After a few preceding articles from John 20:19-29, let’s read the last bit of this chapter to understand why the Gospel of John was written, because it ties into the account of Thomas and Jesus from the previous article.
Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
John 20:30-31 NIV
Remember the belief that is blessed – the one that doesn’t require seeing Jesus in person in order to have confidence that He lives, as described in John 20:29? It sounds like John, probably writing late in life (perhaps after all of the other apostles that had walked with Jesus had been executed by hostile opponents of the gospel), wanted others to have the same belief that he, Thomas, and others had. After Jesus returned to Heaven, many people would need to believe without meeting Jesus in person, and so this gospel is meant to help them do so.
John started out his gospel with a testimony to Jesus Christ. He spends the middle of the gospel telling people about Jesus. And here, near the end, he confirms that this book is meant to help people believe in Jesus. John was an eyewitness of many of the things that he wrote about, and by writing them down as testimony, he could vouch for their accuracy and the truth that was – and is – Jesus Christ.
Remember, the Bible isn’t meant to be a play-by-play summary of all of history, or even of Jesus’ ministry. It teaches us about God, but it leaves out a lot of details that aren’t critical to our belief. There is enough for us to know what we need to know, and to make a decision for God based on plenty of facts and evidence.
In the same way, we may never be able to share with others all the things that God has done for us, but our life and our testimony can confirm that we have indeed accepted God’s offer of salvation, along with a relationship with Him and the certainty of spending an eternity together with Him.
I like what the Lookout says about this: “The signs recorded in the Gospel are enough to engender belief. But that belief is only as good as the source in which it is placed. It is not belief in belief. It is belief that Jesus is the Messiah and the only one who can truly give life.”
The Lookout describes three Greek words for “see”, and Mark Scott (one of the authors) writes the following:
“But the final word for see is horao. It means to see, perceive, and act upon what you see. This final word is the one used consistently in our lesson text—in vv. 20, 25 (twice), and 29 (twice).”
Let us, like the book of John, point people to a belief in Jesus. They may not see Him in person during their walk on this earth, but they can see us, and the impact that our relationship with Jesus has on our purpose, our attitude, our hope, and our joy.
From Sunday School lesson prepared for February 25, 2024
References:
- The Lookout, February 25, 2024, © 2024 Christian Standard Media.
- Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
- The College Press NIV Commentary – John, by Beauford H. Bryant and Mark S. Krause. © 1998 College Press Publishing Co.
Those Who Sin Differently 
Indeed, John continues this line of encouragement to believe the eye witnesses in the first 4 verses of his letter: 1 John 1-4. Also, we can see it in the first 3 verses, and verse 9, of the first chapter of the book we call the Revelation [of Jesus Christ(v.1)].
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Thank you for that reminder. While the gospel of John and the letters of John (plus the Revelation to John) are separated by a lot of other books in the Bible, John was indeed still telling the same account of the same Savior in all of them!
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