John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

At this point in our experience, having lived a life without Jesus at the helm, we might have had moments when conversations occurred about the differences in the synoptic gospels and what John has presented. The order of events are different. If we are to believe that all the gospels are inspired by God then why they are different might come into play.

When a story is being told there is often a historical background, origins. Origin stories often mean something important to the hearer. Look to the beginnings of each of the synoptic gospels to understand how they were inspired with purpose.

Matthew 1:1 The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Mark 1:1 The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Luke 1:3 it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

Each synoptic gospel gave us an orderly account from their own perspective. Matthew from a Jewish perspective. Mark wrote to a gentile audience as an eye witness. Luke the physician was a historian, the only gentile writer, relating an orderly account of those things he had heard from various sources, perhaps his patients, who included women.

During this search I found one other thing interesting to me.

Daniel 4:2 It has seemed good to me to show the signs and wonders that the Most High God has done for me.

What is most important to each and every new convert is what God has done for them personally. The bible has a way of relating itself to each of us in a very personal way and that should not be ignored since God is the author of His plan for each of us. It is a personal perspective that God the Father understands and knows best how to present His Son to the individual.

John’s perspective is one of relating his experiences as a matter of importance and not a chronological timeline. His gospel was written much later than the others, after decades of living a life obeying His Lord. He was remembering them with the help of the Holy Spirit in order of importance to God.

Ezekiel 18:30 “Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, declares the Lord God. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.”

Matthew 3:11 “I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

John the Baptist preached repentance before he introduced Jesus Christ to a lost and dying land. Given that those reading this may have already repented and are seeking to discover Jesus as their savior, then sequence is important. Repentance has to come first.

The teachers of the law did not preach repentance at this time, and baptism by water immersion was unheard of in Torah. The baptism of repentance was new and controversial.

That was then but in this time and place baptism is common and performed in different ways by different sects. Resist the temptation to seek which method is right and remember this is all about repentance.

Strong’s Definitions

נֹחַם nôcham, no’-kham; from H5162; ruefulness, i.e. desistance

Desistance is the process of abstaining from crime by those with a previous pattern of offending. It is an ongoing process and often involves some false stops and starts. 

Source: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprobation/

This is how the world defines repentance in relation to crime. Not all sins are of a criminal nature. In the spiritual sense which is defined by God the Father it is a turning from the path we are on and begin to follow God. In the truest sense, following after righteousness, Jesus.

At this point I have gotten ahead of the gospel of John and the order in which John presented Christ to us. What comes next?

9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.

Can you see light? Light must be reflected off a subject in order to make those objects visible. Light exposes things so that we can perceive them. Perception is not truth, the light is truth.

John 3:19-20 English Standard Version

19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.

Order: state what it is and then define the effect.