1
00:00:00,716 --> 00:00:01,366
Hey, everybody.

2
00:00:01,366 --> 00:00:03,866
Thanks for joining us.
Thanks for starting the week with us.

3
00:00:03,866 --> 00:00:06,416
We continue through the Gospel of John.

4
00:00:06,416 --> 00:00:09,416
Today we wrap up chapter 20, the,

5
00:00:09,466 --> 00:00:12,466
essentially the resurrection
chapter, the appearances.

6
00:00:13,550 --> 00:00:16,816
And we hit a kind of an interesting moment

7
00:00:17,333 --> 00:00:20,483
as we get to the end of the chapter
here, verse 30

8
00:00:21,000 --> 00:00:23,700
and 31.

9
00:00:23,700 --> 00:00:28,066
They have the feel of almost ending
the book, and we can talk about that.

10
00:00:28,150 --> 00:00:31,150
Let me let me just read these couple
verses, then we'll talk it through.

11
00:00:31,350 --> 00:00:34,950
Now, Jesus did many other signs
in the presence of his disciples

12
00:00:35,250 --> 00:00:38,483
which are not written in this book,
but these are written

13
00:00:38,483 --> 00:00:43,283
so that you may come to believe that
Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,

14
00:00:43,283 --> 00:00:47,366
and that through believing
you may have life in his name.

15
00:00:48,750 --> 00:00:51,383
I don't know, Michael. You.

16
00:00:51,383 --> 00:00:54,016
I think you probably,

17
00:00:54,016 --> 00:00:56,516
more up on John's scholarship than I am.

18
00:00:56,516 --> 00:01:00,750
I don't know if anyone makes the case
that this was an ending,

19
00:01:01,100 --> 00:01:04,950
but it it certainly has a kind of
wrap up feel to it.

20
00:01:04,950 --> 00:01:09,833
And, there are two off the top of my head.

21
00:01:09,833 --> 00:01:12,866
I suppose there's a couple of explanations
for this one.

22
00:01:13,733 --> 00:01:14,866
Maybe I don't.

23
00:01:14,866 --> 00:01:18,983
I'm not aware that anyone makes a case
that chapter 21 shows up later.

24
00:01:19,350 --> 00:01:22,216
I don't know if that has been argued
seriously,

25
00:01:22,216 --> 00:01:27,066
but I do think chapter 21 functions
differently in the text.

26
00:01:27,083 --> 00:01:30,083
It's much more of a transition
kind of chapter.

27
00:01:30,416 --> 00:01:36,950
And therefore that makes me wonder
if this is a kind of bridge between

28
00:01:37,883 --> 00:01:42,616
what we would call the Easter stories,
and then what would happen

29
00:01:42,616 --> 00:01:45,900
in the aftermath
of Jesus being resurrected. And,

30
00:01:47,183 --> 00:01:48,750
a little bit of a little bit

31
00:01:48,750 --> 00:01:52,066
of time elapsing from Easter Day itself.

32
00:01:52,916 --> 00:01:56,250
I don't know exactly why that would be,

33
00:01:56,250 --> 00:01:59,600
other than there is a sort of summery
feel to this.

34
00:01:59,600 --> 00:02:03,716
John says, you know, we could have written
all kinds of other stuff,

35
00:02:04,066 --> 00:02:08,033
but I wrote what you've read
so that you may come to believe that

36
00:02:08,033 --> 00:02:12,416
Jesus is the Messiah,
and that you may have life in his name.

37
00:02:12,566 --> 00:02:17,183
That has a almost a conclusion feel to it
that ends up not being the case.

38
00:02:17,183 --> 00:02:20,183
And I think it makes it,

39
00:02:20,550 --> 00:02:22,950
interesting
and it makes it stand out a little bit.

40
00:02:22,950 --> 00:02:23,183
Yeah.

41
00:02:23,183 --> 00:02:24,916
I think that there could be
some interesting

42
00:02:24,916 --> 00:02:28,400
conversations
related to the composition of the book.

43
00:02:28,733 --> 00:02:33,500
I do think there are scholarly arguments
that this is the original conclusion

44
00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,600
of the book.
That shouldn't be surprising to you.

45
00:02:35,600 --> 00:02:37,966
If you read something
like The Gospel of Mark,

46
00:02:37,966 --> 00:02:41,816
where we have a very similar conversation
about the ending of that gospel.

