I first grew curious about Christianity through reading the Gospel of John. As a teenager, I immediately noticed that John’s presentation of Jesus was different from that of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (also called the Synoptic Gospels for their similarities). Though the key details were the same, John seemed to expand on crucial points surrounding Jesus’ identity and mission. Since that time, John’s Gospel continues to fascinate me.
Here are five helpful tips for reading the Gospel of John.
1. John presents the gospel from creation to new creation
While Matthew and Luke narrate the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:18–25; Luke 2:1–7), John tells us that Jesus existed before creation. The opening words of John’s Gospel recall the opening chapter of the Bible in Genesis 1:1, “In the beginning.” According to John, Jesus was not only the “Word made flesh” (1:14), but also the pre-existent Son of God. From the outset, John focuses our attention on Jesus’ deity. He’s the true “light” who gives “life” (1:4) through the new birth (1:13).
What’s more, John presents Jesus’ resurrection as the dawn of a new creation. Jesus is resurrected “on the first day of the week” (20:1) and breathes on his disciples the Holy Spirit (20:22), which recalls the moment in creation when God breathed life into Adam (Gen 2:7). In all of these ways, John helps us see the gospel as a sweeping cosmic event from creation to new creation.
2. John tells the story of Jesus in two parts
John structures his Gospel in two parts: the Book of Signs (1:19–12:50) and the Book of Glory (13:1–20:31). The Book of Signs opens with a prologue (1:1–18) and narrates the signs performed during Jesus’ public ministry. The Book of Glory details Jesus’ hour of glorification, which refers to his crucifixion and resurrection — the climactic completion of his mission. The Gospel comes to a close with an epilogue (21:1–25) which includes the commissioning of Peter.
3. John shows us the deeper meaning of Jesus’ works
Many of Jesus’ miracles in the Synoptics, such as his healings and the feeding of the multitudes, are recast in John as signs that revealed his glory. In this way, John calls us to see that Jesus’ deeds were more than acts of raw power; they were signs that pointed to his true identity as the Messiah.
4. John reveals that the world is on trial before God
In Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the Roman governor famously asks: “What is truth?” According to John’s Gospel, Jesus’ trial is conducted against the backdrop of a much larger drama in which the entire world is on trial before God.
In this drama, many “witnesses” appear (John the Baptist, Moses, Abraham, Isaiah) testifying to the truth of who Jesus is. So John calls for readers to answer Pilate’s open-ended question by spiritually perceiving the truth of Jesus’ claims through his witnesses.
5. John writes his Gospel that you may believe in Jesus
Towards the end of his Gospel, John states his purpose for writing: “But these [signs] are written that you may believe Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31). In John, ‘believing’ goes beyond mere intellectual assent and requires putting one’s trust in Jesus. In view of this, the entire Gospel should be read with John’s purpose in mind.