Appendix 10. Harmony between John and the Synoptic Gospels


Jacob Jordaens, 'The Four Evangelists' (1625--1630), Louvre Museum, Paris.
Jacob Jordaens, 'The Four Evangelists' (1625--1630), Louvre Museum, Paris.

Anyone who takes time to compare the accounts of Jesus' Passion and Resurrection will notice differences between John's Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels -- Matthew, Mark, and Luke. For most of Jesus' life, John and the Synoptics rarely coincide, because John, for the most part, describes different incidents and teachings. But when we get to the Last Supper, Jesus' arrest, trial, crucifixion, burial, and resurrection we see differences.

Most of these differences can be attributed to John's different style and eyewitness perspective. After all, by the time John's Gospel was written in the 90s AD, the Synoptic Gospels had been circulating throughout the churches for at least twenty years. John felt no need to repeat what had been recorded already. But he did feel a need to paint a picture of Jesus with an evangelistic purpose:

"Jesus did many other miraculous signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name." (20:30-31)

To do this John was very selective about the material he chose to include and leave out. If an incident or detail didn't fit his purpose, it wasn't included. So we shouldn't be surprised by the differences.

However, we are surprised that in some cases the details seem to differ, or the order of events varies. Reasons for these differences are several. One important factor is that first century standards of historical accuracy are very different from our own. What was common and expected in the first century is different from what we expect of historians in our own time, so it's important to judge the gospel writers by the standards of their own age rather than ours.

One particular challenge in harmonizing John and the Synoptic Gospels is that day upon which Jesus partook of the Last Supper with his disciples, and was crucified. This is discussed above in Appendix 7. The Chronology of Holy Week in John's Gospel.

John's Gospel: A Discipleship Journey with Jesus, by Dr. Ralph F. Wilson
Entire study is available in paperback, Kindle, and PDF formats.

The study of the differences between the Gospels, especially between John and the Synoptics, is known as "the Synoptic Problem," and is the subject of many, many books. Much of what has resulted is multiplied speculation. In this volume, my purpose is primarily to develop disciples who will follow Jesus their Master. So I'm not spending a great deal of time on the Synoptic Problem. For more on this topic, consult an introduction to the New Testament.

However, some may find a tentative harmony of John's Gospel and the Synoptic Gospels to be useful. Just realize that this harmony -- and, indeed, any harmony of the Gospels -- is speculative. Devout students of the Bible will disagree about the details. And that's okay. This is a brief harmony I found on the Internet.

Harmony of the Events of Holy Week

Day

 Event

 Matt

 Mark

 Luke

 John
Fri/Sat

 Jesus arrives in Bethany

  

  

  

 12:1
 

 Mary anoints Jesus

  

  

  

 12:2--8
 

 Crowd comes to see Jesus

  

  

  

 12:9--11
Sunday

 Triumphal entry into Jerusalem

 21:1--11

 11:1--10

 19:28--44

 12:12--18
 

 Some Greeks seek Jesus

  

  

  

 12:20--36
 

 Enters temple

  

 11:11

  

  
 

 Returns to Bethany

 21:17

 11:11

  

  
Monday

 Jesus curses the fig tree

 21:18--19

 11:12--14

  

  
 

 Clears the temple

 21:12--13

 11:15--17

 19:45--46

  
 

 Returns to Bethany with the Twelve

  

 11:19

  

  
Tuesday

 Disciples see the withered fig tree on the return to Jerusalem 21:20--22

 11:20--21

  

  
 

 Temple controversies in Jerusalem

 21:23--23:39

 11:27--12:44

 20:1--21:4

  
 

 Olivet Discourse on the return to Bethany

 24:1--25:46

 13:1--37

 21:5--36

  
Wednesday

 Jesus continues daily teaching in the temple

  

  

 21:37--38

  
 

 Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus

 26:3--5

 14:1--2

 22:1--2

  
Wed/Thur

 Preparations for the Passover

 26:17--19

 14:12--16

 22:7--13

  
Thursday

 Passover meal/Last Supper

 26:20--35

 14:17--26

 22:14--30

  
 

 Upper Room Discourse

  

  

  

 13:1--17:26
 

 Jesus prays in Gethsemane

 26:36--46

 14:32--42

 22:39--46

  
Friday

 Betrayal and arrest (after midnight?)

 26:47--56

 14:43--52

 22:47--53

 18:2--12
 

 Jewish trial:

  

  

  

  
 

 --before Annas

  

  

  

 18:13--24
 

 --before Caiaphas and part of the Sanhedrin

 26:57--75

 14:53--72

 22:54--65

 18:19--24
 

 --before full Sanhedrin (after sunrise?)

 27:1--2

 15:1

 22:66--71

  
 

 Roman trials:

  

  

  

  
 

 --before Pilate

 27:2--14

 15:2--5

 23:1--5

  
 

 --before Herod

  

  

 23:6--12

  
 

 --before Pilate

 27:15--26

 15:6--15

 23:13--25

 18:28--19:16
 

 Crucifixion (approx. 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.)

 27:27--54

 15:16--39

 23:26--49

 19:16--37
 

 Burial (evening)

 27:57--61

 15:42--47

 23:50--54

 19:38--42
Sunday

 Empty-tomb witnesses

 28:1--8

 16:1--8

 24:1--12

  
 

 Resurrection appearances

 28:9--20

 16:9--20

 24:13--53

 20:1--21:25

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John's Gospel: A Discipleship Journey with Jesus

Copyright © 2024, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor@joyfulheart.com> All rights reserved. A single copy of this article is free. Do not put this on a website. See legal, copyright, and reprint information.

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