47
00:02:41,850 --> 00:02:45,866
But needless to say,
I think that generally when we're reading

48
00:02:45,866 --> 00:02:49,650
the Gospels, it's better to read them
as they've been delivered to us

49
00:02:49,916 --> 00:02:53,266
rather than trying to reconstruct
something that was there.

50
00:02:53,266 --> 00:02:57,016
And I think what's fascinating to me about
the ordering and construction of this

51
00:02:57,866 --> 00:03:02,250
is that there is a kind of pause here,

52
00:03:02,250 --> 00:03:07,616
almost a giving us, the reader, a breath
because we've had all of these encounters.

53
00:03:07,616 --> 00:03:12,533
Of course, Jesus died, and now here
we've had these accounts of resurrection

54
00:03:12,533 --> 00:03:16,316
and various personalities and characters
of the story and how they responded.

55
00:03:16,516 --> 00:03:19,516
And then we get to this, that
this admission

56
00:03:19,650 --> 00:03:25,316
that there were so many other signs done
but not included here.

57
00:03:25,666 --> 00:03:30,833
And, and that's an explicit way,
I think, that John is reaching out to us

58
00:03:30,833 --> 00:03:35,000
through the pages
here, and John is inviting us to see

59
00:03:35,416 --> 00:03:40,766
that it isn't that we're looking for a
comprehensive picture of everything done,

60
00:03:41,033 --> 00:03:46,166
but rather a big enough picture
that we can find ourself in it.

61
00:03:46,466 --> 00:03:48,316
And this is really important.

62
00:03:48,316 --> 00:03:49,816
We shouldn't miss this.

63
00:03:49,816 --> 00:03:54,050
This book is all about and find the name,

64
00:03:54,050 --> 00:03:59,416
verse 31,
Jesus, who is the Messiah, the Son of God,

65
00:03:59,550 --> 00:04:04,916
but not just for some kind of so you know
him, some kind of name dropping reason?

66
00:04:04,916 --> 00:04:08,266
No, for the purpose that through believing

67
00:04:08,416 --> 00:04:11,416
you may have life in his at this.

68
00:04:11,783 --> 00:04:16,733
This is a absolutely beautiful
and masterstroke way

69
00:04:17,116 --> 00:04:22,100
of taking these many disparate themes,
which have all been pointed together

70
00:04:22,100 --> 00:04:25,733
this whole time and saying, look, this is
this is the point.

71
00:04:26,000 --> 00:04:29,516
You have Jesus who said and taught
these things, prayed these prayers.

72
00:04:29,516 --> 00:04:33,600
Jesus, who gave his life and did
so on purpose, Jesus, who was resurrected

73
00:04:33,600 --> 00:04:37,550
and was seen by all of these
who believed even with their doubts

74
00:04:37,550 --> 00:04:39,650
and in their moments of disbelief.

75
00:04:39,650 --> 00:04:41,600
All of this is true.

76
00:04:41,600 --> 00:04:45,233
But the reason I'm telling you this isn't
so that you've got

77
00:04:45,233 --> 00:04:47,266
a little bit more information
than your head.

78
00:04:47,266 --> 00:04:49,216
It's so that you might come

79
00:04:49,216 --> 00:04:53,250
for your own life to be changed
by the belief that has grown inside.

80
00:04:53,400 --> 00:04:59,150
This is the admission that comes
explicitly of the purpose of this gospel.

81
00:04:59,150 --> 00:05:03,416
It helps us to understand
the reason this stuff came before

82
00:05:03,650 --> 00:05:09,050
is to fulfill the purpose of belief today,
and the book continues to serve that.

83
00:05:09,050 --> 00:05:10,700
Now there's going to be more to come,

84
00:05:10,700 --> 00:05:13,700
and we'll talk about that
as we move forward in the study.

85
00:05:13,800 --> 00:05:18,000
I don't think Clint, that
there's something quite this explicit

86
00:05:18,000 --> 00:05:21,000
in the other gospels,
and I really appreciate John

87
00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:24,416
for the way that this both ties together
the themes in this book,

88
00:05:24,566 --> 00:05:27,983
but also it has a way of teaching us
what the gospel is.

89
00:05:27,983 --> 00:05:29,550
I in gospel by the capital

90
00:05:29,550 --> 00:05:33,166
G, like the telling of Jesus, is like,
this is an important part of that.

91
00:05:33,500 --> 00:05:34,850
Yeah, I would agree.

