John 21:24-25 (NIV)
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.
Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
This closing to John’s gospel does two very important things. First, in the context of the previous section, it identifies the writer of this gospel as the always unnamed “disciple that Jesus loved.” Of all the disciples mentioned specifically in the gospel, John’s name is the one that is conspicuously omitted, even though he was one of Jesus’ inner circle, and even though periodic mention is made of “the sons of Zebedee.”
John was quite old when he wrote his gospel, and other than the couple of years he spent in exile on Patmos, he lived in Ephesus until his death. Among those who knew him there, some of whom became pillars in the Church, are some who provide support of his authorship of this fourth gospel.
The phrase “We know that his testimony is true,” has been taken by scholars to indicate the possibility that these last two verses were appended by followers of John as a testimony to his authorship and verification of the truthfulness of all that he included in the gospel. Even though John’s gospel is the only one to include such a certification statement, his gospel’s late appearing and the fact that it includes so much that is not included in the other three gospels could have easily provided the motive for such certification.
John also includes an interesting statement in his final sentence: an admission that his gospel does not include everything that Jesus said or did. All the gospels are selective in what they include, the selection being based on the author’s purpose in writing the gospel in the first place.
The first three gospels include much of the same material, sometimes arranged chronologically, and sometimes thematically. This is why they are often called “synoptic” (“seeing together”) gospels. The events and teachings that these three gospels include formed the backbone of what was preached and taught about Jesus for many years.
But John seems to have purposefully chosen to not do a rewrite of the ground the others had covered. Instead, he includes things Jesus said and did that the other writers did not include, but that seemed very significant to him.
His statement that Jesus said and did many more things than he had been able to include in his gospel is an open admission that in the course of his nearly four years of public ministry, Jesus said and did much that was not included in any gospel. Many of the four gospels include vague references to Jesus “healing everyone,” without detailing the healings. John even indicates that while Jesus was in Jerusalem at the first Passover of His public ministry, “many believe in His name when they saw the signs he was doing,” (John 2:23) without providing any details about those signs. And Paul includes a saying of Jesus in one of his speeches, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” (Acts 20:35) that appears nowhere in the gospels.
John’s epilogue gives the explanation for all of these. Even though Jesus’ ministry was less than four years long, it was so packed with the miracles He did, with the things He taught, and with personal interactions with people at all levels of society, that there was simply no way that they could all be written down. But, and this is just as vital to understand, what the gospel writers did include in their various writings is more than enough to help us to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, so that by believing we may have life in His name. (John 20:30-31)
Father, as much as the gospel writers recorded, it is fascinating to think about the fact that Jesus said and did so much more. But we have in the four gospels enough to know who He really was and what He taught, so that we have no excuses for rejecting Him or for not living according to His teachings. Thank You for moving these men, including John, to write all these things down for us, so that we can believe, be saved, and live as Your people. Amen.
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