Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Similarities and differences between the synoptic gospels and the gospel of John
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
- What are the major differences between the Synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and the gospels of John concerning the life and teachings of Jesus?
There is very little agreement between the Synoptic gospels and the gospels of
John. When it comes to Jesus’s baptism the Synoptics say he was baptized by John the Baptist and after he went into the wilderness where he was tempted by the Devil. There is no account of his baptism or the wilderness in the Gospel of John. Based off the birth of Jesus in Matthew and Luke, Jesus was about 33 when he started his public ministries. In John there is no sign of his age but early Christians concluded he was in his late 40s. According the Synoptics, Jesus’s ministry lasted for nine months and took place mainly in Galilean. In John,
…show more content…
The difference is that in John this event took place in the very beginning of Jesus’s career and in Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it was the last things to happen in his ministries and is the event that lead him to his arrest. The Caesarea Philippi incident and the praying at Gethsemane that is talked about in the Synoptics is not mentioned in John. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke the Last Supper is the Passover meal and only takes place with Jesus and his 12 disciples. According to the Gospel of John, the Last Supper is not the Passover meal and it does not occur with just him and his disciples. It is found that in the Synoptics Jesus was executed during Passover but in John his death happens the day before Passover. In the Synoptic gospels there are numerous miracles that Jesus performs, most being private exorcisms. He performs these miracles out of compassion and never to prove who he is. In the Gospel of John only nine miracles are performed and none of them are exorcisms. These miracles also were public and were not done out of compassion but strictly to prove himself. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus’ main messages were about the coming of the Kingdom of God, final judgment
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke there’s mention of some things God has done for us that the author of John left out. For instance, John does not mention Jesus ever casting out demons or include much about helping the poor. John instead includes more about his ministry and teaching to others, like Jesus’ early Galilean ministry in John 2, 3, and 4, which is not mentioned in the other gospels. John also implies that Jesus’ ministry took place over three or four years, whereas the other Gospel’s only mention his ministry once. By not including the miracles that Jesus had preformed an focusing on his ministry it shows us that we should not focus on what Jesus can do for us, but instead focus on ministering to others and spreading His word just as Yeshua followers do. The Synoptics also frequently mention the Kingdom of God and all that we will get, while John mentions this once and instead places an emphasis on eternal life. Instead of thinking about what God is going to give us, we should think in a more Yeshua way, and think about eternal life and what that truly
The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the origin of nearly everything the Christian Church teaches about Jesus. The Gospels, in turn, serve as the scale or test of truth and authenticity of everything the church teaches about Jesus. It is said that the Gospels are the link between Jesus of Nazareth and the people of every age throughout history who have claimed to be his followers. Although the Gospels teach us about Jesus’ life they may not provide concrete evidence that what they speak of is true there are several other sources.
The Gospel of John, the last of the four gospels in the Bible, is a radical departure from the simple style of the synoptic gospels. It is the only one that does not use parables as a way of showing how Jesus taught, and is the only account of several events, including the raising of Lazarus and Jesus turning water into wine. While essentially the gospel is written anonymously, many scholars believe that it was written by the apostle John sometime between the years 85 and 95 CE in Ephesus. The basic story is that of a testimonial of one of the Apostles and his version of Jesus' ministry. It begins by telling of the divine origins of the birth of Jesus, then goes on to prove that He is the Son of God because of the miracles he performs and finally describes Jesus' death and resurrection.
All four Gospels held that Jesus was innocent. Luke, however, pushes the envelope further than the others do. Luke held that Roman authorities agreed that Jesus was innocent. These authorities included Pilate, Herod, and the centurion. The thief on the cross even testified to Jesus' innocence in Luke's gospel. Luke also does not give the exact charges of Christ when He was brought before Pilate. He gives an example of a hanus charge, which the reader knows Jesus is not guilty of. Luke's gospel places much of the blame on the Jews, who were the people bringing Jesus to trial and consistently harassing Paul. One would get the impression from Luke's Gospel that the Jews crucified Jesus.
