John 21:24
This is the disciple who testifies to these things and who has written them down. And we know that his testimony is true.
This is the disciple
The phrase "This is the disciple" refers to the author of the Gospel of John, traditionally understood to be John the Apostle. The Greek word for "disciple" is μαθητής (mathētēs), which means a learner or follower. In the context of the New Testament, it specifically refers to those who followed Jesus and learned from His teachings. John, as one of the original twelve apostles, was a firsthand witness to Jesus' ministry, death, and resurrection. His role as a disciple underscores the authenticity and authority of his testimony.

who testifies
The word "testifies" comes from the Greek μαρτυρέω (martyreō), meaning to bear witness or give evidence. In the ancient world, a testimony was a solemn declaration of truth, often given in a legal context. John's testimony is not just a recounting of events but a declaration of the truth of Jesus Christ's life and mission. His witness is foundational for the Christian faith, as it provides an eyewitness account of the Gospel's core events.

to these things
"These things" refers to the events and teachings recorded in the Gospel of John. The phrase encompasses the entirety of Jesus' ministry, His miracles, His teachings, His death, and His resurrection. John's Gospel is unique in its focus on the divinity of Christ and the deeper theological implications of His work. By testifying to "these things," John emphasizes the importance of understanding and believing in the full scope of Jesus' life and mission.

and who wrote them down
The act of writing, indicated by the Greek word γράφω (graphō), was a deliberate and careful process in the ancient world. Writing served to preserve important teachings and events for future generations. John's decision to write down his testimony ensures that the message of the Gospel would endure beyond his lifetime, providing a permanent record for the early church and all subsequent believers.

We know
The phrase "We know" suggests a collective affirmation of the truth of John's testimony. This could imply the agreement of the early Christian community or the other apostles who recognized the authority and accuracy of John's account. The use of "we" indicates a shared belief and confidence in the reliability of the Gospel message.

that his testimony is true
The word "true" is translated from the Greek ἀληθής (alēthēs), meaning genuine, real, or trustworthy. In a world where false teachings and heresies were prevalent, the assurance of truth was crucial for the early church. John's testimony is not only true in the sense of being factually accurate but also in its spiritual and theological significance. It aligns with the broader narrative of Scripture and the revelation of God through Jesus Christ. This affirmation of truth provides believers with confidence in the Gospel's message and its power to transform lives.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Disciple
Traditionally understood to be John, the beloved disciple, who is the author of the Gospel of John. He is the one providing the testimony in this verse.

2. Testimony
Refers to the account of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection as recorded in the Gospel of John. The testimony is presented as truthful and reliable.

3. The Community of Believers
The "we" in the verse suggests a community or group of believers who affirm the truthfulness of John's testimony.

4. The Writing of the Gospel
This event refers to the process by which the Gospel of John was composed, emphasizing the reliability and divine inspiration of the text.

5. Truth
A central theme in John's Gospel, emphasizing the authenticity and divine nature of the message about Jesus Christ.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Eyewitness Testimony
The Gospel of John is grounded in the firsthand experience of the author, providing a reliable account of Jesus' life and ministry.

The Role of Community in Affirming Truth
The collective affirmation of John's testimony by the early Christian community highlights the importance of communal discernment in matters of faith.

The Reliability of Scripture
Believers can trust the Bible as a true and faithful record of God's revelation, as it is based on the testimony of those who directly encountered Jesus.

The Call to Bear Witness
Like John, Christians are called to testify to the truth of the Gospel in their own lives, sharing the message of Jesus with others.

The Centrality of Truth in the Christian Faith
Truth is a foundational aspect of Christianity, and believers are encouraged to seek, uphold, and live by the truth in all aspects of life.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does understanding John as an eyewitness enhance your trust in the Gospel of John?

2. In what ways can the affirmation of John's testimony by the early Christian community serve as a model for how we discern truth today?

3. How does the concept of truth in John's Gospel challenge or affirm your current understanding of truth in your life?

4. What are some practical ways you can bear witness to the truth of the Gospel in your daily interactions?

5. How do other scriptures that emphasize eyewitness testimony and truth (such as 1 John 1:1-4) deepen your understanding of the reliability of the New Testament?
Connections to Other Scriptures
John 19:35
This verse also emphasizes the truthfulness of the testimony, reinforcing the reliability of the witness.

