7 Unique Features of John’s Gospel

1. Jesus As the Word

While the synoptic gospels begin with either the events surrounding the birth of Jesus or His public ministry, John begins before the beginning. In the very first verses we hear undertones of Genesis and creation. Before He “became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), God the Son existed eternally with God the Father. Then, in a world darkened by sin, the Word stepped into the world to bring spiritual re-creation.

The Greek word logos, translated as “Word” in the first chapter of John, had a wide and diverse range of usage in the first century. In the beginning of his gospel, John employed the familiar term to help his readers better understand the nature of Jesus. Jesus not only brought the knowledge of God to mankind, Jesus Himself is the physical revelation of the Father. The Word of God now made flesh.

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2. Running Theme of Light

John used his prologue (John 1:1-18) to introduce several themes running through his gospel. For instance, John quickly introduces Jesus the Word as the “true light” (John 1:9). John metaphorically used the Greek noun phõs, translated as “light,” 23 times in his gospel to refer to Jesus. “Light” is also used metaphorically throughout Scripture to teach spiritual truth and is often contrasted with “darkness.” Scripture also uses “light” to describe God. “The LORD is my light and my salvation” (Psalm 27:1). When Jesus claimed to be “the light of the world,” He also claimed to be God.

Light represents God’s glory, righteousness, life, and truth. Darkness symbolizes evil, sin, death, and falsehood. As the “true light,” Jesus came to reveal the glory and perfect holiness of the Father (1 John 1:5). He also came into the world to call people out of darkness into the light of eternal life (John 12:46). Light is necessary in our physical world, but even more vital for our spiritual walk. We cannot find our way without the light of Christ. He truly is “the light of the world.”

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3. Lengthy Conversations and Discourses of Jesus

John is lighter on action and heavier on Jesus’ words than the synoptic gospels. First, John favors personal interactions between Jesus and individuals like Nicodemus (John 3) and the woman at the well (John 4) over encounters with the multitudes. These meetings feature long one-on-one conversations and teach us much about Jesus’ love and concern for the individual and her needs.

John also did not hesitate to take his readers into deep doctrinal waters. The heavy theology in this gospel teaches glorious truths about Jesus’ divine nature and saving work. For example, see Jesus’ teaching on the “bread of life” (chapter 6) and the “good shepherd” (chapter 10), as well as His lengthy farewell discourse to His disciples (chapters 14-16). (Also see “The 5 Teaching Methods of Jesus.”)

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4. The “Hour”

We read about Jesus’ “hour” seven separate times in John’s Gospel. The first three times Jesus referred to “the hour,” He said His hour had “not yet come” (John 2:4, 7:30, 8:20). These three mentions all occur in the first section of John (chapters 1-12) known as “The Book of Signs.” Then, in John 12:23, something changes. This mention marks the first of four times that Jesus altered the phrase to say that His hour “had come,” showing the reader that a significant shift has occurred. The last three instances fall in the second section of John’s Gospel (chapters 13-21), known as the “The Book of Glory.” But to what “hour” did Jesus refer, and why did the shift happen in the middle of John? 

The “hour” was the climax toward which everything was moving, the focus of Jesus’ work on earth. Jesus described it as the time when the Father would glorify the Son (John 17:1). This was accomplished through Jesus’ death, resurrection, and exaltation. The shift occurs just after Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the last week of His life. After three years of ministry to preach the good news of God’s Kingdom and prepare the disciples, Jesus’s hour had come. The Father’s plan had come to fruition. The time for Jesus’s death on the cross was imminent.

Jesus knew that His “hour” would bring pain and suffering. But Jesus also knew that His obedience to death would produce life for many. Therefore, though He agonized over the difficulty that lay ahead, He submitted Himself fully to the Father’s will. That was the very reason He had come (John 12:27). Though overwhelmed by the thought of the cross and all it entailed, Jesus boldly affirmed His determination to fulfill the Father’s purpose. He would die for the world.

