John 21:25Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

For we too, when we regard something as unquestionably true, do not refuse to bear our own testimony concerning it. If we do this, how much more did he, who wrote by the inspiration of the Spirit?

The other Apostles also spoke in this way when they preached: "We are witnesses" of what we proclaim, and "so is the Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32).

Moreover, John was present at all the events. He did not leave Christ even during the Crucifixion, and the Mother was entrusted to him. All this is a sign that Christ loved him and that he knew everything exactly.

If he said that so many signs were performed, do not marvel at this. Consider the ineffable power of the One who performed them, and receive what is said with faith.

As it is easy for us to speak, so, or far more easily, it was for Him to do whatever He willed. It was enough for Him to will, and everything was accomplished.

Let us, then, carefully attend to what has been said, and let us not cease reading and explaining it. From frequent reading we shall receive great benefit. Through it we shall be able to purify our life and destroy the thorns within ourselves.

Such, indeed, are sins and worldly cares. They are fruitless and painful. Just as a thorn wounds the one who touches it from whatever side, so worldly affairs always bring sorrow upon the one who binds himself to them and cares for them.

Spiritual things are not like this. On the contrary, they resemble a precious stone, which delights the eye from whatever side one turns it.

For example, has someone given alms? He is not only nourished by hope for the future, but also enjoys blessings here. He fears nothing and acts with great boldness.

Has someone overcome an evil cultivation? Even before the coming of the kingdom, he already receives fruit here. He hears praise and approval from all, and before all from his own conscience.

So it is with every good deed. Evil deeds, however, even before Gehenna, already torment the conscience here.

If you sin, and think about the future, you are struck with fear and trembling, even though no one punishes you. If you think about the present, you have many enemies and live in suspicion. You cannot even look straight at those who have offended you, or rather, even at those who have not offended you.

From sin we receive not so much pleasure as sorrow. Here conscience cries out, outsiders condemn, God is angered, Gehenna threatens to swallow us, and thoughts cannot find rest.

Sin is heavy, truly heavy and unbearable, heavier than any lead. Whoever is conscious of it in himself cannot look straight ahead at all, even if he is very insensitive.

Thus Ahab, though he was exceedingly impious, went with his head bowed when he felt his sin. He was contrite and sorrowful. Therefore he put sackcloth on himself and poured out streams of tears.

If we also do this, if we weep like Ahab and cast off our sins like Zacchaeus, then we too shall receive forgiveness.

With swellings and ulcers, no matter how many medicines one applies, everything is useless unless one first stops the matter flowing in and inflaming the wound. The source of the evil has not been stopped.

So it is with us. If we do not restrain our hands from covetousness and break off this unclean stream, then even if we begin to give alms, everything will be useless.

What almsgiving heals, covetousness will flood, spoil, and make still worse. Let us first cease from plundering, and then begin to give alms.

But if we ourselves are rushing into the abyss, where shall we have the possibility of stopping? When one person pulls a falling man upward, which is what almsgiving does, while another drags him downward, nothing comes from such a struggle except that the man is torn apart.

Therefore let us not suffer this. Let almsgiving not leave and abandon us while covetousness drags us downward. Let us lighten ourselves and soar upward.

Then, having been freed from evil deeds and made perfect through the practice of good deeds, we shall be counted worthy of eternal blessings. This will be by the grace and love for mankind of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father and the Holy Spirit be glory, dominion, and honor, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

In another sense, by "the world" they understand the man who thinks according to the world. The divine and mystical works accomplished by Jesus in the invisible and visible world, and in the divine economy of the last time, which is full of mysteries, cannot be understood by the worldly man. This accords with the saying, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" (Jn 16:12).

But let us pray that the works and words of the Lord never come into forgetfulness among us. May we always open this book of the Beloved and seek out the treasure contained in the miracles and teaching of Jesus. Thus, having been purified in word and life, may we be counted worthy, on the day of revelation, of the most ineffable works and mysteries, which now, while we are in the world, we cannot contain.