1 John 1:1-4
The opening of John's first epistle echoes the themes of eyewitness testimony and the proclamation of truth.

Revelation 1:1-2
John is again identified as a witness, this time to the visions he received, underscoring his role as a faithful recorder of divine revelation.
Witness Authenticating WitnessJ.R. Thomson John 21:24
Christ an Inexhaustable TreasureJ. Cynddylan Jones, D. D.John 21:24-25
St. John's Gospel a Collection of SpecimensJ. Culross, D. D.John 21:24-25
The Authentic and Apocryphal GospelsGeorge Dawson, M. A.John 21:24-25
The Gospel of St. JohnT. Whitelaw, D. D.John 21:24-25
The Magnitude of Christ's LifeGeorge Dawson, M. A.John 21:24-25
The Many Things Which Jesus DidJ. Vaughan, M. A.John 21:24-25
The Revealed and the Unrevealed in Christ's BiographyD. Thomas, D. D.John 21:24-25
The Sufficiency of the GospelsMathematicus.John 21:24-25
The Unwritten Sayings of JesusH. W. Beecher.John 21:24-25
People
Didymus, Jesus, John, Jonah, Jonas, Nathanael, Peter, Simon, Thomas, Zabdi, Zebedee
Places
Cana, Galilee, Sea of Tiberias
Topics
TRUE, Bearing, Bears, Disciple, Gives, History, Matters, Testifies, Testifieth, Testifying, Testimony, Witness, Writing, Written, Wrote
Dictionary of Bible Themes
John 21:24

     1613   Scripture, purpose
     2422   gospel, confirmation
     2427   gospel, transmission
     8112   certainty

Library
November 20. "The Disciple whom Jesus Loved Leaned on his Breast" (John xxi. 20).
"The disciple whom Jesus loved leaned on His breast" (John xxi. 20). An American gentleman once visited the saintly Albert Bengel. He was very desirous to hear him pray. So one night he lingered at his door, hoping to overhear his closing devotions. The rooms were adjoining and the doors ajar. The good man finished his studies, closed his books, knelt down for a moment and simply said: "Dear Lord Jesus, things are still the same between us," and then sweetly fell asleep. So close was his communion
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

'Lovest Thou Me?'
'Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou Me more than these? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs.'--JOHN xxi. 15. Peter had already seen the risen Lord. There had been that interview on Easter morning, on which the seal of sacred secrecy was impressed; when, alone, the denier poured out his heart to his Lord, and was taken to the heart that he had wounded. Then there had been two interviews on the two successive Sundays
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

An Eloquent Catalogue
'There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples.'--JOHN xxi. 2. This chapter, containing the infinitely significant and pathetic account of our Lord's appearance to these disciples by the Sea of Tiberias, is evidently an appendix to the Gospel of John. The design of that Gospel is complete with the previous chapter, and there is a formal close, as of the whole book, at the end thereof. But whilst
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

The Beach and the Sea
'When the morning was now come, Jesus stood on the shore; but the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.'--JOHN xxi. 4. The incident recorded in this appendix to John's Gospel is separated from the other appearances of our risen Lord in respect of place, time, and purpose. They all occurred in and about Jerusalem; this took place in Galilee. The bulk of them happened on the day of the Resurrection, one of them a week after. This, of course, to allow time for the journey, must have been at a considerably
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

'It is the Lord!'
'Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.--JOHN xxi. 7. It seems a very strange thing that these disciples had not, at an earlier period of this incident, discovered the presence of Christ, inasmuch as the whole was so manifestly a repetition of that former event by which the commencement of their ministry had been signalised, when He called them to become 'fishers of men.' We are apt to suppose that when once again they embarked on the lake, and went back to their
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

Youth and Age, and the Command for Both
Annual Sermon to the Young '... When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.... And when He had spoken this, He saith unto him, Follow Me.'--JOHN xxi. 18, 19. The immediate reference of these words is, of course, to the martyrdom of the Apostle Peter. Our Lord contrasts the vigorous and somewhat self-willed youth and the mellowed
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

