In | Workbook: John and the Synoptics

Each passage seems to reference events or details familiar to the readers, presumably from the other Gospel accounts. For example, in John 11:2, we’re introduced to Mary in Lazarus’ story with the aside: “It was the Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick” (11:2, NASB).

John hasn’t told this story about Mary pouring perfume on Jesus’ feet, and he won’t until one chapter later. Each of the other Gospels tell this story: Matthew 26:6-13, Mark 14:3-9 and Luke 7:36-50. John appears to assume his readers are already familiar with Mary’s anointing from one of these sources.

The other passages appear to make similar assumptions about readers’ familiarity with details from other Gospels. For this reason, among others, most scholars believe John was written later than the three Synoptic Gospels. If that is the case, John’s purpose may well be to supplement them and expand on their earlier testimonies.

Along with being written at a later date, John appears to rely on some different sources. He introduces a significant amount of material not found in the other Gospels. According to Gospel scholar, Andreas Köstenberger, “While 93 percent of Mark is found in Matthew and Luke, only 8 percent of John parallels the Synoptics, and 92 percent is unique.”

While the question of sources for John’s Gospel is an ongoing debate, the Gospel itself states that it is providing an eyewitness account. If John the Apostle was the author, as Christian tradition has held, then that would explain this large amount of unique content.

Source: Andreas J. Köstenberger, A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters, 2009, p. 553.