How is John's Gospel different from the Synoptic Gospels?
John's Gospel is set apart from the three Synoptic Gospels because it presents Christ as God, whereas Matthew, Mark, and Luke predominantly emphasize His humanity as King, Servant, and Son of Man. In John, He did not pray to the Father as in the Synoptics but simply spoke to Him.
Les teaches that John is the fourth of the Gospels, even in the chronological order of their being written. Matthew was written first and depicts Christ as the King; Mark depicts Him as the Servant; Luke depicts Him as the Son of Man. Those three are normally called the Synoptic Gospels, and although the Messiah, the Son of God, plays those roles, it is predominantly His humanity that is in force. But John is set apart even from the three, because there we deal with Christ as God. Les gives a tidbit: in the three Synoptic Gospels, the language is correct when it says He prays to the Father. But in John's Gospel, even contrary to the King James, which Les still feels is far the best, the translators used the word that He prayed to the Father, and that is not the Greek. As God, He did not have to pray to God; He simply spoke to Him, and He said.