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Session 80 | John 21:25 and conclusion

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by Randy White Ministries Wednesday, Oct 13, 2021

Session 80 | John 21:25 and conclusion



John 21:25 | The Author's Conclusion

  • The author lets us know that many other things“outlandish" supposition that even the world itself could not contain the books. This is clearly hyperbole, based on two issues.

    • He uses the word suppose. This is a word that tells us that the issue is not based in scientific truth. It is used in Philippians 1:16, where some are supposing to add affliction to my bonds, when in reality Paul was rejoicing (see v. 18). The word is also used in James 1:7 in reference to a man who is fooling himself.

    • The world itself could not contain uses two words that are often used symbolically.

      • The word world is used in Matthew 18:7 to refer to the offences of the world. This is certainly not talking about the offences of the physical cosmos. This same gospel refers also to the sin of the world (Jn. 1:29).

      • The word contain can be used in a physical sense, but can also be used in a symbolic sense. See Matthew 19:12, where it is translated receive and John 8:37, where it is translated place.


  • “message" of the words is, “the world would not believe it if they heard it."

The Fourth Gospel| Personal Observations

  • “one-fourth" of the Gospels alone.

    • “Synoptics) each give various viewpoints, all three focus on His role on earth.

    • The fourth gospel focuses on the Lord's heavenly role, namely His relationship to the Father as the Son. Jesus is not only flesh, but the Word became flesh.

    • From the very first words to the very last words, the fourth Gospel works to convince the reader that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Jn. 20:21).


  • The Gospel of John is in a philosophical style because it has a philosophical argument. One can speak for the purpose of conveying facts or for conveying philosophy. This Gospel is the philosophical Gospel.

  • The author of the Gospel was utterly familiar with Jewish rabbinical thinking.

    • The Gospel speaks of true light“divine light" that was “hidden in heavy shrouds of material existence" and that “the pristine light of G-d [would be] restored" when God came to “a dwelling place in the lower world." Clearly the author was well-aware of Jewish thinking and used his knowledge to convince Jews.


  • The author was also aware of areas in which a broader audience would have confusion and so he provided simple explanations for non-Jewish audiences.

    • John 2:6, 2:13, 6:4, 7:2, and many others.


  • The author regularly inserts commentary, and this commentary has sometimes been confused for the words of Jesus or others.

    • John 4:9 -- while this one is not often confused in the translations, it is a good example of how easily quotation and commentary could be confused.

    • John 4:22 -- Did Jesus or the author say, for salvation is of the Jews. This is the same English as verse 9. It could go either way.

    • “words of Jesus," John 3:16.

      • Why the transition from first person to third person after verse 12?

      • Doesn't verse 13 explain how Jesus would be able to tell about heavenly things (v. 12)?

      • At the time of verse 12, had Jesus actually ascended up to heaven as stated in verse 13? Since not, doesn't it make perfect sense that the author of the Gospel of John comes in to give commentary beginning with verse 13?

      • If the above is true, then this explains how we see a purely grace Gospel before the purely grace Gospel had been accomplished or revealed.


    • John 3:31-36 -- Do these words belong to John the Baptist or to the author of John? I think they make more sense as theological commentary from the author.


  • The sixth chapter of John is one of the most challenging passages in all the Bible, and tremendously insightful for the Jewish rejection of Jesus as the Son of God. It includes the feeding of the 5,000; Jesus walking on water; Jesus as the Bread of Life; the future restoration of Israel; and the ultimate call to Israel to take Jesus as Messiah. The rejection of Jesus begins in chapter 6 and continues into chapter 7.

  • The rejection by scholars of John 7:53-8:11 is petty and unmerited. We can trust the text received and adopted by the church (and should reject the text contrived and pushed on the church by German rationalists and other Biblical skeptics).

  • The fourth Gospel, probably more than any other, displays the rejection of Jesus by the Jewish people in contrast with the love of Jesus for the Jewish people.

  • The Upper Room experience (John 15-17) is all about Israel and Jesus' prayer and passion for His nation. It is almost always appropriated (inappropriately) to the church, and thus harm is done to its clarity.

  • The crucifixion narrative in the fourth Gospel provides insights that are not given in other Gospels, making the fourth Gospel an essential piece of the whole.

    • Almost the entirety of the Upper Room events.

    • The small army of men that came to arrest him fell down to the ground when Jesus said I am he (Jn. 18:6).

    • The last supper was not the Passover supper (Jn. 18:28, et. al.)

    • That others were present not spoken of in the Synoptics (Jn. 20:3-4 compared to Luke 24:12).

    • The Gospel of John should be read in light of Romans 15:8. He was working as a minister of the circumcision and was confirming the promises made to the fathers. Reading in this light will serve as a shield to inappropriate application. Because of this, the Gospel of John alone is not ideal for an evangelistic tool.

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