One of the reasons why John's gospel is so distinct, so much so that it is regarded as being separate from the synoptic, or common, gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, is the mystical way in which Jesus is introduced. This stands in massive contrast to the other gospels in the New Testament, that have a much more straightforward approach. Consider, for example, the opening verses:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

These verses deliberately pose Jesus as being the "Word," or "logos" in Greek, that appeals to the mainly Jewish audience that John intended this gospel for. It is important to realise that the translation of this word into "Word" in the NIV version of the Bible really doesn't capture the full meaning that it would have had for John's contemporary Jewish audience. John is using this word to state that the cosmic mediator between the world and God, the very definition of truth and love, became flesh: something that is incredibly radical and shocking.