One of the Scriptures that intrigues me every time I come across is John 21:25. At the end of his book, written so that the readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and by such belief have life through His name, John, a member of Jesus’ “inner” circle as it were, writes this: “Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” I’m always intrigued by thoughts of what John left out – and why.
We covered this chapter recently in our family devotions, and I asked my kids why they thought John left things out. Their responses were in line with the expected (“He told us right there. It wouldn’t all fit, even in the whole world.”), but also the unexpected (summary: we don’t exactly need a full description of every meal Jesus ate, every step He took, and every time he went to the bathroom.) They’re really not wrong, of course, but I think there’s probably more to it. My first thought was that perhaps the additional details would have hindered one’s belief rather than enhanced it. At what point would further encounters serve to distract us, or simply be extraneous? Would we be awed by the relating of additional anecdotes, or would they start to feel commonplace? Were the excluded incidents left out to preserve our wonder and amazement at the power and presence and compassion of the Lord? I’m not sure, but that was my first thought.
Perhaps on some level it connects with Luke 16. In the parable of Lazarus and the rich man, there’s the idea that more than sufficient information has already been provided. John included enough detail and enough incidents to clearly demonstrate that Jesus is truly the Son of God, and having conveyed that, his purpose was fulfilled and that was enough. Further accounts simply weren’t needed. Perhaps it’s not that it would be detrimental, but that it simply was unnecessary.
Although it’s interesting to think about what isn’t there, at the end of the day, the main point that’s worth more mental energy and effort probably isn’t what’s not there, but what is. When we read the book of John, do we clearly see and believe that Jesus is the Son of God? Do we truly read with the goal of understanding, believing, and being changed? Do we actually know what’s there? See, believe, and live.
I used to wonder about that too. But I think it would not be beneficial for us to know what He did every minute of His 3 year ministry (1,576,800 minutes)
Knowing that He is the Son of God and that he loves me beyond my understanding, is enough for me.