92
00:05:34,850 --> 00:05:40,250
You know, the dedication of Luke comes
to mind where Luke says, like many others,

93
00:05:40,250 --> 00:05:44,333
I've undertaken to provide the history
and to provide an account.

94
00:05:44,750 --> 00:05:49,733
But but I think that functions
very differently than John's words here.

95
00:05:51,016 --> 00:05:54,316
And what's
interesting is we've said this before

96
00:05:54,316 --> 00:05:58,800
and that John is not only
a great storyteller, a great writer,

97
00:05:59,216 --> 00:06:03,350
but some of his words move into preaching.

98
00:06:03,350 --> 00:06:05,266
And and I think we get to
some of that here.

99
00:06:05,266 --> 00:06:08,450
Michael,
first of all, we have this word signs.

100
00:06:08,450 --> 00:06:12,566
And we've seen
there are seven major signs in John.

101
00:06:12,566 --> 00:06:15,316
But the idea of signs

102
00:06:15,316 --> 00:06:17,866
is important to John. What do signs do?

103
00:06:17,866 --> 00:06:20,216
They point us toward a reality.

104
00:06:20,216 --> 00:06:24,566
So what do the signs in this book and the
signs in the presence of the disciples?

105
00:06:24,566 --> 00:06:27,616
Do they point us toward Jesus?

106
00:06:28,050 --> 00:06:30,900
It's also fascinating,
and I think you're right.

107
00:06:30,900 --> 00:06:34,066
I don't know of another gospel
that makes this claim.

108
00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:37,016
There are other things
which are not written.

109
00:06:37,016 --> 00:06:42,266
In other words, particularly
if John is in fact a later gospel.

110
00:06:42,266 --> 00:06:45,650
If John is written
after some of the other gospels.

111
00:06:46,316 --> 00:06:51,466
It's fascinating that John is not claiming
here some comprehensive story.

112
00:06:51,950 --> 00:06:55,250
He may be aware of other stories
that he didn't include

113
00:06:55,800 --> 00:06:58,800
in the book and and in saying that,

114
00:06:59,566 --> 00:07:03,466
he's essentially saying there are lots
of other things that could be written.

115
00:07:04,016 --> 00:07:09,166
But what I've written, I've written
to the purpose that you will know

116
00:07:09,166 --> 00:07:14,550
Jesus as the Messiah and believe in him,
that you would have life.

117
00:07:14,700 --> 00:07:15,866
Well, what is that?

118
00:07:15,866 --> 00:07:17,000
That's a sermon.

119
00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,733
That's the intention of preaching.

120
00:07:19,733 --> 00:07:22,016
I've done what I've done.
I've said what I've said.

121
00:07:22,016 --> 00:07:27,716
I've put it in the way that I've
organized it so that you could get a look

122
00:07:28,516 --> 00:07:32,416
and see the signs of Jesus
in such a way that you now understand

123
00:07:32,416 --> 00:07:35,866
not only who he is,
but that you would believe in him

124
00:07:36,050 --> 00:07:39,716
to the result of having life in his name.

125
00:07:40,866 --> 00:07:41,900
I, I,

126
00:07:41,900 --> 00:07:44,900
I think
you and I have said this before, it,

127
00:07:45,000 --> 00:07:47,933
I am, I am,

128
00:07:47,933 --> 00:07:49,033
jealous.

129
00:07:49,033 --> 00:07:52,033
I, you know, I'm I'm extremely jealous

130
00:07:52,350 --> 00:07:56,066
of how much meaning John can here
put in two verses.

131
00:07:56,066 --> 00:07:58,433
This is this is dense.

132
00:07:58,433 --> 00:08:01,433
It's a wonderful summary there.

133
00:08:01,650 --> 00:08:04,366
This is just, I don't know what it is.

134
00:08:04,366 --> 00:08:05,700
Again, we could argue.

135
00:08:05,700 --> 00:08:08,550
Was it originally the end of the book?
Was it not?

136
00:08:08,550 --> 00:08:13,166
I I'm sure those arguments are out there,
but whatever is its function,

137
00:08:13,500 --> 00:08:16,800
it works really well
to highlight John's intention

138
00:08:17,300 --> 00:08:20,150
and to say, I haven't said everything.

