Omissions in the Gospel of John

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There are several episodes, characters and themes in the Synoptic Gospels that are omitted in the Gospel of John. Understanding these is important for studying the nature, origin and purpose of the Gospels. The most important of these include:

  • The Baptism of Jesus.
  • The fate of John the Baptist. The Synoptics devote some space to the arrest, imprisonment and execution of John the Baptist.
  • The Temptation. In the Synoptics, the Temptation follows right after the Baptism.
  • The name of the mother of Jesus. The other Gospels name Jesus' mother as Mary. John, for reasons unknown, never names her. Also, Jesus never addresses his mother as "Mother" but as "Woman."
  • The names of the brothers of Jesus. In the Synoptics, Jesus' brothers are named Iakobos ("James"), Simon, Jude and Joses.
  • Organization and list of the Twelve. The other Gospels describe Jesus organizing a special group of twelve apostles, and provide lists of their names. John does not.
  • The Publicans, tax collectors for the Roman Empire, figure prominently in the Synoptics, but are never mentioned by John. There are nine mentions of Publicans in Matthew, three in Mark, eleven in Luke, zero in John.
  • The Samaritan ban. Jesus in the Synoptics forbids his disciples to preach to the Samaritans. In John, he issues no such prohibition and even preaches to the Samaritans himself. (Also in John, Jesus is accused of being a Samaritan - and never denies it. See John 8:48-52.)
  • The exorcisms. Several of the miracles in the Synoptics are exorcisms of demons. There are no exorcisms in John.
  • The visit to Nazareth. In the Synoptics, Jesus pays a crucial visit to this hometown of Nazareth. John omits this.
  • Legion. The Synoptic story about a man possessed by a whole legion of demons is missing in John.
  • The second miraculous multiplication of food. In the Synoptics, Jesus twice multiplies a few loaves of bread and a few fish into a meal for thousands of people. The two miracles occur in different localities, with different species of fish and different types of baskets being used.
  • Banning of Jesus. John, anachronistically, in the story of the healing of a blind man tells us that the followers of Jesus were banned from the synagogues - but there is no mention of Jesus himself being thus banned.
  • Bartimaeus. The synoptic story of the healing of a blind man of Jericho is missing in John.
  • The outcome of the plot against Lazarus. John says there was a plot to kill Lazarus (John 12:10-11), but says no more about it or even whether it was successful or not - and if not, why not.
  • The Passover Super. The Synoptics describe the Last Supper as a Passover gathering, but John says that the supper was on the night before Passover started.
  • The institution of the Eucharist is a prominent part of the accounts of the Last Supper in the Synoptics, but it is totally omitted by John.
  • The agony of Gethsemane. The other Gospels describe Jesus suffering great agony in the olive grove before his arrest. John describes him as praying a long and elaborate prayer, but has no mention of any suffering.
  • The Kiss of Judas is omitted.
  • The healing of Malchus' ear. In the Synoptics, an unnamed disciple cuts off the ear of a servant of the High Priest. John names the disciple as Peter and leaves out any mention of Jesus healing the injury.
  • The Tears of Peter. The Synoptics report that Peter wept when he realized he had denied knowing Jesus. John omits any mention of Peter crying.
  • The interrogation at the home of Caiaphas. John writes that Jesus was interrogated at the homes of both Anas and Caiaphas. However, only a very brief account of the first interrogation is included, and no account of the second.
  • The Sanhedrin Trial. The Synoptics have varying accounts of a trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin. John does not.
  • Simon of Cyrene. A man named Simon, from Cyrene, was forced by the Romans to carry the cross of Jesus for part of the Via Dolorosa, as Jesus was too weak or weakened to carry it Himself all the way. John, unlike the Synoptics, has no mention of this.
  • "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem!" Matthew and Luke record a beautiful poetic lament by Jesus over the fate of Jerusalem.
  • The cry of Jesus on the Cross, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" as written in the Synoptics, is omitted by John.
  • Jesus' promise to the repentant thief: "Today you'll be with me in Paradise" is also missing in John.
  • "Forgive them, Father, for they do not know what they are doing," is also omitted by John.
  • The earthquake and the darkening of the sky, prominent in the Synoptics, are entirely missing in John.
  • The other women at the tomb. In the synoptics, a group of five women come to the tomb of Jesus and find it empty. In John, only Mary Magdalene is mentioned.
  • Faith. The word "faith," a very important and frequently used word in the Synoptics, is missing in John. So are "faithful," "faithfulness," etc. The concept is only expressed once: "Be not faithless but believing." (John 20:27).
  • Repentance. Similarly the word "repent" is not found in the Book of John
  • Forgiveness. The words "forgive," "forgiving," "forgiven," and "forgiveness," all very prominent in the Synoptics, are not found in John.
  • Gospel. Also unlike the synoptics, John contains no instance of the word evangelion, meaning "good news," "good tidings," or "gospel."

Sources

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