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 James J. Tissot, 'Jesus Christ Appears on the Shore of Lake Tiberias' (1884-96), gouache on gray wove paper, 5-7/8" x 9-1/16", Brooklyn Museum, New York. |
The Gospel is almost finished. There remains a scene on the beach at Galilee.
Many commentators believe that this was not part of the Gospel as it was first written, that it was written later -- and surely the final sentences, verses 24 and 25 were written by an editor, not John. The reasons that some see chapter 21 as an addition are two-fold:
- John 20:30-31 explaining the purpose of the Gospel, seem like the closing words. They wrap up the Gospel rather neatly.
- The reason for the addition, it is suggested, is to correct a misperception that John wouldn't die before Jesus comes (verses 22-23), and thus protect the church when the Apostle John eventually did die.
However, it's not that simple. Many others observe that:
- There is no break in style between the first 20 chapters and chapter 21.
- No ancient manuscript whosoever contains John's Gospel without chapter 21.
 Entire study is available in paperback, Kindle, and PDF formats. |
My own tentative conclusion is that all of chapter 21 -- except perhaps verses 24 and 25 -- were written by John himself. The reason for the seeming break between the chapters is primarily the time that followed by a few days or weeks the events of Holy Week that occupied chapters 13 through 20 of the Gospel, though they may have been written later.
Copyright © 2025, Ralph F. Wilson. <pastor
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