Jesus and the Marginalized in John's Gospel (Zacchaeus Studies : New Testament)

How can John's Gospel be gospel if he omits what theologians, general chapters of religious institutes, episcopal conferences, and Vatican pronouncements are terming a constitutive element of the Gospel, namely, Jesus' preferential option for the poor? Might John have so little to say to us about Jesus and the poor because we come to him with ears trained to hear Jesus as Matthew, Mark, and Luke presents him? And since John does not contain Matthew's parable about the sheep and the goats and Mark's story about the rich young man and Luke's account of Jesus inaugural sermon at Nazareth - key passages today for identifying a gospel as one which proclaims good news to the poor - John's Gospel is judged on this Synoptic scale and found wanting. Chapter 1 will deal with questions of method. Chapter 2 will be taken up with what John has to say about alms to the poor. Chapters 3,4,5, and 6 will be specifically devoted to "the marginals" in John's Gospel. Chapter 7 will focus on Nicodemus, a m