All four Gospels in the New Testament speak about Jesus, but they do not present him in exactly the same way. When we read them carefully, we find two distinct portraits: one in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) and another in the Gospel of John.
1. The Synoptic Portrait: Jesus the Messenger of God
In the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus’ central message is the Kingdom of God.
He teaches that:
- God is loving and merciful.
- People should return to God and renew their lives.
- God’s kingdom is near, and everyone is invited into it.
In these Gospels, Jesus constantly directs attention away from himself and toward God.
His healing, teaching, and parables all point people to God’s will.
He speaks as a prophet, teacher, and guide whose mission is to reveal God—not to exalt himself.
2. The Johannine Portrait: Jesus at the Center
The Gospel of John speaks in a very different voice.
Here, Jesus becomes the center of the message. He says:
- “Believe in me.”
- “I am the way, the truth, and the life.”
- “I am the bread of life.”
- “I and the Father are one.”
This language presents Jesus not simply as a messenger but as a divine figure.
The focus shifts from the Kingdom of God to faith in Jesus himself.
3. Why the Difference?
Most scholars agree that John’s Gospel was written decades after the Synoptic Gospels.
During that time, the early Christian community’s understanding of Jesus grew and changed.
As their devotion deepened, they came to view Jesus in increasingly exalted, divine terms.
This developing belief shaped the writing of John’s Gospel.
John does not merely record what Jesus said; he also expresses how later believers understood him.
4. How This Shaped Christian Belief
Over time, the divine Jesus of John’s Gospel became the foundation of mainstream Christian theology.
The Jesus who, in the Synoptic Gospels, points people toward God eventually became identified as God in later Christian doctrine.
This shift has had lasting consequences:
- Many Christians emphasize the divine Jesus described in John.
- Others try to focus on the historical Jesus who proclaimed God’s kingdom.
- This difference in emphasis is one of the roots of the many divisions within Christianity.
It also explains why religions such as Judaism and Islam disagree with Christianity:
they accept Jesus as a human prophet but cannot accept the later Christian claim that a human being is God.
5. Why This Matters
Recognizing these two portrayals helps us understand:
- how Christian belief developed over time,
- why Christian groups differ so widely, and
- why Jesus is understood in such different ways across religions.
The two images of Jesus—
Jesus the herald of God’s kingdom (Synoptics)
and
Jesus the divine Son of God (John)—
form one of the most important divides in Christian history.
Understanding this difference brings clarity to the story of Christian faith and to the many interpretations that exist today.
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