John and the Other Gospels
Though all four Gospels trace the ministry of Jesus Christ, the fourth Gospel is different from the other three, containing 98 percent unique material. Unlike the synoptic Gospels which are in many ways alike, John does not include Jesus’ genealogy, birth, baptism, temptation, casting out of demons, parables, transfiguration, the instituting of the Lord’s Supper, Gethsemane, or His ascension. John also includes items the others do not such as the conversations with Nicodemus, the woman at the well, Jesus’ “I am” statements, the Upper Room Discourse, and His high priestly prayer (John 17). The synoptics emphasize Jesus’ Galilean ministry; John stresses Jesus’ Jerusalem ministry. These differences are not contradictions, they are complementary. Each Gospel writer chooses material that supports his theme. In the case of John, his subject is Jesus, the Son of God and Messiah. The material he incorporates into his Gospel best develops that theme.
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