John the Maverick Gospel (vIDEO)
Welcome to the home of Episode 156 of the Misquoting Jesus Podcast with Bart Ehrman. Below, you can watch the entire episode, read its description, and see links to related resources.
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episode description
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Why is the Gospel of John so radically different from Matthew, Mark, and Luke? In this episode of Misquoting Jesus, Bart Ehrman explains how the New Testament’s four Gospels portray Jesus in strikingly different ways—and what those differences reveal about the development of early Christian beliefs.
Ehrman dates John to approximately 90–95 CE, making it the latest of the four Gospels. Unlike the Synoptics, John omits familiar episodes such as Jesus’ baptism, temptation in the wilderness, institution of the Lord’s Supper, and teaching through parables. Instead, it features extended conversations, distinctive miracles such as turning water into wine and raising Lazarus, and repeated declarations about Jesus’ divine identity.
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Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write the Gospels?
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Did Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John Actually Write the Gospels?
The central distinction is Christology. In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, Jesus primarily proclaims the coming kingdom of God, calling people to repentance and demonstrating the kingdom’s power through miracles. John presents Jesus as the preexistent divine Word who becomes human and descends from heaven to reveal the truth. Its miracles function as signs confirming his identity, while eternal life becomes a present reality for believers rather than primarily a future reward.
Ehrman also explores why John lacks the virgin birth and exorcisms found in the Synoptics, arguing that these omissions fit its different theological framework. The conversation concludes with a scholarly dispute: did John know and use the other Gospels, or did it develop independently?
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