John is distinct because it is built around key themes in Jesus’ life; Matthew, Mark, and Luke are built around key events in His life (more or less chronologically). These three are called the synoptic Gospels. Synoptic is from a Greek word meaning “to view together or to summarize,” and Gospel is from an Old English word for “glad tidings or the good news of Jesus Christ.” Interestingly, none of the synoptic Gospels bears an internal reference to the author’s name or the name of the original recipients.