be a resurgence of the threefold truth that John writes: that Jesus is Messiah, that he is the Son of God, and that it's only in him that we can have life.

That is so important and that's why the Gospel of John is crucial for today. It was crucial then. It is crucial today, and it will always be crucial tomorrow. That's not saying that Matthew, Mark, and Luke will not be, but John had a very, very specific purpose and that purpose needs to be revitalized today.

Ready to dive deeper? Check out our full video on why John wrote his gospel to unlock even more insights into this incredible book of the Bible.