While both the Gospel of Matthew and John tell of the global reordering plan for the world, each does so in a unique way. The Gospel of Matthew is able to show the reordering of the world by focusing on the aspect of Jesus as a teacher and the results of this; while the Gospel of John shows the reordering occurring as God works through Jesus showing signs to the people of who he is, focusing on the belief this brings to people. “But all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God” (John 1:12). Through this verse, we see the reordering in effect, as all who receive him and believe in him have the power to become children of God.
Mark’s gospel and John’s gospel contain many differences from the beginning, but both end with Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection. The gospels of John and Mark represent Jesus as two different people. The disparity is that Mark represents Jesus as a servant while John portrays Jesus as a divine being. However, one must realize the two texts are meant to read by different audiences during different time periods. Each description presents a particular aspect of the life of Historical Jesus.
Compare and contrast the birth narratives in the Gospel of Matthew and that of the Gospel of Luke.
At the age of 12, Jesus was seen in the temple talking with, listening to and teaching many learned men. It was then that Jesus declared that he was the Son of God with a divine purpose here on earth. Jesus lived a traditional Jewish life as a simple carpenter. At the age of 30, Jesus was baptized and recognized by John the Baptist. It was now that he began his earthly ministry.
The contents of the Bible have dealt with controversy in regards to its inerrancy since publication, and will surely continue to. Historians progress to learn more about biblical stories in order to provide evidence for the reliability of information. Many believers today understand that not everything in the Bible has been factually proven. An outstanding topic many scholars pay attention to lies within the four gospels. The three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke, replay essentially the same story with minor inconsistencies, while John portrays Jesus in an entirely different way. The differences in each gospel are due to how each gospel entertains different portrayals of the life and understanding of Jesus himself, in order to persuade
God’s written law is something that is and should be continuously turned, to not only when Christians find themselves in need, but also throughout in one’s daily life. The four gospels tell to story of Jesus’ life and his teachings he gave while on the earth making it possible for there to be a true example of Christ-like faith. The proposition that there are differences in the story of Jesus and in his teachings seems to question the basis upon which the Christian faith is found upon. Rather than proclaiming the gospels as falsehoods because on the differences they possess, by analyzing the differences in the context of the particular gospel it can be understood that the differences are not made by mistake, rather as a literary device. While the four gospels have differences and similarities, they cannot be regarded as an argument against the faith because their differences are what point to the many aspects of Christ.
Jesus is said to have been born around 4-6 BC. When Jesus was 30 he began his ministry. Many of the reasons that his religion succeeded were that it treated everyone equally promised eternal life and was centered on on your personal relationship with God. Jesus¹ teachings included love for God, neighbors, enemies and yourself. The ten commandments and the basic foundation of Judaism was included in his teachings as Jesus was born a Jew.
According to the book of Matthew, “Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king,” indicating he was born between 6 and 4 BCE (Matthew 2:1). The Bible refers to this as the virgin birth because Joseph and Mary never conceived him. He was a human being in which God took his form. Very little is known about his childhood and the Bible only reveals a picture of Jesus and his teachings when he was approximately 30 years of age. Whatever happened to Jesus during these years is a mystery to us all, but whatever happened transformed him into the divine being which he is today.
The first three gospels are sometimes called the 'synoptic' (same view) gospels. This is because they each cover teaching and miracles by Jesus that are also covered in another account. John, writing later, recounts Jesus' other words and miracles that have a particular spiritual meaning.
One of the major differences we can see in both of the text is the idea of Jesus. Who he was, how he died and how he severed his purpose here on earth. The
The New Testament teaches about who Jesus is and what he did on the earth. John wrote the last of the four gospels which recount Jesus’ life and what is to come. The gospel of John is somewhat different from the other three gospels, in that it is more symbolic and less concrete. For example, John expresses Jesus as the Passover Lamb when Matthew, Mark, and Luke do not. This gospel is showing that Christianity is moving away from the long-practiced Jewish traditions. John’s gospel can be laid out into four parts: the prologue or the incarnate word, signs of the Messiah with teachings about life in him, the farewell teaching and the passion narrative, and the epilogue or the roles of Peter and of the disciple whom Jesus loved. The Gospel of John is arguably the most