The Gospel of John

This year we have been encouraging each other to read through one of the Gospels each quarter.  In this quarter we are up to John's Gospel - what a great way to finish the year.  John's gospel is different from the other three gospels in a variety of ways:
  • Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the synoptic gospels because they have parallel passages - describing the same events in very similar ways.  John doesn't have these same passages.
  • While John's gospel includes miracles (or signs designed to lead to faith), it doesn't include exorcisms or parables.
  • In John Jesus talks at length about himself and his divine role.
  • In John there are more detailed records of conversations between Jesus and  people, and
  • In John there are extensive passages detailing Jesus' private conversations with His disciples
In my last post I talked about keeping our walk with God relational rather than religious.  Reading and meditating on the personal interactions recorded in John can be very enriching - I encourage you to do it.  I have started a new forum topic on our Reading the Gospels page listing some of those personal interactions.  You might like to add a comment on what strikes you about these interactions.

David Wanstall, 13/10/2010