What are the similarities between the Gospel of Luke and the Gospel of John?

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Wiki User · Answer

Because the Gospel of John was inspired by the Gospel of Luke, whenever John parallels the synoptic gospels it is most similar to Luke, except for a small number of passages that came direct from Mark. Some of the more important similarities follow. In one respect, John is the direct reversal of Luke. Luke, more than any other gospel is concerned for the poor, whereas John's Gospel shows concern for the wealthy and powerful with Jesus associating frequently with rich people and reserving his best miracles for his rich friends. A direct reversal can be evidence of influence just as much as a parallel would be.

Of course there are episodes that John shares with all the synoptics, such as the cleansing of the temple, in which he overturned the tables of the moneychangers. Here, the author placed this episode at the beginning of the mission of Jesus, rather than at the very end. This is evidence of our author's literary licence - we need not expect John to be a faithful copy of its sources.

Mark's original reference to the cleansing of the Temple was a single verse in which Jesus cast out them that sold and bought in the Temple and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers and the seats of them that sold doves, and then he would not allow vessels to be taken through the Temple, after which he left the city and they saw the fig tree. Matthew's version is much more elaborate, referring to the blind and lame coming to be cured, and the children crying Hozanna, after which he went out of the city to Bethany. Luke's version retains the simplicity of Mark, without even the reference to carrying vessels through the Temple nor of leaving the city afterwards. Apart from the imaginative depiction of Jesus with a scourge, John had none of the elaborations of Matthew, nor the original refusal to allow vessels through the Temple as in Mark, nor the reference to leaving the city afterwards. In this case, the link to Lukeis weak, but it is much closer than to Mark and Matthew. While John could have copied and elaborated Luke's version, he is unlikely to have arrived at the same story if he began with either Mark or Matthew.

Luke's Gospel is the only synoptic gospel that mentions Mary and Martha or Lazarus. It tells of a parable in which Lazarus is resurrected. In John's Gospel, Lazarus, now the brother of Mary and Martha, really is resurrected by Jesus. The similarities could not have come by chance, while the differences are so great that they could not have been the same story.

Luke's Gospel is the only synoptic account that has Peter run to the tomb and, stooping down, look in and see the linen clothes laid by themselves. A feature of John's Gospel is that it often compares Peter unfavourably with the"disciple whom Jesus loved", and that is the case here, when John has the disciple accompanying Peter, outrunning Peter and seeing the clothes before Peter arrived. Nevertheless, John was careful to agree with Lukein that Peter did go straight to the tomb and see the clothes.

Luke's Gospel is the only synoptic account that has the risen Jesus visit the disciples in the room in Jerusalem and share a meal. John's Gospel has two appearances that are both quite similar to the single appearance in Luke except, as Elaine Pagels points out in Beyond Belief: The Secret Gospel of Thomas, the account seems intended to disadvantage the disciple Thomas, by causing him to miss the blessing of the Holy Spirit and then appear to doubt that it was Jesus that he saw. The author of Johnknew nothing of Matthew's Gospel and may have known that Mark's Gospel (in its early form) contained no appeances of the resurrected Jesus. So he was careful to agree with Luke in that Jesus had visited the disciples at their meal, but had no problems in adding more detail and a second visit.

John has the risen Jesus tell the disciples in Galilee to cast their nets on the other side, at which they caught a most astonishing catch of fish, although they had previously been toiling without a catch. This parallels a particularly similar event recorded in Luke chapter 5 as occurring before the crucifixion. John's author had no qualms about changing the time and setting of a story, as is well known with the story of the money-changers.

Wiki User · Answer

There appear to be several similarities, as well as differences between the deaths of John the Baptist and Jesus. Both are recorded as being executed because the authorities feared the effect they could have on the people.

The gospel account is that John was executed in Galilee shortly after the beginning of the mission of Jesus, around 29-30 CE, when Herodias and her daughter conspired to have him beheaded. Josephus tells us that the wedding took place in 34 CE, meaning that John's execution took place in 35 or 36 CE, in faraway Macherus. We do not know whether John died by beheading or by other means. The relevant text from Book 18 of Antiquities of the Jews: "Now many people came in crowds to him, for they were greatly moved by his words. Herod, who feared that the great influence John had over the masses might put them into his power and enable him to raise a rebellion (for they seemed ready to do anything he should advise), thought it best to put him to death. In this way, he might prevent any mischief John might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it when it would be too late. Accordingly John was sent as a prisoner, out of Herod's suspicious temper, to Macherus, the castle I already mentioned, and was put to death."

The framework parallel structure of Mark's Gospel, which was the first New Testament gospel to be written, demonstrates some of the similarities in their deaths and the events leading up to their deaths:A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)

B .The baptism of Jesus (1:9)

C . The voice of God from heaven, "Thou art my beloved son" (1:11)

D . The forty days in the wilderness as an allusion to Elijah and Moses (1:13)

E . The people were astonished at what Jesus taught (1:22)

F . Jesus casts out an unclean spirit (1:23-26)

G . Pharisees took counsel with the Herodians how they might destroy Jesus (3:6)

H . Demons, whenever they see Jesus, fall down and say that he is the Son of God.

