Yesterday at the 9am service I mentioned that I would blog on John's 2 possible endings, since I was short on sermon time. John 20 ends with this verse, "But these are written so that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name." That seems like a really good ending, right? The resurrected Jesus appears to the disciples in the Upper Room, has a good talk with Doubting Thomas, and moves on. But then there is chapter 21. My primary commentary (Beasley-Murray) indicates that John 21 was possibly added later as an addendum. This could have been done by the original author, John, or by one of his disciples. John 21 does feel different from the rest of the Gospel if you read it in entirety. However, 300 years later, all 21 chapters of John are canonized at the Council of Laodicea and included in the first Christian Bible. So, whether it was a part of the original text or added later, it is still a part of a holy document that God and the Church saw fit for Christian history and education. Just a little canon FYI:)
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