The New Testament presents four distinct yet complementary portraits of Jesus. Among them, the Synoptic Gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—share a broadly similar perspective, while the Gospel of John offers a markedly different theological approach. Together, these writings address three foundational questions: Who was Jesus? What did he accomplish? What did he teach? A comparison of the Synoptics and John reveals not contradiction, but differing emphases shaped by theology, audience, and historical context.
1. Who Was Jesus?
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ identity is disclosed gradually through his actions, teachings, and relationship with God. He is presented primarily as the Messiah (Christ) and Son of God, yet this identity is not openly proclaimed from the beginning. Instead, it unfolds over time, often accompanied by misunderstanding and secrecy. Jesus appears above all as a Spirit-anointed human being, chosen and empowered by God to carry out a divine mission.
While the Synoptics do not deny Jesus’ divine status, they place greater emphasis on his humanity, obedience, and dependence on God. Titles such as Son of Man, Messiah, Prophet, and Servant of the Lord highlight his role within Israel’s story. Jesus prays, experiences suffering, and submits himself to God’s will, presenting a portrait of a faithful human agent through whom God acts.
The Gospel of John, by contrast, begins not with Jesus’ birth or baptism, but with his pre-existence. Jesus is identified as the Word (Logos) who was with God and was God from the beginning. In John, Jesus is fully divine from the outset—the eternal Son who has taken on flesh to reveal the Father. Rather than moving from humanity toward divinity, as the Synoptics do, John moves from divinity toward incarnation.
John employs titles such as Word, Lamb of God, Only-begotten Son, and the striking “I AM” sayings, which echo the divine name revealed in the Hebrew Scriptures. The difference is clear: the Synoptics present Jesus as God’s anointed Messiah acting in obedience to God, while John presents him as the eternal divine Son who has entered human history.
2. What Did Jesus Accomplish?
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ mission centers on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God. His message announces that God’s reign is breaking into the world, challenging evil, restoring the marginalized, and calling people to repentance and renewal. Jesus heals the sick, casts out demons, forgives sins, and gathers a renewed people of God. These actions are signs that God’s saving power is already at work.
Jesus’ death in the Synoptics is understood as redemptive. It is described as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45) and as the act that establishes a new covenant. Yet the emphasis remains strongly this-worldly: God’s reign transforming human relationships, social values, and moral life.
In John’s Gospel, Jesus’ work is described in more explicitly theological terms. His primary accomplishment is revelation—making the Father known. To see Jesus is to see God. Salvation, in John, is not merely rescue from sin but participation in eternal life, defined as knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent.
Jesus’ miracles in John are not simply acts of compassion; they are signs that reveal his divine identity. His death is portrayed not primarily as humiliation, but as glorification—the moment when divine love is fully revealed. Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the cross becomes the place where divine glory and saving love are most clearly displayed.
Thus, while the Synoptics emphasize the arrival of God’s Kingdom and Jesus’ saving actions within history, John emphasizes revelation, eternal life, and the manifestation of Jesus’ divine glory.
3. What Did Jesus Teach?
The teaching of Jesus in the Synoptic Gospels is centered on the Kingdom of God. He teaches through parables, short sayings, and concrete ethical instructions rooted in Jewish wisdom and prophetic tradition. His message calls people to repentance, faith, and a transformed way of life.
Key themes include love of God and neighbor, forgiveness, humility, justice, compassion for the poor, and trust in God. Jesus frequently speaks of judgment and reversal—where the last become first and the powerful are brought low. His teaching is vivid, practical, and deeply connected to everyday life.
In contrast, the teaching of Jesus in John’s Gospel focuses less on the Kingdom and more on Jesus himself. The parables give way to long theological discourses. Jesus speaks about his relationship with the Father and invites people to believe in him as the source of life.
Through powerful metaphors—bread of life, light of the world, good shepherd, true vine—Jesus explains who he is and what it means to abide in him. Faith, truth, life, and intimate union with Christ dominate John’s vision. The central call is not simply to follow ethical instructions, but to believe in the Son and enter into a living relationship with God.
Conclusion
The Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel of John offer two distinct yet complementary answers to the great questions about Jesus. The Synoptics present Jesus as the Spirit-anointed Messiah who proclaims the Kingdom of God, transforms human life, and gives himself in obedience to God’s saving purpose. John presents Jesus as the eternal Word made flesh, who reveals the Father, offers eternal life, and is glorified through the cross.
Together, these perspectives provide a rich and multi-dimensional understanding of Jesus—one rooted in history and ethics, the other in divine revelation and eternal life. Far from contradicting each other, the Synoptics and John invite readers to encounter Jesus both as God’s faithful servant within history and as God’s eternal self-disclosure to the world.
No comments:
Post a Comment