'They Also Serve who Only Stand and Wait'
'Peter, seeing him, saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do! Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? Follow thou Me.'--John xxi. 21, 22. We have seen in a former sermon that the charge of the risen Christ to Peter, which immediately precedes these verses, allotted to him service and suffering. The closing words of that charge 'Follow Me!' had a deep significance, as uniting both parts of his task in the one supreme command of imitation of his Master.
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture: St. John Chaps. XV to XXI

November the Thirteenth a Transformed Fisherman
"Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing." --JOHN xxi. 1-14. Simon Peter had often gone a fishing, but never had he gone as he went in the twilight of that most wonderful evening. He handled the ropes in a new style, with a new dignity born of the bigger capacity of his own soul. He turned to the familiar task, but with a quite unfamiliar spirit. He went a fishing, but the power of the resurrection went with him. This action of Simon Peter's is the only true test of the reality of any spiritual
John Henry Jowett—My Daily Meditation for the Circling Year

Love and Service.
TEXT: JOHN xxi. 16. "He saith to him again a second time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou Me? He saith unto Him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Tend my sheep." THERE is no more important charge than that which the Lord gave to His apostle in these words. He calls Himself the Shepherd of His flock; therefore what He here committed to the charge of the apostle was to do the Lord's own work in His name, and under His oversight and ruling direction as Chief Shepherd. But
Friedrich Schleiermacher—Selected Sermons of Schleiermacher

On the Same Words of the Gospel of John. xxi. 15, "Simon, Son of John, Lovest Thou Me More than These?" Etc.
1. Ye remember that the Apostle Peter, the first of all the Apostles, was disturbed at the Lord's Passion. Of his own self disturbed, but by Christ renewed. For he was first a bold presumer, and became afterwards a timid denier. He had promised that he would die for the Lord, when the Lord was first to die for him. When he said then, "I will be with Thee even unto death," and "I will lay down my life for Thee;" the Lord answered him, "Wilt thou lay down thy life for Me? Verily I say unto thee, Before
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

On the Words of the Gospel, John. xxi. 16, "Simon, Son of John, Lovest Thou Me?" Etc.
1. Ye have observed, beloved, that in to-day's lesson it was said by the Lord to Peter in a question, "Lovest thou Me?" To whom he answered, "Thou knowest, Lord, that I love thee." This was done a second, and a third time; and at each several reply, the Lord said, "Feed My lambs." [4317] To Peter did Christ commend His lambs to be fed, who fed even Peter himself. For what could Peter do for the Lord, especially now that He had an Immortal Body, and was about to ascend into heaven? As though He had
Saint Augustine—sermons on selected lessons of the new testament

Lovest Thou Me?
Without preface, for we shall have but little time this morning--may God help us to make good use of it!--we shall mention three things: first a solemn question--"Lovest thou me?" secondly, a discreet answer, "Yes, Lord, thou knowest that I love thee;" and thirdly, a required demonstration of the fact, "He saith unto him, Feed my lambs;" or, again, "Feed my sheep." I. First, then, here was A SOLEMN QUESTION, which our Saviour put to Peter, not for his own information, for, as Peter said, "Thou knowest
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 3: 1857

Christ among the Common Things of Life
William James Dawson, Congregational preacher and evangelist, was born in Towcester, Northamptonshire, in 1854. He was educated at Kingswood School, Bath, and Didsbury College, Manchester. He has long been known as an author of originality and pure literary style. In 1906 he received the pastorate of Highbury Quadrant Congregational Church, London, and accepted an invitation to do general evangelistic work under the auspices of the National Council of the Congregational churches of the United States.
Various—The World's Great Sermons, Volume 10

Erroneous Opinions Imputed to the Apostles.
A species of candour which is shown towards every other book is sometimes refused to the Scriptures: and that is, the placing of a distinction between judgment and testimony. We do not usually question the credit of a writer, by reason of an opinion he may have delivered upon subjects unconnected with his evidence: and even upon subjects connected with his account, or mixed with it in the same discourse or writing, we naturally separate facts from opinions, testimony from observation, narrative from
William Paley—Evidences of Christianity

