John Coffey like the drink but spelled different

In the film ,The green mile, what is John Coffey supposed to be? My sixteen year old daughter just watched the movie for the first time and loved it. She asked me what is he and even though I have watched the film I have never put any thought into that question.
Any thoughts?

RORY

Not sure what you mean. Let’s tick 'em off: He’s a death row prisoner due to a travesty of justice; an extraordinarily sweet, humble, kindly, and simple soul even despite that injustice, and world-weary too; he’s a scarily huge man; and he has some kind of natural miraculous power through the laying-on of hands.

That’s all I’ve got. Is there something else?

I guess if I knew someone like that I might wonder if he were actually an angel. I don’t think so, though; he was born of this Earth, after all, and could - and did - die. In any case, he was angelic. I think he’s just supposed to be a mortal who’s a once-in-a-lifetime marvel of human-heartedness and who also happens to have an unusual power.

The goodness that you sometimes
find in the most unsuspected places.

Ours thoughts were, he was Jesus with amnesia.

RORY

There’s a lot to be said for that, isn’t there.