139
00:08:20,150 --> 00:08:23,100
I haven't given you
the last words on Jesus,

140
00:08:23,100 --> 00:08:26,100
but the words that I have given
you should be enough

141
00:08:26,216 --> 00:08:30,300
for you to know something of who he is
and have enough to believe in his name.

142
00:08:30,300 --> 00:08:30,983
And I think that's,

143
00:08:32,066 --> 00:08:33,916
I think we see John, the

144
00:08:33,916 --> 00:08:37,400
preacher here as much as we see
John the author.

145
00:08:38,100 --> 00:08:41,400
I'm gonna take this a little bit

146
00:08:41,666 --> 00:08:44,700
devotional here,
and I don't think I would argue this.

147
00:08:45,050 --> 00:08:45,916
This isn't a hell.

148
00:08:45,916 --> 00:08:46,816
I'd be willing to die.

149
00:08:46,816 --> 00:08:49,950
But Clint, there's an argument to be made
either.

150
00:08:49,950 --> 00:08:54,233
At least be interesting to see where
it would lead us to say that while a verse

151
00:08:54,233 --> 00:09:00,116
like John 316 gets remembered
for obvious reasons, right?

152
00:09:00,116 --> 00:09:03,983
That the summation of the gospel,
I think what this verse, what

153
00:09:03,983 --> 00:09:10,200
these two verses together do for us
has a kind of power that rivals that.

154
00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:14,250
And in this, what I mean by it
is this is John telling us

155
00:09:14,600 --> 00:09:17,300
that this thing that has been written

156
00:09:17,300 --> 00:09:23,366
is not some kind of theoretical belief
statement, that this isn't some kind of

157
00:09:24,316 --> 00:09:27,316
boil it all down into one thing.

158
00:09:27,533 --> 00:09:31,450
And then if you can memorize that
and you can, you know, quote that,

159
00:09:31,450 --> 00:09:33,533
that the Super Bowl,
then everything is good.

160
00:09:33,533 --> 00:09:35,416
What what's amazing about this and why

161
00:09:35,416 --> 00:09:38,416
I think is powerful
if we're willing and able to see it,

162
00:09:38,750 --> 00:09:42,166
is John is telling us that the signs

163
00:09:42,166 --> 00:09:46,800
that Jesus gives us,
which are by definition very hard

164
00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:53,066
to get Ahold of, impossible
actually to to grab and to not let go of.

165
00:09:53,266 --> 00:09:54,350
They're mysterious.

166
00:09:54,350 --> 00:09:59,550
They they're words that, that reach into
meaning that we can't quite yet pin down.

167
00:09:59,900 --> 00:10:02,600
The amazing thing
is that all of these signs, together

168
00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:07,433
with all of the witnesses from the woman
at the well, all the way from Nicodemus

169
00:10:07,650 --> 00:10:10,666
to all of these characters
who've been essential

170
00:10:10,666 --> 00:10:14,150
and we've seen coming in
and out of the story with various levels

171
00:10:14,150 --> 00:10:17,783
of understanding and faith,
all of them are helping us to see

172
00:10:17,933 --> 00:10:22,100
that at the end of the day,
this is an invitation for us

173
00:10:22,100 --> 00:10:27,083
that that these are signs
that Jesus is truly who he said he was.

174
00:10:27,083 --> 00:10:31,366
And if that's true,
then everything changes in our life.

175
00:10:31,366 --> 00:10:35,600
The whole meaning making structure
becomes defined by those signs of who

176
00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:40,050
Jesus is, as opposed to
whatever else the world may say about him.

177
00:10:40,050 --> 00:10:44,033
That he was a lunatic, that he was a power
hungry person, that he was just

178
00:10:44,033 --> 00:10:45,766
a great moralistic teacher.

179
00:10:45,766 --> 00:10:51,916
Whatever story you might receive
about Jesus or believe about Jesus, John's

180
00:10:51,916 --> 00:10:56,416
contention here is that if you understand
what has been written in this book,

181
00:10:56,416 --> 00:11:01,316
the stories of Jesus carefully selected
to help us see that truth,

182
00:11:01,700 --> 00:11:05,783
then you will understand that there's more
than what meets the eye in this man.

183
00:11:05,783 --> 00:11:09,833
That, in fact, John wants us to know
that Jesus Christ is, as we have said,

184
00:11:09,983 --> 00:11:13,350
the son of God is not just the Messiah.

185
00:11:13,550 --> 00:11:15,800
He's not just the one
who would come as Savior.

186
00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:16,950
He's the Son of God.

