Friday | Week 15
The Gospel of John finishes with the best of news: the tomb is empty! Jesus is Lord! He is risen from the dead and He is the Lord! Every knee shall bow, every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! He has conquered death, and through the power of His resurrection, we are offered new life!
As the final entry in this devotional, let’s focus on John 21:25, the very last verse in this Gospel: 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.
John’s written testimony was complete, and through his Gospel, we are given directions to discover truth, grow in faith, and experience life with Jesus. However, through deliberate hyperbole, John testifies that the works of Jesus cannot be contained on paper. The story of Jesus is too grandiose for any author to capture or any library to hold! Author Frederick Bruner writes,
“Jesus’ words and actions are so many and so worthy that they cannot be transcribed adequately by mortals.” [ 1 ]
Jesus is always at work!
To make a final point, allow me to slightly modify and personalize John 21:25. Consider this:
“If every single thing that Jesus has done in my life and your life were written down, the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.”
Oh, the joy to know that Jesus is always working in our lives! Look holistically at your life. Where do you see Jesus at work today? How is He shaping your story? For what reasons are you grateful? In what ways do you need His help and comfort? How are you enjoying His Presence? Just think: no matter your days on earth, you get to enjoy Jesus for all of eternity!
To conclude this devotional, speak the prayer of St. Patrick of Ireland:
Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down.
May Christ always be at work in your life, and in ways too numerous to count!
1 | Frederick D. Bruner, The Gospel of John (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s Publishing, 2012), 1,253.