Enough that we Might Know
Today’s Reading: John chapter 21
This is the disciple who testifies about these things and has written these things, and we know that his testimony is true. 25 There are many other things that Jesus did. If every one of them were written down, I suppose the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
John 21:24-25 NET
The Things We Could Talk About
Sometime after Jesus revealed Himself to Thomas He appeared to them again and we could focus on the events that took place – like the miraculous catch of fish, or Jesus’ conversation with Peter about feeding His sheep, or the type of death Peter would face. Instead we will conclude our study with John’s conclusion of the Gospel and why it’s important to the quest of being secure in our eternity.
Through Their Testimony
As we have learned from this book, the words of Scripture are meant to lead us to know/believe in Jesus Christ and in the One who sent Him. This being true we naturally want to know that the sources of the word are trustworthy, how they are related to the Christ they profess. What we find here is that John wrote or dictated as one who was an eyewitness to the stories shared. He was loved and trusted by Jesus, which is perhaps most evident when, from the cross, Jesus placed His mother under John’s care, John 19:26–27. The point however, isn’t how much Jesus loved John or why but that John is a reliable source. Which, if we are staking our eternal security on words that were written centuries ago by those we do not know we want to know they are reliable. After all, Jesus Himself prayed in John 17:20, “I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony …” Don’t misunderstand me, I do not mean to take God out of the picture nor am I inferring we must trust the reliability of man over trusting that the Bible is God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3:16, However, He chose to use humans, just like us, to write the words and so having knowledge of these people and why God might have used them or what role they played surely enhances the way we listen to or read their presentations. Perhaps John understood this and thus addresses it here to close his book.
“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, ‘Woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”
John 19:26-27
He Knew THe Importance of Jesus
I love that John wanted to testify about these things so that others would know the man and the friend that Jesus was. However, I also appreciate that he couldn’t help but point out that the things he had shared were no where near all that could be shared about His friend, His teacher, The Christ. John was, as we should be, impressed with Jesus. He knew Jesus’ importance and the value of what He had to offer and believed in the dire need to proclaim it so that, as Jesus prayed, “the world will know that you sent me, and You have loved them just as You have loved me.” (John 17:23)