187
00:11:16,950 --> 00:11:23,100
That's the ridiculous, life world
changing transformation that is on offer.

188
00:11:23,100 --> 00:11:25,466
If we understand
what John is doing here at that,

189
00:11:25,466 --> 00:11:29,300
I think there's something amazing
about how this is included

190
00:11:29,483 --> 00:11:33,500
as a kind of explicit thesis statement
for us to get our minds around.

191
00:11:34,016 --> 00:11:37,016
I think it's natural for modern
Christians,

192
00:11:37,083 --> 00:11:40,083
whatever modern means
for Christians of our day

193
00:11:40,166 --> 00:11:44,700
who live in an era where people can argue
Bible online and they can look up videos

194
00:11:45,416 --> 00:11:47,700
to think of

195
00:11:47,700 --> 00:11:52,966
the historicity of the texts,
we we have those arguments, right.

196
00:11:52,966 --> 00:11:55,216
Did that happen?
Did it happen in this order?

197
00:11:55,216 --> 00:11:58,216
Why is it out of order
in John as opposed to the other ones?

198
00:11:58,466 --> 00:12:00,266
Why does this one say that

199
00:12:00,266 --> 00:12:03,450
it happened this way, but that one says
maybe it was a different way.

200
00:12:03,950 --> 00:12:08,550
And I think our temptation is the idea
that these

201
00:12:08,550 --> 00:12:13,050
these original authors
sat down to write history.

202
00:12:13,283 --> 00:12:15,466
They wanted to write what happened.

203
00:12:15,466 --> 00:12:18,383
And I do think that's true.

204
00:12:18,383 --> 00:12:22,666
They understood themselves
to be passing along true information.

205
00:12:23,033 --> 00:12:24,233
But I think in

206
00:12:25,433 --> 00:12:28,400
as John pulls back the curtain there,
it also here

207
00:12:28,400 --> 00:12:32,416
it also says something more than that,
that John is

208
00:12:32,416 --> 00:12:37,050
considering the impact of his stories,
that John's purpose is not just,

209
00:12:37,350 --> 00:12:40,800
hey, let me tell you what happened
when Jesus was alive.

210
00:12:41,066 --> 00:12:45,750
It's he let me make the case
that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

211
00:12:46,250 --> 00:12:50,716
And hopefully you come to believe that
and you come to live in that truth.

212
00:12:50,716 --> 00:12:53,000
And I think it's

213
00:12:53,000 --> 00:12:57,616
I think it's helpful for us
to imagine that, as John at least sat down

214
00:12:58,250 --> 00:13:00,750
to record these stories and to

215
00:13:00,750 --> 00:13:06,350
to compile this information
and to write what he probably didn't

216
00:13:06,350 --> 00:13:10,800
realize would become
what it's become in our Bible.

217
00:13:11,483 --> 00:13:14,483
He does so with the idea of

218
00:13:15,300 --> 00:13:18,000
not just giving stories

219
00:13:18,000 --> 00:13:22,366
that may or may not be entirely accurate
and historical and etc.

220
00:13:22,950 --> 00:13:25,400
though we like to believe they are.

221
00:13:26,416 --> 00:13:29,033
But he says what will help people believe?

222
00:13:29,033 --> 00:13:33,616
And I think it colors the intentions

223
00:13:33,616 --> 00:13:37,816
of how gospels get written
and why John does this.

224
00:13:37,816 --> 00:13:43,100
And I just there's something about this
insight into John's process.

225
00:13:43,100 --> 00:13:48,016
And John's goal
that I think is, is really helpful.

226
00:13:48,016 --> 00:13:51,016
I think it's really inspiring.

227
00:13:51,050 --> 00:13:53,066
Maybe it raises troubling questions

228
00:13:53,066 --> 00:13:56,066
for some,
but I, I don't find it troubling at all.

229
00:13:56,066 --> 00:13:58,500
In fact, I find it very humbling.

230
00:13:58,500 --> 00:14:01,500
I find it very admirable and
and I think it

231
00:14:01,516 --> 00:14:04,400
I think it gives,

232
00:14:04,400 --> 00:14:07,666
a nice framework to explain and understand

233
00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:10,700
the gospel
we've been working our way through.

234
00:14:10,700 --> 00:14:13,700
This book is intended

235
00:14:14,250 --> 00:14:17,666
for disciples of every generation.

