Jesus is the central character of the Gospel of John, traditionally referred to with the title “Christ” (which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term “Messiah”). While other gospels describe his supernatural birth to Mary and his adoptive father, Joseph, the Gospel of John takes up the story of Jesus when he is an adult, ready to begin his public ministry. He comes from the town of Nazareth in Galilee, and his ministry is marked by the performance of healing miracles and supernatural feats, as well as by long episodes of his teaching to the crowds. Jesus’s words and actions are so startling that he inspires passionate belief, confusion, and hostility in nearly equal measures throughout the gospel. He is presented as bold, compassionate, and exceptionally wise, a compelling figure to both his friends and his enemies. Along the way, he gathers a group of 12 disciples around him, the most frequently mentioned being Simon Peter, Andrew, Philip, Thomas, Judas Iscariot, and the beloved disciple, presumably John.

The gospel also portrays him as a divine hero, both in the narration and in Jesus’s own words. He is clearly identified as the Messiah for whom the Jews have been waiting, but more besides: as the sacrificial lamb of God whose blood takes away the sins of the world; as the pre-existent Word of God, through whom all creation was brought into being; and as the light of the world, the living water, and the bread of life.