Of Avoiding of Curious Inquiry into the Life of Another
"My Son, be not curious, nor trouble thyself with vain cares. What is that to thee? Follow thou Me.(1) For what is it to thee whether a man be this or that, or say or do thus or thus? Thou hast no need to answer for others, but thou must give an answer for thyself. Why therefore dost thou entangle thyself? Behold, I know all men, and I behold all things which are done under the sun; and I know how it standeth with each one, what he thinketh, what he willeth, and to what end his thoughts reach.
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Instructions to Converts.
Text.--Feed my lambs.--John xxi. 15. YOU, who read your Bibles, recollect the connection in which these words are found, and by whom they were spoken. They were addressed by the Lord Jesus Christ to Peter, after he had denied his Lord, and had professed repentance. Probably one of the designs which Christ had in view, in suffering Peter to sin so awfully as to deny his master, was to produce a deeper work of grace in him, and thus fit him for the peculiar duty to which he intended to call him, in
Charles Grandison Finney—Lectures on Revivals of Religion

Synopsis. --Arbitrary Criticism of the Biblical Narratives of the Raising of the "Dead. " --Facts which it Ignores. --The Subject Related to the Phenomena of Trance
III SYNOPSIS.--Arbitrary criticism of the Biblical narratives of the raising of the "dead."--Facts which it ignores.--The subject related to the phenomena of trance, and records of premature burial.--The resuscitation in Elisha's tomb probably historical.--Jesus' raising of the ruler's daughter plainly a case of this kind.--His raising of the widow's son probably such.--The hypothesis that his raising of Lazarus may also have been such critically examined.--The record allows this supposition.--Further
James Morris Whiton—Miracles and Supernatural Religion

Seventh Appearance of Jesus.
(Sea of Galilee.) ^D John XXI. 1-25. ^d 1 After these things Jesus manifested himself again to the disciples at the sea of Tiberias; and he manifested himself on this wise. 2 There was together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee [see p. 111], and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of his disciples. 3 Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. [As usual, Peter was the leader.] They say unto him, We also come with thee. They went forth, and entered into the boat;
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

The Harmony of the Gospels
36. The church early appreciated the value and the difficulty of having four different pictures of the life and teachings of the Lord. Irenaeus at the close of the second century felt it to be as essential that there should be four gospels as that there should be "four zones of the world, four principal winds, and four faces of the cherubim" (Against Heresies III. ii. 8). 37. Before Irenaeus, however, another had sought to obviate the difficulty of having four records which seem at some points to
Rush Rhees—The Life of Jesus of Nazareth

Feeding the Lambs.
Some years ago when attending to the work to which the Lord had called me in one of the sunny Southern States it was my happy privilege to enjoy for a few days the kind hospitality of a generous Christian farmer. One balmy afternoon while walking over the pleasant fields of his large farm, with my heart in sweet communion with God, I came upon the most beautiful flock of sheep it had ever been my privilege to behold. They were quietly grazing in a rich green pasture, near by which silently flowed
Charles Ebert Orr—Food for the Lambs; or, Helps for Young Christians

The Fall of the Empire and of the Papacy
[Sidenote: Urban IV (1261-4).] The date of Alexander's death marks the beginning of a new episode in the history of the mediaval Papacy. His successor, Urban IV, was a Frenchman. With more vigour than his predecessor he pursued the policy of the destruction of the Hohenstaufen. Since the English prince had proved a useless tool and no more money could be wrung from the English people, he obtained the renunciation of the claims of Edmund to the Sicilian crown and turned to his native country for a
D. J. Medley—The Church and the Empire

Epistle xx. To Mauricius Augustus.
To Mauricius Augustus. Gregory to Mauricius, &c. Our most pious and God-appointed lord, among his other august cares and burdens, watches also in the uprightness of spiritual zeal over the preservation of peace among the priesthood, inasmuch as he piously and truly considers that no one can govern earthly things aright unless he knows how to deal with divine things, and that the peace of the republic hangs on the peace of the universal Church. For, most serene Lord, what human power, and what strength
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

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