236
00:14:18,466 --> 00:14:22,433
This is this is to answer the question
that we had in the last study.

237
00:14:22,433 --> 00:14:23,866
And if you missed the study

238
00:14:23,866 --> 00:14:27,683
where we were talking about Thomas,
certainly jump back and watch that.

239
00:14:27,683 --> 00:14:30,983
But I want to make sure
that what you see this Jesus says in

240
00:14:30,983 --> 00:14:34,650
verse 29 to Thomas,
have you believe because you've seen me.

241
00:14:34,650 --> 00:14:38,216
Blessed are those who have not seen
and yet have come to believe.

242
00:14:38,366 --> 00:14:41,450
Well, how are those
who've not seen going to come to believe?

243
00:14:41,666 --> 00:14:43,366
Today's the answer to that.

244
00:14:43,366 --> 00:14:46,800
It's because John wanted there
to be an account

245
00:14:46,966 --> 00:14:51,533
so that everything you needed
of all of the thousands of of books

246
00:14:51,533 --> 00:14:54,000
that could have been written,
there's going to be one

247
00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:56,966
that would include the things
that were necessary

248
00:14:56,966 --> 00:15:00,566
for you to come to see
Jesus for who he actually is.

249
00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,116
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night.

250
00:15:03,116 --> 00:15:07,700
Ultimately, it was a whole journey for him
to come to see the truth of who

251
00:15:07,700 --> 00:15:08,783
Jesus was.

252
00:15:08,783 --> 00:15:10,250
How do you come to Jesus?

253
00:15:10,250 --> 00:15:12,316
At what point of your life
do you come to Jesus

254
00:15:12,316 --> 00:15:14,150
and what do you see
when you come to Jesus?

255
00:15:14,150 --> 00:15:16,850
John wants to be your conversation
partner.

256
00:15:16,850 --> 00:15:18,166
I'd say even more than that.

257
00:15:18,166 --> 00:15:23,300
He wants to first give you a revelation,
a word you wouldn't have got to

258
00:15:23,450 --> 00:15:24,150
on your own.

259
00:15:24,150 --> 00:15:27,866
John wants to share something
that was true about Jesus

260
00:15:28,133 --> 00:15:31,133
that is actually more than just true
about a human.

261
00:15:31,166 --> 00:15:34,950
It's actually so true as to encompass
the very creation

262
00:15:34,950 --> 00:15:38,100
of the universe as we saw this book
starting in John one one.

263
00:15:38,100 --> 00:15:42,866
So I friends, I just think this is
an amazing recognition

264
00:15:43,400 --> 00:15:46,400
of the fact
that there would come disciples

265
00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:49,916
who would need one day to know

266
00:15:50,716 --> 00:15:53,716
the basic truth of who Jesus was,

267
00:15:53,850 --> 00:15:57,750
to be able to be transformed
for their belief, to define their life

268
00:15:58,050 --> 00:16:00,800
and John
set out with the explicit purpose.

269
00:16:00,800 --> 00:16:05,816
He tells us this is what he intended to do
was to give us enough

270
00:16:05,966 --> 00:16:10,250
for us to be people of faith
generation later, and here we are

271
00:16:10,366 --> 00:16:14,366
once again, talking about these words,
talking about what John had to say,

272
00:16:14,366 --> 00:16:17,850
because John has delivered
on that promise.

273
00:16:17,850 --> 00:16:21,266
And I think it's just worth pointing out
that there's a kind of

274
00:16:21,533 --> 00:16:25,433
amazing gift in John
being explicit about that intention,

275
00:16:25,433 --> 00:16:28,966
which is not a thing we always get
from the scriptures writ large.

276
00:16:29,100 --> 00:16:31,466
We're often reading other people's mail.

277
00:16:31,466 --> 00:16:33,916
I think this is an opportunity
for us to see.

278
00:16:33,916 --> 00:16:36,916
This mail was intended for us.

279
00:16:37,250 --> 00:16:39,150
There is an interesting

280
00:16:41,066 --> 00:16:43,766
there's an interesting

281
00:16:43,766 --> 00:16:45,500
takeaway here, Michael.

282
00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:49,950
Let's say for a moment
that that group of scholars that suggests

283
00:16:49,950 --> 00:16:53,700
this seems like the place
where John may have originally ended,

284
00:16:54,300 --> 00:16:58,883
and that chapter 21 is a little bit later,

285
00:16:59,850 --> 00:17:03,383
if you're going to make that case
and there's arguments you could use.

