Commentary - John 20:30-31

Bird's-eye view

Here, at the end of his gospel, the apostle John pulls back the curtain and tells us plainly why he put pen to parchment. This is not merely an appendix or a concluding flourish; it is the interpretive key to the entire book. John, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, has been a careful curator. He tells us that the life of Christ was an embarrassment of riches, overflowing with miracles, signs, and wonders. What we have in this gospel is not an exhaustive biography but a carefully selected portfolio of evidence. And the purpose of this evidence is not to satisfy historical curiosity or to win a debate, but rather to accomplish two specific, intertwined goals. First, that we would believe. The signs are presented to generate a specific kind of belief, a robust and saving faith. Second, that the object of this belief would be rightly understood: that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. This is not just any Jesus, but the anointed King, the Messiah of Israel, and the divine Son. The ultimate end of this entire project is not intellectual assent, but life itself, an abundant and eternal life that is found only by being united to this Christ through this kind of belief.

In short, John tells us his book is an instrument, not just a monument. It is a tool designed by God to create faith, to clarify the object of that faith, and to usher the believer into the reality of eternal life in the name of the Son. The entire gospel is a great sign pointing to the central reality of the universe: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the fountain of life.

Outline

Context In John

These verses function as the original conclusion to John's gospel. While chapter 21 provides a beautiful and important epilogue, focusing on Peter's restoration and the disciples' future, 20:30-31 brings the central argument of the book to its powerful conclusion. This statement comes immediately after the account of Thomas's doubt and subsequent confession, "My Lord and my God!" Thomas represents the disciple who needed to see and touch, but Jesus pronounces a blessing on all those who would come after, "blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed" (John 20:29). John's purpose statement flows directly from this. He is providing the very testimony, the written record of the signs, that will enable future generations to believe without having seen. He has just presented the ultimate sign, the resurrection, and has shown its power to overcome even the most stubborn doubt. Now he steps forward and says, in effect, "This is why I have marshaled all this evidence for you, from the wedding at Cana to the empty tomb. It is so that you, like Thomas, might confess Jesus as Lord and God, and in so doing, find life."

Key Issues

An Evangelistic Portfolio

We need to banish from our minds the idea that the gospel writers were attempting to be comprehensive biographers in the modern sense. They were not trying to record every interesting detail about Jesus's life from cradle to grave. John is explicit about this. He says that if everything Jesus did were written down, the world itself could not contain the books (John 21:25). The material was vast, overwhelming, and glorious. What John has given us is a curated collection, a theological argument from historical evidence. He has selected a series of key events, which he calls "signs," to build a case. A sign, in John's vocabulary, is more than a mere miracle. It is a miracle that points beyond itself to a deeper reality about the person of Jesus. The turning of water to wine is not just a neat party trick; it is a sign that Jesus is the bringer of the new covenant, the source of eschatological joy. The healing of the blind man is a sign that Jesus is the light of the world who opens spiritually blind eyes. John has arranged these signs, along with the discourses that explain them, into a powerful, persuasive argument designed to lead the reader to a verdict.

Verse by Verse Commentary

30 Therefore many other signs Jesus also did in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;

John begins his conclusion by acknowledging the limitations of his own book. The word therefore connects what he is about to say with all that has gone before. He has just finished the resurrection accounts, the pinnacle of Jesus's signs. Now he tells us this is just the highlight reel. Jesus did many, many other signs. The word for signs here is semeion, which, as we have noted, means a miracle that signifies or points to something. These were not done in a corner; they were performed in the presence of the disciples. The disciples were the eyewitnesses, the ones who could vouch for the truthfulness of these events. John is establishing his credentials as a reliable reporter, but at the same time, he is making a crucial point about divine revelation. God has not given us exhaustive information; He has given us sufficient information. The signs that are not written down would only confirm what the written signs already establish. We have not been shortchanged. We have been given exactly what we need.

31a but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God;

Here is the thesis statement for the entire gospel. This is the central axle around which everything else turns. The selected signs have been written for a purpose. The purpose is not archival, but evangelistic and pastoral. The goal is belief. The Greek here can be translated as either "that you may begin to believe" (for the unbeliever) or "that you may continue to believe" (for the believer). Both are true. The gospel is for conversion and for confirmation. It brings people to faith and it keeps them in the faith. But what is this faith? It is not a vague spiritual feeling. It has a specific, propositional content. We are to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. These two titles are packed with theological dynamite. To say He is the "Christ" is to say He is the Messiah, the long awaited anointed King from the line of David who would fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies. To say He is the "Son of God" is to confess His unique, divine nature, His eternal relationship with the Father. John has spent twenty chapters demonstrating both of these truths. He has shown Jesus as the fulfillment of Israel's hopes and as the Word made flesh, the one who is Himself God.

31b and that believing you may have life in His name.

This final clause gives us the ultimate result, the grand prize of belief. Believing is not an end in itself. It is the instrument, the channel, through which we receive something glorious: life. This is not just biological existence. John's gospel is saturated with the theme of life, meaning eternal life, the very life of God Himself, a qualitative and quantitative life that begins the moment one believes and continues into eternity. And this life is found in His name. In biblical thought, a person's name represents their entire character, authority, and power. To have life "in His name" means to have it by virtue of who He is and what He has done. It means being united to Him, finding our life bound up in His life. It is life through His authority and on His account. The whole project of this gospel, from the declaration that "In Him was life" in chapter 1, comes to its intended fulfillment here. The signs are written to create belief, the belief is in Jesus as the Christ and Son of God, and that belief is the conduit for receiving eternal life in Him.

Application

John's purpose statement is a powerful corrective to many of our modern confusions about Christianity. First, it reminds us that Christianity is a religion of revelation. It is not based on our feelings, our speculations, or our inner sense of the divine. It is based on what God has done in history and what He has caused to be written down in a book. We are not free to invent our own Jesus. We are called to believe in the Jesus who is presented to us in the apostolic testimony of Scripture. If your Jesus doesn't look like the one in John's gospel, you have the wrong Jesus.

Second, it teaches us that faith is not a blind leap. It is a reasonable trust based on sufficient evidence. John did not say, "Just close your eyes and believe." He said, "Look at the signs I have laid out for you and then believe." The Christian faith has a solid, historical foundation. God treats us as rational creatures, presenting us with powerful evidence for the truth claims of the gospel, the chief of which is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

Finally, and most importantly, it reminds us what is at stake. This is not an academic exercise. The goal is life. We live in a world that is spiritually dead, alienated from the life of God. The gospel of John is God's chosen instrument to remedy that. To read this book is to be confronted with a choice. Will you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God? Your eternal life hangs on that question. To believe is to pass from death to life. To disbelieve is to remain in the dark. John has written so that we might have life. The only proper response is to believe, and in believing, to find that our lives are caught up in the invincible, glorious, and eternal life of the Son of God Himself.