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The Gospel of John Is Unique

by Jason Neill

Scripture reading: John 20:30-31

The Gospel of John is my favorite book of the Bible. It was written by the Apostle John, one of the 12 disciples (see Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11). John’s father was named Zebedee, and his brother was James. Some think John’s mother was Salome who was one of the women present at the crucifixion of Jesus (see Mark 15:40). If Matthew and Mark (see Matthew 27:56; Mark 15:40) are referencing the same woman as John (see John 19:25), then Salome would be Mary’s sister, Jesus’ mother. If that is the case, then that would make John Jesus’ cousin.

John does not identify himself by name in his gospel but refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved” (see John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7, 20). The witness of the early church, for instance Irenaeus (A.D. 140-202) and Eusebius (A.D. 263-339), identifies the Apostle John as the author of the gospel that bears his name. 

A unique fact about the Gospel of John is what makes it my favorite; that is, it is the only evangelistic book in the Bible. This may come as a surprise; however, the only book specifically written to tell people how to receive eternal life is the Gospel of John (see John 20:30-31). Other biblical authors often call it “the promise of life” (i.e., the promise of eternal life) such as the Apostle Paul and the Apostle John (see 2 Timothy 1:1; 1 John 2:25). John repeatedly says that to receive eternal life we must believe in Jesus for it. He mentions the word “believe” 98 times. He mentions “eternal life” more than any other New Testament book (18 times), depending on what translation you are reading.

Although Matthew, Mark, and Luke are often referred to as “the evangelists,” the intent of their books is not evangelistic. They are written to believers for the purpose of discipleship. This is an important distinction to remember so we do not try to use verses from Matthew, Mark, or Luke to tell people how to receive eternal life (i.e., how to get to Heaven). Specifically, there is no equivalent verse(s) in Matthew, Mark, or Luke that so clearly communicates the saving message as John 3:16, 36; 5:24; 6:40, 47; or 11:25-26. 

Matthew is written to a Jewish audience to explain why Jesus is the Messiah and the state of the kingdom program in light of Israel’s rejection (see Matthew 1; 12), Mark is written to a Roman audience and presents Jesus as the divine servant of God who came to give His life as a ransom for sinners (see Mark 10:45) and we in turn should be servants following after Jesus’ example, and Luke is written to a gentleman named Theophilus, who was a person of high social standing, to confirm all that he was taught regarding the life of Jesus (see Luke 1:1-4). Again, Matthew, Mark, and Luke are discipleship books as are the rest of the New Testament books. It is important to keep this in mind when reading the Bible, otherwise we may confuse the many conditions for discipleship (i.e., deny yourself, follow Christ, love Christ above all others, etc.) with the one condition for salvation (i.e., believe in Jesus alone for eternal life). When I learned this truth, my Bible reading made a lot more sense.

To further illustrate the uniqueness of John, he provides eight different miracles as signs in his gospel. Signs of what? Well, if you think about it, signs always point to something else; never to themselves. Signs, in John’s case, point to who Jesus is and His abilities and, accordingly, the reader of John’s gospel to believe in Christ for everlasting life. Here are the eight signs John mentions in his gospel to encourage people to believe in Jesus for eternal life:

  • Sign #1: John 2:1-12, changing the water to wine.
  • Sign #2: John 4:43-54, healing the nobleman’s son.
  • Sign #3: John 5:1-9, healing the paralytic man.
  • Sign #4: John 6:1-14, the feeding of the 5,000.
  • Sign #5: John 6:15-21, walking on water.
  • Sign #6: John 9:1-41, healing a man born blind.
  • Sign #7: John 11:1-57, raising Lazarus from the dead.
  • Sign #8: John 20:1-10, the resurrection of Christ.

It may be helpful to take some time and review the signs mentioned above. Hopefully, the Gospel of John will become your favorite too!