286
00:17:04,400 --> 00:17:07,666
But let's let's imagine for a minute
that that is true,

287
00:17:07,850 --> 00:17:11,633
that verse 31 is the place where John

288
00:17:11,816 --> 00:17:15,050
initially thinks I'm done writing.

289
00:17:15,583 --> 00:17:19,433
Well, that makes the last words of Jesus
in this book,

290
00:17:20,516 --> 00:17:23,516
blessed are those who have not seen

291
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,083
and yet come to believe

292
00:17:26,083 --> 00:17:28,366
that is, in its own way,

293
00:17:28,366 --> 00:17:32,400
an incredibly powerful place
for John to end his story.

294
00:17:32,400 --> 00:17:36,683
And and to whatever extent
we can kind of feel out.

295
00:17:36,683 --> 00:17:40,616
John centuries
later in a different culture

296
00:17:40,616 --> 00:17:44,516
and different world,
it feels like something he would do.

297
00:17:44,516 --> 00:17:49,100
It feels like the kind of last word
that John might offer.

298
00:17:49,583 --> 00:17:54,983
And then this little footnote
and by the way, there's so much more

299
00:17:54,983 --> 00:17:58,883
I could tell you, but I've told you enough
that you can make your choice.

300
00:17:59,183 --> 00:18:03,650
And I, you know, maybe,
maybe I can try to look

301
00:18:03,650 --> 00:18:07,883
into the pros and cons of that idea
between now and tomorrow.

302
00:18:07,883 --> 00:18:10,400
But it feels like

303
00:18:11,450 --> 00:18:12,150
a place that

304
00:18:12,150 --> 00:18:15,650
John could have ended
and it would work pretty well.

305
00:18:16,016 --> 00:18:16,650
Well, you.

306
00:18:16,650 --> 00:18:19,216
Know, having said that, I love chapter 21.

307
00:18:19,216 --> 00:18:22,216
Yeah, some wonderful,
beautiful, amazing stuff in it.

308
00:18:22,250 --> 00:18:26,183
But this wouldn't have been a bad place
if this was the original ending.

309
00:18:26,516 --> 00:18:27,583
It's a good one.

310
00:18:27,583 --> 00:18:29,866
That that's
we're going to move on in this study.

311
00:18:29,866 --> 00:18:32,550
I hope you'll subscribe
to stay part of that conversation.

312
00:18:32,550 --> 00:18:35,150
We're going to discover
a lot of leadership themes.

313
00:18:35,150 --> 00:18:38,000
There's a lot of restoration
and forgiveness to come.

314
00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,566
All of that's
really important in the story.

315
00:18:39,566 --> 00:18:41,183
I think it fits beautifully.

316
00:18:41,183 --> 00:18:45,450
Everything in this gospel is told in a way
that has impact and meaning.

317
00:18:45,683 --> 00:18:49,733
I just want to make it clear
Jesus has something to say to you.

318
00:18:49,733 --> 00:18:51,266
I think you're right to point that out,
Clint.

319
00:18:51,266 --> 00:18:52,366
The red letters.

320
00:18:52,366 --> 00:18:55,466
Bless those who've not seen and yet
have come to believe

321
00:18:55,500 --> 00:18:56,666
that's written to you.

322
00:18:56,666 --> 00:19:01,466
And in case we might miss it, John
is telling us in the very next two verses.

323
00:19:01,650 --> 00:19:03,833
No, really, this is for you. Yeah.

324
00:19:03,833 --> 00:19:05,183
You have enough to do that? Yeah.

325
00:19:05,183 --> 00:19:07,316
Exactly. Enough. You can make that choice.

326
00:19:07,316 --> 00:19:09,016
So here we are.

327
00:19:09,016 --> 00:19:12,000
I realize sometimes we
we find a small section

328
00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:14,816
and we pause on it,
but I think this is one worth pausing.

329
00:19:14,816 --> 00:19:17,700
Also, I hope that it's been encouraging
to you. Like this video.

330
00:19:17,700 --> 00:19:20,600
If it has, it helps others
find it in their own study.

331
00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:23,366
And I sincerely hope
you'll can continue with us

332
00:19:23,366 --> 00:19:25,883
as we conclude this book
with the last chapter.

333
00:19:25,883 --> 00:19:27,933
But we're glad to
be together as we continue.