The Gospel of John is one of the four canonical gospels, but sits outside the category of the synoptic gospels, and for good reason. The author of John differentiates this gospel by infusing it with a multitude of stories pertaining to the life of Jesus which do not appear in the synoptic gospels. Not only does its narrative differ, but its message differs as well. Jesus is granted greater individuality by the author. Jesus is not just a mere channel through which God speaks, but rather he contains something more innate which earns him the title “son of God”. In other words, Jesus is not special because God speaks through him; God speaks through him because he is special. Thus, the author of John’s Gospel elevates Jesus and strives to define the son as a character worthy of deference and worship. …show more content…
He is eternal and omnipotent, whereas his followers, humans, are mortal and limited by the conditions of space and time. The issue of how the two vastly different entities can be in contact is addressed in the opening of the Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God,” (GJohn 1:1-2) he prefaces. Shortly after, he tacitly introduces the character of interest when he says “the word became flesh and lived among us” (GJohn 1:14). The Word is the spirit that resides in Jesus of Nazareth; he is the Word of God, and has been with God since the dawn of time. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son” (GJohn 3:16). This reiterates John’s statement that Jesus has been with God since the beginning, he is not just some channel. The gift of Jesus is seen as a sacrifice made by God, meaning he is someone God has loved since creation, rather than a figure God created for the purpose of communicating with his