-- Jesus commands that they tell no one of this (3:11-12)

I .. Jesus calls the 12 disciples (3:13-19)

J .. Jesus rejects his own family: he has a new family, his followers (3:31-35)

K . Jesus rebukes the wind (4:36-41)

L . The demoniac, wearing no clothes (5:15), cries out that Jesus not torment him and Jesus sends out the demons (5:1-20)

M . Jesus comes into his own country (6:1)
-- Where he was brought up

N . The people misunderstand Jesus and he can do no mighty work (6:2-6)

O . Jesus sends out the disciples and curses those who will not receive them (6:7-11)
-- in sending the disciples with authority and expecting all to receive them, Jesus is asserting his own authority

P . Herod thinks that Jesus is John the Baptist risen from the dead (6:14)

Q . Herodias and her daughter conspire to kill John the Baptist (6:16-29)

R . Feeding the thousands, and related miracles and discourses (6:33-8:21)

S . Who do people say that I am (8:27)

T . Peter affirms faith in Jesus as the Christ (8:29)

U . Whosoever shall be ashamed of me: of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed (8:38)

V . The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and scribes (8:31a)

W . Be killed and after three days rise again (8:31b)

X . Prophecy of second coming (9:1)- Jesus tells the disciples that some of them would not taste death until they saw the kingdom of God coming with power.

B' .The Transfiguration of Jesus (9:2-3)

C' .The voice of God from heaven, "This is my beloved son" (9:7)

D' . Jesus talks to Elijah and Moses then to the disciples about Elijah (9:4-13)

E' .A great multitude was amazed at Jesus (9:15)

F' .Jesus cast out a dumb spirit (9:17-27)

G' .They shall kill the Son of man and he shall rise on the third day (9:31)

H' .Jesus clarifies his divine status, saying that he is not God: "Why call me good? There is none good but God" (10:18)

I' . Peter says the disciples have left all and followed Jesus (10:28)

J' . Those who have left their family for Jesus have a new family: all Jesus' followers (10:29-30)

K'. Jesus rebukes the 'sons of thunder', James and John (10:35-45 - cf 3:17)

L' .Blind Bartimaeus cries out for mercy and casts off his clothes, then Jesus heals him (10:46-52)

M' .Jesus comes into Jerusalem (11:1-10)
-- Where he will die

N' .Jesus misunderstands the fig tree that can provide no fruit (11:13-14)

O' .Jesus casts out them that sold and bought in the Temple and curses them for making the Temple a den of thieves (11:15-17)
-- Jesus is asserting his authority

P' .Jesus asks whether the baptism of John is from heaven or of men, and the priests, scribes and elders can not answer (11:30-33)

Q' .Parable of husbandmen who conspire to kill the vineyard owner's son (12:1-9)

X' .Prophecy of second coming (chapter 13)

-- on clouds of glory, within the lifetimes of some of those to whom he was speaking

R' .The Last Supper (14:17-25)

S' .Art thou the Christ, Son of God (14:61)

T' .Peter denies Jesus three times (14:66-72a)

U' .And when he thought thereon, Peter wept (14:72b)

V' .The chief priests, elders and scribes delivered Jesus to Pontius Pilate (15:1)

-- Delivering Jesus is a similar concept to rejecting him.
-- Both parts of the pair involve chief priests, elders and scribes

W' .Jesus dies and on the third day rises again (15:37, 16:6)

A' .The young man explains the departure of Jesus(16:6-8)

Of particular interest in the above structure:

Event G says that the Pharisees took counsel to destroy Jesus. In event G', Jesus tells us they will kill him but not destroy him, because he will rise again. This is confirmed in event W, when Jesus prophesies his death and resurrection. In event W', Jesus dies on the cross and rises on the third day.
Event Q (a retrospective) tells how Herodias and her daughter conspired to kill John the Baptist. This is the gospel version, rather than Josephus' version. Event P tells how Herod fears that John has risen from the dead.

Wiki User · Answer

John the Baptist baptised in water, a common practice for first-century Judaism, while Jesus taught that he baptised by the Holy Spirit. The gospels say that John baptised for the remission, of forgiveness of sins, which is has clear similarities to Jesus' forgiveness of sins.

The first-century Jewish historian, Josephus says John "was a good man, and commanded the Jews to exercise virtue, both as to righteousness towards one another, and piety towards God, and so to come to baptism; for that the washing would be acceptable to him, if they made use of it, not in order to the putting away [or the remission] of some sins, but for the purification of the body; supposing still that the soul was thoroughly purified beforehand by righteousness." He quite explicitly differs from the gospel account on the purpose of baptism, but gives us some insights into similarities between the teachings of John and those of Jesus. John was arrested and executed because he upheld the sanctity of marriage by criticising the marriage of Herod Antipas to Herodias, who had divorced Antipas' brother in order to marry him.

The framework parallel structure of Mark's Gospel, which was the first New Testament gospel to be written, also demonstrates some of the similarities in their missions and in the events leading up to their deaths: A . John explains the coming of Jesus (Mark 1:1-8)