The final six verses of the Gospel of John form a kind of postscript that accomplishes three things. It establishes the basis for John’s credentials as its author, stakes his personal reputation to the veracity of what he’d written, and explains why the project involved a significant amount of purposeful curation.

First, John corrected a rumor about himself, circulating among some of the early believers, that Jesus had said he wouldn’t die. This was rooted in an exchange between the Lord and Peter that had been overheard, misinterpreted, and repeated. But it appears to me that John’s purpose in bringing it up was not primarily about confirming his mortality. That would have become evident soon enough. I believe it was important to him, at the close of his gospel, to debunk any notion that he held a form of elevated status among the disciples that qualified him to write it or determined its value.

I’m convinced that’s why he began setting the record straight regarding this fiction by first, as he had on three previous occasions, humbly identifying himself as a 𝘥𝘪𝘴𝘤𝘪𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥. He wanted to ensure that his readers would understand he was no one special, just a recipient of the same unmerited and all-consuming love of Christ available to them as well. But he also wanted to establish that he was a credible eyewitness to what he’d written. And that’s why, referring to his physical nearness to Jesus during the Last Supper, he added that he was the one who had 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘣𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘵. The Savior’s love and a front row seat to his ministry were his true credentials.

And having settled that, he added his verbal signature to the document making certain no one would mistake his account for anything less than a carefully prepared and reliable treatise.

Then, John closed his book with a statement of the obvious, that creating a comprehensive account of all Jesus had said and done was an impossibility. He graphically described this by saying the world isn’t big enough to contain all the books the task would require. All recorded history is curated. So, John was simply acknowledging that he’d done what every historian must do, make choices about which facts to include in their presentations based on the unique purposes that motivate their work.

John had already provided the criterion for his editorial choices in chapter 20 verse 31 when he’d said, “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God.” And it's astonishing to consider the reality that in the millennia since John penned this gospel, his Spirit-birthed purpose for writing it has been and continues to be accomplished in the lives of billions of people…including me.

It was the glorious words of Jesus quoted in verse 16 of his third chapter that the Holy Spirit used to capture my heart as a young child and launch my faith journey. Of the four New Testament gospels, only John’s contain them: “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

I’m thoroughly incapable of expressing my praise to Jesus for his sacrifice described in that passage and for the salvation it purchased for me. But as I now conclude my journey through this gospel and the devotional commentary that has resulted, it’s also impossible for me to adequately articulate my gratitude for John’s willingness to partner with the Holy Spirit in providing us such a stunning account of God’s amazing grace.