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5. Seven Signs

In his gospel, John only included seven miracles or miraculous “signs” performed by Jesus. John’s intentional use of “sign” instead of “miracle” reflects his purpose. Although Jesus performed many other signs, John purposefully chose the seven to encourage belief in Jesus as the Messiah (John 20:30).

“Sign” implies that God is revealing something previously hidden. Jesus’ signs were not simply demonstrations of His power. They disclosed the truth about His nature, His relationship to the Father, and His divine purpose. The first sign John included was Jesus’ miraculous work of turning water into wine at a wedding (John 2:1-11). With this first sign, Jesus officially began His public ministry, and the clock began ticking toward “the hour.”

Here’s a list of the seven signs in John’s Gospel:

1. Water into wine (2:1-11)

2. Healing of nobleman’s son (4:46-54)

3. Healing of invalid at the pool of Bethseda (5:1-17)

4. Feeding of the 5,000 (6:1-15)

5. Walking on the water (6:16-21)

6. Healing of a man born blind (9:1-12)

7. Raising of Lazarus (11:1-44)

Of the seven signs John carefully selected, only signs four and five in the list above are found in the synoptic gospels. The rest are unique to John.

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6. Seven “I Am” Statements

Throughout his gospel, John highlighted the identity of Jesus. He showcased both His humanity and His divinity. John longed for his readers to grasp the profound truth that God in flesh walked the earth. He wrote so that readers would believe in Jesus and have eternal life through Him (John 20:31). One literary device John used to reach this goal is the seven “I am” statements of Jesus.

The grammatical structure of these declarations – a feature exclusive to John’s Gospel - implies Jesus’ divinity. For instance, in the lengthy “bread of life” discourse, John wove the bread metaphor with truths about the unique relationship between God the Father and God the Son. Jesus taught both His functional subordination to the Father and His divine unity with Him. The Son came to do the Father’s will, not His own (John 6:38-39), and the Son alone is the source of eternal life (John 6:40, 51).

Of the seven “I am” statements in John, the one in chapter 8 is the boldest:

“Before Abraham was, I am.” John 8:58 ESV

Without a predicate, grammatically it echoes the Greek translation of the divine name God revealed to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:14). The Greek word, which implies “continuous existence,” describes the eternality of God and His complete independence from anything or anyone for His existence. Jesus declared Himself to be preexistent and self-existent. He claimed to be God.

The listening Jewish leaders fully understood Jesus' claim. They picked up stones to throw at Him because He made Himself equal with God. (See Leviticus 24:16.) But a claim like this was only deserving of death if it was false. Jesus escaped their murderous intent because the Father’s perfect timing had not yet arrived. Jesus would die, but it was fully in the Father’s sovereign control.

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7. Washing the Disciples’ Feet

John is the only gospel writer to record Jesus’s humble act of service on the night He was betrayed. All include the Passover meal itself, but only John highlights the foot washing (John 13:1-11).

Hospitable hosts provided water for their guests. But a servant performed the humble task of untying sandals and washing and drying their dusty feet. When the disciples arrived for the meal, Jesus adopted the humble position of a slave. He removed His outer garment, wrapped a towel around His waist, and stooped down to serve.

Jesus purposefully set an example of servanthood for His disciples. They had squabbled over who was the greatest (Mark 9:33-34). James and John had asked for places of honor in Jesus’s coming kingdom (Mark 10:35-37). They all needed a Kingdom mindset. The Kingdom of God is not like the world’s kingdoms. King Jesus doesn’t rule like the world’s leaders. 

Jesus came to serve, not to be served (Matthew 20:28, Mark 10:45). He calls us to do the same. Although servanthood is contrary to our sinful human nature, we can embrace an attitude of humility by reflecting on Jesus’s supreme act of service on the cross and seeking His divine help.

These are just some of the features that make John’s Gospel account unique among the four. If it’s been a while since you read or studied John, maybe it’s time to revisit this amazing book.

John holds out Jesus as our God, only Savior, and one true hope for eternity. The unique features John included in his gospel account provide overwhelming evidence for this truth. We can boldly put our faith and trust in Jesus for our life today and for our eternal future.

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