May we be made perfect in Christ Himself, Who loved us, and through His beloved disciple enlightened us with theology and with knowledge of Him, the Son, and of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit. To Him be glory unto the ages. Amen.

Here, however, we think the speech is constructed hyperbolically. Although one must believe that many thousands of miracles were performed by the power of our Savior, the writers of the Gospels seem to have recorded only the most noteworthy events. They chose those through which the hearers could be strengthened most in uncorrupted faith, and could receive moral and dogmatic instruction.

Thus, being glorified by right faith, adorned in many ways by works belonging to piety, and entering even the city above, they may be united to the Church of the firstborn (Heb 12:22-23; cf. Heb 13:14 and Rev 21:2). May they attain even to the Heavenly Kingdom in Christ, through Whom and with Whom glory be to God the Father, with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages. Amen.

For words enlarge what they express so that the will of the speaker may be made clear, though he does not wish to deceive. The one who understands how much trust his words will receive either diminishes in his account or enlarges, sometimes more than he should.

This form of speech is called hyperbole in Greek, not only by teachers of Greek grammar, but also by teachers of Latin grammar. This form of speech appears both in this saying of John and in many other divine writings. For example: "They set their mouth against the heavens" (Ps 72:9), and "the hairy crown of the one who goes on in his trespasses" (Ps 67:22).

In many other places, of which Sacred Scripture has no lack, there are also other tropes, that is, modes of expression. I could discuss them more fully, if, since the Evangelist here concludes his Gospel, I also did not set a limit to my discourse.

Of course, he was not speaking about the miracles of healing, for the narrative does not leave them unmentioned, even though it does not mention all who were healed by name. For when he relates that the dead are raised, the blind receive sight, the deaf hear, the lame walk, and every infirmity is healed, he does not leave any miracle unnarrated. He embraces each of them in general terms.

But perhaps, from the depth of his knowledge, the Evangelist says this because the greatness of the Son of God must be known not only from the miracles performed in the flesh. When considered, they are insignificant in comparison with the greatness of His other works. For since God has made all things in wisdom (Ps 103:24), and the wisdom of God has no limit, the world, bounded by its own dimensions, cannot contain within itself the principle of boundless wisdom.

This is hyperbolic speech, indicating the great multitude of works accomplished by the Lord. Hyperbole is very often used by writers and orators when they wish to portray the greatness of some subject. The Evangelist himself, by adding the word "I suppose," somewhat softened the hyperbole and strengthened trust in what might have seemed incredible. He shows that he spoke so because of the great multitude of works accomplished by the Lord.

Jesus Christ, being almighty, accomplished very many other works as well. For it was easier for Him to act than for us to speak. Yet the Evangelists wrote down only what was more useful and more necessary for faith and piety. They knew that one who did not believe what was written would not believe even if more had been written. And for one who accepts all that is written with faith, there will be no need for more.

O that we too may be found perfect servants of the all-perfect Trinity, and may finish our life with a good end in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

The Evangelist John, as is known, supplemented the Gospels of the first three Evangelists. Yet even he, by his own admission, described far from everything that Jesus did. Consequently, even his Gospel contains only brief information about the chief events in the life of Jesus Christ.

None of the four Evangelists intended to describe the whole life of Jesus in detail. Each of them wrote his Gospel for a particular circle of readers, so that they might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (Jn 20:31). To achieve this goal, it was enough to tell the readers only about certain miracles.

Some say that, according to the custom of Scripture, this is said hyperbolically, for Scripture customarily uses hyperboles. For example: 'We saw cities reaching up to heaven,' and, 'We saw men, and we were before them like locusts' (Num 13:29; Num 33:34), and the like.

But let us pray that, having been purified in word and life, we may be counted worthy, on the day of revelation, of the most ineffable works and mysteries, which now, while we are in the world, we cannot contain. May we be made perfect in Christ Himself, Who loved us, and through His beloved disciple enlightened us with theology and the knowledge of Him, and of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit, to Whom be glory unto the ages" (Theophylact). Amen.