@Steefen

Gospel of John leaves out the 40 days in the wilderness tempted by Satan and the arrest of John the Baptist. Sorta. You have to force into the story to make it coherent with Mark. That’s why I say that John and Mark were two scripts trying to be rewritten into one text, but there wasn’t enough time to finish it.

John 1:1-34 is a big courtroom testimony spoken by John the Baptist. Witness and record, testimony can only be given in the courtroom. John the Baptist is already under arrest where the gospel of John begins. The Jews don’t have a prison system so everyone is “under arrest” right there at the location. Jesus has already been baptized before this arrest and was in the wilderness 40 days. John the Baptist is on trial 40 days. Jesus then returns from the wilderness after the 40 day trial of John the Baptist. John the Baptist gets arrested again and this second time he ends up being executed.

John 1:29-34 is part of the John the Baptist record of testimony when he was arrested. It’s not the apostle John speaking John 1:34.

John 1 is like a letter the court of King Herod sent to Jesus to inform him that John the Baptist was executed. This letter is given to Jesus in Matthew 14 by disciples of John the Baptist. It’s written in the perspective of a courtroom reporter, courtroom typist. They hold onto this letter from King Herod and use it later. (Paul and his lawyers)

That’s the best I can do making sense of the confusing order of events between MMLJ.